Bible

 

Deuteronomy 24

Studie

   

1 When a man takes a wife, and marries her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 When she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's [wife].

3 If the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorce, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;

4 her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Yahweh: and you shall not cause the land to sin, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.

5 When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business: he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.

6 No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he takes [a man's] life to pledge.

7 If a man be found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.

8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so you shall observe to do.

9 Remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam, by the way as you came forth out of Egypt.

10 When you do lend your neighbor any kind of loan, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.

11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you do lend shall bring forth the pledge outside to you.

12 If he be a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge;

13 you shall surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless you: and it shall be righteousness to you before Yahweh your God.

14 You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your brothers, or of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates:

15 in his day you shall give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor, and sets his heart on it: lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.

16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 You shall not wrest the justice [due] to the foreigner, [or] to the fatherless, nor take the widow's clothing to pledge;

18 but you shall remember that you were a bondservant in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you there: therefore I command you to do this thing.

19 When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgot a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

20 When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21 When you gather [the grapes of] your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22 You shall remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt: therefore I command you to do this thing.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Explained # 1156

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 1232  
  

1156. And slaves and souls of men.- That these signify worship from truths and goods from a natural origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of slaves, which denote truths scientific, which are from the natural man, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of souls of men, which denote the goods corresponding to those truths, which in general are the affections of knowing; for by souls of men are here meant those who are sold for servants, that is, things for service. These are also called souls of men in the prophet Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, were thy merchants, with the soul of man and with vessels of brass they gave thy trading" (27:13).

This refers to Tyre, by which the knowledges of truth and good are signified; and by the soul of man are meant servants, who are sold, thus slaves (mancipia). And because it is also said with vessels of brass, by the soul of man, in the spiritual sense scientifics serving for use are signified; vessels of brass have a similar signification.

A man who is sold is also called soul in Moses:

"If any one steal the soul of his brethren, and make gain of him by selling him, he shall be killed" (Deuteronomy 24:7).

The reason why a slave signifies truth scientific is, that the scientifics of the natural man administer to and serve the rational man for the purposes of thought, and therefore those scientifics are signified in the Word by attendants, household servants, servants, slaves, and here also by souls of men. Here, as above, is meant worship from those truths and goods, profaned by Babylon.

[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- All those who wish for miracles and visions resemble the sons of Israel, who, after they had seen so many wonders in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and on Mount Sinai, yet within a month forsook the worship of Jehovah, and worshipped a golden calf (Exodus 32). They are also like the rich man in hell (in inferno), who told Abraham that his brethren would repent if one from the dead went to them; to whom Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them; if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:29, 30, 31). And they are also like Thomas, who said that he would not believe unless he saw; to whom the Lord said, "Blessed are they who believe and yet do not see" (John 20:29). Those who believe and yet do not see are those who do not desire signs, but truths from the Word, that is, Moses and the prophets, and believe them. The latter are internal men and become spiritual, but the former are external and remain sensual, and when they see miracles, and believe only by means of them, are not unlike a handsome woman who is inwardly affected with a fatal disorder, of which she soon dies. They are also, like apples which have a beautiful rind, but are rotten at the core; or like nuts, in which a worm lies concealed. It is moreover well known that no one can be compelled to love and believe, but that love and belief must be rooted inwardly in man; consequently, no one can be led to love God and to believe in Him by miracles and visions, for they compel. For how will he who does not believe notwithstanding the miracles recorded in the Word, believe by means of miracles which have no place in the Word?

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.