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Exodus 22

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1 `When a man doth steal an ox or sheep, and hath slaughtered it or sold it, five of the herd he doth repay for the ox, and four of the flock for the sheep.

2 `If in the breaking through, the thief is found, and he hath been smitten, and hath died, there is no blood for him;

3 if the sun hath risen upon him, blood [is] for him, he doth certainly repay; if he have nothing, then he hath been sold for his theft;

4 if the theft is certainly found in his hand alive, whether ox, or ass, or sheep -- double he repayeth.

5 `When a man depastureth a field or vineyard, and hath sent out his beast, and it hath pastured in the field of another, [of] the best of his field, and the best of his vineyard, he doth repay.

6 `When fire goeth forth, and hath found thorns, and a stack, or the standing corn, or the field, hath been consumed, he who causeth the burning doth certainly repay.

7 `When a man doth give unto his neighbour silver, or vessels to keep, and it hath been stolen out of the man's house; if the thief is found, he repayeth double.

8 `If the thief is not found, then the master of the house hath been brought near unto God, whether he hath not put forth his hand against the work of his neighbour;

9 for every matter of transgression, for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, for any lost thing of which it is said that it is his; unto God cometh the matter of them both; he whom God doth condemn, he repayeth double to his neighbour.

10 `When a man doth give unto his neighbour an ass, or ox, or sheep, or any beast to keep, and it hath died, or hath been hurt, or taken captive, none seeing --

11 an oath of Jehovah is between them both, that he hath not put forth his hand against the work of his neighbour, and its owner hath accepted, and he doth not repay;

12 but if it is certainly stolen from him, he doth repay to its owner;

13 if it is certainly torn, he bringeth it in -- a witness; the torn thing he doth not repay.

14 `And when a man doth ask [anything] from his neighbour, and it hath been hurt or hath died -- its owner not being with it -- he doth certainly repay;

15 if its owner [is] with it, he doth not repay, -- if it [is] a hired thing, it hath come for its hire.

16 `And when a man doth entice a virgin who [is] not betrothed, and hath lain with her, he doth certainly endow her to himself for a wife;

17 if her father utterly refuse to give her to him, money he doth weigh out according to the dowry of virgins.

18 `A witch thou dost not keep alive.

19 `Whoever lieth with a beast is certainly put to death.

20 `He who is sacrificing to a god, save to Jehovah alone, is devoted.

21 `And a sojourner thou dost not oppress, nor crush him, for sojourners ye have been in the land of Egypt.

22 `Any widow or orphan ye do not afflict;

23 if thou dost really afflict him, surely if he at all cry unto Me, I certainly hear his cry;

24 and Mine anger hath burned, and I have slain you by the sword, and your wives have been widows, and your sons orphans.

25 `If thou dost lend My poor people with thee money, thou art not to him as a usurer; thou dost not lay on him usury;

26 if thou dost at all take in pledge the garment of thy neighbour, during the going in of the sun thou dost return it to him:

27 for it alone is his covering, it [is] his garment for his skin; wherein doth he lie down? and it hath come to pass, when he doth cry unto Me, that I have heard, for I [am] gracious.

28 `God thou dost not revile, and a prince among thy people thou dost not curse.

29 `Thy fulness and thy liquids thou dost not delay; the first-born of thy sons thou dost give to Me;

30 so thou dost to thine ox, to thy sheep; seven days it is with its dam, on the eighth day thou dost give it to Me.

31 `And ye are holy men to Me, and flesh torn in the field ye do not eat, to a dog ye do cast it.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 28

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28. The Firstborn from the dead, signifies from whom is all good in heaven. This is evident from the signification of the "firstborn," as being, in reference to the Lord, Divine good in heaven, thus all good there. The "firstborn" signifies this, because by generations, in general and in particular, spiritual generations are signified, which are the generations of good and truth or of love and faith; from this it is, that by "father," "mother," "sons," "daughters," "sons-in-law," "daughters-in-law," and "son's sons," are signified goods and truths which generate and are generated in their order (Arcana Coelestia 10490), for in heaven there are no other nativities. This being so, by "firstborn" is not meant the firstborn, but the good of heaven and of the church, because this is in the first place. And since it is the Lord from whom all good in heaven is, He is called the "Firstborn." He is called "the Firstborn from the dead," because, when He arose from the dead, He made His Human to be Divine good by union with the Divine that was in Him from conception.

[2] This is why He is called "the Firstborn from the dead," and says of Himself in David:

I will make Him the Firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Psalms 89:27).

What is meant by His being "high above the kings of the earth" will be seen in a subsequent article.

(That the Lord, when He departed from the world, made His Human Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia 3194, 3210, 6864, 7499, 8724, 9199, 10076; thus that He came forth from the Father and returned to the Father, n. 3194, 3210; and that after the union, the Divine truth, which is the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, proceeds from Him, n. 3704, 3712, 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398, 9407. But this arcanum may be seen more fully explained in the small work on The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295; and in the passages there cited from the Arcana Coelestia 303-305.)

As the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called "the Firstborn," for the reason that all good proceeds from Him, so all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah; so also the Levites were received in place of all the firstborn in Israel; for by the sons of Levi were represented those of the church who are in the good of charity: therefore also a double portion of inheritance was allotted to the firstborn; all this for the reason that the firstborn signified the good that is from the Lord, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself in respect to the Divine Human from which is all good. For all things that were commanded in the Israelitish church were representative of Divine things, spiritual and celestial.

[3] That all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah appears from Moses, in the following passages:

Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is Mine (Exodus 13:2).

Thou shalt cause to pass over unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling that cometh of a beast, as many as thou hast, the males shall be Jehovah's (Exodus 13:12).

Thou shalt not delay to offer the firstfruits of thy produce, and the firstfruits of thy wine. The firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam: on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me. And ye shall be men of holiness unto Me (Exodus 22:29-31).

They were to give also the firstborn of beasts, because these, too, were representative; and because they represented they were also made use of in burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

(What the various beasts in these services represented, see Arcana Coelestia 1823, 3519, 9280, 9980, 10042. Why the Levites were accepted in place of all the firstborn in Israel, see Numbers 3:12, 13, 41, 45; 8:15-20, was, as was said above, because the "sons of Levi" represented, and therefore signified, the good of charity, and "Levi," in the highest sense, signified the Lord as to that good, see Arcana Coelestia 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 10017. A double portion of the inheritance was given to the firstborn, Deuteronomy 21:17, because a "double portion" signified the good of love, Arcana Coelestia 720, 1686, 5194, 8423)

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.