Bible

 

Leviticus 21

Studie

   

1 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Speak unto the priests, sons of Aaron, and thou hast said unto them, For [any] person [a priest] is not defiled among his people,

2 except for his relation who [is] near unto him -- for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.

3 and for his sister, the virgin, who is near unto him, who hath not been to a man; for her he is defiled.

4 `A master [priest] doth not defile himself among his people -- to pollute himself;

5 they do not make baldness on their head, and the corner of their beard they do not shave, and in their flesh they do not make a cutting;

6 they are holy to their God, and they pollute not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.

7 `A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, for he [is] holy to his God;

8 and thou hast sanctified him, for the bread of thy God he is bringing near; he is holy to thee; for holy [am] I, Jehovah, sanctifying you.

9 `And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.

10 `And the high priest of his brethren, on whose head is poured the anointing oil, and hath consecrated his hand to put on the garments, his head doth not uncover, nor rend his garments,

11 nor beside any dead person doth he come; for his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself;

12 nor from the sanctuary doth he go out, nor doth he pollute the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing oil of his God [is] on him; I [am] Jehovah.

13 `And he taketh a wife in her virginity;

14 widow, or cast out, or polluted one -- a harlot -- these he doth not take, but a virgin of his own people he doth take [for] a wife,

15 and he doth not pollute his seed among his people; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying him.'

16 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

17 `Speak unto Aaron, saying, No man of thy seed to their generations in whom there is blemish doth draw near to bring near the bread of his God,

18 for no man in whom [is] blemish doth draw near -- a man blind, or lame or dwarfed, or enlarged,

19 or a man in whom there is a breach in the foot, or a breach in the hand,

20 or hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled.

21 `No man in whom is blemish (of the seed of Aaron the priest) doth come nigh to bring near the fire-offerings of Jehovah; blemish [is] in him; the bread of his God he doth not come nigh to bring near.

22 `Bread of his God -- of the most holy things, and of the holy things -- he doth eat;

23 only, unto the vail he doth not enter, and unto the altar he doth not draw nigh; for blemish [is] in him; and he doth not pollute My sanctuaries; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying them.'

24 And Moses speaketh unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the sons of Israel.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Explained # 867

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 1232  
  

867. For they are without blemish before the throne of God. That this signifies that in the sight of the angels they are without falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of being without blemish, as denoting to be without falsities from evil, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of before the throne of God, as denoting in the sight of the angels. That by the throne of God is meant heaven where the angels are, may be seen above (n. 253).

The reason why they appear without blemish in the sight of the angels of heaven is, that they are led by the Lord; and the Lord continually provides that nothing false shall enter their will. It is admitted, indeed, into the thought, but no further; thence it is cast out; and what is cast out from the thought does not defile the man. But what is taken therefrom by his will defiles; for by this it exists, and becomes part of his love, thus of his life, and is also inherent in his deeds; and the removal of this is only possible by a serious and actual repentance of the life. For the will, the love, the life, and the deeds are one in act; and are meant in the Word by the heart. This now is the reason why those who are led of the Lord, or who follow Him, are without blemish.

[2] That a man should think falsity and evil is unavoidable, both because he is born into evils of every kind, and because the doctrines of the church at this day are not doctrines of life, but doctrines of faith only; and the doctrine of faith separated from life does not teach the truths by which a man may be reformed as to his life. However, those who are in the Lord are kept in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in that affection may indeed receive falsities, yet not with their full consent, but only so far as they do not disagree with the good and the truths therefrom. Wherefore when those who are in the spiritual affection of truth meet with falsities of any kind, they easily reject them when they hear truths, both in this world and in the other. Such is the spiritual affection of truth. Those therefore who are in that affection are perfected in intelligence and wisdom to eternity. They also have the power to understand truths. Those, on the other hand, who are not in that affection refuse both to understand and listen to truths; therefore they have no power to understand them. That this is the case has been made clear to me from general experience in the spiritual world.

[3] Now because the angels of heaven do not perceive any thing in man but his love, and his affections, desires, and delights therefrom; consequently his ends, on account of which he thinks in such or such a manner; therefore when they perceive within him the love of truth for the sake of the uses of life, which are ends, then they do not see any falsities from evil. And if perchance they should see falsities which are not from evil, still they know that these falsities do not hurt, because evil is not in them. Falsities from evil are real falsities, which come from hell. The reason is, that those falsities are forms of evil, thus in themselves also evils.

As to being without blemish, this signifies what is entire; but in the spiritual sense it signifies to be without falsities from evil. On this account it was among the things forbidden, that any of the seed of Aaron who had blemishes, should come near the altar, or enter within the veil (Leviticus 21:17-23); it was also forbidden that any sacrifice should be made of oxen, calves, goats, or lambs, in which there was a blemish (Leviticus 22:19-25). Mention is also made of spots in many passages of the Word throughout; by all of which are signified falsities and evils of various kinds.

  
/ 1232  
  

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