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Exodus 9

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1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Come to Pharaoh, and speak to him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 For if thou refuse to send· them ·away, and thou still hold· them ·firmly,

3 behold, the hand of Jehovah shall be on thy livestock which is in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herd, and on the flock; a very heavy pestilence.

4 And Jehovah shall set·​·apart the livestock of Israel from the livestock of the Egyptians, and there shall· nothing ·die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.

5 And Jehovah set an appointed·​·time, saying, Tomorrow Jehovah shall do this word in the land.

6 And Jehovah did this word on the morrow, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died; and of the livestock of the sons of Israel not one died.

7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold there was not so much as one of the livestock of Israel dead; and Pharaoh’s heart was made heavy, and he did not let the people go.

8 And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron, Take to you fistfuls of the soot of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heavens to the eyes of Pharaoh.

9 And it shall become powdery dust over all the land of Egypt, and it shall be upon man, and upon the beast, an ulcer flourishing with boils in all the land of Egypt.

10 And they took the soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens; and it became an ulcer with boils flourishing on man and on beast.

11 And the magicians were· not ·able to stand before Moses because of the ulcer; for the ulcer was on the magicians and on all Egypt.

12 And Jehovah made· the heart of Pharaoh ·firm, and he hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had spoken to Moses.

13 And Jehovah said to Moses, Get·​·up·​·early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

14 For this time I will send all My plagues to thy heart, and against thy servants, and against thy people; so·​·that thou mayest know that there is no·​·one like Me in all the earth.

15 For now I would put·​·forth My hand, and smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou wouldst be cut·​·off from the earth.

16 Nevertheless for the sake of this have I made thee to stand, so·​·that thou mayest see My power, and so·​·that My name may be recounted in all the earth.

17 As yet thou buildest· thyself ·up against My people, in thy not letting them go.

18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very heavy hail, as has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded even until now.

19 And now send, muster·​·together thy livestock, and all that thou hast in the field; every man and beast, that shall·​·be·​·found in the field, and shall not be gathered to the house, and the hail shall come·​·down on them, and they shall·​·die.

20 He that feared the word of Jehovah of the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.

21 And he that did not set his heart to the word of Jehovah, left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch·​·out thy hand to* the heavens, and there shall be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on beast, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.

23 And Moses stretched·​·out his rod to the heavens; and Jehovah gave voices and hail, and fire walked toward the land, and Jehovah made hail rain on the land of Egypt.

24 And there was hail, and fire taking itself in the midst of the hail, very heavy, such as had not been like it in all the land of Egypt since’ it became a nation.

25 And the hail smote in all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, from man and even·​·to beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.

26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 And Pharaoh sent, and called Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time; Jehovah is just, and I and my people are wicked.

28 Supplicate ye to Jehovah, there has been more than enough voices of God and hail; and I will send· you ·away, and you shall not still stand.

29 And Moses said to him, As I go out of the city, I will spread my palms to Jehovah; and the voices shall stop, and there shall be no more hail; that thou mayest·​·know that the earth is Jehovah’s.

30 And thou and thy servants, I know that you will not yet fear the face of Jehovah God.

31 And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was a maturing·​·ear, and the flax was a stalk.

32 And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they were hidden.

33 And Moses went·​·out of the city from with Pharaoh, and spread his palms to Jehovah; and the voices and the hail stopped and the rain poured· not ·out toward the earth.

34 And Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the voices had stopped, and he sinned yet more, and made heavy his heart, he and his servants.

35 And the heart of Pharaoh was made·​·firm, and he did not send· the sons of Israel ·away; as Jehovah had spoken by the hand of Moses.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Arcana Coelestia #4876

इस मार्ग का अध्ययन करें

  
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4876. 'And your rod which is in your hand' means through the power of this, that is, of this truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'a rod' as power, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the hand' too as power, dealt with in 876, 3091, 3387, 3563. The phrase 'which is in your hand' is used because the power of that truth, namely lowest truth, is meant, like that present with the semblance of religion among the Jewish nation, meant here by 'Judah'. Regarding the attribution of power to truth, see 3091, 3563. Frequent mention is made in the Word of 'a rod', yet surprisingly few at the present day know that something in the spiritual world was represented by it, as for instance when Moses was commanded, every time a miracle was performed, to lift up his rod and so it was accomplished. The existence of such knowledge even among gentiles may be recognized from their myths in which rods are assigned to magicians. The reason 'a rod' means power is that it is a support, for it gives support to the hand and arm, and through these to the whole body. This being so, a rod takes on the meaning of the part to which it immediately gives support, namely that of the hand and the arm, both of which mean in the Word the power of truth. Also, the hand and arm correspond to that power in the Grand Man, as will be seen at the ends of chapters.

[2] That 'a rod' represented power is evident, as has been stated, from what is recorded about Moses,

He was commanded to take a rod and use it to perform miracles; so he took the rod of God in his hand. Exodus 4:17, 20.

When the waters in Egypt were struck with the rod, they turned to blood.

Exodus 7:15, 19.

When the rod was stretched out over the streams, frogs came forth. Exodus 8:5-15.

When the dust was struck by the use of the rod, it turned into lice. Exodus 8:16-20.

When the rod was stretched out towards heaven, hail fell. Exodus 9:23.

When the rod was stretched out over the earth, locusts came forth. Exodus 10:3-21.

Since 'the hand', which means power, comes first, while 'a rod' is merely its instrument, the following references to 'the hand' also occur:

The miracles happened when Moses' hand was stretched out. Exodus 10:12-13. When he stretched out his hand towards heaven, thick darkness came over the land of Egypt. Exodus 10:21-22. When he stretched out his hand over the Sea Suph, an east wind made the sea dry land; and when again he stretched out his hand, the waters returned. Exodus 14:21, 26-27.

[3] Reference is in addition made to the rod being used to strike the rock at Horeb, after which water flowed out, Exodus 17:5-6; Numbers 20:7-10. Also, when Joshua was about to fight against Amalek,

Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, with God's rod in my hand. And it happened, that when Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:9-11.

From these references it is quite plain that 'a rod', like the hand, represented power, and in the highest sense the Lord's Divine almighty power. It is also evident that at that time representatives constituted the external features of the Church, and that its internal features - which were spiritual and celestial realities such as exist in heaven - corresponded to those external ones, which owed their efficacy to that correspondence. From this it is also evident how crazy those people are who believe that power had been infused into and therefore dwelt in Moses' rod or hand.

[4] The meaning in the spiritual sense of 'a rod' as power is also evident from many places in the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Behold, the Lord Jehovah Zebaoth is taking away from Jerusalem rod and stay, the whole rod of bread, and the whole rod of water. Isaiah 3:1.

'The rod of bread' stands for the support and power provided by the good of love, 'the rod of water' for the support and power provided by the truth of faith. For 'bread' means the good of love, see 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735; and 'water' the truth of faith' 28, 680, 739, 2702, 3058, 3424. 'The rod of bread' is used with a similar meaning in Ezekiel 4:16; 5:16; 14:13; Psalms 105:16.

[5] In addition to this, in Isaiah,

The Lord, Jehovih Zebaoth, said, Do not be afraid - O My people, inhabitant of Zion - of Asshur, who will smite you with a stick and will lift up the rod over you in the way of Egypt. Jehovah will lift up the scourge against him, as when Midian was smitten in the rock of Oreb, and his rod will be over the sea, which he will lift up in the way of Egypt. Isaiah 10:24, 26.

Here 'the rod' stands for power provided by reasoning and knowledge, like that which those people possess who, with ideas based on factual knowledge, reason against the truths of faith and pervert these or else treat them as worthless. This is what is meant by 'the stick with which Asshur will smite' and by 'the rod which he will lift up in the way of Egypt'. For 'Asshur' means reasoning, see 1186, and 'Egypt' knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462.

[6] Similarly in Zechariah,

The pride of Asshur will be thrown down, and the rod of Egypt will depart. Zechariah 10:11.

In Isaiah,

You relied on the rod of a bruised reed, on Egypt, which, when anyone leans on it, goes into his hand and pierces it. Isaiah 36:6.

'Egypt' stands for factual knowledge, as above; and power in spiritual things which is received from that knowledge is meant by 'the rod of a bruised reed'. By 'the hand which it enters and pierces' is meant power received from the Word. In the same prophet,

Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked, the stick of those who have dominion. Isaiah 14:5

'The rod' and 'the stick' plainly stand for power.

[7] In Jeremiah,

Grieve, all regions surrounding Moab; say, How is the rod of strength, the rod of beauty, broken! Jeremiah 48:17.

'The rod of strength' stands for power received from good, and 'the rod of beauty' for power received from truth.

[8] In Hosea,

My people enquire of their piece of wood, and their rod gives them a reply, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray. Hosea 4:12.

'Inquiring of a piece of wood' stands for consulting evils, 'the rod gives reply' for the fact that falsity results from these, its power being derived from the evil to which they give support. 'The spirit of whoredom' stands for the life of falsity resulting from evil. In David,

Even when I walk in the valley of the shadow I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your stick and Your rod comfort me. Psalms 23:4.

'Your stick and your rod' stands for Divine truth and good, which have power. In the same author,

The rod of the wicked will not rest on the lot of the righteous. Psalms 125:3.

[9] In the same author,

You will break them in pieces with a stick of iron, you will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Psalms 2:9.

'A stick of iron' stands for the power of spiritual truth within the natural, for all natural truth that has spiritual truth present within it possesses power. 'Iron' means natural truth, 425, 426. Similarly in John,

He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations to rule 1 them untie a stick of iron as when earthen pots are broken in pieces. Revelation 2:26-27. (Also Revelation 12:5; 19:15.)

[10] Because 'a rod' represented the power of truth, that is, the power of good expressed by means of truth, kings therefore had sceptres; and those sceptres were shaped like short rods. For kings represent the Lord as regards truth, while kingship itself means Divine Truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4581. The sceptre means the power which is theirs not by virtue of their high position but of truth which must reign. Nor must this be any other kind of truth than that which is grounded in good, and so is primarily Divine Truth, and among Christians is the Lord, the source of all Divine Truth.

फुटनोट:

1. literally, pasture

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.