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സംഖ്യാപുസ്തകം 6:7

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7 അപ്പന്‍ , അമ്മ, സഹോദരന്‍ , സഹോദരി എന്നിവരില്‍ ആരെങ്കിലും മരിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ അവരാല്‍ അവന്‍ തന്നെത്താന്‍ അശുദ്ധനാകരുതു; അവന്റെ ദൈവത്തിന്റെ നാസീര്‍വ്രതം അവന്റെ തലയില്‍ ഇരിക്കുന്നു;

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Arcana Coelestia #10137

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10137. And a drink-offering of the fourth of a hin of wine. That this signifies spiritual truth sufficient for conjunction, is evident from the signification of “wine,” as being truth (see n. 1071, 1798, 6377); here spiritual truth corresponding to spiritual good from celestial, which is signified by “fine flour mingled with oil” (of which just above, n. 10136); for in the Word where good is treated of, truth also is treated of, and indeed truth of the same kind as the good, for the reason that each and all things in heaven and also in the world bear relation to good and to truth, and to both in order to be anything; for good without truth is not good, and truth without good is not truth (see the (9263) plac es cited in n. 9263, 9314). Hence it was that when the meat-offering was offered, which was bread, a drink-offering also was offered, which was wine; and in like manner in the Holy Supper. From this it is that by the “drink-offering of wine” is here meant truth corresponding to the good which is signified by the meat-offering, spoken of just above. And from the signification of “the fourth of a hin,” as being as much as is sufficient for conjunction (see just above, n. 10136).

[2] Everyone can see that by the meat-offering, which was bread, and by the drink-offering, which was wine, are not meant merely bread and wine, but something of the church and of heaven, thus spiritual and celestial things that belong to heaven and the church. Otherwise what purpose could have been served by putting bread and wine upon the fire of the altar? Could this have been grateful to Jehovah? Or could this have been to Him, as is said, an odor of rest? And could this make expiation for man? He who thinks in a holy way about the Word cannot think that anything so earthly would be pleasing to Jehovah, unless some deeper and more interior Divine thing were contained in it. He who believes that the Word is Divine and spiritual throughout, must necessarily believe that some secret of heaven lies hidden in every detail of it. But the reason why it has not hitherto been known wherein this secret lies, is that it has not been known that there is an internal sense which is spiritual and Divine in every detail of the Word; and that there are angels with every man, who perceive his thoughts, and who apprehend the Word spiritually while he is reading it, and that through them what is holy then flows in from the Lord, and thus that through them there is conjunction of heaven with man, consequently conjunction of the Lord through the heavens with him. This is the reason why a Word of this nature was given to man, by means of which, and not in any other way, his salvation can be provided for by the Lord.

[3] That the “meat-offering,” which was bread, signifies the good of love, and that the “drink-offering,” which was wine, signifies the good of faith, and that they are so perceived by the angels, can be seen from all that is said in the Word about the meat-offering and the drink-offering; as in Joel:

The meat-offering and the drink-offering are cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, have mourned. The field is laid waste, the land hath mourned because the grain hath been laid waste, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. The vine is withered, and the fig-tree languisheth. Howl, ye ministers of Jehovah, because the meat-offering and the drink-offering have been forbidden from the house of our God, for the day of Jehovah is near, and as a devastation from Shaddai doth it come (Joel 1:9-15).

The subject here treated of is the last time of the church, when there is no longer in it the good of love and the truth of faith, which is signified by “the day of Jehovah being near,” and “coming as devastation from Shaddai.”

[4] From this it is plain that by “the meat-offering and drink-offering which were cut off from the house of Jehovah,” by “the field which was laid waste,” by “the ground which mourneth,” by “the grain which was also laid waste,” by “the new wine which was dried up,” by “the oil which languisheth,” and by “the vine” and “the fig-tree,” are signified such things as belong to the church and heaven; but the internal sense teaches what these signify. From this it is evident that by “the field” is signified the church as to the reception of truth (see n. 3766, 4982, 7502, 7571, 9295); by “the land,” the church as to good (see the places cited in n. 9325); by “grain,” all the good of the church (n. 5295, 5410, 5959); by “new wine,” all the truth of the church (n. 3580); by “oil,” the good of love (n. 4582, 4638, 9780); by “vine,” the interior good of the spiritual church (n. 5113, 6376, 9277); and by “fig-tree” its exterior good (n. 217, 4231, 5113). From all this it is evident that “the meat-offering and the drink-offering” denote worship from the good of love and from the good of faith.

[5] In Malachi:

The meat-offering I will not accept from your hands; for from the rising of the sun even to its going down, the name of Jehovah shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense is offered to My name, and a clean meat-offering (Malachi 1:10-11).

That in this passage by a “meat-offering” is not meant a meat offering, nor by “incense” incense, is plain, for the subject treated of is the church among the nations (with whom however there was no meat-offering); for it is said, “from the rising of the sun to its going down the name of Jehovah shall be great among the nations, and in every place is a clean meat offering and incense” (that “incense” denotes adoration from the good of faith, see n. 9475).

[6] So in David:

My prayers have been accepted as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as the evening meat-offering (Psalms 141:2);

“the evening meat-offering” denotes the good of love in the external man.

[7] In Isaiah:

Ye have become heated with gods under every green tree. Even to them hast thou poured out a drink-offering, thou hast made a gift to go up, thou offerest a gift to the king in oil, and dost multiply thy spices, and dost abase thyself to hell (Isaiah 57:5-6, 9);

worship from evils and falsities which are from hell is the subject here treated of; in the internal sense “gods” denote falsities, for they who worshiped other gods did indeed call them by name, but still it was falsities from evils which they worshiped. (That in the Word “strange gods” denote falsities, see n. 4402, 8941; also that a “green tree” denotes all the capability of the perception, knowledge, and confirmation of falsity, n. 2722, 2972, 4552, 7692; and that “green” denotes sensitivity, see n. 7691.) “To become heated” denotes the ardor of worship; for the fire from which the heating comes denotes love in both senses (n. 5215, 6832, 7575). “To pour out a drink-offering” denotes worship from the falsities of evil; “to offer a gift to the king in oil” denotes to worship Satan from evils; “a gift in oil” is a meat-offering; “to multiply spices” is to multiply incense, by which are signified adorations (n. 9475); and therefore it is also said that he “abased himself to hell.”

[8] From all this it can be seen that the meat-offering which was bread, and the drink-offering which was wine, signify such things as are of the church and heaven, namely, heavenly food and drink, like what is signified by the bread and wine in the Holy Supper, for the purpose above mentioned-that heaven may conjoin itself with man by means of the Word, consequently the Lord through heaven by means of the Word as a medium. As the Divine of the Word consists in such things, it nourishes not only human minds, but also angelic minds, and causes heaven and the world to be one.

[9] From all this it can also be seen that each and all of the things said and commanded in the Word concerning the meat-offering and the drink-offering, or concerning bread and wine, contain Divine arcana within them, as that the meat-offering was to be fine flour, on which was to be oil, and also frankincense, and that it was to be wholly salted, and that it was to be without leaven, or ferment; and that there was to be one rule for its composition when a lamb was sacrificed, another when a ram, another when a bullock, and also a different one in the sacrifices of guilt and sin from that used in the other sacrifices; so too with the rule for the wine in the drink-offering. Unless each detail had involved arcana of heaven, they would never have been commanded for application to the various acts of worship.

[10] But that these various things may be presented under one view, they may be presented in their order. In the eucharistic sacrifices and burnt-offerings there was for every lamb a meat-offering of one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth of a hin of oil; and wine for a drink-offering the fourth of a hin. For every ram there was a meat-offering of two tenths of fine flour, and a third of a hin of oil; of wine for a drink-offering the third of a hin. For every bullock there was a meat-offering of three tenths of fine flour mingled with oil, the half of a hin; and of wine for a drink-offering the half of a hin (Numbers 15:4-12; 28:10-29; 29:3-37). The reason why for a lamb there was a different proportion of the quantity of fine flour, oil, and wine than for a ram and a bullock, was that a “lamb” signified the inmost good of innocence, a “ram” the middle good of innocence, and a “bullock” the ultimate or external good of innocence; for there are three heavens, the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate, from which there are also three degrees of the good of innocence. Its increase from first to last is signified by the increasing proportion of fine flour, oil, and wine. Be it known that the good of innocence is the very soul of heaven, because this good is alone receptive of love, charity, and faith, which make the heavens. (That a “lamb” denotes the inmost good of innocence, see n. 3994, 10132; and a “ram,” the middle or interior good of innocence, see n. 10042; and a “bullock,” the ultimate or external good of innocence, n. 9391, 9990.)

[11] But in the sacrifices for confession there was a meat-offering of unleavened cakes mixed with oil, of unleavened wafers anointed with oil, of fine flour sodden for the cakes mixed with oil; besides fermented cakes of bread (Leviticus 7:11-12); and in the sacrifices of guilt and sin there was a meat-offering of the tenth of an ephah of fine flour, but no oil and frankincense upon it (Leviticus 5:11). That no oil and frankincense were to be put upon the meat-offering of the sacrifice of sin and guilt, was because by “oil” is signified the good of love, and by “frankincense” the truth of this good, and by the sacrifices of sin and guilt is signified purification and expiation from evils and the derivative falsities, which on this account were not to be mingled with good and the derivative truth.

[12] Further, in respect to the meat-offering of Aaron and of his sons on the day in which they were anointed (see Leviticus 6:13-15); and the meat-offering of the firstfruits of the harvest (2:14, 15; 23:10, 12-13, 17); the meat-offering of the Nazirite (Numbers 6); the meat-offering of jealousy (Numbers 5); the meat-offering of one who was cleansed from leprosy (Leviticus 14); the meat-offering baked in an oven; and the meat-offering of the frying pan and the baking pan (Leviticus 2:3-7). That there was to be no ferment in the meat-offering, nor any honey; and that the meat-offering was to be salted, may be seen in verses 10-12, of the same chapter. The reason why there was to be no ferment and no honey in the meat-offering was because in the spiritual sense “ferment” denotes falsity from evil, and “honey” external delight thus commingled with the delight of the love of the world, by means of which also heavenly goods and truths ferment and thus are dispersed; and the reason why it was to be wholly salted was because “salt” signified truth longing for good, thus conjoining both. (That “ferment” denotes falsity from evil, see n. 2342, 7906, 8051, 9992; also that “honey” denotes external delight, thus the delight of love in both senses, n. 5620; and that “salt” denotes truth longing for good, n. 9207.)

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

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Arcana Coelestia #9295

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9295. That this second feast, which was called “the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of works,” and also that “of the firstfruits of wheat,” likewise “the feast of weeks,” signifies the implantation of truth in good, is evident from its institution, concerning which in Moses:

Say unto the sons of Israel, When ye shall come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, ye shall bring the first sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest; and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And in that day ye shall offer a he-lamb for a burnt-offering; also the meat-offering and the drink-offering. But ye shall not eat bread, or parched ear, or green, until this selfsame day. Then ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day in which ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven entire Sabbaths shall there be; even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new gift to Jehovah. Ye shall offer out of your dwellings the bread of the wave-offering, it shall be baked leavened, as firstfruits to Jehovah. Ye shall offer besides the bread seven lambs, one young bullock, and two rams, for a burnt-offering, with their meat-offering, and their drink-offering (Leviticus 23:10-18; Deuteronomy 16:9-12).

[2] That each of these things has a signification cannot be known except from their internal sense. In this sense the “seeds which are sown in the field” denote the truths of faith which are implanted in good; by “the harvest” is signified their coming to maturity when goods are produced; for “wheat and barley,” denote goods, and “the spike,” or “ear” in which they are denotes truths thus adjoined to goods; the “sheaf” denotes a series and collection of such things, for truths are arranged as it were into bundles; “waving” denotes vivification, for truths are not living in man until they are in good; the priest who waved the sheaf, that is, who vivified the goods of truth, represented the Lord, because everything of life is from Him; this being done “on the morrow after the Sabbath” signified the holiness of the conjunction of good and truth; that before this they were not allowed to “eat bread, or the parched ear, or the green ear,” signified that the life of good and its appropriation are no sooner; “bread” denotes the good of love; the “parched ear,” the good of charity; the “green ear,” the good of truth; and “eating,” appropriation; that they were to “count seven Sabbaths unto the feast,” which was made on the “fiftieth day” therefrom, signified the complete implantation of truth in good even to the beginning of a new state; the “leavened bread” which was then offered, signified good not yet fully purified; the “waving” of it signified its vivification; the “burnt-offering of lambs, a young bullock, and rams, with the meat-offering and the drink-offering,” signified the worship of the Lord according to the quality of that good. These are the things which are signified by this feast and by the particulars of its celebration; from which it is evident that the second state of liberation from damnation, which is the state of the implantation of truth in good, was thereby signified.

[3] As this feast was called “the feast of the firstfruits of the harvest” it should be known what is signified in the Word by “the harvest.” The “field” in which is the harvest, in a broad sense signifies the whole human race, or the whole world; in a less broad sense it signifies the church; in a sense more restricted, the man of the church; and in a sense still more restricted, the good which is in the man of the church, for this receives the truths of faith, as a field receives seeds. From the signification of the “field” it is plain what is signified by the “harvest,” namely, that in the broadest sense it signifies the state of the whole human race in respect to the reception of good by means of truth; in a less broad sense, the state of the church in respect to the reception of the truths of faith in good; in a more restricted sense, the state of the man of the church in respect to this reception; and in a still more restricted sense, the state of good in respect to the reception of truth, thus the implantation of truth in good.

[4] From all this it can seen what is signified by “the harvest” in the following passages; as in Matthew:

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one; 1 the enemy that soweth them is the devil; but the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are the angels (Matthew 13:37-39);

“the good seed” denotes the truths of faith from the Lord; “the Son of man” denotes the Lord in respect to the truths of the church; “the world which is the field” denotes the whole human race; “the sons of the kingdom who are the seed” denote the truths of faith of the church; “the sons of the evil kingdom who are the tares” denote the falsities of faith of the church; “the devil who is the enemy and soweth them” denotes hell; “the consummation of the age which is the harvest” denotes the last state of the church in respect to the reception of, the truths of faith in good; “the angels who are the reapers” denote truths from the Lord. That such things are signified by the above words of the Lord, can be seen from their internal sense, as set forth in these explications. From the above words it is also manifest in what manner the Lord spoke when He was in the world, namely, by means of significatives, to the end that the Word might be not only for the world, but also for heaven.

[5] In Revelation:

An angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Put forth thy sickle, and reap; because the hour is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is dried up. And he that sat on the cloud put forth his sickle into the earth; and the earth was reaped (Revelation 14:15-16);

here also “the harvest” denotes the last state of the church in respect to the reception of the truths of faith in good.

In Joel:

The priests, the ministers of Jehovah, have mourned; the field is laid waste, the land hath mourned because the grain hath been laid waste, the must is dried up, the oil languisheth. The husbandmen are ashamed, the vine-dressers have howled over the wheat and over the barley; and because the harvest of the field hath perished (Joel 1:9-11).

The vastation of the church in respect to the truths of faith and the goods of charity is here described by such things as belong to the field, the vineyard, and the oliveyard; the church itself is “the field;” and its last state, which was called by the Lord “the consummation of the age,” is “the harvest.”

[6] In the same:

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great (Joel 3:13);

here also by “the harvest” is signified the consummation of the age, or the last state of the devastated church.

In Jeremiah:

Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest (Jeremiah 50:16).

The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; it is time to thresh her; yet a little while, and the time of harvest cometh (Jeremiah 51:33);

“the time of harvest” denotes the last state of the church.

[7] In Isaiah:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter; the inhabitants of the isle are silent; the merchants of Zidon that pass over the sea have replenished thee; and through many waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her increase; that she should be the mart of nations (Isaiah 23:1-3).

The holy things of the church which are here described cannot be known to anyone except from the internal sense. Everyone knows that the holy things of heaven and of the church are everywhere in the Word, and that from this the Word is holy. In the sense of the letter the subject here treated of is the merchandise of Tyre and Zidon, which apart from the interior holy sense are not holy. But what they signify in this sense is clear when they are unfolded. “The ships of Tarshish” denote the doctrinal things of truth and good; “Tyre and Zidon” denote the knowledges of good and truth; there being “no house, nor anyone entering in,” denotes that there is no longer any good in which truth can be implanted; “the inhabitants of the isle who are silent” denote more remote goods; “the seed of Shihor” denotes memory-truth; “the harvest of the Nile her increase” denotes the derivative good outside the church.

Bilješke:

1. That is, of the evil kingdom. See below. [REVISER.]

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