Levitico 23:10
To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.
Apocalypse Revealed #316
316. "And do not harm the oil and the wine." This symbolizes the Lord's provision that they not violate and profane the goods and truths concealed inwardly in the Word.
Oil symbolizes the goodness of love, and wine the truth springing from that goodness. Thus the oil here symbolizes sacred goodness, and the wine sacred truth. The Lord's provision that these not be violated and profaned is symbolized by the people's being told not to harm them. For this instruction came from the midst of the four living creatures, thus from the Lord (no. 314). Whatever the Lord says He also provides. That this is something He provides may be seen in nos. 314 and 255 above.
That oil symbolizes the goodness of love - this we will see in nos. 778, 779 below.
That wine symbolizes the truth springing from that goodness is clear from the following passages:
Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes..., buy wine and milk without money... (Isaiah 55:1)
It shall come to pass in that day that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills flow with milk... (Joel 3:18, cf. Amos 9:13-14)
Joy is taken away... from Carmel, and in the vineyards there will be no singing... No treaders will tread out wine in the presses; I have made their shouting cease. (Isaiah 16:10, cf. Jeremiah 48:32-33)
Carmel symbolizes the spiritual church, because it had vineyards there.
[2] ...wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth... The vinedressers have wailed... (Joel 1:5, 10-11)
Almost the same images occur in Hosea 9:2-3.
He washes his clothing in wine, and His vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are red with wine... (Genesis 49:11-12)
The subject is the Lord, and the wine symbolizes Divine truth. That is why the Lord instituted the Holy Supper, in which the bread symbolizes the Lord in respect to Divine good, and the wine the Lord in respect to Divine truth; and in their recipients the bread symbolizes a sacred goodness, and the wine sacred truth, received from the Lord. Therefore He said,
I say to you, that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you... in My Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29, cf. Luke 22:18)
Because bread and wine have these symbolic meanings, so too Melchizedek, going to meet Abram, brought out bread and wine, he being a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram (Genesis 14:18-19).
[3] The grain offering and drink offering used in sacrifices had similar symbolic meanings, as described in Exodus 29:40, Leviticus 23:12-13, 18-19ff. The grain offering was an offering of wheat flour, thus taking the place of bread, and the drink offering was an offering of wine.
It can be seen from this what these words of the Lord symbolize:
Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins... But they put the... wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17, cf. Luke 5:37-38)
New wine is the Divine truth in the New Testament, thus in the New Church, and the old wine is the Divine truth in the Old Testament, thus in the old church.
A similar idea is symbolized by these words of the Lord at the wedding in Cana of Galilee:
Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now! (John 2:1-10)
[4] Something similar is symbolized by the wine in the Lord's parable concerning the man wounded by thieves, on whose wound the Samaritan poured oil and wine (Luke 10:33-34); for the man wounded by thieves means people whom the Jews wounded spiritually by evils and falsities, and to whom the Samaritan brought aid by pouring oil and wine on their wounds, that is, by teaching them goodness and truth, and as far as possible, healing them.
Sacred truth is symbolized by wine and new wine also elsewhere in the Word, as in Isaiah 1:21-22; 25:6; 36:17.
[5] Because of this, a vineyard in the Word symbolizes a church that possesses truths from the Lord.
That wine symbolizes sacred truth can be seen also from its opposite meaning, in which it symbolizes truth falsified and profaned, as in the following places:
Harlotry, wine, and new wine have taken hold of the heart... Their wine is gone, they commit harlotry continually. (Hosea 4:11, 18)
Harlotry symbolizes the falsification of truth, and so, too, do the wine and new wine here.
...in the hand of Jehovah a cup, and He mixed it with wine; He filled it with the mixture and poured it out, and its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth, sucking, drink. (Psalms 75:8)
Babylon was a golden cup in Jehovah's hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they are deranged. (Jeremiah 51:7)
Babylon has fallen..., because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication... If anyone worships the beast..., he shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed with undiluted wine in the cup of the wrath (of God). (Revelation 14:8-10)
(Babylon has made) all the nations (drink) of the wine... of her fornication. (Revelation 18:3)
...great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. (Revelation 16:19)
...the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (Revelation 17:1-2)
[6] The wine that Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, and his lords and wives and concubines drank from the vessels of the Temple in Jerusalem, while they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:2-4) - that wine symbolized nothing else but the sacred truth of the Word and church profaned, which is why the writing then appeared on the wall, and the king that very night was slain (Daniel 5:25, 30)
Wine symbolizes truth falsified also in Isaiah 5:11-12, 21-22; 28:1, 3, 7; 29:9; 56:11-12.
The drink offering that they poured out as an offering to idols has the same symbolic meaning in Isaiah 65:11; 57:6; Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19; Ezekiel 20:28; Deuteronomy 32:38.
It is owing to its correspondence that wine symbolizes sacred truth, and in an opposite sense, truth profaned. For when a person reads "wine" in the Word, angels - who apprehend everything spiritually - have just this interpretation of it. Such is the correspondence between the natural thoughts of people and the spiritual thoughts of angels. The case is the same with the wine in the Holy Supper. That is why the Holy Supper occasions an introduction into heaven (no. 224 at the end).
Numbers 28
1
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Command the children of Israel, and tell them, 'My offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to me, you shall observe to offer to me in their due season.'
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You shall tell them, 'This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: male lambs a year old without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
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You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening;
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with the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
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It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
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Its drink offering shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb. You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place.
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The other lamb you shall offer at evening: as the meal offering of the morning, and as the drink offering of it, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
9
"'On the Sabbath day two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, and the drink offering of it:
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this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
11
"'In the beginnings of your months you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;
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and three tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;
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and a tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb; for a burnt offering of a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
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Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
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One male goat for a sin offering to Yahweh; it shall be offered besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
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"'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh's Passover.
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On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
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In the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work;
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but you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; they shall be to you without blemish;
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and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil: you shall offer three tenth parts for a bull, and two tenth parts for the ram.
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You shall offer a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
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You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.
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In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: it shall be offered besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
25
On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work.
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"'Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your [feast of] weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work;
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but you shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
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and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth parts for each bull, two tenth parts for the one ram,
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a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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one male goat, to make atonement for you.
31
Besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal offering of it, you shall offer them (they shall be to you without blemish), and their drink offerings.
