Bibliorum

 

Jeremia 27

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1 En la komenco de la regxado de Jehojakim, filo de Josxija, regxo de Judujo, aperis de la Eternulo jena vorto al Jeremia:

2 Tiele diras al mi la Eternulo:Faru al vi ligilojn kaj jugon, kaj metu tion sur vian kolon;

3 kaj sendu tion al la regxo de Edom kaj al la regxo de Moab kaj al la regxo de la Amonidoj kaj al la regxo de Tiro kaj al la regxo de Cidon, per la senditoj, kiuj venis Jerusalemon al Cidkija, regxo de Judujo;

4 kaj komisiu al ili, ke ili diru al siaj sinjoroj jene:Tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Tiele diru al viaj sinjoroj:

5 Per Mia granda forto kaj per Mia etendita brako Mi kreis la teron, la homojn kaj la bestojn, kiuj estas sur la tero; kaj Mi donas tion al tiu, kiu placxas al Mi.

6 Kaj nun Mi transdonas cxiujn tiujn landojn en la manon de Mia servanto Nebukadnecar, regxo de Babel, kaj ecx la bestojn de la kampo Mi transdonas al li, por ke ili servu al li.

7 Kaj servos al li cxiuj popoloj, ankaux al lia filo kaj al la filo de lia filo, gxis venos la tempo ankaux por lia lando kaj lin sklavigos potencaj popoloj kaj grandaj regxoj.

8 Kaj se ia popolo kaj regno ne servos al li, al Nebukadnecar, regxo de Babel, kaj ne metos sian kolon sub la jugon de la regxo de Babel, Mi punos tiun popolon per glavo kaj malsato kaj pesto, diras la Eternulo, gxis Mi ekstermos ilin per lia mano.

9 Ne auxskultu do viajn profetojn, nek viajn magiistojn, nek viajn songxoklarigistojn, nek viajn auxguristojn, nek viajn sorcxistojn, kiuj diras al vi jene:Ne servu al la regxo de Babel.

10 CXar ili profetas al vi malverajxon, por malproksimigi vin de via lando, por ke Mi elpelu vin kaj vi pereu.

11 Sed tiun popolon, kiu metos sian kolon sub la jugon de la regxo de Babel kaj servos al li, tiun Mi restigos trankvile sur gxia tero, diras la Eternulo, por prilaboradi gxin kaj logxi sur gxi.

12 Kaj al Cidkija, regxo de Judujo, mi diris tiajn samajn vortojn, nome:Metu vian kolon sub la jugon de la regxo de Babel, kaj servu al li kaj al lia popolo, kaj restu vivantaj.

13 Por kio vi volus morti, vi kaj via popolo, de glavo, de malsato, kaj de pesto, kiel la Eternulo decidis pri popolo, kiu ne servos al la regxo de Babel?

14 Ne auxskultu la vortojn de la profetoj, kiuj diras al vi, ke vi ne servu al la regxo de Babel; cxar ili profetas al vi malverajxon.

15 CXar Mi ne sendis ilin, diras la Eternulo, kaj ili malvere profetas en Mia nomo, por ke Mi elpelu vin, kaj por ke vi pereu, vi kaj la profetoj, kiuj profetas al vi.

16 Kaj al la pastroj kaj al la tuta cxi tiu popolo mi diris jene:Tiele diras la Eternulo:Ne auxskultu la vortojn de viaj profetoj, kiuj profetas al vi jene:Jen la vazoj de la domo de la Eternulo nun baldaux estos revenigitaj el Babel; cxar malverajxon ili profetas al vi.

17 Ne auxskultu ilin; servu al la regxo de Babel, por ke vi vivu; por kio cxi tiu urbo farigxu dezerto?

18 Se ili estas profetoj kaj se ili havas la vorton de la Eternulo, ili elpetegu de la Eternulo Cebaot, ke la vazoj, kiuj restis en la domo de la Eternulo kaj en la domo de la regxo de Judujo kaj en Jerusalem, ne transiru en Babelon.

19 CXar tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot pri la kolonoj, pri la maro, pri la bazoj, kaj pri la ceteraj vazoj, kiuj restis en cxi tiu urbo

20 kaj kiujn ne prenis Nebukadnecar, regxo de Babel, kiam li forkondukis Jehxonjan, filon de Jehojakim, regxon de Judujo, el Jerusalem en Babelon, kaj ankaux cxiujn eminentulojn de Judujo kaj Jerusalem;

21 tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael, pri la vazoj, kiuj restis en la domo de la Eternulo kaj en la domo de la regxo de Judujo kaj en Jerusalem:

22 En Babelon ili estos forportitaj, kaj tie ili restos, gxis la tago, kiam Mi rememoros ilin, diras la Eternulo, kaj prenigos kaj reportigos ilin sur cxi tiun lokon.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #7673

Studere hoc loco

  
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7673. 'Stretch out your hand' means an exercising of power. This is clear from the meaning of 'stretching out' as that which is connected with the exercising of control, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518. The reason why 'stretching out the hand' means the exercising of power is that there is power in the hand or arm when it is stretched out. When therefore Jehovah is said to stretch out His hand or arm, boundless or infinite power in action is meant. This explains why Jehovah told Moses on so many occasions, when miracles were to be performed, to stretch out his hand or his rod; for example,

Stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, and they will be blood. Exodus 7:19.

Stretch out your hand over the rivers, and cause frogs to rise up. Exodus 8:1-2. 1

Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice. Exodus 8:11, 12. 2

Stretch out your hand towards heaven, and there will be hail. Exodus 9:22-23.

Such words would never have been used but for the meaning of 'stretching out the hand' in the highest sense as Jehovah's almighty power.

[2] The same thing is meant by Joshua's being told to stretch out his javelin, described in his book as follows,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai. When therefore Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand towards Ai, the ambush rose up quickly out of their place and ran, as soon as he stretched out his hand, and came to the city and took it. Joshua did not withdraw his hand which he had stretched out together with the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai had been utterly destroyed. Joshua 8:18-19, 26.

Being representative of God's almighty power, this too, like all other representative actions when they were commanded in those times, had force.

[3] There are a number of other places in which almighty power is described when it says that Jehovah 'stretches out His hand', or else His 'outstretched hand' or His 'outstretched arm' is spoken of. It is described by Jehovah stretching out His hand in Isaiah,

The anger [of Jehovah] has been roused against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them and struck them, and the mountains were shaken. Isaiah 5:25.

In Ezekiel,

I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him. Ezekiel 14:9, 13.

In the same prophet,

I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. Ezekiel 25:7.

I will stretch out My hand over Edom, and cut off from it man and beast. I will stretch out My hand over the philistines, and cut off . . . Ezekiel 25:13, 16.

Other places like these are Ezekiel 35:3; Isaiah 31:3; Zephaniah 1:4; 2:13. The use of 'outstretched hand' to describe almighty power occurs in Isaiah,

Jehovah's outstretched hand is over all the nations; who will turn it back? Isaiah 14:26, 27.

In Jeremiah,

I will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger and in fury. Jeremiah 21:5.

In Isaiah,

Still His hand is outstretched. Isaiah 9:12, 17; 10:4.

The use of 'outstretched arm' occurs in Jeremiah,

I have made the earth, man, and beast by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jeremiah 27:5.

In the same prophet,

You have made heaven and earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm; there is no matter 3 that is too impossible for You. Jeremiah 32:17.

Here it is self-evident that 'outstretched arm' means almighty power. The same applies to many other places in which the expression 'by a strong hand and an outstretched arm' is used, such as Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; Jeremiah 32:21; Ezekiel 20:33, 34.

[4] There are places too in which Jehovah is said to 'stretch out the heavens', and in these places also 'stretching out' means almighty power; that is to say, He expands the limits of heaven and fills those who are there with life and wisdom, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a thin veil, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breath 4 to His people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.

In Jeremiah,

. . . He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jeremiah 51:15.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

There are still more places besides these, such as Isaiah 44:24; 45:12; Psalms 104:2.

From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand and rod, that miracles were performed when he did so, and that 'stretching out the hand' for that reason means the exercising of power, and in the highest sense almighty power.

V:

1Exodus 8:5-6 in English Bibles

2Exodus 8:16-17 in English Bibles

3. or word

4. literally, soul

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

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #4931

Studere hoc loco

  
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4931. CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GRAND MAN - continued

IN THIS SECTION THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE HANDS, THE ARMS, THE FEET, AND THE LOINS WITH IT

It has been shown already that the whole of heaven bears resemblance to a human being, together with each of his organs, members, and viscera. It has been shown too that this is so because heaven bears resemblance to the Lord; for the Lord is the All in all of heaven, so much its All that, properly speaking, heaven is essentially Divine Good and Divine Truth received from the Lord. For this reason heaven is distinguished into many so to speak separate provinces, as many as there are in a person's viscera, organs, and members, with which also there is a correspondence. Unless such a correspondence existed of the human being with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord, he could not remain in existence for even a single moment, all things being held in connection with one another by means of influx.

[2] But all those provinces are linked to two kingdoms - the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The first of these - the celestial kingdom - is the kingdom of the heart within the Grand Man; the second - the spiritual kingdom - is the kingdom of the lungs there. And in the same way as in the human being, the heart reigns, and so do the lungs, in every single part of the Grand Man. These two kingdoms combine in a marvellous way. Their combination likewise is represented in the combination of the heart and lungs in the human being, and in the combined workings of the two within each member and interior organ.

[3] While a person is an embryo, that is, while still in the womb, he is in the kingdom of the heart. But once he has struggled out of the womb he enters the kingdom of the lungs. Then, if he allows the truths of faith to lead him into the good of love, he returns from the kingdom of the lungs within the Grand Man to the kingdom of the heart. For thereby he enters the womb a second time and is born again. Once again those two kingdoms become combined in him, but the order has been turned around. Previously the kingdom of the heart in him was under the control of the lungs, but now the kingdom of the lungs comes under the control of the heart. That is, first of all the truth of faith has dominion in him, but afterwards the good of charity does so. For the correspondence of the heart with the good of love and that of the lungs with the truth of faith, see 3635, 3883-3896.

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