Bibliorum

 

Hesekiel 43

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1 Sitten hän kuljetti minut portille-sille portille, joka antoi itää kohden.

2 Ja katso: Israelin Jumalan kunnia tuli idästä päin. Sen kohina oli niinkuin paljojen vetten kohina, ja maa kirkastui hänen kunniastansa.

3 Ja näky, jonka minä näin, oli samanlainen kuin se näky, jonka olin nähnyt tullessani hävittämään kaupunkia; samanlaiset olivat näyt kuin se näky, jonka olin nähnyt Kebar-joen varrella. Niin minä lankesin kasvoilleni.

4 Ja Herran kunnia kulki temppeliin sen portin kautta, jonka etupuoli oli itää kohden.

5 Ja henki nosti minut ja vei minut sisempään esipihaan. Ja katso: Herran kunnia täytti temppelin.

6 Ja minä kuulin jonkun puhuttelevan minua temppelistä; mutta mies seisoi minun vieressäni.

7 Se ääni sanoi minulle: "Ihmislapsi, tämä on minun valtaistuimeni sija ja minun jalkapohjaini sija, jossa minä tahdon asua israelilaisten keskellä iankaikkisesti. Ja Israelin heimo ei ole enää saastuttava minun pyhää nimeäni-eivät he eivätkä heidän kuninkaansa-haureudellansa, kuninkaittensa ruumiilla ja uhrikukkuloillansa.

8 Kun he asettivat kynnyksensä minun kynnykseni ääreen, ovenpielensä minun ovenpielteni ääreen, niin että muuri vain oli minun ja heidän välillään, niin he saastuttivat minun pyhän nimeni kauhistuksillansa, joita harjoittivat, ja minä lopetin heidät vihassani.

9 Nyt he vievät haureutensa ja kuninkaittensa ruumiit kauas minusta, ja minä asun heidän keskellänsä iankaikkisesti.

10 Sinä, ihmislapsi, saata Israelin heimolle sanoma tästä temppelistä, että he häpeäisivät rikkomuksiansa; ja he mitatkoot sen sopusuhtaisuuden.

11 Ja jos he häpeävät kaikkea, mitä ovat tehneet, niin tee heille tiettäväksi temppelin muoto sekä sen sisustus, uloskäytävät, sisäänkäytävät, kaikki muodot, kaikki säädökset, kaikki muodot ja kaikki lait; kirjoita ne heidän silmiensä eteen, että he ottaisivat vaarin sen koko muodosta ja kaikista säädöksistä ja tekisivät niiden mukaan.

12 Tämä on temppelin laki: sen koko alue vuoren laella yltympäri on korkeastipyhä. Katso, tämä on temppelin laki."

13 Ja nämä olivat alttarin mitat kyynärissä, kyynärään luettuna kyynärä ja kämmenenleveys: sen alusta oli kyynärän korkuinen ja kyynärän levyinen, ja sen reunusta ympäri sen laidan oli yhden vaaksan mittainen. Tämä oli alttarin koroke.

14 Alustasta, joka oli maassa, alimmalle välireunalle: kaksi kyynärää sekä leveyttä yksi kyynärä; ja pienemmältä välireunalta suuremmalle välireunalle: neljä kyynärää sekä leveyttä kyynärä.

15 Jumalan lieteen oli neljä kyynärää, ja Jumalan liedestä ylöspäin olivat ne neljä sarvea.

16 Jumalan lieden pituus oli kaksitoista kyynärää ja leveys kaksitoista, niin että sen neljästä sivusta tuli neliö.

17 Välireunan pituus oli neljätoista kyynärää ja leveys neljätoista, sen neljältä sivulta. Sitä ympäröivä reunusta oli puolikyynäräinen, ja sen alusta oli kyynäräinen ympärinsä. Ja sen portaat olivat itäisellä puolella.

18 Ja hän sanoi minulle: "Ihmislapsi, näin sanoo Herra, Herra: Nämä ovat alttaria koskevat säädökset: Sinä päivänä, jona se on saatu tehdyksi, niin että voidaan sillä uhrata polttouhria ja vihmoa sille verta,

19 anna papeille, leeviläisille, jotka ovat Saadokin jälkeläisiä ja saavat minua lähestyä palvellaksensa minua, sanoo Herra, Herra, mullikka syntiuhriksi.

20 Ota sen verta ja sivele alttarin neljään sarveen ja välireunan neljään kulmaan ja reunustaan yltympäri; niin on sinun puhdistettava se ja toimitettava sen sovitus.

21 Ota sitten syntiuhri-mullikka ja polta se säädetyssä, temppelille kuuluvassa paikassa, pyhäkön ulkopuolella.

22 Tuo toisena päivänä virheetön kauris syntiuhriksi; alttari on puhdistettava, samoin kuin se puhdistettiin mullikalla.

23 Suoritettuasi loppuun puhdistuksen tuo virheetön mullikka ja virheetön oinas pikkukarjasta.

24 Tuo ne Herran eteen, ja papit heittäkööt niiden päälle suolaa ja uhratkoot ne polttouhriksi Herralle.

25 Uhraa joka päivä, seitsemänä päivänä, syntiuhri-kauris; myös on uhrattava mullikka ja oinas pikkukarjasta, virheettömät.

26 Seitsemänä päivänä toimitettakoon alttarin sovitus ja puhdistettakoon ja vihittäköön se.

27 Niiden päivien kuluttua papit kahdeksantena päivänä ja aina edelleen uhratkoot alttarilla polttouhrejansa ja yhteysuhrejansa. Ja niin minä teihin mielistyn, sanoo Herra, Herra."

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #9659

Studere hoc loco

  
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9659. 'And there shall be eight boards and their bases [made] from silver' means support in every respect from good and through truth that springs from good. This is clear from the meaning of 'eight' as what is so in every respect, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'boards' as good that lends support, dealt with in 9634; and from the meaning of 'bases [made] from silver' as support provided through truth from good, dealt with in 9643.

[2] 'Eight' means in every respect because this number has the same meaning as two and four, being the product of these when multiplied together. 'Two' and 'four' mean being joined together, completely so, 5194, 8423, 8877, and consequently also mean what is complete, 9103, and therefore what is so in every respect; for what exists in completeness does so in every respect. Another reason why 'eight' means what exists in completeness and in every respect is that since 'a week' means a whole period from beginning to end, 2044, 3845, 'the eighth day' means a complete state, from which a new beginning then commences. This explains why males had to be circumcised on the eighth day, Genesis 17:12; 21:4, for circumcision was a sign of purification from foul kinds of love by means of the truth of faith, 2039, 2046 (end), 2799, 3412, 3413, 4462. The foreskin corresponded to the defilement of good by those kinds of love, 4462, 7045, 7225, and the knife of flint with which circumcision was carried out was a sign of the truth of faith by means of which purification was accomplished, 2039 (end), 2046 (end), 2799, 7044.

[3] What exists in completeness and in every respect is also meant by 'eight' following 'seven' in Micah,

When Asshur comes into our land and treads our palaces we will set up over him seven shepherds and eight princes of men (homo), and they will feed 1 the land of Asshur with the sword; and he will deliver [us] from Asshur. Micah 5:5-6.

'Asshur' stands for reasoning on the basis of one's own intelligence about the Church's forms of good and its truths. Deliverance totally or in every respect from consequent falsity is meant by 'eight princes of men' who will bring destruction, 'princes of men' being the leading truths that rise out of good.

[4] The fact that 'eight' means completeness and in every respect is also clear from an experience I had involving the admission and reception of some communities into heaven, about which see 2130. I saw as many as twelve communities received first, and after them as many as eight more; for people admitted and received into heaven are those who have been purified from earthly things, that is, from all love of them, and have gone on to receive instruction. The number eight on that occasion was a sign of that which was complete.

[5] 'Eight' has a similar meaning elsewhere in the Word, for example where it says that the portico of the gateway was 'eight cubits' long from the house, and that there were 'eight steps' up to the house, in Ezekiel 40:9, 31, 41. The description there is of the new house, by which the Lord's New Church is meant, truths leading to good and from good back to truths being meant by 'the portico' and 'the steps'.

[6] Anyone who does not know that spiritual realities or real things are implied by the numbers used in the Word cannot possibly see any such reality nor thus anything holy in the measures and numbers where the tabernacle, Solomon's temple, and after these the new house, new temple, and new land in Ezekiel, are described, when yet not a syllable in the Word is devoid of spiritual meaning. Let all who have intelligence weigh up in their mind what the measures and numbers in Chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel really mean, also the measures and numbers in John, at Revelation 21:17, where it says that the angel measured the wall of the new Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, and that this measure was that of a man (homo), that is, of an angel, and also in the following, besides many other places,

Let him who has intelligence reckon the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man (homo), that is, its number is six hundred and sixty-six. Revelation 13:18.

For more about all numbers in the Word, that they mean spiritual realities or real things, see 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 5291, 5335, 5708, 6175, 7973, and places where the specific meaning of certain numbers has been shown.

V:

1. i.e. destroy

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

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #2252

Studere hoc loco

  
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2252. That 'perhaps there may be fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city' means that the truths may be full of goods is clear from the meaning of 'fifty' as full, from the meaning of 'righteous' as good, dealt with in 612, 2235, from [the meaning] of 'midst' as that which is within, 1074, and from [the meaning] of 'the city' as truth, 402. Thus 'fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city' in the internal sense means that the truths may be full of goods. That this meaning exists within these words cannot be seen by anyone from the letter, for the historical details of the literal sense lead the mind in an altogether different direction or to think in a different way; but that these words are nevertheless perceived according to that meaning by those who possess the internal sense, I know for certain. Moreover the actual numbers mentioned, such as fifty here, and forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and ten in what follows, are never perceived as numbers by those who possess the internal sense but as real things or as states, as shown in 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075.

[2] Indeed the ancients also used numbers to mark off one from another the states of their Church; and the nature of such numbers worked out by them becomes clear from the meaning of the numbers in the paragraphs that have just been mentioned. The meaning possessed by numbers was received by those people from the representatives which manifest themselves in the world of spirits. There when anything appears as that which is numbered, it does not mean something defined by means of numbers but means some real thing or else a state, as becomes clear from what has been presented in 2129, 2130, and also in 2089, regarding 'twelve' meaning all things of faith. It is similar with the numbers that now follow. This shows what the nature of the Word is in the internal sense.

[3] The reason 'fifty' means that which is full is that it is the number which comes after seven times seven, or forty-nine, and so marks the completion of the latter number. This explains why in the representative Church the feast of the seven sabbaths 1 was held on the fiftieth day, and why a jubilee was held in the fiftieth year. Regarding the feast of the seven sabbaths the following is said in Moses,

You shall count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath; from the day you bring the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven sabbaths shall there be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count fifty days, and offer a new gift to Jehovah. Leviticus 23:15-16.

Regarding the jubilee in the same book,

You shall count for yourself seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and you shall have a time of seven sabbaths of years, forty-nine years. And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you. Leviticus 25:8, 10.

From this it is evident that 'the fiftieth' means that which marks the full completion of the sabbaths.

[4] What is more, whenever 'fifty' is mentioned in the Word it means that which is full, as in the case of the numbering of the Levites aged thirty years and over up to fifty years of age, Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:25. Here 'fifty' stands for the full or final state of that period of ministerial service. A man found lying with a young woman who was a virgin had to give to the young woman's father fifty pieces of silver, and she had to be his wife; nor could he divorce her, Deuteronomy 22:29. Here 'fifty pieces of silver' stands for a full fine and a full recompense. David's giving to Araunah fifty pieces of silver for the threshing-floor, where he built an altar to Jehovah, 2 Samuel 24:24, stands for a full price and a full payment. Absalom's making ready for himself a chariot and horses, and his having fifty men running before him, 2 Samuel 15:1, and Adonijah's likewise having chariots and horsemen, and fifty men running before him, 1 Kings 1:5, stand for their full dignity and majesty. For these people received from the ancients certain numbers which were representative and carried spiritual meanings and which were observed by them. Those numbers were also commanded in their religious observances, though the majority of the people did not know what was meant by them.

[5] In the same way, because 'fifty' means that which is full and this number was also representative, as has been stated, the same thing is meant in the Lord's parable concerning the steward, who said to the man owing oil,

How much do you owe my master? He said, A hundred baths of oil. Then he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Luke 16:5-6.

'Fifty' stands for the full discharge of the debt. Being a number it does indeed seem to imply nothing more than a number, when in fact in the internal sense this number is used in every case to mean that which is full, as also in Haggai,

One came to the winevat to draw fifty measures from the winevat, and there were only twenty. Haggai 2:16.

This means that instead of a full amount there was not much. 'Fifty' would not have been mentioned in the prophet if it had not carried this meaning.

V:

1. Often referred to as the feast of weeks

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