Bibliorum

 

Joshua 12

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1 Nämä olivat ne maan kuninkaat, jotka israelilaiset voittivat ja joiden maan he ottivat omakseen tuolla puolella Jordanin, auringonnousun puolella, maan Arnon-joesta aina Hermonin vuoreen saakka ja koko itäpuolisen Aromaan:

2 Siihon, amorilaisten kuningas, joka asui Hesbonissa ja hallitsi maata Arnon-joen rannalla olevasta Aroerista ja jokilaakson keskikohdalta, ja puolta Gileadia, Jabbok-jokeen saakka, joka on ammonilaisten rajana,

3 ja Aromaata aina Kinerotin järveen, sen itärantaan, saakka ja Aromaan mereen, Suolamereen, sen itärantaan, saakka, Beet-Jesimotin tienoille, ja etelään päin Pisgan rinteiden juurelle saakka.

4 Ja he ottivat omakseen Oogin, Baasanin kuninkaan, alueen, hänen, joka oli viimeisiä refalaisia ja asui Astarotissa ja Edreissä

5 ja hallitsi Hermonin vuorta, Salkaa ja koko Baasania gesurilaisten ja maakatilaisten alueeseen saakka ja toista puolta Gileadia, Hesbonin kuninkaan Siihonin alueeseen saakka.

6 Herran palvelija Mooses ja israelilaiset olivat voittaneet heidät; ja Herran palvelija Mooses oli antanut maan omaksi ruubenilaisille ja gaadilaisille ja toiselle puolelle Manassen sukukuntaa.

7 Ja nämä olivat ne maan kuninkaat, jotka Joosua ja israelilaiset voittivat tällä puolella Jordanin, länsipuolella, Libanonin laaksossa olevasta Baal-Gaadista aina Seiriin päin kohoavaan Sileään vuoreen saakka, ja joiden maan Joosua antoi Israelin sukukuntien omaksi, heidän osastojensa mukaan,

8 Vuoristossa, Alankomaassa, Aromaassa, Rinnemaissa, Erämaassa ja Etelämaassa, heettiläisten, amorilaisten, kanaanilaisten, perissiläisten, hivviläisten ja jebusilaisten maan:

9 Jerikon kuningas yksi, lähellä Beeteliä olevan Ain kuningas yksi,

10 Jerusalemin kuningas yksi, Hebronin kuningas yksi,

11 Jarmutin kuningas yksi, Laakiin kuningas yksi,

12 Eglonin kuningas yksi, Geserin kuningas yksi,

13 Debirin kuningas yksi, Gederin kuningas yksi,

14 Horman kuningas yksi, Aradin kuningas yksi,

15 Libnan kuningas yksi, Adullamin kuningas yksi,

16 Makkedan kuningas yksi, Beetelin kuningas yksi,

17 Tappuahin kuningas yksi, Heeferin kuningas yksi,

18 Afekin kuningas yksi, Lassaronin kuningas yksi,

19 Maadonin kuningas yksi, Haasorin kuningas yksi,

20 Simron-Meronin kuningas yksi, Aksafin kuningas yksi,

21 Taanakin kuningas yksi, Megiddon kuningas yksi,

22 Kedeksen kuningas yksi, Karmelin juurella olevan Jokneamin kuningas yksi,

23 Doorin kukkuloilla olevan Doorin kuningas yksi, Gilgalin seudun pakanain kuningas yksi,

24 Tirsan kuningas yksi. Kaikkiaan kolmekymmentä yksi kuningasta.

   

Commentarius

 

Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 12

By New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 12: The kings who were defeated by Joshua.

This chapter lists the kings who were defeated by Moses on the other side of the river Jordan, and those defeated by Joshua in the land of Canaan. Moses defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Joshua defeated 31 kings, and this chapter names their cities one by one.

We might well wonder: what is the use of such a chapter for us? But here it is, included in the Word of God. We will suggest two ways in which this chapter gives us a spiritual message to work with:

First, the sheer number of kings who opposed Israel represent, in a general way, the many things that prevent us from dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s teachings.

Secondly, the many names of the towns that the Israelites defeated are all significant in identifying the various situations we encounter in our spiritual lives (See Swedenborg’s Arcana Caelestia 2009[9]). For example “Joshua” means ‘God is victory’, something we can come to understand as we choose to turn against evil. We can do that because the Lord fights for and with us; we cannot do that alone.

For every heaven there is a corresponding hell (See Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell 588). If mercy is something of heaven, hell is to do with cruelty and all that goes with it. If innocence is of heaven, hell is to do with intended harm and all that goes with that. Evil is unspeakably precise.

Joshua defeated thirty-one kings. The number thirty stands for combat and also for ‘remnants’, which are deep-seated feelings of good and truth given the Lord gives us during our childhood, to help us combat evil in adult regeneration. Thirty-one would seem to suggest combat going on even past thirty (Arcana Caelestia 5335).

The names of the cities of these kings are given, and each name represents a quality. ‘Israel’ was the name given to Jacob by the Lord, after he had wrestled all night with the angel of God and had prevailed (see Genesis 32:24-28). “Israel” means ‘striving with God’ and also ‘a prince with God’, and it became the name of the people of Israel.

As examples, we will look at three Canaanite cities which fought Israel, and explore the spiritual meaning of their names.

1. The king of Jarmuth, means ‘being downcast by death’. Viewing life only in terms of its inevitable end does terrible things to our sense of purpose, hope and trust. Defeating Jarmuth helps us see that death is a transition into eternal life, and our means of passing from this life into our fullest life.

2. The king of Aphek, means ‘tenacious fortress’. We can quite readily see that evil can be exactly like a tenacious fortress. Evil will hang on like grim death and refuse to let us go. Evil will attempt any number of devious tactics to break us down or undermine our faith. The last thing it will do is to see that we’re resolved, and then finally give up.

3. The king of Taanach, which means ‘sandy, hard to cross’. This might remind us of dangerous quicksands, or the way in which we stumble trying to walk through sand. Again, sometimes evil can appear to give us safer passage on solid ground, before we realize that it is the hells ensnaring us.

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #1049

Studere hoc loco

  
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1049. 'And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you' means the Lord's mercy specifically towards those who have been regenerated, and those who are able to be. This too follows from what has been said above, for with the Lord 'remembering' is the same as showing mercy. The act of remembering cannot be attributed to the Lord since He knows from eternity every single thing. But having mercy can be attributed since He knows man's nature, namely that his proprium, as stated, is hell-like and constitutes his particular hell. For through the will side of his proprium he communicates with hell; and from hell and of itself that proprium is such that man has no greater or stronger desire than to plunge headlong into hell. Nor is he satisfied with that but desires [to take] everyone in the whole world [with him]. Because man of himself is by nature such a devil, and the Lord knows it, 'remembering the covenant' consequently means nothing else than having mercy, regenerating through Divine means, and by a mighty power drawing man towards heaven, insofar as he is such as to make this possible.

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