Bibliorum

 

Yechezchial 39

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1 ואתה בן־אדם הנבא על־גוג ואמרת כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני אליך גוג נשיא ראש משך ותבל׃

2 ושבבתיך וששאתיך והעליתיך מירכתי צפון והבאותך על־הרי ישראל׃

3 והכיתי קשתך מיד שמאולך וחציך מיד ימינך אפיל׃

4 על־הרי ישראל תפול אתה וכל־אגפיך ועמים אשר אתך לעיט צפור כל־כנף וחית השדה נתתיך לאכלה׃

5 על־פני השדה תפול כי אני דברתי נאם אדני יהוה׃

6 ושלחתי־אש במגוג ובישבי האיים לבטח וידעו כי־אני יהוה׃

7 ואת־שם קדשי אודיע בתוך עמי ישראל ולא־אחל את־שם־קדשי עוד וידעו הגוים כי־אני יהוה קדוש בישראל׃

8 הנה באה ונהיתה נאם אדני יהוה הוא היום אשר דברתי׃

9 ויצאו ישבי ערי ישראל ובערו והשיקו בנשק ומגן וצנה בקשת ובחצים ובמקל יד וברמח ובערו בהם אש שבע שנים׃

10 ולא־ישאו עצים מן־השדה ולא יחטבו מן־היערים כי בנשק יבערו־אש ושללו את־שלליהם ובזזו את־בזזיהם נאם אדני יהוה׃ ס

11 והיה ביום ההוא אתן לגוג מקום־שם קבר בישראל גי העברים קדמת הים וחסמת היא את־העברים וקברו שם את־גוג ואת־כל־המונה* וקראו גיא המון גוג׃

12 וקברום בית ישראל למען טהר את־הארץ שבעה חדשים׃

13 וקברו כל־עם הארץ והיה להם לשם יום הכבדי נאם אדני יהוה׃

14 ואנשי תמיד יבדילו עברים בארץ מקברים את־העברים את־הנותרים על־פני הארץ לטהרה מקצה שבעה־חדשים יחקרו׃

15 ועברו העברים בארץ וראה עצם אדם ובנה אצלו ציון עד קברו אתו המקברים אל־גיא המון גוג׃

16 וגם שם־עיר המונה וטהרו הארץ׃ ס

17 ואתה בן־אדם כה־אמר אדני יהוה אמר לצפור כל־כנף ולכל חית השדה הקבצו ובאו האספו מסביב על־זבחי אשר אני זבח לכם זבח גדול על הרי ישראל ואכלתם בשר ושתיתם דם׃

18 בשר גבורים תאכלו ודם־נשיאי הארץ תשתו אילים כרים ועתודים פרים מריאי בשן כלם׃

19 ואכלתם־חלב לשבעה ושתיתם דם לשכרון מזבחי אשר־זבחתי לכם׃

20 ושבעתם על־שלחני סוס ורכב גבור וכל־איש מלחמה נאם אדני יהוה׃

21 ונתתי את־כבודי בגוים וראו כל־הגוים את־משפטי אשר עשיתי ואת־ידי אשר־שמתי בהם׃

22 וידעו בית ישראל כי אני יהוה אלהיהם מן־היום ההוא והלאה׃

23 וידעו הגוים כי בעונם גלו בית־ישראל על אשר מעלו־בי ואסתר פני מהם ואתנם ביד צריהם ויפלו בחרב כלם׃

24 כטמאתם וכפשעיהם עשיתי אתם ואסתר פני מהם׃ ס

25 לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה עתה אשיב את־[כ= שבית] [ק= שבות] יעקב ורחמתי כל־בית ישראל וקנאתי לשם קדשי׃

26 ונשו את־כלמתם ואת־כל־מעלם אשר מעלו־בי בשבתם על־אדמתם לבטח ואין מחריד׃

27 בשובבי אותם מן־העמים וקבצתי אתם מארצות איביהם ונקדשתי בם לעיני הגוים רבים׃

28 וידעו כי אני יהוה אלהיהם בהגלותי אתם אל־הגוים וכנסתים על־אדמתם ולא־אותיר עוד מהם שם׃

29 ולא־אסתיר עוד פני מהם אשר שפכתי את־רוחי על־בית ישראל נאם אדני יהוה׃ ף

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Apocalypse Revealed #859

Studere hoc loco

  
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859. That Gog and Magog symbolize people who engage in external worship without any internal worship can be seen from chapter 38 in Ezekiel, where Gog is the subject from beginning to end, and from chapter 39 there, verses 1-16. But that these are symbolized by Gog and Magog is not clearly apparent there except through knowing the spiritual sense, which, because it has been revealed to me, will be disclosed. First, the contents of those two chapters:

The contents of chapter 38 in Ezekiel are as follows: The subject is people who attend to the Word's literal sense only, and whose worship is therefore an external worship without any internal worship, meant by Gog (verses 1, 2). That each and every component of that worship will perish (verses 3-7). That such worship will overwhelm the church and destroy it, so that it will be caught up in outward shows without any inward realities (verses 8-16). That the state of the church will change therefore (verse 17-19). That the truths and goods of religion will consequently perish and be replaced by false ones (verses 20-23).

[2] The contents of chapter 39 in the same prophetic book are as follows: Regarding people who attend to the Word's literal sense only and whose worship is an external one, that they will come into the church meant by Gog and perish (verses 1-6). That this will be the case when the Lord makes His advent and establishes His church (verses 7-8). That this church will then dispel all the people's evils and falsities (verses 9-10). It will entirely destroy them (verses 11-16). That the New Church to be established by the Lord will be instructed in truths and goods of every kind, and infused with goods of every kind (verses 17-21). That because of its evils and falsities, the previous church will be destroyed (verses 23-24). That the Lord will then gather together His church from all nations (verses 25-29).

[3] We must say something, however, about people who engage in external worship without any internal, spiritual worship. They are the kind of people who go often to church on the sabbath and on holy days, who sing hymns then and pray, who listen to sermons and attend then to the preacher's eloquence, but pay little or no attention to the substance, and who are moved somewhat by prayers uttered with feeling, such as that they are sinners, without reflecting on themselves or on their life; who also partake annually of the sacrament of the Holy Supper; who pour out prayers morning and evening, and pray also before midday and evening meals; and who also converse at times about God, heaven and eternal life, and know how to cite as well then some passages from the Word and to pretend to be Christians, even though they are not. For after they have done all these things, they think nothing of adulterous affairs and obscenities, of vengeance and hatred, of covert theft and robbery, of lying and blasphemy, and of lusting for and intending evils of every kind.

People of this character do not believe in any God, still less in the Lord. If asked what the good and truth of religion are, they do not know and think it of no great moment for them to know. In a word, they live for themselves and the world, thus for their inherent disposition and body, and not for God and the neighbor, thus not for their spirit and soul. It is apparent from this that their worship is an external worship without any internal worship. They also readily accept the heresy of faith alone, especially when they are told that a person cannot do good of himself, and that they are not under the yoke of the law. That is the reason we are told that the dragon will go out to lead astray the nations, Gog and Magog.

In the original Hebrew, too, Gog and Magog mean a roof and deck, which is something external.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

Bibliorum

 

Ezekiel 40

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1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was struck, in the same day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there.

2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south.

3 He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

4 The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, you are brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.

5 Behold, a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.

6 Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up its steps: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad.

7 Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and [the space] between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.

8 He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed.

9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.

10 The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

11 He measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;

12 and a border before the lodges, one cubit [on this side], and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

13 He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; door against door.

14 He made also posts, sixty cubits; and the court [reached] to the posts, around the gate.

15 [From] the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits.

16 There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches; and windows were around inward; and on [each] post were palm trees.

17 Then brought he me into the outer court; and behold, there were rooms and a pavement, made for the court all around: thirty rooms were on the pavement.

18 The pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gates, even the lower pavement.

19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, [both] on the east and on the north.

20 The gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured its length and its breadth.

21 The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

22 The windows of it, and its arches, and the palm trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and its arches were before them.

23 There was a gate to the inner court over against the [other] gate, [both] on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate one hundred cubits.

24 He led me toward the south; and behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.

25 There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

26 There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on its posts.

27 There was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits.

28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

29 and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

30 There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad.

31 The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

32 He brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures;

33 and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

34 The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

35 He brought me to the north gate: and he measured [it] according to these measures;

36 its lodges, its posts, and its arches: and there were windows therein all around; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

37 The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

38 A room with its door was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering.

39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to kill thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

40 On the [one] side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables.

41 Four tables were on this side, and Four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they killed [the sacrifices].

42 There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

43 The hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within all around: and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

44 Outside of the inner gate were rooms for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

45 He said to me, This room, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house;

46 and the room whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him.

47 He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house.

48 Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.