Bibliorum

 

Éxodo 31

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1 Y habló el SEÑOR a Moisés, diciendo:

2 Mira, yo he llamado por su nombre a Bezaleel, hijo de Uri, hijo de Hur, de la tribu de Judá;

3 y lo he llenado del Espíritu de Dios, en sabiduría, y en inteligencia, y en ciencia, y en todo artificio,

4 para inventar diseños, para trabajar en oro, y en plata, y en bronce,

5 y en artificio de piedras para engastarlas, y en artificio de madera; para obrar en toda clase de labor.

6 Y he aquí que yo he puesto con él a Aholiab, hijo de Ahisamac, de la tribu de Dan; y he puesto sabiduría en el ánimo de todo sabio de corazón, para que hagan todo lo que te he mandado.

7 El tabernáculo del testimonio, y el arca del testimonio, y la cubierta que estará sobre ella, y todos los vasos del tabernáculo;

8 y la mesa y sus vasos, y el candelero limpio, y todos sus vasos, y el altar del incienso;

9 y el altar del holocausto, y todos sus vasos, y la fuente, y su basa;

10 y los vestidos del servicio, y las santas vestiduras para Aarón el sacerdote, y las vestiduras de sus hijos, para que sean sacerdotes;

11 y el aceite de la unción, y el incienso aromático para el santuario; harán conforme a todo lo que te he mandado.

12 Habló además el SEÑOR a Moisés, diciendo:

13 Y tú hablarás a los hijos de Israel, diciendo: Con todo eso vosotros guardaréis mis sábados, porque es señal entre mí y vosotros por vuestras edades, para que sepáis que yo soy el SEÑOR que os santifico.

14 Así que guardaréis el sábado, porque santo es a vosotros; los que lo profanaren, de cierto morirán; porque cualquiera que hiciere obra alguna en él, aquella alma será cortada de en medio de su pueblo.

15 Seis días se hará obra, y el séptimo día, sábado de reposo, será santo al SEÑOR; cualquiera que hiciere obra el día del sábado, morirá ciertamente.

16 Guardarán, pues, el sábado los hijos de Israel: haciendo sábado por sus edades por pacto perpetuo.

17 Señal es para siempre entre mí y los hijos de Israel; porque en seis días hizo el SEÑOR los cielos y la tierra, y en el séptimo día cesó, y reposó.

18 Y dio a Moisés, cuando acabó de hablar con él en el monte de Sinaí, dos tablas del testimonio, tablas de piedra escritas con el dedo de Dios.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #10483

Studere hoc loco

  
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10483. And Moses stood in the gate of the camp. That this signifies where the opening to hell is, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the internal (of which above, n. 10468); from the signification of “in the gate,” as being where there is an opening (of which below); and from the signification of “the camp,” as being hell (n. 10458). The reason why Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and did not enter into the camp itself, was in order that it might be represented that what is internal cannot enter into hell; for by Moses was represented what is internal, and by the camp was represented hell. For all who are in hell are in things external separate from what is internal, because they are in the loves of self and of the world, and therefore what is internal cannot enter there, because it is not received, but is at once rejected by some who are there; with some it is suffocated and extinguished; and with others it is perverted. Whether you say “what is internal,” or “heaven,” it is the same, because heaven is in what is internal; it is in the internal of the Word, and in the internal of the church and of worship; consequently it is in the internal of the man who is in celestial and spiritual love; that is, in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor.

[2] It shall be briefly told what is this opening of hell which is signified by “the gate of this camp.” Every hell is closed round about; but is opened above according to necessity and need. This opening is into the world of spirits, which world is midway between heaven and hell, for there the hells terminate upward, and the heavens downward (n. 5852). It is said that they are opened according to necessity and need, because every man has with him spirits from hell and angels from heaven. The spirits from hell are in his bodily and worldly loves, and the angels from heaven are in his heavenly and spiritual loves, for without the presence of spirits no man can possibly live. If spirits were removed from him, he would fall down as dead as a stone. Consequently in order that man may have life according to his loves, the hells are of necessity opened, and according to need, and from them such spirits come forth to him as are in similar loves.

[3] This opening is what is meant by “the gate of hell,” and such openings it has sometimes been granted me to see. The gates are guarded by the Lord by means of angels, to prevent more spirits coming forth than is needful. From this it is evident what is signified in the Word by “the gates of hell,” and by “the gates of enemies,” as in Matthew:

Jesus said unto Peter, Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18);

“the gates of hell not prevailing” denotes that the hells will not dare to go forth and destroy the truths of faith; “the rock upon which the church is built” denotes faith from the Lord in the Lord, which faith is the faith of charity, because charity is in this faith and thus is one with it. (That a “rock” denotes this faith may be seen in the preface to the twenty-second chapter of Genesis, and also in n. 8581 (2760), 10438; and that real faith is charity, in n. 654, 1162, 1176, 1608, 2228, 2343, 2349, 2419, 2839, 3324, 4368, 6348, 7039, 7623-7627, 7752-7762, 8530, 9154, 9224, 9783)

[4] The like is also signified by the words:

Thy seed shall inherit the gate of thine enemies (Genesis 22:17; 24:60);

“to inherit the gate of enemies” denotes to destroy the evils and falsities which are from hell; and this was also represented by the driving out and destruction of the nations in the land of Canaan; for the nations there represented evils and falsities which are from hell (see n. 1573, 1574, 1868, 4818, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327). Also in David:

They that dwell in the gate plot against me; they that drink strong drink sing and dance (Psalms 69:12).

Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver; they shall not be ashamed, for they shall speak with the enemies in the gate (Psalms 127:5).

[5] But in a good sense “gates” denote an opening into heaven, as in David:

Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in (Psalms 24:7-10).

Moreover by “gates” in the Word is signified entrance into heaven and into the church by means of truth and good; and also the influx of truth and good with man.

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