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Jonah 2 : Jonah in the Belly of the Whale

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1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Commentarius

 

Jonah Series, Part 2 of 4 – Prayer from a Desperate Place

By Todd Beiswenger


Ut pergas pasco dum audis, audi in fenestra nova.

We know that when we get in a tight spot, it is time to pray! What makes Jonah's prayer special isn't so much the prayer itself, but it is Jonah's transformation that goes with it. He's realized that his choices have only made him miserable, and he's ready to do God's will.

(Notae: Arcana Coelestia 458; Heaven and Hell 6; Jonah 2:1-10)

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Heaven and Hell #13

Studere hoc loco

  
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13. THE DIVINE OF THE LORD IN HEAVEN IS LOVE TO HIM AND CHARITY TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR

The Divine going forth from the Lord is called in heaven Divine Truth, for a reason which will be shown in what follows. This Divine Truth inflows into heaven from the Lord from His Divine Love. The Divine Love and the Divine Truth therefrom are related to each other as are the fire of the sun and the light therefrom in the world, love being as the fire of the sun and the truth therefrom as light from the sun. Moreover, from correspondence fire signifies love, and light, truth going forth from love. 1 From this, the nature of Divine Truth going forth from Divine Love can be confirmed. In its essence, it is Divine Good conjoined to Divine Truth, and because it is conjoined, it gives life to all things of heaven, just as the heat of the sun conjoined to light in the world makes all things of the earth fruitful, as happens in spring and summer. It is otherwise when heat is not conjoined to light, thus when the light is cold. Then all things are torpid and lifeless. This Divine Good which is compared to heat is the good of love with the angels, whereas the Divine Truth which is compared to light is that through which and from which comes the good of love.

V:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] In the Word "fire" signifies love, in a two-fold sense (Arcana Coelestia 934, 4906, 5215). "Holy and heavenly fire" signifies Divine Love, and every affection which is of that love (Arcana Coelestia 934, 6314, 6832). "Light" from fire signifies truth going forth from the good of love, for light in heaven is Divine Truth (Arcana Coelestia 3395, 3485, 3636, 3643, 3993, 4302, 4413, 4415, 9548, 9684).

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

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