The Bible

 

Hosea 6

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1 Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

2 After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him.

3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.

4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away.

5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are [as] the light that goeth forth.

6 For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.

7 But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity; it is stained with blood.

9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem; yea, they have committed lewdness.

10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there whoredom is [found] in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee, when I bring back the captivity of my people.

   

Commentary

 

Shechem

  

'Shechem,' as in Genesis 37:12, signifies earliest basics of the doctrine concerning faith. The earliest basics are also the common, or general, principles of doctrinal things. These common, or general, principles are what are received first. Special, or particular, principles follow afterwards.

In Genesis 12:6, 'Abram's passing through the land unto the place Shechem' signifies a new state of the Lord when the celestial aspects of love first appeared to Him which is what Shechem signifies. This is the first stop in the land of Canaan, when coming from Syria, or Haran.

'Shechem' the son of Hamor in Genesis 34:2 signifies the truth of the church from ancient times.

In Genesis 33:17-20, Psalms 60:6-8 and 108:7-9, Shechem signifies the first dawn of light.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 1441, Genesis 6; Joshua 1, 7, 20, 20:7, 21, 21:21, 24:1, 24, 24:25)