The Bible

 

حزقيال 19

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1 اما انت فارفع مرثاة على رؤساء اسرائيل

2 وقل. ما هي امك. لبوة ربضت بين الأسود وربّت جراءها بين الاشبال.

3 ربّت واحدا من جرائها فصار شبلا وتعلم افتراس الفريسة. اكل الناس.

4 فلما سمعت به الامم أخذ في حفرتهم فأتوا به بخزائم الى ارض مصر.

5 فلما رأت انها قد انتظرت وهلك رجاؤها اخذت آخر من جرائها وصيرته شبلا.

6 فتمشى بين الأسود. صار شبلا وتعلم افتراس الفريسة. اكل الناس.

7 وعرف قصورهم وخرب مدنهم فاقفرت الارض وملؤها من صوت زمجرته.

8 فاتفق عليه الامم من كل جهة من البلدان وبسطوا عليه شبكتهم فأخذ في حفرتهم

9 فوضعوه في قفص بخزائم واحضروه الى ملك بابل وأتوا به الى القلاع لكيلا يسمع صوته بعد على جبال اسرائيل

10 امك ككرمة مثلك غرست على المياه. كانت مثمرة مفرخة من كثرة المياه.

11 وكان لها فروع قوية لقضبان المتسلطين وارتفع ساقها بين الاغصان الغبياء وظهرت في ارتفاعها بكثرة زراجينها.

12 لكنها اقتلعت بغيظ وطرحت على الارض وقد يبّست ريح شرقية ثمرها. قصفت ويبست فروعها القوية. اكلتها النار.

13 والآن غرست في القفر في ارض يابسة عطشانة.

14 وخرجت نار من فرع عصّيها اكلت ثمرها. وليس لها الآن فرع قوي لقضيب تسلّط. هي رثاء وتكون لمرثاة

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #722

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722. That when she had brought forth, he might devour her child.- That this signifies that they might destroy the doctrine of that church at its first beginning, is evident from the signification of the child which the woman was about to bring forth, as denoting the doctrine of the church, for that this is meant by the male child whom she brought forth will be seen in the following article; and from the signification of devouring as denoting to destroy. For predicates follow their subjects, and when the dragon is the subject, then to devour is the predicate; but when the doctrine of the church is the subject, then to destroy is the predicate, therefore to devour here signifies to destroy. To destroy it at its first beginning is signified, because it is said that when the woman had brought forth, he might devour her child. That to devour and to eat also in other passages of the Word signify to destroy, when used in reference to wild beasts, which signify falsities and evils, is plain in Ezekiel:

"One of the whelps" of the lion "rose up, it became a young lion, it learned to seize the prey; it devoured man" (19:3, 6).

To devour man signifies to destroy the understanding of truth and intelligence.

In Hosea:

"I will meet them as a bear bereaved, and I will devour them as a fierce lion, a wild beast of the field shall tear them" (13:8).

In Daniel:

"Lo, a beast like a bear," which "had three ribs in the mouth between the teeth," it was said to it, "Rise, devour much flesh" (7:5).

Moreover, in the Hebrew, to devour is put in many passages for consuming, ruining, and destroying, as in Jeremiah:

"They have devoured Jacob, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitations" (10:25; and elsewhere).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.