The Bible

 

以西结书 19

Study

   

1 你当为以色列的王作起哀歌

2 :你的母亲是甚麽呢?是个母狮子,蹲伏在狮子中间,在少壮狮子中养育小狮子

3 在他小狮子中养大个,成了少壮狮子,学会抓食而人。

4 列国见了就把他捉在他们的坑中,用钩子拉到埃及去。

5 母狮见自己等候失了指望,就从他小狮子中又将个养为少壮狮子。

6 他在众狮子中走来走去,成了少壮狮子,学会抓食而人。

7 知道列国的宫殿,又使他们的城邑变为荒场;因他咆哮的声音,遍和其中所有的就都荒废。

8 於是四围邦国各省的人来攻击他,将撒在他身上,捉在他们的坑中。

9 他们用钩子钩住他,将他放在笼中,到巴比伦王那里,将他放入坚固之所,使他的声音以色列上不再见。

10 你的母亲先前如葡萄树,极其茂盛(原文是在你血中),栽於旁。因为多,就多结果子,满生枝子;

11 生出坚固的枝干,可作掌权者的杖。这枝干举在茂密的枝中,而且他生长大,枝子繁多,远远可见。

12 但这葡萄树因忿怒被拔出摔在上;东吹乾其上的果子,坚固的枝干折断枯乾,被烧毁了;

13 如今栽於旷野乾旱无水之

14 也从他枝干中发出,烧灭果子,以致没有坚固的枝干可作掌权者的杖。这是哀歌,也必用以作哀歌

   

Commentary

 

Know

  

Like so many common verbs, the meaning of "know" in the Bible is varied and dependent on context. And in some cases -- when it is connected to ideas or objects -- its spiritual meaning and natural meaning are essentially the same. When the Bible talks about people knowing each other and especially when it talks about the Lord knowing people, the meaning has more to do with the states of love within people than it does with any factual knowledge. This makes sense if you think about it. When we really "know" somebody, what we mean is that we know what kind of person they are, what their motivations are, what they love, what they hate, what makes them tick. Those things are far more important than knowing their parents' names, where they were born or what year they graduated from school. Most often then, especially applied to people, "knowing" has to do with the perceptions we have about other people's loves and the conjunction that can exist between those with similar loves, not just a collection of facts.