The Bible

 

以西结书 23

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1 耶和华的又临到我说:

2 人子啊,有两个女子,是母所生,

3 他们在埃及行邪淫,在幼年时行邪淫。他们在那里作处女的时候,有人拥抱他们的怀,抚摸他们的乳。

4 他们的名字,姊姊名叫阿荷拉,妹妹名叫阿荷利巴。他们都归於我,生了儿女。论到他们的名字,阿荷拉就是撒玛利亚,阿荷利巴就是耶路撒冷

5 阿荷拉归我之後行邪淫,贪恋所的人,就是他的邻邦亚述人。

6 这些人都穿蓝衣,作省长、副省长,都,是可爱的少年人。

7 阿荷拉就与亚述人中最美的男子放纵淫行,他因所恋爱之人的一切偶像,玷污自己。

8 自从在埃及的时候,他就没有离开淫乱,因为他年幼作处女的时候,埃及人与他行淫,抚摸他的乳,纵欲与他行淫。

9 因此,我将他交在他所的人中,就是他所恋的亚述人中。

10 他们就露了他的下体,掳掠他的儿女,用刀杀了他,使他在妇女中留下臭名,因他们向他施行审判。

11 妹妹阿荷利巴虽然见了,却还贪恋,比他姊姊更丑;行淫乱比他姊姊更多。

12 他贪恋邻邦的亚述人,就是穿极华美的衣服,的省长、副省长,都是可爱的少年人。

13 见他被玷污了,他姊妹人同行

14 阿荷利巴又加增淫行,因他见人像画在上,就是用丹色所画迦勒底人的像,

15 腰间系着子,上有下垂的裹巾,都是军长的形状,仿照巴比伦人的形像;他们的故土就是迦勒底

16 阿荷利巴一看见就贪恋他们,打发使者往迦勒底去见他们。

17 巴比伦人就登他爱情的,与他行淫玷污他。他被玷污,随後心里与他们生疏。

18 这样,他显露淫行,又显露下体;我心就与他生疏,像先前与他姊姊生疏一样。

19 他还加增他的淫行,追念他幼年在埃及行邪淫的日子,

20 贪恋情人身壮精足,如

21 这样,你就想起你幼年的淫行。那时,埃及人拥抱你的怀,抚摸你的乳。

22 阿荷利巴啊,耶和华如此:我必激动你先而後生疏的人攻击你。我必使他们,在你四围攻击你。

23 所来的就是巴比伦人、迦勒底的众人、比割人、书亚人、哥亚人,同着他们的还有亚述众人,乃是作省长、副省长、作军长有名声的,都,是可爱的少年人。

24 他们必带兵器、战车、辎重车,率领大众攻击你。他们要拿大小盾牌,顶盔摆阵,在你四围攻击你。我要将审判的事交他们,他们必按着自己的条例审判你。

25 我必以忌恨攻击你;他们必以忿怒办你。他们必割去你的鼻子和耳朵;你遗留(或译:馀剩;下同)的人必倒在刀下。他们必掳去你的儿女;你所遗留的必被焚烧。

26 他们必剥去你的衣服,夺取你华美的宝器。

27 这样,我必使你的淫行和你从埃及染来的淫乱止息了,使你不再仰望亚述,也不再追念埃及

28 耶和华如此:我必将你交在你所恨恶的人中,就是你心与他生疏的人中。

29 他们必以恨恶办你,夺取你一切劳碌得来的,留下你赤身露体。你淫乱的下体,连你的淫行,带你的淫乱,都被显露。

30 人必向你行这些事;因为你随从外邦人行邪淫,被他们的偶像玷污了。

31 走了你姊姊所走的,所以我必将他的杯交在你中。

32 耶和华如此:你必你姊姊所的杯;那杯又深又广,盛得甚多,使你被人嗤笑讥刺。

33 你必酩酊大醉,满有愁苦,喝乾你姊姊撒玛利亚的杯,就是令人惊骇凄凉的杯。

34 你必这杯,以致尽。杯破又龈杯片,撕裂自己的乳;因为这事我曾说过。这是耶和华的。

35 耶和华如此:因你忘记我,将我丢在背後,所以你要担当你淫行和淫乱的报应。

36 耶和华又对我:人子啊,你要审问阿荷拉与阿荷利巴麽?当指出他们所行可憎的事。

37 他们行淫,中有杀人的血,又与偶像行淫,并使他们为我所生的儿女经火烧给偶像

38 此外,他们还有向我所行的,就是同日玷污我的圣所,干犯我的安息日。

39 他们杀了儿女献与偶像,当又入我的圣所,将圣所亵渎了。他们在我殿中所行的乃是如此。

40 况且你们二妇打发使者去请远方人。使者到他们那里,他们就来了。你们为他们沐浴己身,粉饰眼目,佩戴妆饰,

41 在华美的床上,前面摆设桌案,将我的香料膏摆在其上。

42 在那里有群众安逸欢乐的声音,并有粗俗的人和酒徒从旷野,把镯子戴在二妇的上,把华冠戴在他们的上。

43 我论这行淫衰老的妇人:现在人还要与他行淫,他也要与人行淫。

44 人与阿荷拉,并阿荷利巴二淫妇苟合,好像与妓女苟合。

45 必有人,照审判淫妇和流人血的妇人之例,审判他们;因为他们是淫妇,中有杀人的血。

46 耶和华如此:我必使多人来攻击他们,使他们抛来抛去,被人抢夺。

47 这些人必用石头打死他们,用刀杀害他们,又杀戮他们的儿女,用焚烧他们的房屋

48 这样,我必使淫行从境内止息,好叫一切妇人都受警戒,不效法你们的淫行。

49 人必照着你们的淫行报应你们;你们要担当拜偶像的罪,就知道我是耶和华

   

Commentary

 

Jerusalem

  

Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2069

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2069. 'Kings of peoples will be from her' means truths that are the product of truths and goods joined together, meant by 'kings of peoples'. This is clear from the meaning of 'kings' as all truths in general, dealt with above in 2015, and from the meaning of 'peoples' also as truths, in general all things that are spiritual. For 'kings' are spoken of in reference to peoples, and not so much in reference to nations except when the nations mean evils, dealt with in 1259, 1260. In the prophetical part of the Word kings and peoples are mentioned many times, but nowhere are they used to mean kings and peoples, for at no point are kings and peoples the subject in the Word proper, which is the internal sense, but the celestial and spiritual things comprising the Lord's kingdom, and so goods and truths. The sense of the letter expresses itself by means of perceivable objects, as anyone does with words, merely to enable understanding.

[2] Since the subject here is Sarah and the promise that 'kings of peoples will be from her', and since 'Sarah' means Divine Truth which was the Lord's, 'kings of peoples' clearly means truths that are the product of truths and goods joined together, which are all the truths of the internal Church, that is, the interior truths of faith. Because these truths come from the Lord, they are frequently called 'kings' in the Word, and also 'a king's sons', as shown above in 2015.

[3] Anyone may see that some internal Divine matter lies concealed in the words that 'kings of peoples will be from her'. For the subject in this verse is Isaac, of whom it is said, 'I will bless him, and he will become nations', but of Sarah that 'kings of peoples will be from her'. Almost the same was also said of Abraham in verse 6 above, that 'kings will go out of him'; but it did not say as it does of Sarah, 'kings of peoples'. The arcanum within this lies too deep to allow it to be uncovered and described in a few words. From the representation and meaning of 'Abraham' as Divine Good and from the representation and meaning of 'Sarah' as Divine Truth the arcanum is to some extent evident, namely that from the Lord's Divine Good meant by 'Abraham' all celestial truth will come forth and have its being, and from the Lord's Divine Truth meant by 'Sarah' all spiritual truth will do so. Celestial truth is the truth which exists with celestial angels, and spiritual truth that which exists with spiritual angels. Or what amounts to the same, celestial truth was the truth which existed with members of the Most Ancient Church which came before the Flood and which was a celestial Church, spiritual truth that which existed with members of the Ancient Church which came after the Flood and was a spiritual Church. For angels, as also members of the Church, are distinguished into celestial and spiritual. That which distinguishes the celestial from the spiritual is love to the Lord, and that which distinguishes spiritual from celestial is love towards the neighbour.

[4] No more can be said about celestial truth and spiritual truth however until the difference between the celestial and the spiritual is known, or what amounts to the same, the difference between the celestial Church and the spiritual. For this see Volume One, in 202, 337, 1577; then concerning the nature of the Most Ancient Church and the nature of the Ancient Church, in 597, 607, 640, 765, 1114-1125, and in many other places. On the point that possessing love to the Lord constitutes the celestial, and possessing love towards the neighbour the spiritual, see 2023.

[5] These considerations now show what the arcanum is, namely that 'the kings who will go out of Abraham', referred to in verse 6, mean celestial truths that flow in from the Lord's Divine Good, while 'the kings of peoples who will be from Sarah', referred to in the present verse, mean spiritual truths that flow in from the Lord's Divine Truth. For the Lord's Divine Good is unable to flow in except with the celestial man since it is an influx into the will part of his mind, as was the case with the Most Ancient Church, whereas with the spiritual man the Lord's Divine Truth is flowing in since the influx is solely into the understanding part, which in him has been separated from the will part, 2053 (end). Or what amounts to the same, celestial good is flowing in with the celestial man, and spiritual good with the spiritual man. As a consequence the Lord is seen by celestial angels as the Sun, but by spiritual angels as the Moon, 1529, 1530.

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