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耶利米哀歌 1

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1 先前满有人民的城,现在何竟独!先前在列国中为大的,现在竟如寡妇;先前在诸省中为王后的,现在成为进贡的。

2 她夜间痛哭,泪流满腮;在一切所亲的中间没有一个安慰她的。她的朋友都以诡诈待她,成为她的仇敌。

3 犹大因遭遇苦难,又因多服劳苦就迁到外邦。她在列国中,寻不着安息;追逼她的都在狭窄之地将她追上。

4 锡安的径因无人守圣节就悲伤;她的城凄凉;她的祭司叹息;她的处女受艰难,自己也愁苦。

5 她的敌人为首;她的仇敌亨通;因耶和华为她许多的罪过使她受苦;她的孩童被敌人掳去。

6 锡安城(原文是女子;下同)的威荣全都失去。她的首领像不着场的鹿;在追赶的人前无力行走。

7 耶路撒冷在困苦窘迫之时,就追想古时一切的乐境。她百姓落在敌人中,无人救济;敌人见,就因她的荒凉嗤笑。

8 耶路撒冷大大犯罪,所以成为不洁之物;素来尊敬她的,见她赤露就都藐视她;她自己也叹息退後。

9 她的污秽是在衣襟上;她不思想自己的结局,所以非常地败落,无人安慰她。她说:耶和华啊,求你我的苦难,因为仇敌夸大。

10 敌人伸,夺取她的美物;她眼见外邦人进入她的圣所─论这外邦人,你曾吩咐不可入你的会中。

11 她的民都叹息,寻求食物;他们用美物换粮食,要救性命。他们说:耶和华啊,求你观,因为我甚是卑贱。

12 你们一切过的人哪,这事你们不介意麽?你们要观:有像这临到我的痛苦没有─就是耶和华在他发烈怒的日子使我所受的苦?

13 他从使进入我的骨头,克制了我;他铺下罗,绊我的,使我回;他使我终日凄凉发昏。

14 我罪过的轭是他所绑的,犹如轭绳缚在我颈项上;他使我的力量衰败。主将我交在我所不能敌挡的人中。

15 耶和华轻弃我中间的一切勇士,招聚多人〔原文作大会〕攻击我,

16 我因这些事哭泣;我眼泪汪汪;因为那当安慰我、救我性命的,离我甚远。我的儿女孤苦,因为仇敌得了胜。

17 锡安举,无人安慰耶和华雅各已经出令,使四围的人作他仇敌;耶路撒冷在他们中间像不洁之物。

18 耶和华是公的!他这样待我,是因我违背他的命令。众民哪,请我的话,我的痛苦;我的处女和少年人都被掳去。

19 我招呼我所亲的,他们却愚弄我。我的祭司长老正寻求食物、救性命的时候,就在城中绝气。

20 耶和华啊,求你观,因为我在急难中。我肠扰乱;我在我里面翻,因我大大悖逆。在外,刀使人丧子;在家,犹如死亡。

21 见我叹息的有人;安慰我的却无人!我的仇敌都见我所遭的患难;因你做这事,他们都喜乐。你必使你报告的日子到,他们就像我一样。

22 愿他们的恶行都呈在你面前;你怎样因我的一切罪过待我,求你照样待他们;因我叹息甚多,中发昏。

Commentary

 

Today

  

In Genesis 19:37; 21:26; 30:32; 40:7; Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28, this signifies the perpetuity and eternity of a state. (Arcana Coelestia 2838)

In Psalm 2:7, this signifies in time; for with Jehovah the future is present. (True Christian Religion 101)

The expression 'even to this day' or 'today' sometimes appears in the Word, as in Genesis 19:37-38, 22:14, 26:33, 32:32, 35:20, and 47:26. In a historical sense, these expressions have respect to the time when Moses lived, but in an internal sense, 'this day' and 'today' signify the perpetuity and eternity of a state. 'Day' denotes state, and likewise 'today,' which is the current time. Anything related to time in the world is eternal in heaven, and to represent this, 'today' or 'to this day' is added. Although, in the historical sense, this appears as if the expressions only have a literal meaning, just like it says in other parts of the Word, such as Joshua 4:9, 6:25, 7:20, Judges 1:21, 26, etc. 'Today' means something perpetual and eternal in Psalms 2:7, 119:89-91, Jeremiah 1:5, 10, 18, Deuteronomy 29:9-14, Numbers 28:3, 23, Daniel 8:13, 11:31, 12:11, Exodus 16:4, 19, 20, 23, John 6:31, 32, 49, 50, 58, Matthew 6:11, and Luke 11:3.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 2838 [1-4], Genesis 47:26)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #101

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101. (vii) THUS GOD BECAME MAN, AND MAN GOD, IN ONE PERSON.

It follows that Jehovah God became man and man became God in one person as the consequence of all the previous propositions in this chapter, and particularly these two: Jehovah the Creator of the universe came down and took upon Himself human form, in order to redeem and save mankind (see above 82-84); and the Lord by redeeming acts united Himself with the Father, and the Father reciprocally and mutually united Himself with the Lord (see above 97-100). That reciprocal union makes it obvious that God became man and man God in one person. The same consequence follows from the union of each resembling the union of soul and body; this is in agreement with the faith of the church to-day as stated in the Athanasian Creed (98 above). It is also in agreement with the faith of the Evangelical churches as stated in their leading book of orthodoxy known as the Formula of Concord. In this the doctrine is strongly supported both from Holy Scripture and from patristic literature, as well as by arguments, that Christ's human nature was raised to Divine majesty, omnipotence and omnipresence; also that in Christ man is God and God is man (see pp. 607, 765 of that book).

[2] Moreover it has been proved in the present chapter that Jehovah God in respect of His Human is called in the Word Jehovah, Jehovah God, Jehovah Zebaoth 1 , as well as the God of Israel. Therefore Paul says that in Jesus Christ all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9); and John says that Jesus Christ the Son of God is the true God and everlasting life (1 John 5:20). The Son of God in its true sense means His Human (92ff above). Moreover Jehovah God calls both Himself and His Son Lord, for we read:

The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, Psalms 110:1.

and in Isaiah:

A child is born for us, a son is given to us, whose name is God, the everlasting Father, Isaiah 9:6-7.

Son also means the Lord in respect of His Human in the Psalms of David:

I will bring news of a decree, said Jehovah. You are my son, to-day have I begotten you. Kiss the son, so that he may not be angry and so that you do not perish on the way, Psalms 2:7, 12.

This does not mean a Son from eternity, but the Son born in the world, for it is a prophecy of the Lord's coming. This is why it is called a decree, news of which Jehovah gave to David. Earlier in that Psalm it says:

I have anointed my King over Zion, Psalms 2:6.

and later:

I will give him the nations for an inheritance, Psalms 2:8.

This proves that 'to-day' does not mean from eternity, but in time, for with Jehovah the future is present.

Footnotes:

1. Or 'the Lord of Hosts'.

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