The Bible

 

如申命记 31

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1 摩西去告訴以色列眾人

2 :我現在一二十歲了,不能照常出入;耶和華也曾對我:你必不得過這約但河。

3 耶和華─你們的必引導你們過去,將這些國民在你們面前滅絕,你們就得他們的地。約書亞必引導你們過去,正如耶和華的。

4 耶和華必待他們,如同從前待他所滅絕的亞摩利二西宏與噩以及他們的國一樣。

5 耶和華必將他們交你們;你們要照我所吩咐的一切命令待他們。

6 你們當剛強壯膽,不要害怕,也不要畏懼他們,因為耶和華─你的和你同去。他必不撇下你,也不丟棄你。

7 摩西召了約書亞來,在以色列眾人眼前對他:你當剛強壯膽!因為,你要和這百姓一同進入耶和華向他們列祖起誓應許所賜之;你也要使他們承受那為業。

8 耶和華必在你前面行;他必與你同在,必不撇下你,也不丟棄你。不要懼,也不要驚惶。

9 摩西將這律法出來,交耶和華約櫃的祭司利未子孫和以色列的長老

10 摩西吩咐他們:每逢年的末一年,就在豁免年的定期住棚節的時候,

11 以色列眾人耶和華─你所選擇的地方朝見他。那時,你要在以色列眾人面前將這律法念給他們

12 要招聚他們男、女、孩子,並城裡寄居的,使他們,使他們學習,好敬畏耶和華─你們的,謹守、遵行這律法的一切

13 也使他們未曾曉得這律法的兒女得以見,學習敬畏耶和華─你們的,在你們過約但河要得為業之地,存活的日子,常常這樣行。

14 耶和華摩西:你的期臨近了;要召約書亞來,你們二人站在會幕裡,我好囑咐他。於是摩西和約書亞去站在會幕裡。

15 耶和華會幕中顯現,停在會幕以上。

16 耶和華又對摩西:你必和你列祖同睡。這百姓要起來,在他們所要去的上,在那的人中,隨從外邦行邪淫,離棄我,違背我與他們所立的約。

17 那時,我的怒氣必向他們發作;我也必離棄他們,掩面不顧他們,以致他們被吞滅,並有許多的禍患災難臨到他們。那日他們必:這些禍患臨到我們,豈不是因我們不在我們中間麼?

18 那時,因他們偏向別所行的一切惡,我必定掩面不顧他們。

19 現在你要一篇歌,教導以色列人,傳給他們,使這歌見證他們的不是;

20 因為我將他們領進我向他們列祖起誓應許那流奶與蜜之地,他們在那裡飽足,身體肥胖,就必偏向別,事奉他們,藐視我,背棄我的約。

21 那時,有許多禍患災難臨到他們,這歌必在他們面前作見證,他們後裔的中必念誦不忘。我未領他們到我所起誓應許之以先,他們所懷的意念我都知道了

22 當日摩西了一篇歌,教導以色列人

23 耶和華囑咐嫩的兒子約書亞:你當剛強壯膽,因為你必領以色列人進我所起誓應許他們的;我必與你同在。

24 摩西將這律法的上,及至完了,

25 就吩咐抬耶和華約櫃的利未人

26 將這律法放在耶和華─你們的約櫃旁,可以在那裡見證以色列人的不是;

27 因為我知道你們是悖逆的,是硬著頸項的。我今日還活著與你們同在,你們尚且悖逆耶和華,何況我呢?

28 你們要將你們支派的眾長老長都招聚了來,我好將這些與他們聽,並呼見證他們的不是。

29 知道我死,你們必全然敗壞,偏離我所吩咐你們的道,行耶和華眼中看為惡的事,以所做的惹他發怒;日必有禍患臨到你們。

30 摩西將這一篇歌的以色列會眾聽。

   

Commentary

 

Door

  
Photo by Gretchen Keith

Generally, doors in the Bible represent the initial desires for good and concepts of truth that introduce us to new levels of love and understanding, and even to the Lord Himself. Since a “house” represents a person’s desires, affections and passions, the door serves to introduce true ideas that can put those desires into action.

In John 10:7, the door signifies the Lord, who is good itself and truth itself. (Arcana Coelestia 2356[2])

In Revelation 3:8; 4:1, the door signifies admission to the arcana of heaven revealed. (Apocalypse Explained 260[2])

The meaning depends on context, of course. For example, references to doorposts and lintels are making a distinction between introductory goods and introductory truths. And, in Sodom, Lot's house had two doors -- an inner one and an outer one. When, in Genesis 19:6, Lot tried to convince the men of Sodom not to attack the angels visiting him, he went outside the inner door, but stayed inside the outer door. There, the outer door represents a desire for good that is resistant to the falsity represented by the men of Sodom; the inner door represents true ideas springing from that desire for good. Someone nurturing a desire for good could be admitted through the first door, but would have to learn the truth about how to express that desire before being admitted through the second.

(References: Genesis 19)


From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #260

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260. Verse 4.1. After these things I saw, signifies the understanding illustrated. This is evident from the signification of "to see" as being to understand. "To see" signifies to understand because the sight of the eye corresponds to the sight of the mind, which is understanding. The correspondence is from this, that as the understanding sees spiritual things, so the sight of the eye sees natural things. Spiritual things are truths from good, and natural things are objects in various forms. Truths from good, which are spiritual things, are seen in heaven as distinctly as objects before the eye, yet with much difference; for these truths are seen intellectually, that is, they are perceived; and the nature of this sight or perception cannot be described by human words; it can be apprehended only so far as this, that it has in it consent and confirmation from the inmost that so it is. There are, indeed, confirming reasons in very great abundance, which present themselves to the intellectual sight as a one, and this one is as it were a conclusion from many particulars. These confirming reasons are in the light of heaven, which is Divine truth or Divine wisdom proceeding from the Lord, and which operate in each angel according to his state of reception. This is the spiritual sight of the understanding. Since with angels this sight operates upon the sight of the eyes, and presents the truths of the understanding in correspondent forms that appear in heaven not unlike the forms in the natural world that are called objects, so "to see," in the sense of the letter of the Word, signifies to understand. (What the appearances in heaven are, and that they correspond to the objects of the interior sight of the angels, see in the work onHeaven and Hell 170-176.)

[2] The expression "to see" and not to understand is used in the Word because the Word in its ultimates is natural, and the natural is the basis on which spiritual things have their foundation; consequently if the Word were spiritual in the letter it would have no basis, thus it would be like a house without a foundation. (On this, also see in the work on Heaven and Hell 303-310.) That in the Word "to see" signifies to understand, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

Who said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things; speak to us smooth things, see illusions (Isaiah 30:10).

In the same:

The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken (Isaiah 32:3).

In the same:

Look, ye blind, that ye may behold, seeing great things ye do not keep them (Isaiah 42:18, 20).

In the same:

The priest and the prophet err among the seeing, they stumble in judgment (Isaiah 27:7).

And in other places:

Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not (Matthew 13:1-15; Mark 4:11-12; 8:17-18Isa. Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 12:2);

besides very many other instances, that do not need to be quoted, since everyone knows, also from the customary modes of speaking everywhere that "to see" signifies to understand; for it is said "I see that this is so," or "that it is not so," meaning "I understand."

[260 ½]. And behold a door opened in heaven, signifies the arcana of heaven revealed. This is evident from the signification of "door," as meaning admission (of which above, n. 208, here, a looking into, which is admission of the sight; moreover, the sight is admitted into heaven where the sight of the bodily eyes is dimmed, and at the same time the sight of the spirit's eyes is enlightened. By this sight all things seen by the prophets were seen. A "door opened in heaven" here signifies the arcana of heaven revealed, because at such a time things that are in the heavens appear; and before the prophets the things that are arcana of the church appear; here arcana respecting the things that were to take place upon the time of the Last Judgment, none of which have been revealed as yet, and which could not be revealed until the judgment was accomplished, and then only through some one in the world to whom it was granted by the Lord to see them, and to whom was revealed at the same time the spiritual sense of the Word. For all things written in this prophetic book were written respecting the Last Judgment, but by means of representatives and correspondences; for whatever is said by the Lord and is perceived by angels, in coming down is changed into representatives, and is so made to appear before the eyes of angels in the ultimate heavens and before prophetic men when the eyes of their spirit have been opened. From this it can be seen what is meant by "a door opened in heaven. "

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.