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Ezekijel 17

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1 Dođe mi riječ Jahvina:

2 "Sine čovječji, smisli zagonetku i iznesi prispodobu domu Izraelovu! Reci:

3 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Velik orao, velikih krila, duga perja, gusta, šarena paperja, doletje na Libanon i zgrabi cedrov vrh;

4 odlomi mu najvišu grančicu, odnese je u zemlju trgovaca i spusti je u grad prodavača.

5 Onda uze izdanak iz zemlje, u plodnu ga njivu posadi, kraj obilnih voda stavi, kao vrbu usadi.

6 Izdanak proklija, bujan izbi čokot, onizak izraste, mladice mu k orlu segnuše, a pod njim mu žilje bješe; u bujan se razvi čokot, potjera izdanke, mladice razgrana.

7 Bijaše i drugi orao, velik i velikih krila, gusta perja. I gle, čokot k njemu žilje pruži, k njemu upravi grančice svoje da ga natapa bolje od tla u koje bi zasađen.

8 Na plodnoj njivi, kraj obilnih voda, bješe zasađen: mogao je tjerat' mladice, uroditi rodom, k'o veličanstveni trs izrasti.'

9 Reci: 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Hoće l' uspijevati? Neće l' mu orao sve žilje izguliti? Neće l' mu sve plodove potrgati? Neće l' mu sve mladice, čim izbiju, sasušiti? Da, i bez snažne mišice, i bez mnoštva naroda, iščupat će ga iz korijena!

10 Gle, zasađen je! Hoće l' uspijevati? Čim ga takne istočnjak, neće l' sav usahnuti? Da, na lijehama iz kojih niče uvenut će.'"

11 Dođe mi riječ Jahvina:

12 "Reci domu odmetničkome: 'Zar ne znate što ovo znači?' Reci im: 'Eto, dođe kralj babilonski u Jeruzalem, zarobi mu kralja i sve knezove, odvede ih k sebi u Babilon.

13 Odvede i izdanak iz kraljevskoga koljena, sklopi s njima savez i zakletvom se obveza, pošto odvede sve mogućnike iz zemlje,

14 da će kraljevstvo ostati neznatno i da se neće dizati, nego će čuvati i držati savez s njime.

15 Ali se on od njega odmetnu; poslanike uputi u Egipat, tražeći od njega konje i jaku vojsku. Hoće li uspjeti? Može li umaći onaj tko tako radi? Raskinu savez, pa da umakne?

16 Života mi moga, riječ je Jahve Gospoda: jer prezre zakletvu kralja koji ga na prijestolje posadi i razvrže savez s njime, u njegovoj će zemlji umrijeti, usred Babilona!

17 Svojom silnom vojskom i mnoštvom naroda faraon mu neće pomoći u boju kad onaj digne nasipe i sagradi kule opsadne da mu zatre mnogo ljudstvo.

18 Prezreo je zakletvu, razvrgao savez. Da, iako ruku bijaše dao, sve to učini! Ne, neće umaći!'

19 Stoga ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Života mi moga, zakletvu što je prezre i savez što ga razvrže oborit ću na glavu njegovu!

20 Mrežu ću nad njim razapeti i uhvatit će se u moju zamku, pa ću ga odvesti u Babilon i ondje mu suditi zbog nevjere kojom mi se iznevjeri.

21 Cvijet vojske njegove od mača će pasti, a ostatak se raspršiti u sve vjetrove. I spoznat ćete da ja, Jahve, tako rekoh.'

22 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'S vrha cedra velikoga, s vrška mladih grana njegovih, odlomit ću grančicu i posadit' je na gori visokoj, najvišoj.

23 Na najvišoj gori izraelskoj nju ću zasaditi: razgranat će se ona, plodom uroditi.

24 I sve će poljsko drveće znati da ja sam Jahve koji visoko drvo ponizujem, a nisko uzvisujem; zeleno drvo sušim, a drvu suhu dajem da rodi. Ja, Jahve, rekoh i učinit ću!'"

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #343

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343. Holding back the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. This symbolizes the Lord's holding back and restraining a closer and thus stronger influx into the lower regions where good people were attached to evil ones.

It must be known that a last judgment takes place when evil people multiply below the heavens in the world of spirits, and this to such a degree that angels in the heavens cannot continue in the state of their love and wisdom, as they are then without a support and foundation. Since this results from a multiplication of evil people below, therefore in order to preserve the angels' state, the Lord flows in more and more strongly with His Divinity, and this continually until no influx can preserve them unless the evil people below are separated from the good. This is accomplished by a subsidence and closing in of the heavens, with a consequently stronger influx, until the evil cannot bear it. And at that point the evil flee away and cast themselves into hell.

This, too, is what is symbolized in the preceding chapter by the statement, "They said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:16-17)

[2] Now for the exposition:

The four winds symbolize an influx of the heavens. The earth, the sea, and every tree symbolize all the lower regions and all that they contain - the earth and sea symbolizing all the lower regions, and every tree all that they contain.

That a wind symbolizes influx - properly speaking, the influx of truth into the intellect - can be seen from the following passages:

Thus says the Lord Jehovih, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." (Ezekiel 37:9-10)

(There appeared four chariots to which were harnessed four horses.) These are the four winds of the heavens... (Zechariah 6:1-5)

You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and... cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. (John 3:7-8)

The Maker of the earth... prepares the world by His wisdom... He brings the wind out of His treasuries. (Jeremiah 10:12-13; 51:15-16, cf. Psalms 135:7)

He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow. He declares His Word..., His statutes and His judgments... (Psalms 147:18-19)

It praises Jehovah..., the stormy wind, doing His Word... (Psalms 148:7-8)

(Jehovah) makes His angels winds... (Psalms 104:4)

(Jehovah) rode... upon the wings of the wind. (Psalms 18:10, cf. 104:3)

The wings of the wind are Divine truths that flow in. The Lord is therefore called "the breath of our nostrils" (Lamentations 4:20), and we are told that He "breathed into (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7); moreover, that "He breathed on (the Disciples) and said..., "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22). The Holy Spirit is the Divine truth emanating from the Lord, the influx of which into the Disciples was represented and thus symbolized by the Lord's breathing on them.

[3] A wind and breathing symbolize the influx of Divine truth into the intellect, owing to the correspondence of the lungs with the intellect, a treatment of which may be seen in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 371-429.

Since a closer and stronger Divine influx through the heavens dispels truths in the case of evil people, therefore a wind symbolizes the dispersion of truth in them, and thus their conjunction with hell and perishing - as may be seen from the following passages:

I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four ends of heaven and scatter him. (Jeremiah 49:36)

You shall scatter them, that the wind may carry them away and the storm disperse them. (Isaiah 41:16)

The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, sets them on fire. (Isaiah 30:33)

The workers of iniquity... perish by the breathing of God, and by the breath of His nostrils they are consumed. (Job 4:8-9)

...the foundations of the world were uncovered at the rebuke (of Jehovah), at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. (Psalms 18:15)

I saw in my vision..., and behold, the four winds... were rushing upon the Great Sea. And four beasts came up... (Daniel 7:2-3ff.)

...from a storm of Jehovah has gone forth fury... It will rush upon the head of the wicked. (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23)

O my God..., ...pursue them with Your storm, ...frighten them with Your tempest. (Psalms 83:13, 15)

(Jehovah's) way in the storm and in the tempest... (Nahum 1:3)

And so also elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 25:32, Ezekiel 13:13, Hosea 8:7, Amos 1:14, Zechariah 9:14, Psalms 11:6; 50:3; 55:8, and Psalms 107, where we read:

...He commands the stormy wind to blow... (God) causes the storm to subside, so that its waves are still. (Psalms 107:25, 29)

[4] It is apparent from this what is symbolically meant in the spiritual sense by the following:

(Jesus in the boat) rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ."..be still!" And... there was a... calm. (Mark 4:39, cf. Luke 8:23-24)

The sea here symbolizes hell, and the wind an influx from it.

A strong influx, too, is symbolically meant by the east wind in Ezekiel 17:10, Jeremiah 18:17, Ezekiel 19:12, Hosea 13:15, Psalms 48:7. And by that same wind which dried up the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), regarding which Moses said:

At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up... You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them. (Exodus 15:8, 10)

It can now be seen from this that holding back the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, symbolizes the holding back and restraining of a closer and thus stronger influx into the lower regions.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.