The Bible

 

Ezekijel 3

Study

   

1 I reče mi: "Sine čovječji, progutaj što je pred tobom! Pojedi taj svitak, te idi i propovijedaj domu Izraelovu!"

2 Otvorih usta, a on mi dade da progutam svitak

3 i reče: "Sine čovječji, nahrani trbuh i nasiti utrobu svitkom što ti ga dajem!" I pojedoh ga, i bijaše mi u ustima sladak kao med.

4 Reče mi: "Sine čovječji, idi domu Izraelovu i prenesi mu moju poruku.

5 Ne šaljem te k narodu nepoznata jezika i nerazumljiva govora, već te šaljem domu Izraelovu.

6 Ne šaljem te k mnogim narodima nepoznata jezika i nerazumljiva govora koje ti ne bi mogao razumjeti. A kad bih te k njima i poslao, oni bi te poslušali.

7 A dom te Izraelov neće poslušati, jer ni mene ne sluša, jer dom je Izraelov tvrde glave i okorjela srca.

8 Evo, zato ću sada otvrdnuti tvoje lice kao što je i njihovo i glavu ću tvoju učiniti tvrdoglavom kao što je njihova.

9 I ne boj ih se i ne plaši, jer oni su rod odmetnički!"

10 Reče mi: "Sine čovječji, sve riječi što ću ti reći uzmi k srcu i poslušaj ih svojim ušima.

11 I hajde izgnanicima, sinovima svojega naroda, i reci im: Ovako govori Jahve Gospod! - poslušali ili ne poslušali!"

12 Uto me duh podiže i ja za sobom čuh silnu tutnjavu. Slava se Jahvina podigla sa svojega mjesta.

13 Čuh lepet krila onih bića - udarahu jedno o drugo - i snažnu škripu točkova što se s njima kretahu i zaglušnu jeku jakoga glasa.

14 Tada me duh prihvati i ponese. I ja iđah ogorčen i gnjevna srca, a ruka me Jahvina čvrsto pritisla.

15 Tako stigoh u Tel Abib, k izgnanicima koji življahu na rijeci Kebaru - onamo gdje se bijahu nastanili - te ostadoh među njima sedam dana kao omamljen.

16 Poslije sedam dana dođe mi opet riječ Jahvina:

17 "Sine čovječji, postavljam te za čuvara doma Izraelova. I ti ćeš riječi iz mojih usta slušati i opominjat ćeš ih u moje ime.

18 Kad bezbožniku reknem: 'Umrijet ćeš', a ti ga ne opomeneš i ne odvratiš od zla puta njegova kako bi mu život spasio, on će umrijeti sa svojega bezakonja, ali ću ja od tebe tražiti račun za krv njegovu.

19 A kad opomeneš bezbožnika, a on se ne odvrati od bezakonja i od zla puta svojega, on će umrijeti zbog svoje krivice, a ti ćeš spasiti svoj život.

20 Isto tako, odvrati li se pravednik od svoje pravednosti i stane činiti nepravdu, postavit ću mu zamku i umrijet će jer ga ti ne opomenu zbog njegova grijeha; umrijet će, i njegova se pravedna djela više neće spominjati, ali ću od tebe tražiti račun za krv njegovu.

21 Ako li ti pravednika opomeneš da ne griješi, i on zaista prestane griješiti, živjet će jer je prihvatio opomenu, a i ti ćeš spasiti život svoj."

22 Ondje me opet zahvati ruka Jahvina i on mi reče: "Ustani i siđi u dolinu da ondje s tobom govorim!"

23 Ustadoh tada i siđoh u dolinu, i gle: Slava Jahvina stajaše ondje, slična Slavi koju vidjeh na rijeci Kebaru te padoh ničice.

24 Jahvin duh uđe u me, osovi me na noge i reče: "Idi i zatvori se u domu svojemu!

25 Na te ću, evo, sine čovječji, staviti užad i svezati te i više nećeš izlaziti.

26 I jezik ću ti zalijepiti za nepce te ćeš onijemjeti i nećeš ih više karati, jer su rod odmetnički.

27 A kad ti ja progovorim, otvorit ću ti usta i ti ćeš im reći: Ovako govori Jahve Gospod! I tko hoće slušati, neka sluša, a tko neće, neka ne sluša, jer su rod odmetnički.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #282

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

282. "Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." This symbolically means that the Lord has redeemed those in the church or in any other religion who are impelled by truths in respect to their doctrine and by goods in respect to their life.

Tribes mean, symbolically, the church in respect to religion. Tongues symbolize its doctrine, as we will see presently. People mean, symbolically, people impelled by doctrinal truths, and abstractly doctrinal truths themselves (no. 483). And nations mean, symbolically, people who are impelled by goods of life, and abstractly goods of life themselves (no. 483). It is apparent from this that every tribe and tongue and people and nation has the symbolic meaning stated, as it does also in no. 627.

[2] We will now confirm here that tongues in the spiritual sense symbolize the doctrine possessed by a church and by every religion. This is apparent from the following:

My tongue ponders Your righteousness, Your praise all the day long. (Psalms 35:28)

My tongue shall ponder Your righteousness all the day long. (Psalms 71:24)

Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness... (Isaiah 35:6)

...the tongue of stammerers will be swift to speak... (Isaiah 32:4)

It seems as though tongue there means speech, but in the spiritual sense it means that which is spoken, which is the doctrinal truth that they will have from the Lord.

So likewise:

I have sworn... that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear an oath. (Isaiah 45:23)

The time will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. (Isaiah 66:18)

In those days ten men from all the tongues of the nations shall take hold of the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)

These passages describe as well the Lord's conversion of the nations to doctrinal truth.

[3] On the other hand, in the following places tongues in an opposite sense symbolize doctrinal falsities:

A smooth-tongued man shall not continue to exist in the land. (Psalms 140:11)

You hide them... in Your tabernacle from the strife of tongues. (Psalms 31:20)

...I will bring a nation against you... whose language you do not know... (Jeremiah 5:15)

(To be sent to peoples heavy in tongue.) (Ezekiel 3:5-6). (To a people barbarous in tongue.) (Isaiah 33:19).

It should be known that the tongue as an organ symbolizes doctrine, while as speech it symbolizes also religion.

[4] Someone who knows that the tongue symbolizes doctrine can understand what is symbolically meant by the plea of the rich man in hell to Abraham to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue, to keep him from being tormented in the flame (Luke 16:24). The water symbolizes truth, and the tongue doctrine, by whose falsities the rich man was being tormented, and not by any flame. For no one in hell is on fire, but a flame there is how a love of falsity appears, and fire how a love of evil appears.

  
/ 962  
  

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