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Ezekijel 36

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1 Sine čovječji, prorokuj gorama Izraelovim i reci: "O gore Izraelove, čujte riječ Jahvinu:

2 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Neprijatelji vaši govore o vama: 'Ha! Ha! Visine vječne postat će naš posjed!'

3 I zato prorokuj i reci: 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Sa svih vas strana pustoše i plijene da budete posjed ostalim narodima i na jezike dođoste svjetini klevetničkoj.

4 Zato, gore Izraelove, čujte riječ Jahvinu! Ovako govori Jahve Gospod gorama i brežuljcima, uvalama i dolinama, opustošenim razvalinama i napuštenim gradovima koji postadoše plijen i ruglo ostalim narodima uokolo -

5 ovako, dakle, govori Jahve Gospod: Zaista sam govorio o ognju ljubomore svoje protiv ostalih naroda, protiv sveg Edoma, koji s radošću u srcu i s mržnjom u duši sebi prisvoji u posjed zemlju moju da je oplijeni i opljačka.'

6 Zato prorokuj o zemlji Izraelovoj! Reci gorama i brežuljcima, uvalama i dolinama: 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod! Evo, govorim u ljubomori i jarosti jer moradoste podnositi rug naroda.'

7 Zato ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Evo, dižem ruku i kunem se: narodi koji su oko vas snosit će sami svoju sramotu!

8 A vi, gore Izraelove, razgranajte se i donesite rod narodu koji će skoro doći.

9 Jer, evo me k vama! K vama se okrenuh, i gajit ću vas i zasijati!

10 Razmnožit ću ljude po vama - sav dom Izraelov - gradove vam napučiti, razvaline vaše opet podići!

11 Razmnožit ću po vama ljude i stoku, oni će se namnožiti i naploditi - te ću vas napučiti kao nekoć i obasuti vas dobrima više nego prije! I znat ćete da sam ja Jahve!

12 Dovest ću k vama ljude, narod svoj, Izraela, i zaposjest će te i bit ćeš im baština i nećeš im više djecu otimati.'"

13 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: "A što se o tebi govori: 'Ti si zemlja koja ljude proždire i svojem narodu djecu otima' -

14 ti više nećeš ljude proždirati ni narodu svome djece otimati - riječ je Jahve Gospoda.

15 Ne dam da više slušaš rug pogana, ne dam da više budeš na sramotu narodima: nećeš više narodu svojem djece otimati" - riječ je Jahve Gospoda.

16 Dođe mi riječ Jahvina:

17 "Sine čovječji, kad dom Izraelov još življaše u svojoj zemlji, oskvrnu je svojim nedjelima i svojim putovima. Putovi njihovi bijahu preda mnom kao nečistoća žene nečiste.

18 I zato na njih izlih gnjev svoj zbog krvi što je proliše i zbog kumira kojima je oskvrnuše.

19 Rasprših ih među narode i rasijah po zemljama. Sudio sam im prema putovima i nedjelima njihovim.

20 Ali u narodima među koje dođoše, među svim narodima u koje dospješe, oskvrnjivahu moje sveto ime, jer o njima se govorilo: 'To je Jahvin narod, a morade otići iz zemlje Jahvine!'

21 I meni se sažali moje sveto ime što ga dom Izraelov obeščasti u narodima među koje dođe.

22 Reci zato domu Izraelovu: 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Što činim, ne činim radi vas, dome Izraelov, nego radi svetoga imena svojega, koje vi oskvrnuste među narodima u koje dođoste.

23 Ja ću posvetiti ime svoje veliko koje vi oskvrnuste posred narodÄa u koje dođoste! I znat će narodi da sam ja Jahve - riječ je Jahve Gospoda - kad na vama, njima naočigled, pokažem svetost svoju.

24 Tada ću vas sabrati iz svih naroda i skupiti iz svih zemalja, natrag vas dovesti u vašu zemlju.

25 Poškropit ću vas vodom čistom da se očistite. Očistit ću vas od svih vaših nečistoća i od svih kumira vaših.

26 Dat ću vam novo srce, nov duh udahnut ću u vas! Izvadit ću iz tijela vašega srce kameno i dat ću vam srce od mesa.

27 Duh svoj udahnut ću u vas da hodite po mojim zakonima i da čuvate i vršite moje naredbe.

28 I nastanit ćete se u zemlji koju dadoh vašim ocima, i bit ćete moj narod, a ja ću biti vaš Bog.

29 Izbavit ću vas od svih vaših nečistoća i dozvat ću žito i umnožiti ga, i nikad vas više neću izvrći gladi.

30 Umnožit ću plod drveća i rod njiva da ne podnosite više zbog gladi sramotu među narodima.

31 I tada ćete se spomenuti zlih putova i nedjela svojih, i sami ćete sebe omrznuti zbog bezakonja i gadosti svojih.

32 A što činim, znajte dobro, ne činim radi vas - riječ je Jahve Gospoda! Postidite se i posramite zbog putova svojih, dome Izraelov!'

33 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'A kad vas očistim od svih bezakonja vaših, napučit ću opet vaše gradove i sagraditi razvaline;

34 opustjela zemlja, nekoć pustinja naočigled svakom prolazniku, bit će opet obrađena.

35 Tada će se reći: 'Evo zemlje što bijaše pusta, a postade kao vrt edenski! Gle gradova što bijahu pusti, same razvaline i ruševine, a sada su utvrđeni i napučeni!'

36 I narodi oko vas koji preostanu znat će da ja, Jahve, razvaljeno opet gradim, i što bi opustošeno, opet sadim. Ja, Jahve, rekoh i učinit ću!'

37 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Još će ovo moliti dom Izraelov: da im ljudstvo namnožim kao stada.

38 Kao svetim stadima, kao stadima blagdanskih dana u Jeruzalemu, gradovi, nekoć razvaline, napučit će se ljudstvom. I znat će da sam ja Jahve."

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3813

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3813. As regards 'flesh', this means in the highest sense the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, which is Divine Good, and in the relative sense means the will side of the human proprium when made alive by the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, that is, by His Divine Good. This proprium is the one called the heavenly proprium which, in itself the Lord's alone, is appropriated to those who are governed by good and consequently by truth. Such a proprium exists with angels in heaven, and also with men whose interiors, that is, their spirits, are in the Lord's kingdom. But in the contrary sense 'flesh' means the will side of the human proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, and not having been made alive by the Lord is called dead; and the individual himself is for that reason called dead.

[2] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so His Divine Good, is clear from the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. The bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews disputed with one another, saying, How can this man give his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51-58.

Here it is quite evident that 'flesh' means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so the Divine Good - His flesh in the Holy Supper being called 'the body'. His body or flesh in the Holy Supper is the Divine Good, and His blood the Divine Truth, see 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3735. And since bread and wine have the same meaning as flesh and blood - that is to say, 'bread' is the Lord's Divine Good, and 'wine' His Divine Truth - bread and wine were commanded in place of flesh and blood. This is why the Lord says, 'I am the living bread; the bread which I will give is My flesh; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him; this is the bread which came down from heaven'. 'Eating' means being communicated, being joined to, and being made one's own, see 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513 (end), 3596.

[3] The same was represented in the Jewish Church by the law that the flesh of sacrifices was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons, by those persons who brought the sacrifice, and by others who were clean; and that this flesh was holy, see Exodus 12:7-9; 29:30-34; Leviticus 7:15-21; 8:31; Deuteronomy 12:27; 16:4. That being so, if any unclean person ate some of that flesh he was to be cut off from his people, Leviticus 7:21. The fact that these sacrifices were called 'bread', see 2165, and that that sacrificial flesh was called 'holy flesh', Jeremiah 11:15; Haggai 2:12. And in Ezekiel 40:43 where the new Temple is the subject, it is called 'the flesh of the offering which is on the tables in the Lord's kingdom', by which clearly worship of the Lord in His kingdom is meant.

[4] That 'flesh' in the relative sense means the will side of man's proprium when made alive by the Lord is Divine Good is clear also from the following places: In Ezekiel,

I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in your midst; and I will remove the heart of stone out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26.

'The heart of stone out of their flesh' stands for a will and proprium when not made alive, 'a heart of flesh' for a will and proprium when made alive; for 'the heart' is a representative of good in the will, see 2930, 3313, 3635. In David,

O God, You are my God; in the morning I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh in a dry land longs for You, and I am weary without water. Psalms 63:1.

In the same author,

My soul longs for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. Psalms 84:2.

[5] In Job,

I have come to know my Redeemer; He is alive; and at the last He will rise above the dust; and afterwards these things will be encompassed by my skin, and out of my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other. Job 19:25-27.

'Being encompassed by skin' stands for the natural, such as a person possesses after death, dealt with in 3539. 'Out of his flesh seeing God' stands for the proprium when made alive, which is why Job says, 'Whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other'. Since it was well known in the ancient Churches that 'flesh' meant the proprium, and since the Book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, 3540 (end), he accordingly followed the custom of the day and drew on meaningful signs to speak of these, as of many other matters. Those therefore who conclude from what Job said that their dead body is going to be reassembled from the four winds and is going to rise again do not know the internal sense of the Word. Those who are conversant with that sense know that they will enter the next life in a body, but in a purer one. In that life people have purer bodies, for they behold one another, talk to one another, and are endowed with each of the senses, which though like those in the physical body are now keener. The body which a person carries around on earth is designed for activities on earth and therefore consists of flesh and bones, whereas the body that a spirit carries around in the next life is designed for activities in that life and does not consist of flesh and bones but of such things as correspond to these, see 3726.

[6] That 'flesh' in the contrary sense means the will side of the human proprium which in itself is nothing but evil is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their blood as with new wine. Isaiah 49:26.

In Jeremiah,

I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters, and every man will eat the flesh of his companion. Jeremiah 19:9.

In Zechariah,

Those that are left will eat, every one the flesh of another. Zechariah 11:9.

In Moses,

I will chastise you seven times for your sins, and you will eat the flesh of your sons: and the flesh of your daughters will you eat. Leviticus 26:28-29.

The will side of the human proprium, or man's own natural inclinations, is described in this way because it is nothing but evil and consequent falsity, and so hatred against every form of truth or good, that are meant by 'eating the flesh of their own arm', 'the flesh of sons and daughters', and 'the flesh of another'.

[7] In John,

I saw an angel standing in the sun, who called out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come and gather yourselves to the supper of the great God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all free men and slaves, both small and great. Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20.

Anyone may see that the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and those seated on them, free men and slaves, is not meant by such expressions. 'Flesh' accordingly has another meaning which has not been known up to now. The fact that evils resulting from falsities, and evils producing falsities, are meant - which evils originate on the will side of the human proprium - is evident from each expression used here.

[8] Since falsity which springs from the understanding side of man's proprium is meant by 'blood' in the internal sense, and evil which springs from the will side of his proprium by 'flesh', the Lord speaks of the person who is to be regenerated as follows,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

For this reason 'flesh' is used to mean in general all mankind, see 574, 1050 (end). For whether you speak of man or of man's proprium it amounts to the same.

[9] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Lord's Divine Human is evident from the verses quoted above, as well as from the following in John,

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. John 1:14.

It is by virtue of this flesh that all other flesh is made alive, that is, by virtue of the Lord's Divine Human, every human being is made alive, through making His love his own, which is meant by 'eating the flesh of the Son of Man', John 6:51-58, and by eating the bread in the Holy Supper - for the bread is His body or flesh, Matthew 26:26-27.

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