The Bible

 

Hošea 2

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1 "A djece Izraelove bit će brojem k'o pijeska u moru što se izmjerit' ne može ni izbrojit'. Umjesto da im govore: 'Vi niste moj narod,' zvat će ih: 'Sinovi Boga živoga.'

2 Ujedinit će se sinovi Judini i sinovi Izraelovi, postavit će sebi jednoga glavara i otići će iz zemlje; jer velik će biti dan jizreelski.

3 Recite braći svojoj: 'Narode moj,' sestrama svojim: 'Mila.'

4 Podignite tužbu, podignite, protiv majke svoje, jer ona mi nije više žena, a ja joj muž više nisam. Nek' odbaci od sebe bludničenja i preljube izmeđ' svojih dojki,

5 da je golu ne svučem te učinim da bude k'o na dan rođenja; da je ne obratim u pustinju, da je u zemlju suhu ne obratim i žeđu ne umorim.

6 Ja joj djece neću milovati, jer djeca su to bludnička.

7 Da, bludu se odala mati njihova, sramotila se ona koja ih zače. Da, rekla je: 'Trčat ću za svojim milosnicima, za njima koji mi daju kruh moj i vodu, vunu moju i lan, ulje i piće moje.'

8 Stoga ću put joj trnjem zagraditi, zidom opkoliti, da ne nađe više svojih staza.

9 I trčat će za milosnicima, ali ih stići neće, tražit će ih, al' ih neće pronaći. Tada će reći: 'Idem se vratiti prvome mužu, jer sretnija bijah prije nego sada.'

10 I ona nije razumjela da joj ja davah i žito i mošt i ulje, da je ja obasipah srebrom i zlatom od kojega načiniše baale.

11 Stoga ću uzeti natrag svoje žito u svoje vrijeme i svoj mošt u pravi čas; oduzet ću svoju vunu i svoj lan kojima je imala pokriti golotinju svoju;

12 sad ću joj otkriti sramotu na oči njenih milosnika, i nitko je iz moje neće izbaviti ruke.

13 Učinit ću kraj svim njenim veseljima, svetkovinama, mlađacima, subotama i svim blagdanima njezinim.

14 Opustošit ću joj čokote i smokve za koje je govorila: 'To je plaća što mi je dadoše moji milosnici.' Obratit ću ih u šikarje, i životinje će ih poljske obrstiti.

15 Kaznit ću je za dane Baalove kojima je kad palila, kitila se grivnom i kolajnom i trčala za svojim milosnicima; a mene je zaboravljala - riječ je Jahvina.

16 Stoga ću je, evo, primamiti, odvesti je u pustinju i njenu progovorit' srcu.

17 I vratit ću joj ondje njene vinograde, i od Doline ću akorske učiniti vrata nade. Ondje će mi odgovarat' ona kao u dane svoje mladosti, kao u vrijeme kada je izišla iz Egipta.

18 U onaj dan - riječ je Jahvina - ti ćeš me zvati: 'Mužu moj', a nećeš me više zvati: 'Moj Baale.'

19 Uklonit ću joj iz usta imena baalska i neće im više ime spominjati.

20 U onaj dan, učinit ću za njih savez sa životinjama u polju, sa pticama nebeskim i gmazovima zemskim; luk, mač i boj istrijebit ću iz zemlje da mirno u njoj počiva.

21 Zaručit ću te sebi dovijeka; zaručit ću te u pravdi i u pravu, u nježnosti i u ljubavi;

22 zaručit ću te sebi u vjernosti i ti ćeš spoznati Jahvu.

23 U onaj dan - riječ je Jahvina - odazvat ću se nebesima, a ona će se zemlji odazvati;

24 zemlja će se odazvati žitu, moštu i ulju, a oni će se odazvati Jizreelu.

25 I posijat ću ga u zemlji, zamilovat ću Nemilu, Ne-narodu mom reći ću: 'Ti si narod moj!' a on će reći: 'Bože moj!'"

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #46

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46. That 'beasts' means affections residing with man - evil affections in evil men and good affections in good men - becomes clear from many examples in the Word, as in Ezekiel,

Behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, so that you will be tilled and sown; and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be multiplied and be fruitful, and I will resettle you 1 to be as in your ancient times. Ezekiel 36:9-11.

This refers to regeneration. In Joel,

Fear not, you beasts of My field, for the dwelling-places of the wilderness have been made green. Joel 2:22.

In David,

I was stupid, a beast 2 was I with God. Psalms 73:12.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast, and I will watch over them to build and to plant. Jeremiah 31:27-28.

This refers to regeneration.

[2] 'Wild animals' (fera) has a similar meaning, as in Hosea,

I will make for them a covenant on that day, with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, 3 and with the creeping things of the earth. Hosea 2:18.

In Job,

You will not fear the wild animals of the earth, for your covenant will be with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you. Job 5:22-23.

In Ezekiel,

I will make with them 4 a covenant of peace, and I will banish the evil wild animal from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness. Ezekiel 34:25.

In Isaiah,

The wild animals of the field will honour me, for I have given water in the desert. Isaiah 43:20.

In Ezekiel,

In its branches all the birds of the air 3 made their nests and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to Assyria, which means the spiritual man and is compared to the Garden of Eden. In David,

Praise Jehovah, all his angels, praise Him from the earth, sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, and all beasts, creeping things, and flying birds! Psalms 148:2-4, 7, 9-10.

Here the list is precisely the same - sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds. Unless they all mean things that are alive in human beings, they cannot possibly be referred to as praising Jehovah.

[3] A careful distinction is made in the Prophets between beasts and wild animals of the earth, and between beasts and wild animals of the field. The practice of calling goods 'beasts' extends to calling people in heaven who are nearest to the Lord 'living creatures', both in Ezekiel and in John,

All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God. 5 Revelation 7:11; 19:4.

The expression 'creatures' is also used of people who are to have the gospel preached to them because they are to be created anew, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15.

Footnotes:

1. literally, I will cause you to inhabit

2. literally, beasts

3. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)

4. The Latin means with you; but the Hebrew means with them which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

5. The Latin means the Lamb; but the Greek means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1823

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1823. 'Take a three year old heifer, and a three year old she-goat, and a three year old ram' means things that are the representatives of the celestial things of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of these same animals in sacrifices. Nobody in his right mind can believe that the various animals that used to be sacrificed meant nothing but sacrifices, or that an ox and a young bull or a calf had the same meaning as a sheep, kid, and she-goat, and these the same as a lamb, and that a turtle dove and fledgling pigeons had similar meanings; for in fact each creature had its own specific meaning. This becomes quite clear from the fact that under no circumstances was one kind of animal offered instead of another, and from the fact that it was explicitly stated which creatures were to be used in the daily burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and which on the sabbath and at festivals; which creatures were to be used in free-will, votive, and communion offerings; which ones were to be used in expiations of guilt and sin; and which in purifications. This would never have been the case if some specific thing had not been represented and meant by each animal.

[2] But as to the specific meaning of each kind, this would take too long to explain here. Here it is enough if one knows that celestial things are meant by the animals and spiritual things by the birds, and that some specific celestial or spiritual thing is meant by each kind of animal or bird. The Church itself, and everything to do with the Jewish Church, was representative of such things as constitute the Lord's kingdom, where nothing but that which is celestial or spiritual exists, that is, nothing but that which belongs to love and faith, as also becomes quite clear from the meaning of clean and useful beasts, dealt with in 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776. And because in the Most Ancient Churches beasts meant celestial goods, in the Church existing at a later time when purely external, though representative, worship was highly esteemed and approved of, those beasts became representatives.

[3] Because the state of the Church is the subject here and because the nature of its state in the future is foretold, Abram was shown the same visually by means of similar representatives, exactly as recorded here. Yet quite apart from this, such things are nevertheless meant in the internal sense, as anyone may know and contemplate. For what would have been the need to take a three year old heifer, a three year old she-goat, a three year old ram, a turtle dove and a fledgling, and to divide them in two parts and to lay them out so, unless each single thing had carried a spiritual meaning? But what these details mean becomes clear from what follows below.

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