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Amos 8

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1 Således lod Herren mig skue: Se, der var en kurv sommerfrugt.

2 Og han sagde: "Hvad ser du, Amos?" Jeg svarede: "En kurv Sommerfrugt!" Da sagde HE EN til mig: "Enden er kommet for mit Folk Israel; jeg vil ikke længer bære over med det."

3 Paladsets Sangerinder skal jamre på denne Dag, så lyder det fra den Herre HE EN. Dynger af Lig er henkastet alle Vegne.

4 Hør, I, som knuser de fattige, gør det af med de arme i Landet

5 og siger: "Hvornår er Nymånen omme, så vi kan få solgt noget Korn, Sabbaten, så vi kan åbne vort Kornsalg, gøre Efaen lille og Sekelen stor og med Svig gøre Vægten falsk

6 for at købe den ringe for Sølv, den fattige for et Par Sko og få Afaldskornet solgt?"

7 HE EN svor ved Jakobs Stolthed: Aldrig glemmer jeg een af deres Gerninger!

8 Jorden ej skælve derover og enhver, som bor på den, sørge? Den stiger overalt som Nilen og synker som Ægyptens Flod.

9 På hin Dag lader jeg det ske, så lyder det fra den Herre HE EN, at Solen går ned ved Middag, og Jorden bliver mørk ved højlys Dag.

10 Jeg vender eders Fester til Sorg og alle eders Sange til klage, lægger Sæk om alle Lænder, gør hvert et Hoved skaldet, bringer Sorg som over en enbåren, en bitter Dag til sidst.

11 Se, Dage skal komme, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN, da jeg sender Hunger i Landet, ikke Hunger efter Brød, ikke Tørst efter Vand, men efter at høre HE ENs Ord.

12 Da vanker de fra Hav til Hav, flakker fra Nord til Øst for at søge HE ENs Ord, men finder det ej.

13 Den Dag vansmægter af Tørst de fagre Jomfruer og unge Mænd,

14 som sværger ved Samarias Synd, som siger: "Ved din Gud, o Dan!" "Ved din Skytsgud, o Be'ersjeba!" de skal falde, ej mere stå op.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2723

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2723. As regards Beersheba however, 'Beersheba' means the state and the essential nature of the doctrine, that is to say, it is Divine doctrine to which merely human rational ideas have been allied. This becomes clear from the train of thought in verse 22 to the present verse, 2613, 2614, and also from the meaning of the actual expression in the original language as 'the well of the oath' and 'the well of seven'. 'A well' means the doctrine of faith, see 2702, 2720, 'an oath' means a joining together, 2720, as does 'the covenant established with an oath', 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037; and 'seven' means that which is holy and so that which is Divine, 395, 433, 716, 881. From these meanings it may become clear that 'Beersheba' means doctrine which in itself is Divine together with merely human rational ideas or appearances allied to it.

[2] The fact that this is how the name Beersheba was derived is evident from Abraham's words,

Abraham said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they made a covenant in Beersheba (verses 30-32).

Similarly from Isaac's words recorded in Chapter 26,

So it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug, and they said to him, We have found water. And he called it Shibah ('an oath' and 'seven'); therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day. Genesis 26:32-33.

This too has to do with wells, about which there was disagreement with Abimelech, and with a covenant made with him. 'Beersheba' means merely human rational ideas which were again allied to the doctrine of faith, and because they were allied to it again and the doctrine was in that way made such that the human mind could grasp it, it is called 'a city' - 'a city' being doctrine in its entirety, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451. What is more, the name Beersheba is used with a similar meaning in the internal sense in Genesis 22:19; 26:23; 28:10; 46:1, 5; Joshua 15:28; 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3, and in the contrary sense in Amos 5:5; 8:13-14. The whole range of celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine is meant in the internal sense where the land of Canaan is said to range from 'Dan even to Beersheba'; for the land of Canaan means the Lord's kingdom, also the Church, and therefore means the celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine, as in the Book of Judges.

All the children of Israel came out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan even to Beersheba. Judges 20:1.

In the Book of Samuel,

All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 1 Samuel 3:20.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba, 2 Samuel 3:10.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

Hushai said to Absalom, Let all Israel be assembled together, from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 17:11.

Elsewhere in Samuel, David told Joab to go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 24:2, 7.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

There died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. 2 Samuel 24:15.

In the Book of Kings,

Judah dwelt under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25.

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