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Ezekiel 43

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1 Derpå førte han mig hen til Østporten.

2 Og se Israels Guds Herlighed kom østerfra, og det lød som mange Vandes Brus, og Jorden lyste af hans Herlighed.

3 Synet var som det, jeg havde set, da han kom for at ødelægge Byen, og Vognen så ud som den, jeg havde set ved Floden Kebar. Da faldt jeg på mit Ansigt.

4 Og HE ENs Herlighed drog ind i Templet gennem den Port, hvis Forside vendte mod Øst.

5 Men Ånden løftede mig op og bragte mig ind i den indre Forgård, og se, HE ENs Herlighed fyldte Templet.

6 Og jeg hørte en tale til mig ud fra Templet, medens Manden stod ved Siden af mig,

7 og han sagde: Menneskesøn! Her er min Trones og mine Fodsålers Sted, hvor jeg vil bo midt iblandt Israeliterne til evig Tid. Israels Hus skal ikke mere vanhellige mit hellige Navn, hverken de eller deres konger, med deres Bolen eller deres kongers Lig,

8 de, som satte deres Tærskel lige ved min og deres Dørstolper lige ved mine, kun med en Mur imellem mig og dem, og vanhelligede mit hellige Navn ved de Vederstyggeligheder, de øvede, så jeg måtte tilintetgøre dem i min Vrede.

9 Nu skal de fri mig for deres Bolen og deres Kongers Lig, så jeg kan bo iblandt dem til evig Tid.

10 Men du, Menneskesøn, giv Israels Hus en Beskrivelse af Templet, dets Udseende og Form, at de må skamme sig over deres Misgerninger.

11 Og dersom de skammer sig over alt, hvad de har gjort, så kundgør dem Templets Omrids og Indretning, dets Udgange og Indgange, et helt Billede deraf; ligeledes alle Vedtægter og Love derom; og skriv det op for deres Øjne, at de må mærke sig Billedet i sin Helhed og alle Vedtægterne og holde dem.

12 Dette er Loven om Templet: På Bjergets Tinde skal alt dets Område til alle Sider være højhelligt; se, det er Loven om Templet.

13 Følgende er Alterets Mål i Alen, en Alen en Håndsbred længere end sædvanlig: Foden var en Alen høj og en Alen bred, Kantlisten anden rundt et Spand høj. Om Alterets Højde gælder følgende:

14 Fra Foden underneden op til det nederste Fremspring to Alen med en Alens Bredde; og fra det lille Fremspring til det store fire Alen med en Alens Bredde.

15 Ildstedet var fire Alen højt, og fra Ildstedet ragede fire Horn i Vejret.

16 Ildstedet var tolv Alen langt og tolv Alen bredt, så det dannede en ligesidet Firkant.

17 Det store Fremspring var fjorten Alen langt og fjorten Alen bredt på alle fire Sider; det lille Fremspring seksten Alen langt og seksten Alen bredt på alle fire Sider; Kantlisten rundt om en halv Alen bred og Foden en Alen bred rundt om. Trappen var på Østsiden.

18 Og han sagde til mig: Menneskesøn! Så siger den Herre HE EN: Følgende er Vedtægteme om Alteret, på den Dag det bygges til at ofre Brændofre og sprænge Blod på:

19 Så lyder det fra den Herre HE EN: Levitpræsterne, som nedstammer fra Zadok og må nærme sig mig for at gøre Tjeneste for mig, skal du give en ung Tyr til Syndoffer;

20 og du skal tage noget af dens Blod og stryge det på Alterets fire Horn, på Fremspringets fire Hjørner og på Kantlisten rundt om og således rense det for Synd og fuldbyrde Soningen for det.

21 Og du skal tage Syndoffertyren og brænde den ved Tempelvagten uden for Helligdommen.

22 Næste Dag skal du bringe en lydefri Gedebuk som Syndoffer, og de skal rense Alteret for Synd, ligesom de rensede det med Tyren.

23 Og når du er til Ende med at rense det for Synd, skal du bringe en lydefri ung Tyr og en lydefri Væder af Småkvæget;

24 du skal bringe dem for HE ENs Åsyn, og Præsterne skal strø Salt på dem og ofre dem som Brændoffer for HE EN.

25 Syv Dage skal du daglig ofre en Syndofferbuk, og man skal ofre en ung Tyr og en Væder af Småkvæget, lydefri Dyr;

26 i syv Dage skal man fuldbyrde Soningen for Alteret og rense det og indvie det.

27 Således skal man bære sig ad i disse Dage. Og på den ottende Dag og siden hen skal Præsterne ofre eders Brændofre og Takofre på Alteret; og jeg vil have Behag i eder, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10254

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10254. 'And sweet-smelling cinnamon' means the perception of and affection for natural truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'sweet-smelling cinnamon' as the perception of and affection for natural truth, which is the interior truth of the external man. A person has life on a sensory level and life on a natural level. Both belong to the external man, but the life on the sensory level is exterior, deriving its truths from objects that exist on the planet and in the body, whereas the life on the natural level is interior, deriving its truths from the causes of which those objects are the effects. The life of the internal man is in like manner exterior and interior. The exterior derives its truths from those things that exist in the lowest parts of heaven, whereas the interior derives them from those things that exist in the interior parts of heaven. These truths within the internal man are meant by the fragrances which follow.

[2] The reason why 'sweet-smelling cinnamon' means the perception of and affection for truth is that 'a sweet smell' means a pleasing perception. A pleasing perception arises from the affection belonging to love, for if perception has any other origin it does not bring any pleasure.

All odours mean perception, see 3577, 4626, 4748.

Pleasing odours mean the perception of truth arising from good, 1514, 1517-1519, 4628, 10054, thus from the affection belonging to love.

The spheres belonging to perceptions are converted among spirits and angels into odours, 4626.

[3] In addition it should be recognized that all the sweet-smelling substances from which the anointing oil was prepared belong to the celestial group, that is, to things of the celestial kingdom, whereas the sweet-smelling substances from which the incense was made belong to the spiritual group, that is, to things of the spiritual kingdom. This also is why in the original language the term that is used to denote the spices from which the anointing oil was prepared is different and has a different root from the term used to denote the spices from which the incense was made. For in the Word there are particular terms which serve to express things of the celestial kingdom and particular terms that serve to express those of the spiritual kingdom; and there are others common to both. But to know which of these is which, one must recognize that heaven is divided into two kingdoms, as is the Church, and that the dominant essential in the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord, whereas in the spiritual kingdom it is the good of charity towards the neighbour. How these differ from each other, see in the places referred to in 9277.

[4] The fact that the spice named here means the perception of and affection for celestial truth is clear in Isaiah,

Instead of spice 1 there will be rottenness, and instead of a girdle, a falling apart, and instead of well-set hair 2 , baldness. Isaiah 3:24.

This refers to the daughters of Zion, by whom the celestial Church is meant, at this point when it has been perverted. Therefore the word used for spice is the same as that in the present verse in Exodus. 'Instead of spice there will be rottenness' means that instead of the perception of and affection for truth springing from good, and of the life these bring with them, there will be a perception of and affection for falsity arising from evil, which holds no life at all within it.

[5] In Ezekiel,

The traders of Sheba and Raamah, traders with the best of every spice, and with [every] precious stone, and gold, ... Ezekiel 27:22.

These things were said in reference to Tyre, by which cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth within the Church are meant, 'Sheba and Raamah' meaning those with whom cognitions of celestial things exist.

[6] The like is meant where the queen of Sheba is referred to in the first Book of Kings,

The queen of Sheba gave Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. No quantity of spices such as this came ever again. 1 Kings 10:10.

'Sheba' means primarily those with whom cognitions of celestial things exist, see 1171, 3240.

From all this it is evident that these spices from which the anointing oil was prepared mean the perception of and affection for truth such as exist with those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom.

[7] The reason why the sweet-smelling substances used in the preparation of the anointing oil - which were myrrh of the highest quality, sweet-smelling cinnamon, sweet-smelling calamus, and cassia - belong to the celestial group, that is, to things of the Lord's celestial kingdom, is that the anointing oil was the sign of the Divine Good of Divine Love within the Lord, which in heaven is His Divine Celestial. For this meaning of 'the anointing oil', see 9954, 10019.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. the odour or perfume from it

2. literally, instead of the work of plaited [hair]

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