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Ezekiel 31

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1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, the third month, the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 Son of man, speak to Pharao king of Egypt, and to his people: To whom art thou like in thy greatness?

3 Behold, the Assyrian was like a cedar in Libanus, with fair branches, and full of leaves, of a high stature, and his top was elevated among the thick boughs.

4 The waters nourished him, the deep set him up on high, the streams thereof ran round about his roots, and it sent forth its rivulets to all the trees of the country.

5 Therefore was his height exalted above all the trees of the country: and his branches were multiplied, and his boughs were elevated because of many waters.

6 And when he had spread forth his shadow, all the fowls of the air made their nests in his boughs, and all the beasts of the forest brought forth their young under his branches, and the assembly of many nations dwelt under his shadow.

7 And he was most beautiful for his greatness, and for the spreading of his branches: for his root was near great waters.

8 The cedars in the paradise of God wars not higher than he, the fir trees did not equal his top, neither were the plane trees to be compared with him for branches: no tree in the paradise of God was like him in his beauty.

9 For I made him beautiful and thick set with many branches: and all the trees of pleasure, that were in the paradise of God, envied him.

10 Therefore thus saith the Lord God Because he was exalted in height, and shot up his top green and thick, and his heart was lifted up in his height:

11 I have delivered him into the hands of the mighty one of the nations, he shall deal with him: I have cast him out according to his wickedness.

12 And strangers, and the most cruel of the nations shall cut him down, and cast him away upon the mountains, and his boughs shall fall in every valley, and his branches shall be broken on every rock of the country: and all the people of the earth shall depart from his shadow, and leave him.

13 All the fowls of the air dwelt upon his ruins, and all the beasts of the field were among his branches.

14 For which cause none of the trees by the waters shall exalt themselves for their height: nor shoot up their tops among the thick branches and leaves, neither shall any of them that are watered stand up in their height: for they are all delivered unto death to the lowest parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down into the pit.

15 Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when he went down to hell, I brought in mourning, I covered him with the deep: and I withheld its rivers, and restrained the many waters: Libanus grieved for him, and all the trees of the field trembled.

16 I shook the nations with the sound of his fall, when I brought him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of pleasure, the choice and best in Libanus, all that were moistened with waters, were comforted in the lowest parts of the earth.

17 For they also shall go down with him to hell to them that are slain by the sword: and the arm of every one shall sit down under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 To whom art thou like, O thou that art famous and lofty among the trees of pleasure? Behold, thou art brought down with the trees of pleasure to the lowest parts of the earth: thou shalt sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword: this is Pharao, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) #27

  
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27. II. THE SECOND STATE OF THIS MOST ANCIENT CHURCH, OR ITS PROGRESSION INTO LIGHT, AND DAY, is described in the second chapter of Genesis, by these words:

God planted a garden in Eden at the East, and there He put the man whom He had formed, to dress it and to keep it. And Jehovah made to spring forth every tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And a river went forth out of Eden to water the garden, which was made into four heads, in the first of which was gold and the schoham stone. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden, eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, eat not (Gen. 2:8-17).

The progression of this Church into light, or day, is described by Adam's being placed in the garden of Eden, because by a garden is signified the Church as to its truths and goods. That there "went forth out of Eden a river which became into four heads, in the first of which was gold and the schoham stone," signifies that in that Church there was the doctrine of good and truth; for a "river" signifies doctrine, "gold" the good thereof, and "schoham stone" its truth. That two trees were placed in that garden, the one of life, and the other of the knowledge of good and evil, was because the "tree of life" signifies the Lord, in whom and from whom is the life of heavenly love and wisdom, which in itself is eternal life; and the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" signifies man, in whom is the life of infernal love, and thence insanity in the things of the Church, which life considered in itself is eternal death. That it was allowable to eat of every tree of the garden except of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" signifies free-determination in spiritual things; for all things in the garden signified spiritual things, and without free-determination in those, a man can in no wise advance into light, that is, into the truths and goods of the Church, and procure for himself life; for, if he does not aim at and strive after this, he procures to himself death.

[2] That a "garden" signifies the Church as to its truths and goods, is owing to the correspondence of a tree with man; for a tree, in like manner as man, is conceived from seed; is put forth from the womb of the earth as a man from the womb of his mother; it grows in height in like manner, and extends itself into branches as he into members; clothes itself with leaves, and adorns itself with flowers as man does with natural and spiritual truths; and also produces fruits as man does goods of use. Hence it is that in the Word a man is so often likened to a "tree," and hence the Church to a "garden"; as in the following passages:

Jehovah will set out her desert like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah (Isa. 51:3);

speaking of Zion, by which is signified the Church in which God is worshipped according to the Word.

Thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of waters, whose waters shall not lie (Isa. 58:11; Jer. 31:12);

where also the Church is treated of.

Thou art full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty; thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering (Ezek. 28:12-13);

respecting Tyre, by which is signified the Church as to the knowledges of truth and good.

How good are thy dwellings, O Israel! as valleys they are planted, and as gardens beside the river (Num. 24:5-6);

by Israel is signified the spiritual Church; but by Jacob, the natural Church in which there is something spiritual.

Nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to him in beauty; so that all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied him (Ezek. 31:8-9);

speaking of Egypt and Assyria, by which, where mentioned in a good sense, the Church is signified as to knowledges and as to perceptions.

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).

[3] Owing to the correspondence of a garden with the Church, it comes to pass that everywhere in the heavens gardens appear, producing leaves, flowers and fruits according to the states of the Church with the angels; and it has been told me, that in some of the gardens there, trees of life are observed in the middle parts, and trees of the knowledge of good and evil in the boundaries, as a sign that they are in free-determination in spiritual things. The Church is over and over again described in the Word by a "garden," a "field," and a "sheepfold"; by a "garden" from the trees, as has been mentioned above; by a "field" from its crops, wherewith man is nourished; by a "sheepfold" from the sheep, by which are meant the faithful and useful.

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

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