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Ezekiel 25

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1 Kaj aperis al mi vorto de la Eternulo, dirante:

2 Ho filo de homo, turnu vian vizagxon al la Amonidoj, kaj profetu pri ili;

3 kaj diru al la Amonidoj:Auxskultu la vorton de la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Pro tio, ke vi diras pri Mia sanktejo:Ha, ha! gxi estas malsanktigita; kaj pri la lando de Izrael:GXi estas dezertigita; kaj pri la domo de Jehuda:Ili estas forkondukitaj en kaptitecon-

4 pro tio jen Mi transdonos vin kiel posedajxon al la filoj de la oriento, kaj ili starigos cxe vi siajn tendarojn kaj arangxos cxe vi siajn logxejojn; ili mangxos viajn fruktojn, kaj ili trinkos vian lakton.

5 Kaj Mi faros el Raba stalon por kameloj, kaj el la lando de la Amonidoj ripozejon por sxafoj; kaj vi ekscios, ke Mi estas la Eternulo.

6 CXar tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Pro tio, ke vi aplauxdis per la manoj kaj frapis per la piedoj kaj kun plena kora malestimo gxojis pri la lando de Izrael-

7 pro tio jen Mi etendos Mian manon kontraux vin kaj transdonos vin al la nacioj por disrabo, kaj Mi ekstermos vin el inter la popoloj, malaperigos vin el inter la landoj, kaj pereigos vin; kaj vi ekscios, ke Mi estas la Eternulo.

8 Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Pro tio, ke Moab kaj Seir diras:Jen la domo de Jehuda estas kiel cxiuj nacioj-

9 pro tio Mi malfermos la flankon de Moab en la urboj, en gxiaj limaj urboj, la belan landon de Bet-Jesximot, Baal-Meon, kaj Kirjataim;

10 kaj Mi donos tion kune kun la Amonidoj al la filoj de la oriento kiel posedajxon, por ke la Amonidoj ne plu estu rememorataj inter la popoloj.

11 Kaj kontraux Moab Mi faros jugxon; kaj ili ekscios, ke Mi estas la Eternulo.

12 Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Pro tio, ke Edom faris vengxon al la domo de Jehuda kaj forte kulpigxis per sia vengxo kontraux ili-

13 pro tio tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Mi etendos Mian manon kontraux la landon de Edom, kaj ekstermos en gxi la homojn kaj brutojn, kaj faros gxin dezerto; de Teman gxis Dedan ili falos de glavo.

14 Kaj Mi faros Mian vengxon kontraux Edom per la mano de Mia popolo Izrael; kaj ili agos kun la Edomidoj konforme al Mia kolero kaj indigno, por ke cxi tiuj ekkonu Mian vengxon, diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo.

15 Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Pro tio, ke la Filisxtoj agis vengxe kaj faris la vengxon kun plena kora malbondeziro kaj faris ekstermon laux sia eterna malamo-

16 pro tio tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Jen Mi etendos Mian manon kontraux la Filisxtojn, ekstermos la Keretidojn, kaj pereigos la restintojn cxe la bordo de la maro.

17 Kaj Mi faros kontraux ili grandan vengxon kun kolerega puno; kaj ili ekscios, ke Mi estas la Eternulo, kiam Mi faros Mian vengxon kontraux ili.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7673

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7673. 'Stretch out your hand' means an exercising of power. This is clear from the meaning of 'stretching out' as that which is connected with the exercising of control, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518. The reason why 'stretching out the hand' means the exercising of power is that there is power in the hand or arm when it is stretched out. When therefore Jehovah is said to stretch out His hand or arm, boundless or infinite power in action is meant. This explains why Jehovah told Moses on so many occasions, when miracles were to be performed, to stretch out his hand or his rod; for example,

Stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, and they will be blood. Exodus 7:19.

Stretch out your hand over the rivers, and cause frogs to rise up. Exodus 8:1-2. 1

Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice. Exodus 8:11, 12. 2

Stretch out your hand towards heaven, and there will be hail. Exodus 9:22-23.

Such words would never have been used but for the meaning of 'stretching out the hand' in the highest sense as Jehovah's almighty power.

[2] The same thing is meant by Joshua's being told to stretch out his javelin, described in his book as follows,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai. When therefore Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand towards Ai, the ambush rose up quickly out of their place and ran, as soon as he stretched out his hand, and came to the city and took it. Joshua did not withdraw his hand which he had stretched out together with the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai had been utterly destroyed. Joshua 8:18-19, 26.

Being representative of God's almighty power, this too, like all other representative actions when they were commanded in those times, had force.

[3] There are a number of other places in which almighty power is described when it says that Jehovah 'stretches out His hand', or else His 'outstretched hand' or His 'outstretched arm' is spoken of. It is described by Jehovah stretching out His hand in Isaiah,

The anger [of Jehovah] has been roused against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them and struck them, and the mountains were shaken. Isaiah 5:25.

In Ezekiel,

I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him. Ezekiel 14:9, 13.

In the same prophet,

I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. Ezekiel 25:7.

I will stretch out My hand over Edom, and cut off from it man and beast. I will stretch out My hand over the philistines, and cut off . . . Ezekiel 25:13, 16.

Other places like these are Ezekiel 35:3; Isaiah 31:3; Zephaniah 1:4; 2:13. The use of 'outstretched hand' to describe almighty power occurs in Isaiah,

Jehovah's outstretched hand is over all the nations; who will turn it back? Isaiah 14:26, 27.

In Jeremiah,

I will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger and in fury. Jeremiah 21:5.

In Isaiah,

Still His hand is outstretched. Isaiah 9:12, 17; 10:4.

The use of 'outstretched arm' occurs in Jeremiah,

I have made the earth, man, and beast by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jeremiah 27:5.

In the same prophet,

You have made heaven and earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm; there is no matter 3 that is too impossible for You. Jeremiah 32:17.

Here it is self-evident that 'outstretched arm' means almighty power. The same applies to many other places in which the expression 'by a strong hand and an outstretched arm' is used, such as Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; Jeremiah 32:21; Ezekiel 20:33, 34.

[4] There are places too in which Jehovah is said to 'stretch out the heavens', and in these places also 'stretching out' means almighty power; that is to say, He expands the limits of heaven and fills those who are there with life and wisdom, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a thin veil, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breath 4 to His people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.

In Jeremiah,

. . . He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jeremiah 51:15.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

There are still more places besides these, such as Isaiah 44:24; 45:12; Psalms 104:2.

From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand and rod, that miracles were performed when he did so, and that 'stretching out the hand' for that reason means the exercising of power, and in the highest sense almighty power.

Footnotes:

1Exodus 8:5-6 in English Bibles

2Exodus 8:16-17 in English Bibles

3. or word

4. literally, soul

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