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Ezekiel 27

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

2 Vi, ho filo de homo, ekkantu funebran kanton pri Tiro;

3 kaj diru al Tiro, kiu sidas cxe la enirejo de la maro kaj kiu komercas kun la popoloj sur multaj insuloj:Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Ho Tiro, vi diras:Mi estas perfektajxo de beleco!

4 En la koro de la maro estas viaj limoj; viaj konstruintoj faris vin perfekte bela.

5 El cipresoj de Senir ili konstruis por vi cxiujn viajn tabulojn, cedrojn de Lebanon ili prenis, por fari viajn mastojn.

6 El kverkoj de Basxan ili faris viajn remilojn, viajn benkojn ili faris el eburo kaj el bukso de la insuloj de la Kitidoj.

7 El delikata brodita tolo Egipta estis viaj veloj, kaj tio estis ankaux via standardo; blua kaj purpura sxtofo de la insuloj de Elisxa estis viaj kovrotukoj.

8 La logxantoj de Cidon kaj Arvad estis viaj remistoj; viajn proprajn kompetentulojn vi havis, ho Tiro, kaj ili estis viaj sxipgvidistoj.

9 La plejagxuloj de Gebal kaj gxiaj kompetentuloj estis cxe vi kalfatristoj; cxiaj sxipoj de la maro kaj iliaj sxipistoj estis cxe vi, por servi al via komercado.

10 Persoj, Ludidoj, kaj Putidoj estis en via armeo, kiel viaj militistoj, pendigis cxe vi siajn sxildojn kaj kaskojn, kaj estis via beleco.

11 La filoj de Arvad kaj via militistaro staris sur viaj muregoj cxirkauxe kaj estis gardistoj sur viaj turoj; siajn sxildojn ili pendigis cxirkauxe sur viaj muregoj, kaj ili perfektigis vian belecon.

12 Tarsxisx komercis kun vi per multo da diversaj valorajxoj; argxenton, feron, stanon, kaj plumbon gxi alportadis al via komercejo.

13 Javan, Tubal, kaj Mesxehx komercis kun vi, alportante al vi kiel komercajxojn homajn animojn kaj kuprajn vazojn.

14 El Togarma oni alportadis al via komercejo cxevalojn, rajdocxevalojn, kaj mulojn.

15 La filoj de Dedan komercis kun vi; sur multaj insuloj estis viaj komercajxoj; eburon kaj ebonon ili vendadis al vi siaflanke.

16 Sirio prenadis de vi komerce la multon de viaj faritajxoj; rubenojn, purpurajn kaj broditajn sxtofojn, delikatan tolon, koralojn, kaj kristalojn ili alportadis al via komercejo.

17 Judujo kaj la lando de Izrael komercis kun vi; pro viaj komercajxoj ili alportadis al vi tritikon de Minit, vakson, mielon, oleon, kaj balzamon.

18 Damasko donadis al vi komerce kontraux la multo de viaj faritajxoj multe da diversaj valorajxoj, vinon el HXelbon, kaj plej blankan lanon.

19 Dan, Javan, kaj Meuzal alportadis al via komercejo sxtalajxojn, kasion, kaj bonodoran kanon.

20 Dedan komercis kun vi per belaj vestoj por rajdado.

21 Arabujo kaj cxiuj princoj de Kedar komercis kun vi, donante al vi sxafidojn, sxafojn, kaj kaprojn kontraux viaj komercajxoj.

22 La komercistoj el SXeba kaj Raama komercis kun vi; la plej bonajn aromajxojn, cxiajn multekostajn sxtonojn, kaj oron ili alportadis al via komercejo.

23 HXaran, Kane, kaj Eden, la komercistoj el SXeba, Asirio, kaj Kilmad komercis kun vi;

24 ili komercis kun vi per belegaj sxtofoj, purpuraj kaj broditaj tukoj, kestoj da multekostaj sxtofoj, cxirkauxligitaj per sxnuroj kaj cedrokovritaj.

25 SXipoj el Tarsxisx estis la cxefaj en via komercado; kaj vi farigxis tre ricxa kaj honorata sur la maro.

26 Sur grandaj akvoj kondukadis vin viaj remistoj; sed orienta vento disrompos vin meze de la maro.

27 Viaj ricxajxoj, viaj komercajxoj, viaj foirajxoj, viaj sxipanoj kaj viaj sxipestroj, viaj kalfatristoj, la kondukantoj de via komercado, cxiuj militistoj, kiuj estas cxe vi, kaj la tuta homamaso, kiu estas cxe vi, falos en la mezon de la maro en la tago de via pereo.

28 De la lauxta kriado de viaj sxipestroj ekskuigxos viaj cxirkauxajxoj.

29 Kaj de siaj sxipoj malsupreniros cxiuj remistoj, la sxipanoj, cxiuj sxipestroj, kaj starigxos sur la tero,

30 kaj ili lauxte krios pri vi, kaj ploros maldolcxe kaj metos polvon sur siajn kapojn kaj rulos sin en cindro;

31 kaj ili faros al si pro vi kalvajxon, cxirkauxzonos sin per sakajxo, kaj ploros pri vi kun maldolcxa koro maldolcxan ploron.

32 Kaj en sia gxemado ili ekkantos pri vi funebran kanton, kaj diros:Kiu iam farigxis tiel silenta sur la maro, kiel Tiro?

33 Kiam viaj komercajxoj venadis de la maroj, vi satigadis multajn popolojn; per la abundo de viaj ricxajxoj kaj viaj komercajxoj vi ricxigadis la regxojn de la tero.

34 Sed kiam sur la maroj vi estis jxetegata en la profundon de la akvo, falis cxe vi via komercado kaj via tuta homomulto.

35 CXiuj logxantoj de la insuloj eksentis teruron pri vi, iliaj regxoj ektremis, kaj konsterno estas sur ilia vizagxo.

36 La komercistoj de la aliaj popoloj ekfajfis pri vi; vi neniigxis, kaj neniam plu ekzistos.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10199

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10199. 'Incense of spices' means a hearing and receiving with pleasure. This is clear from the meaning of 'incense' as the Lord's hearing and receiving with pleasure everything of worship that springs from love and charity, dealt with in 10177; and from the meaning of 'spices' as things that bring pleasure. Things bringing pleasure are meant by 'spices' on account of their odour; for 'odour' means perception, and therefore a sweet odour means a perception of that which brings pleasure, while an offensive odour means that which brings no pleasure. All things perceived by a person with the sensory organs of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch mean spiritual realities connected with the good of love and the truths of faith. Consequently smell means the perception of interior truth springing from the good of love; taste means perception and the desire to know and become wise; sight means an understanding of the truths of faith; hearing means perception resulting from the good of faith and from obedience; and touch in general means imparting, conveying, and being received.

[2] The reason why they have these meanings is that every reception of impressions by the outward senses begins in reception by the inward senses, which belong to the understanding and will, and so begins within the person, in the truths of faith and the good of love since these constitute the understanding and will within the human mind. Yet inward sensations, which belong properly to a person's understanding and will, do not feel the same as the outward ones, though they are turned into outward sensations when they flow in. For all the perceptions that a person receives by means of his outward sensory organs flow from inward powers of mind. The path all influx takes is from inward things to outward ones, not from outward to inward, since there is no such thing as physical influx - that is, influx from the natural world into the spiritual world - only influx from the spiritual world into the natural. A person's inner powers, which belong properly to understanding and will, exist in the spiritual world, and his outward ones, which belong properly to the bodily senses, exist in the natural world. From all this too it becomes clear what correspondence is and what the nature of it is.

[3] In general, smell corresponds to perception of some reality, as determined by the essential nature of the matter that is being perceived, see 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 10054.

Taste corresponds to perception and the desire to know and become wise, 3502, 4791-4805.

Sight corresponds to an understanding of the truths of faith, 3863, 4403-4421, 4567, 5114, 5400, 6805.

Hearing corresponds to perception of the good of faith and to obedience, 3869, 4652-4660, 7216, 8361, 9311, 9926.

Touch means imparting, conveying, and being received, 10130.

[4] 1 The fact that such things as are perceived with pleasure are meant by 'spices' - the kinds that spring from love and charity, in particular interior truths since they spring from these - is clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

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

This refers to the daughters of Zion, by whom the celestial Church is meant, a Church in possession of interior truths springing from the good of love to the Lord. 'Spice' here means interior truth, 'rottenness' deprivation of it; 'a girdle' means a joining together, and 'a falling apart' the dissolution of connection and order; 'well-set hair' means factual knowledge of truth, which is exterior truth or truth as the external man knows it, and 'baldness' deprivation of that truth.

'A girdle' means a joining together and a bond to ensure that everything is held in connection and has the same end in view, see 9828.

'Well-set hair' means factual knowledge of truth, 2831 4 .

'Baldness' means deprivation of that truth, 9960.

[5] In Ezekiel,

A great eagle with [great] wings came on Lebanon, and from it took a twig of the cedar away into the land of Canaan 5 ; in the city of spicers he put the top of it 6 . Ezekiel 17:3-4.

This refers in the internal sense to the beginnings and growth of the spiritual Church, and then its corruption and end. 'A great eagle with [great] wings' means the interior truth which that Church possessed, 3901, 8764, 'wings' its exterior truths, 8764, 9514. 'Lebanon' is that Church, 'the cedar' there being the spiritual Church's truth. 'The city of spicers' is a place where teachings composed of interior truth are presented, 'cities' in the Word meaning religious teachings, see 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493. It is called 'the city of spicers' by virtue of its interior truths.

[6] In the same prophet,

The traders of Sheba and Raamah with the best of [every] spice, and with every precious stone and gold, carried out 7 their dealings. Ezekiel 27:22.

This refers to Tyre, which means the Church in respect of cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth. 'The traders' are those who possess these and pass them on; 'Sheba and Raamah' are those with whom cognitions of celestial and spiritual things exist; 'the best of spice' is that which by virtue of interior truths brings pleasure; 'precious stone' is those very truths; and 'gold' is the good that goes with them.

Tyre means the Church in respect of interior cognitions of goodness and truth, and in the abstract sense those cognitions themselves, see 1201.

'The traders' are those who possess these and pass them on, 2967, 4453.

'Sheba and Raamah' are those with whom cognitions of celestial and spiritual things exist, 1171, 3240.

'Precious stone' is interior truth, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874.

'Gold' is the good that goes with it, see the places referred to in 9874, 9881.

[7] From all this one may see what was represented by the queen of Sheba's coming to Solomon in Jerusalem with camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stones, 1 Kings 10:1-2, and by the offering of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which the wise men from the east made to the new-born Jesus, Matthew 2:11. Because 'spices' meant interior truths, thus those which bring pleasure, the incense and also the anointing oil, dealt with further on in this chapter, were scented with spices.

[8] By interior truths those truths which have become part of a person's life and affection, thus those inwardly present in him, should be understood, but not truths which are present solely in the memory and have not become part of that person's life. These truths in relation to the others are called external ones, since they have not been inscribed on the person's life, only on his memory. They reside in the external man and not in the internal. Truths of faith which have been inscribed on a person's life are present in the will, and what is in the will is present in the internal man. For by means of the truths of faith the internal man is opened up and contact with heaven is brought about. From this it is evident that the interior truths present with a person are ones that spring from the good of love and charity. Whether you say will or love it amounts to the same thing, for what composes a person's will composes his love. Therefore the truths inscribed on the person's life, called interior truths, are ones that have been inscribed on his love, and so on the will, from which they afterwards go forth when they pass into speech and action.

[9] For heaven, in which the internal man that has been opened up is present, does not enter truths directly but indirectly, through the good of love. But heaven cannot come in when a person's internal man is closed, because there is no good of love there to receive it. In the case therefore of those with whom the internal man has not been opened by means of truths springing from the good of love and charity hell enters with falsities arising from evil, no matter how many truths of faith, even interior ones, are residing in the external man alone, that is, in the memory.

From all this one may now see what should be understood by interior truths that bring pleasure, which are meant by 'spices', namely those which spring from the good of love and charity.

Footnotes:

1. To judge both from the first Latin edition and his rough draft Swedenborg may have intended to add words that would have concluded what goes before and introduced what comes next.

2. i.e. fragrance

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

4. The word rendered well-set, more literally plaited, may otherwise mean entangled.

5. Here the Hebrew may be taken to mean either the land of Canaan or the land of the merchant. See 3901:2, 8764:6, where Swedenborg adopts the latter meaning.

6. literally, its head i.e. the twig from the top of the cedar

7. literally, gave

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