The Bible

 

Leviticus 16

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1 Ja Issand rääkis Moosesega pärast Aaroni kahe poja surma, kui need Issanda ette astudes olid surnud.

2 Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Ütle oma vennale Aaronile, et ta mitte igal ajal ei läheks pühamusse sissepoole eesriiet, laeka peal oleva lepituskaane ette, et ta ei sureks, kuna ma ilmutan ennast lepituskaane kohal pilve sees.

3 Ainult sel viisil võib Aaron minna pühamusse: üks noor härjavärss patuohvriks ja jäär põletusohvriks;

4 ta pangu selga püha linane särk, jalga linased püksid ihu katteks, vöötagu ennast linase vööga ja mähkigu ümber pea linane peakate: need on pühad riided; ta loputagu oma ihu veega ja pangu need selga!

5 Ja ta võtku Iisraeli laste koguduselt kaks sikku patuohvriks ja üks jäär põletusohvriks!

6 Ja Aaron toogu esile oma patuohvri härjavärss ning toimetagu lepitust enese ja oma pere eest!

7 Siis ta võtku need kaks sikku ja pangu need seisma Issanda ette kogudusetelgi ukse juurde!

8 Ja Aaron heitku liisku nende kahe siku vahel: üks liisk Issandale ja teine liisk Asaselile!

9 Siis Aaron toogu esile see sikk, kelle liisk määras Issandale, ja valmistagu see patuohvriks!

10 Aga sikk, kelle liisk määras Asaselile, pandagu elusana Issanda ette, et tema peal lepitust toimetada, saates ta kõrbesse Asaselile!

11 Seejärel Aaron toogu esile oma patuohvri härjavärss ning toimetagu lepitust enese ja oma pere eest ja tapku oma patuohvri härjavärss!

12 Ja ta võtku sütepannitäis tuliseid süsi altari pealt Issanda eest ja mõlemad pihud täis peent, healõhnalist suitsutusrohtu ja viigu sissepoole eesriiet!

13 Ja ta pangu suitsutusrohi tule peale Issanda ees, nõnda et suitsutuspilv kataks lepituskaane, mis on seaduselaeka peal, et ta ei sureks!

14 Ja ta võtku härjavärsi verd ja piserdagu sõrmega lepituskaane esikülje peale; ja lepituskaane ette ta piserdagu sõrmega verd seitse korda!

15 Siis ta tapku rahva patuohvri sikk ja viigu selle veri sissepoole eesriiet ning talitagu selle verega, nõnda nagu ta talitas härjavärsi verega: ta piserdagu seda lepituskaane peale ja lepituskaane ette!

16 Ja ta toimetagu lepitust pühamu eest Iisraeli laste roojuste pärast ja nende üleastumiste pärast kõigi nende pattude kohaselt; nõnda ta tehku ka kogudusetelgiga, mis asetseb nende juures keset nende roojusi!

17 Ühtegi inimest ärgu olgu kogudusetelgis, kui ta läheb pühamusse lepitust toimetama, kuni ta on välja tulnud ja on lepitust toimetanud enese ja oma pere ja kogu Iisraeli koguduse eest.

18 Siis ta mingu välja altari juurde, mis on Issanda ees, ja toimetagu lepitust selle eest; ta võtku härjavärsi verd ja siku verd ja määrigu seda altari sarvedele ümberringi!

19 Ja ta piserdagu sõrmega verd selle peale seitse korda ja puhastagu ning pühitsegu seda Iisraeli laste roojuste pärast!

20 Ja kui ta on lõpetanud pühamu ja kogudusetelgi ja altari lepitamise, siis ta toogu esile elus sikk

21 ja Aaron pangu oma mõlemad käed elusa siku pea peale ja tunnistagu tema peal üles kõik Iisraeli laste süüteod ja kõik nende üleastumised kõigis nende pattudes ja pangu need siku pea peale ning saatku see ühe kõlvulise mehe käe kõrval kõrbesse:

22 sikk kannab enesega kõik nende patud tühjale maale; sikk lastagu kõrbes lahti!

23 Ja Aaron mingu kogudusetelki ja võtku seljast linased riided, mis ta pühamusse minnes selga pani, ja jätku need sinna!

24 Ta loputagu oma ihu veega pühas paigas ja pangu selga oma riided; siis ta mingu välja ja ohverdagu oma põletusohver ja rahva põletusohver ning toimetagu lepitust enese ja rahva eest!

25 Ja ta süüdaku patuohvri rasv altaril põlema!

26 Ja see, kes laskis siku lahti Asaselile, pesku oma riided ja loputagu oma ihu veega, alles pärast seda tulgu ta leeri!

27 Ja patuohvri härjavärss ja patuohvri sikk, kelle veri viidi lepituse toimetamiseks pühamusse, viidagu väljapoole leeri ja nende nahad, liha ja sisikond põletatagu tulega!

28 Ja see, kes neid põletas, pesku oma riided ja loputagu oma ihu veega, alles pärast seda tulgu ta leeri!

29 See olgu teile igaveseks kohustuseks: seitsmenda kuu kümnendal päeval peate alandama oma hinged; ja te ei tohi teha mitte mingisugust tööd, ei päriselanik ega võõras, kes teie keskel elab,

30 sest sel päeval toimetatakse lepitust teie eest, et teid puhastada; te peate saama puhtaks kõigist oma pattudest Issanda ees!

31 See olgu teile täielikuks hingamispäevaks; siis alandage oma hinged, see olgu igaveseks kohustuseks!

32 Ja lepitust toimetagu see preester, kes on võitud ja kelle käsi on täidetud, et ta oleks preester oma isa asemel; ta pangu selga linased riided, pühad riided,

33 ja toimetagu lepitust kõige pühama paiga, kogudusetelgi ja altari eest; ja ta toimetagu lepitust preestrite ja kogu koguduse rahva eest!

34 See olgu teile igaveseks kohustuseks: üks kord aastas tuleb Iisraeli laste eest lepitust toimetada kõigi nende pattude pärast!' Ja Aaron tegi nõnda, nagu Issand oli Moosesele käsu andnud.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #9965

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9965. 'That they may not bear iniquity and die' means the elimination of the whole of worship. This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing the iniquity', when the subject is the priestly office of Aaron and his sons, as a removal or shifting away of falsities and evils with those who are governed by good derived from the Lord, dealt with above in 9937. But when it speaks of them 'bearing iniquity and dying' the elimination of the whole of worship is meant, see 9928; for the representative worship died because nothing of it appeared any longer in heaven. The situation in all this may become clear from what has been stated and shown above in 9959-9961. They also died when they did not act in accordance with the statutes, 1 as is evident from Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, who were devoured by fire from heaven when they did not take the fire of the altar to burn incense but foreign 2 fire, Leviticus 10:1-2ff. 'The fire of the altar' represented God's love, thus love from the Lord, whereas 'foreign fire' represented love from hell. The elimination of worship was meant by their burning incense with this fire and their consequent death. For the meaning of 'fire' as love, see 5215, 6832, 7324, 7575, 7852.

[2] Many places in the Word state that they would bear iniquity when they did not do things in accordance with the statutes, and by this was meant damnation because sins had not been removed. Not that they themselves were condemned on account of disobeying the statutes. Rather by doing so they eliminated representative worship and in so doing represented the damnation of those who remain in their sins. For none are condemned because they fail in their performance of outward religious observances, only because of evils in the heart, thus because of failing in such observances as a result of evil in the heart. This is what 'bearing iniquity' means in the following places: In Moses,

If a soul sins and acts against any of Jehovah's commandments regarding what ought not to be done, 3 though he does not know it, yet he will be guilty and will bear his iniquity. Leviticus 5:17-18.

Here the retention of evils and consequent damnation should not be understood literally by 'bearing iniquity', although that is the spiritual meaning; for it says 'though he does not know it', implying that what the person has done does not spring from evil in the heart.

[3] In the same author,

If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, the one offering it will not be accepted. It is an abomination, and the soul that eats it will bear his iniquity, and will be cut off from his people. Leviticus 7:18; 19:7-8.

Here also 'bearing iniquity' means remaining in his sins and being as a result in a state of damnation. It does so not because the person ate some of his sacrifice on the third day, but because 'eating it on the third day' represented something abominable, namely an action leading to damnation. Thus 'bearing iniquity and being cut off from his people' represented the damnation of those who performed the abomination meant by that deed. Nevertheless there was no condemnation on account of his having eaten it, for interior evils that were represented are what condemn, not exterior actions in which those evils are not present.

[4] In the same author,

Every soul who eats a carcass 4 or that which has been torn, and does not wash his clothes and bathe his flesh shall bear his iniquity. Leviticus 17:15-16.

Since 'eating a carcass or that which has been torn' represented making evil or falsity one's own, the expression 'bearing iniquity' also has a representative meaning. In the same author,

If a man who is clean fails to keep the Passover, this soul shall be cut off from his people, because he did not bring the offering of Jehovah at its appointed time; he shall bear his sin. Numbers 9:13.

'The Passover' represented deliverance by the Lord from damnation, 7093 (end), 7867, 7995, 9286-9292; and 'the Passover supper' represented being joined to the Lord through the good of love, 7836, 7997, 8001. And since these things were represented it was decreed that anyone who did not keep the Passover should be cut off from his people and that he should bear his sin. The failure to keep it was not really so great a crime; rather it represented those who at heart refuse to accept the Lord and consequently deliverance from sins, and so who have no wish to be joined to Him through love. Thus it represented their damnation.

[5] In the same author,

The children of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting, or else they will bear iniquity and die. 5 Levites shall perform the work of the tent of meeting, and these shall bear the iniquity. Numbers 18:22-23.

The reason why the people would bear iniquity and die if they were to go near the tent of meeting to do the work there was that they would thereby eliminate the representative worship assigned to the function of the priests. The function of the priests or the priestly office represented the Lord's entire work of salvation, 9809; and this is why it says that the Levites, who also were priests, should bear the people's iniquity, by which expiation or atonement was meant, that is, removal from evils and falsities with those who are governed by good derived from the Lord alone, 9937. 'Bearing iniquity' means real damnation when this expression is used in reference to those who perform evil deeds because their heart is evil, such as those mentioned in Leviticus 20:17, 19-20; 24:15-16; Ezekiel 18:20; 23:49; and elsewhere.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. the laws of worship; see 8972.

2. i.e. unauthorized or profane

3. literally, and does one of [all] Jehovah's commandments [about] things which ought not to be done

4. i.e. an animal that had not been slaughtered but had died naturally

5. literally, to bear iniquity, dying

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