The Bible

 

Ézéchiel 41

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1 Il me conduisit dans le temple. Il mesura les poteaux; il y avait six coudées de largeur d'un côté, et six coudées de largeur de l'autre, largeur de la tente.

2 La largeur de la porte était de dix coudées; il y avait cinq coudées d'un côté de la porte, et cinq coudées de l'autre. Il mesura la longueur du temple, quarante coudées, et la largeur, vingt coudées.

3 Puis il entra dans l'intérieur. Il mesura les poteaux de la porte, deux coudées, la porte, six coudées, et la largeur de la porte, sept coudées.

4 Il mesura une longueur de vingt coudées, et une largeur de vingt coudées, sur le devant du temple; et il me dit: C'est ici le lieu très saint.

5 Il mesura le mur de la maison, six coudées, et la largeur des chambres latérales tout autour de la maison, quatre coudées.

6 Les chambres latérales étaient les unes à côté des autres, au nombre de trente, et il y avait trois étages; elles entraient dans un mur construit pour ces chambres tout autour de la maison, elles y étaient appuyées sans entrer dans le mur même de la maison.

7 Les chambres occupaient plus d'espace, à mesure qu'elles s'élevaient, et l'on allait en tournant; car on montait autour de la maison par un escalier tournant. Il y avait ainsi plus d'espace dans le haut de la maison, et l'on montait de l'étage inférieur à l'étage supérieur par celui du milieu.

8 Je considérai la hauteur autour de la maison. Les chambres latérales, à partir de leur fondement, avaient une canne pleine, six grandes coudées.

9 Le mur extérieur des chambres latérales avait une épaisseur de cinq coudées. L'espace libre entre les chambres latérales de la maison

10 et les chambres autour de la maison, avait une largeur de vingt coudées, tout autour.

11 L'entrée des chambres latérales donnait sur l'espace libre, une entrée au septentrion, et une entrée au midi; et la largeur de l'espace libre était de cinq coudées tout autour.

12 Le bâtiment qui était devant la place vide, du côté de l'occident, avait une largeur de soixante-dix coudées, un mur de cinq coudées d'épaisseur tout autour, et une longueur de quatre-vingt-dix coudées.

13 Il mesura la maison, qui avait cent coudées de longueur. La place vide, le bâtiment et ses murs, avaient une longueur de cent coudées.

14 La largeur de la face de la maison et de la place vide, du côté de l'orient, était de cent coudées.

15 Il mesura la longueur du bâtiment devant la place vide, sur le derrière, et ses galeries de chaque côté: il y avait cent coudées. Le temple intérieur, les vestibules extérieurs,

16 les seuils, les fenêtres grillées, les galeries du pourtour aux trois étages, en face des seuils, étaient recouverts de bois tout autour. Depuis le sol jusqu'aux fenêtres fermées,

17 jusqu'au-dessus de la porte, le dedans de la maison, le dehors, toute la muraille du pourtour, à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur, tout était d'après la mesure,

18 et orné de chérubins et de palmes. Il y avait une palme entre deux chérubins. Chaque chérubin avait deux visages,

19 une face d'homme tournée d'un côté vers la palme, et une face de lion tournée de l'autre côté vers l'autre palme; il en était ainsi tout autour de la maison.

20 Depuis le sol jusqu'au-dessus de la porte, il y avait des chérubins et des palmes, et aussi sur la muraille du temple.

21 Les poteaux du temple étaient carrés, et la face du sanctuaire avait le même aspect.

22 L'autel était de bois, haut de trois coudées, et long de deux coudées. Ses angles, ses pieds, et ses côtés étaient de bois. L'homme me dit: C'est ici la table qui est devant l'Eternel.

23 Le temple et le sanctuaire avaient deux portes.

24 Il y avait aux portes deux battants, qui tous deux tournaient sur les portes, deux battants pour une porte et deux pour l'autre.

25 Des chérubins et des palmes étaient sculptés sur les portes du temple, comme sur les murs. Un entablement en bois était sur le front du vestibule en dehors.

26 Il y avait des fenêtres fermées, et il y avait des palmes de part et d'autre, ainsi qu'aux côtés du vestibule, aux chambres latérales de la maison, et aux entablements.

   

Commentary

 

Two

  

The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see if we consider the conflicts we tend to have between our "hearts" and our "heads" -- between what we want and what we know. Our "hearts" tell us that we want pie with ice cream for dinner; our "heads" tell us we should have grilled chicken and salad. If we can bring those two together and actually want what's good for us, we'll be pretty happy. We're built that way -- with our emotions balanced against our intellect -- because the Lord is built that way. His essence is love itself, or Divine Love, the source of all caring, emotion and energy. It is expressed as Divine Wisdom, which gives form to that love and puts it to work, and is the source of all knowledge and reasoning. In His case the two aspects are always in conjunction, always in harmony. It's easy also to see how that duality is reflected throughout creation: plants and animals, food and drink, silver and gold. Most importantly, it's reflected in the two genders, with women representing love and men representing wisdom. That's the underlying reason why conjunction in marriage is such a holy thing. So when "two" is used in the Bible to indicate some sort of pairing or unity, it means a joining together. In rare cases, however, "two" is used more purely as a number. In these cases it stands for a profane or unholy state that comes before a holy one. This is because "three" represents a state of holiness and completion (Jesus, for instance, rose from the tomb on the third day), and "two" represents the state just before it.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #478

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478. And they serve Him day and night in His temple, signifies that they are constantly held in truths in heaven. This is evident from the signification of "serving," which is said of those who are in truths (of which presently); also from the signification of "day and night," as being constantly and in every state (of which also presently); also from the signification of "the temple" of God, as being heaven where Divine truth reigns (of which above, n. 220, 391); therefore these words signify that they are constantly held in truths in heaven. This is the signification, because this treats of those who had been during their life in the world in falsities from ignorance, as was shown above; and those who are in falsities from ignorance and yet in good of life according to their religion cannot be saved before the falsities in them have been withdrawn and truths have been implanted in their place; and truths are implanted by means of temptations. When, therefore, these come out of temptations the falsities still remain, although they have been withdrawn by means of truths; for nothing evil and false can be wholly wiped away from man, spirit, or angel, but only withdrawn; for the Lord withholds them from their evils and falsities and holds them in good and truth; and when this is done they seem to themselves to be without evils and falsities. For this reason, unless those who had been in falsities from ignorance in the world were constantly held in truths by the Lord, they would fall back into falsities. This, therefore, is what is meant by "they serve Him day and night in His temple," "temple" also signifying heaven where truths reign.

[2] Their having been in the good of life according to their religion saves them, indeed, but it does not save so long as they are in falsities, therefore after their life in the world the falsities in them are withdrawn. They cannot be saved before, because good derives its essence from truths; for good is the esse of truth, and truth is the form of good, therefore according to the quality of the truths is the good. From this it is clear that even though one lives well he cannot come into heaven until he is in truths. On this account there are places of instruction for those who are to come into heaven, because no one can come thither until he has been instructed (of this instruction and the places of instruction for those who are to come into heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 512-520).

[3] It is said "they serve Him day and night in His temple," but this does not mean that they are continually in a temple, or continually in worship and prayers, for this is not done in the heavens. Everyone there, as in the world, is in his vocation and employment, and on occasion, as in the world, in the temple; and yet they are said "to serve God day and night in the temple" when they are constantly in truths; for thus inwardly they constantly serve Him. For every good spirit and angel is his own truth and his own good, for they are the affections of truth and good. Affection or love constitutes the life of everyone; consequently those who are in the affection of truth constantly serve the Lord, even when they are in their vocations, business, and employments, for the affection that is within reigns continually and serves. Moreover, this is the service the Lord desires, but not being constantly in temples and in worship. To be in temples in worship there, and not in truths, is not serving the Lord, but serving the Lord is to be in truths, and to act sincerely and justly in everything; for then the principles of truth, sincerity, and justice, that are with man, serve the Lord. Again, through these, but not through worship alone, a man after his life in the world can be in heaven, for worship without these, consequently without truths, is empty worship, into which no influx enters. In the Word mention is made of "serving" and "ministering," also of "servants" and "ministers," and those who are in truths are said to be "servants of the Lord," and "to serve Him," while those who are in good are said to be "ministers of the Lord," and "to minister to Him." (That those are called "servants" in the Word who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 6; and that those are called "ministers" who are in good, n. 155)

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.