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2 Mose 26

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1 Und die Wohnung sollst du aus zehn Teppichen machen; von gezwirntem Byssus (Feinste, weiße Baumwolle) und blauem und rotem Purpur und Karmesin, mit Cherubim in Kunstweberarbeit sollst du sie machen.

2 Die Länge eines Teppichs 28 Ellen, und vier Ellen die Breite eines Teppichs: ein Maß für alle Teppiche.

3 Fünf Teppiche sollen zusammengefügt werden, einer an den anderen, und wieder fünf Teppiche zusammengefügt, einer an den anderen.

4 Und mache Schleifen von blauem Purpur an den Saum des einen Teppichs am Ende, bei der Zusammenfügung; und also sollst du es machen an dem Saume des äußersten Teppichs bei der anderen Zusammenfügung.

5 Fünfzig Schleifen sollst du an den einen Teppich machen, und Fünfzig Schleifen sollst du an das Ende des Teppichs machen, der bei der anderen Zusammenfügung ist, die Schleifen eine der anderen gegenüber.

6 Und mache fünfzig Klammern von Gold, und füge die Teppiche mit den Klammern zusammen, einen an den anderen, so daß die Wohnung ein Ganzes sei.

7 Und du sollst Teppiche von Ziegenhaar machen zum Zelte über die Wohnung; elf solcher Teppiche sollst du machen.

8 Die Länge eines Teppichs dreißig Ellen, und vier Ellen die Breite eines Teppichs: ein Maß für die elf Teppiche.

9 Und füge zusammen fünf Teppiche besonders und sechs Teppiche besonders, und den sechsten Teppich an der Vorderseite des Zeltes lege doppelt.

10 Und mache fünfzig Schleifen an den Saum des einen Teppichs, des äußersten, bei der Zusammenfügung, und fünfzig Schleifen an den Saum des Teppichs der anderen Zusammenfügung.

11 Und mache fünfzig Klammern von Erz, und bringe die Klammern in die Schleifen und füge das Zelt zusammen, so daß es ein Ganzes sei.

12 Und das Überhangende, das übrig ist an den Teppichen des Zeltes, der halbe Teppich, der übrig ist, soll über die Hinterseite der Wohnung hangen.

13 Und die Elle diesseits und die Elle jenseits, von dem, was übrig ist an der Länge der Teppiche des Zeltes, soll über die Seiten der Wohnung hangen, diesseits und jenseits, sie zu bedecken.

14 Und mache für das Zelt eine Decke von rotgefärbten Widderfellen und eine Decke von Dachsfellen oben darüber.

15 Und die Bretter zu der Wohnung sollst du von Akazienholz machen, aufrechtstehend;

16 zehn Ellen die Länge eines Brettes, und eine und eine halbe Elle die Breite eines Brettes;

17 zwei Zapfen an einem Brette, einer dem anderen gegenüber eingefügt: also sollst du es machen zu allen Brettern der Wohnung.

18 Und mache die Bretter zu der Wohnung: zwanzig Bretter an der Seite gegen Mittag, südwärts;

19 und vierzig Füße von Silber sollst du unter die zwanzig Bretter machen: zwei Füße unter ein Brett für seine zwei Zapfen, und wieder zwei Füße unter ein Brett für seine zwei Zapfen;

20 und an der anderen Seite der Wohnung, an der Nordseite, zwanzig Bretter,

21 und ihre vierzig Füße von Silber: zwei Füße unter ein Brett, und wieder zwei Füße unter ein Brett;

22 und an der Hinterseite der Wohnung gegen Westen sollst du sechs Bretter machen;

23 und zwei Bretter sollst du für die Winkel der Wohnung an der Hinterseite machen;

24 und sie sollen zweifach sein von unten auf, und sollen an (O. bis zu) ihrem Oberteil völlig aneinander sein in einem inge; also soll es mit ihnen beiden sein, an den beiden Winkeln sollen sie sein.

25 Und so sollen es acht Bretter sein, und ihre Füße von Silber, sechzehn Füße: zwei Füße unter einem Brette, und wieder zwei Füße unter einem Brette.

26 Und du sollst iegel von Akazienholz machen: fünf zu den Brettern der einen Seite der Wohnung,

27 und fünf iegel zu den Brettern der anderen Seite der Wohnung, und fünf iegel zu den Brettern der Seite der Wohnung an der Hinterseite gegen Westen;

28 und den mittleren iegel in der Mitte der Bretter durchlaufend von einem Ende zum anderen.

29 Und die Bretter sollst du mit Gold überziehen; und ihre inge, die Behälter für die iegel, sollst du von Gold machen und die iegel mit Gold überziehen.

30 Und so richte die Wohnung auf, nach ihrer Vorschrift, wie sie dir auf dem Berge gezeigt worden ist.

31 Und du sollst einen Vorhang (W. ein Scheidendes. So auch v 33. u. 35) machen von blauem und rotem Purpur und Karmesin und gezwirntem Byssus; in Kunstweberarbeit soll man ihn machen, mit Cherubim.

32 Und hänge ihn auf (W. setze (tue) ihn; so auch nachher) an vier Säulen von Akazienholz, überzogen mit Gold, ihre Haken von Gold, auf vier Füßen von Silber;

33 und hänge den Vorhang auf unter die Klammern; und bringe dorthin, innerhalb des Vorhanges, die Lade des Zeugnisses. Und der Vorhang soll euch eine Scheidung machen zwischen dem Heiligen und dem Allerheiligsten. (W. dem Heiligen der Heiligen)

34 Und lege den Deckel auf die Lade des Zeugnisses im Allerheiligsten.

35 Und stelle den Tisch außerhalb des Vorhangs und den Leuchter dem Tische gegenüber an die Seite der Wohnung gegen Süden; und den Tisch sollst du an die Nordseite setzen.

36 Und mache für den Eingang des Zeltes einen Vorhang (W. eine Decke; desgl. v 37;27,16 usw.) von blauem und rotem Purpur und Karmesin und gezwirntem Byssus, in Buntwirkerarbeit.

37 Und mache zu dem Vorhang fünf Säulen von Akazienholz und überziehe sie mit Gold, ihre Haken von Gold, und gieße für sie fünf Füße von Erz.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9437

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9437. 'And Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights' means the instructions given and influx in their completeness. This is clear from the meaning of 'forty' as completeness. 'Forty' means completeness because 'four' means that which is complete, 9103, as similarly does 'ten', 3107, 4638, and forty is the product of four multiplied by ten. For compound numbers have a meaning similar to the simple numbers of which they are the product, 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973; and all numbers in the Word mean spiritual realities, see 575, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175. All this goes to explain why Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights. The fact that 'forty' here means the instructions given and the influx in their completeness is evident from Chapters 25-32 which come next, recording the instructions Moses received, that is, instructions regarding the ark, Aaron, the urim and thummim, and sacrifices. The reason why influx in its completeness is also meant is that at that time Moses began to represent the outward holiness of the Word, which acted as the intermediary between the Lord and the people, and mediation is accomplished by means of influx through that holiness into the representative existing among that people, 9419.

[2] It was because 'forty' represented completeness that Moses remained on Mount Sinai forty days and forty nights not only this time but also on another occasion, Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:18, 25; 10:10. For the same reason the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness forty years until, as it says in Numbers 14:33-34; 32:13, all that generation had been consumed; Jonah told the Ninevites that their city would be overturned after forty days, Jonah 3:4; the prophet was commanded to lie on his right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days, Ezekiel 4:6; it says regarding Egypt that it would be made completely desolate for forty years, after which they would be gathered from the peoples, Ezekiel 29:11-13; and the earth was rained on forty days and forty nights, so that it was inundated with the flood, Genesis 7:4, 12, 17. From all this it is evident why the wicked person was to receive forty blows, Deuteronomy 25:3, for 'forty blows' meant the punishment in its completeness. It is also evident what should be understood in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak when it says that no shield or spear was seen among the forty thousand of Israel, Judges 5:8, 'among the forty thousand of Israel' meaning among them all. It is in addition evident why the temple built by Solomon was forty cubits long, 1 Kings 6:17, as was the new temple, according to Ezekiel 41:2; for in the highest sense 'the temple' means the Lord, and in the internal sense heaven and the Church, so that 'forty' means completeness in respect of representation. And it has a like meaning in other places.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3048

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3048. 'The servant took ten camels from his master's camels, and went' means [Divine] general facts in the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'the servant' here as the natural man, dealt with above in 3019, 3020; from the meaning of 'ten' as remnants, which are the goods and truths stored away in a person by the Lord, see 468, 530, 560, 561, 660, 661, 1050, 1906, 2284 (though when 'ten' or remnants is used in reference to the Lord, the Divine things that the Lord acquired to Himself are meant, 1738, 1906); and from the meaning of 'camels' as general facts which, being Divine or things acquired by the Lord, are said to be 'ten' in number, and also to be 'camels from his master's camels'. The words 'he went' mean the introduction which was effected by means of those facts, which is dealt with in this chapter. The whole subject is the process by which truth was joined to good in the Lord's Divine Rational, the first thing to be described in this line of thought being the nature of the process of introduction, referred to in 3012, 3013. The present verse describes how the Lord separated those things in the natural man that came from Himself, that is, that were Divine, from those that came from the mother. Those that came from Himself, or were Divine, are the things through which the introduction was effected, and they are meant here by 'the ten camels from his master's camels'. This explains why much reference is made in subsequent verses to camels, such as that he made the camels kneel down outside the city, verse 11; that Rebekah also gave the camels a drink, verses 14, 19-20; that they were led into the house, and given straw and fodder, verses 31-32; and further on, that Rebekah and her maids rode on the camels, verse 61; and that Isaac saw the camels coming, and that when Rebekah saw Isaac she dropped down from the camel, verses 63-64. The reason they are mentioned so many times lies in the internal sense in which they mean the general facts that are present in the natural man and from which comes the affection for truth that had to be introduced to the affection for good within the rational, this being effected in the ordinary way, as shown above. For the rational as regards truth cannot possibly be born and perfected without facts and cognitions.

[2] That 'camels' means general facts is clear from other places in the Word where they are mentioned, as in Isaiah,

A prophecy of the beasts of the south. In the land of distress and anguish are the young lion and the old lion from them, the viper and the flying fiery-serpent. They carry their wealth on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the backs of camels, to a people that do not profit them. And Egypt's help will be in vain and to no advantage. Isaiah 30:6-7.

'The beasts of the south' stands for those who possess cognitions or the light of cognitions but lead evil lives. 'Carrying their wealth on the shoulders of young asses' stands for the cognitions which belong to their rational, 'a young ass' being rational truth, see 2781. 'Their treasures on the backs of camels' stands for the cognitions which belong to their natural, 'the backs of camels' being the natural, 'camels' themselves the general facts there, 'treasures' the cognitions which they consider to be precious. The words 'Egypt's help will be in vain and to no advantage' mean that to them knowledge is of no use, 'Egypt' being knowledge, see 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588 (end). It is evident that camels are not meant by 'camels' here because it is said that the young lion and the old lion carry their treasures on the backs of camels. Anyone may see that some arcanum of the Church is meant by this description.

[3] In the same prophet,

The prophecy of the wilderness of the sea. Thus said the Lord, Go, set a watchman to point out what he sees. And he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a chariot of asses, a chariot of camels, and he listened diligently. He answered and said, Fallen, fallen has Babel. Isaiah 21:1, 6-7, 9.

'The wilderness of the sea' stands for the hollowness of knowledge that serves no use. 'A chariot of asses' stands for a mass of specific facts, 'a chariot of camels' for a mass of general facts which are present in the natural man. It is the hollow reasonings found with people meant by Babel which are described in this fashion.

[4] In the same prophet,

Your heart will enlarge itself because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will spread abroad the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, and to the Divine celestial and spiritual things within His natural. 'The abundance of the sea' stands for a vast quantity of natural truth, 'the wealth of the nations' for a vast quantity of natural good. 'A multitude of camels' stands for general facts in abundance, 'gold and frankincense' for goods and truths which are 'the praises of Jehovah'. 'From Sheba' is from the celestial things of love and faith, see 113, 117, 1171. The queen of Sheba's coming to Solomon in Jerusalem with vast amounts of wealth, with camels carrying spices, and very much gold, and precious stones, 1 Kings 10:1-2, represented the wisdom and intelligence which came to the Lord, who in the internal sense of these verses is meant by Solomon. 'Camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stores' means matters of wisdom and intelligence in the natural man.

[5] In Jeremiah,

To Arabia and to the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel smote: Arise and go up to Arabia, and lay waste the sons of the east. They will take their tents, their curtains, and all their vessels, and they will bear their camels away from them. Their camels will become booty, and the multitude of their flocks booty, and I will scatter them to every wind. Jeremiah 49:28-29, 32.

Here 'Arabia' and 'the kingdoms of Hazor', used in the contrary sense, stand for people who possess cognitions of celestial and spiritual things but whose only use for them is to be considered wise and intelligent in their own eyes and in those of the world. 'The camels that will be borne away from them to become booty and that will be scattered to every wind' means in general the factual knowledge of those people and their cognitions of good and truth, which will begin to be removed from these people in this life through their belief in things of a contrary nature, and in the next life removed altogether.

[6] In Zechariah,

The plague with which Jehovah will smite all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: It will be a plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass, and every beast. Zechariah 14:12, 15.

'A plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, the ass' stands for the removal of the powers of the understanding which follow one another in the same consecutive order, from rational concepts to natural images. What a horse is, see 2761, 2762; a mule, 2781; an ass, 2781. 'Camels' stands for general facts in the natural man. The pestilence in Egypt 'on the cattle in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the herd, and on the flock', Exodus 9:2-3, had a similar meaning.

From all these places it becomes clear that 'camels' in the internal sense of the Word means general facts which belong to the natural man. General facts are those which include within themselves many particular ones, while these include within themselves those that are specific. All these constitute in general the understanding part of the natural man.

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