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Jeremia 46

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1 Das Wort Jehovas, welches zu Jeremia, dem Propheten, geschah (Eig. Was als Wort Jehovas zu Jeremia, dem Propheten, geschah) wider (O. über) die Nationen.

2 Über Ägypten. Wider (O. über) die Heeresmacht des Pharao Neko, des Königs von Ägypten, welche zu Karchemis war, am Strome Euphrat, welche Nebukadrezar, der König von Babel, schlug im vierten Jahre Jojakims, des Sohnes Josias, des Königs von Juda.

3 üstet Tartsche und Schild und rücket heran zum Streit!

4 Spannet die osse an und besteiget die eitpferde (And. üb.: und sitzet auf, ihr eiter!) Und stellet euch auf in Helmen, putzet die Lanzen, ziehet die Panzer an!

5 Warum sehe ich sie bestürzt zurückweichen? Und ihre Helden sind zerschmettert, und sie ergreifen die Flucht und sehen sich nicht um-Schrecken ringsum! spricht Jehova.

6 Der Schnelle soll nicht entfliehen, und der Held nicht entrinnen; gegen Norden, zur Seite des Stromes Euphrat, sind sie gestrauchelt und gefallen. -

7 Wer ist es, der heraufzieht wie der Nil, wie Ströme wogen seine Gewässer?

8 Ägypten zieht herauf wie der Nil, und wie Ströme wogen seine Gewässer; und es spricht: Ich will hinaufziehen, will das Land bedecken, will Städte zerstören und ihre Bewohner.

9 Ziehet hinauf (O. Bäumet euch,) ihr osse, und raset, ihr Wagen; und ausziehen mögen die Helden, Kusch (Äthiopien) und Put, die den Schild fassen, und die Ludim (Put und Ludim waren nordafrikanische Völkerschaften,) die den Bogen fassen und spannen!

10 Aber selbiger Tag ist dem Herrn, Jehova der Heerscharen, ein Tag der ache, um sich zu rächen an seinen Widersachern; und fressen wird das Schwert und sich sättigen, und sich laben an (O. reichlich getränkt werden mit) ihrem Blute. Denn der Herr, Jehova der Heerscharen, hat ein Schlachtopfer im Lande des Nordens, am Strome Euphrat.

11 Gehe hinauf nach Gilead und hole Balsam, du Jungfrau, Tochter Ägyptens! Vergeblich häufst du die Heilmittel; da ist kein Pflaster für dich.

12 Die Nationen haben deine Schande gehört, und die Erde ist voll deines Klagegeschreis; denn ein Held ist über den anderen gestrauchelt, sie sind gefallen beide zusammen.

13 Das Wort, welches Jehova zu Jeremia, dem Propheten, redete betreffs der Ankunft Nebukadrezars, des Königs von Babel, um das Land Ägypten zu schlagen:

14 Verkündiget es in Ägypten, und laßt es hören in Migdol, und laßt es hören in Noph und in Tachpanches! Sprechet: Stelle dich und rüste dich! Denn das Schwert frißt alles rings um dich her.

15 Warum sind deine Starken niedergeworfen? Keiner hielt stand, denn Jehova hat sie niedergestoßen. (Dieser Vers im Hebr. verderbt zu sein, und die Übersetzung ist nicht sicher)

16 Er machte der Strauchelnden viele; ja, einer fiel über den anderen, und sie sprachen: Auf! und laßt uns zurückkehren zu unserem Volke und zu unserem Geburtslande vor dem verderbenden (O. gewalttätigen) Schwerte!

17 Man rief daselbst: Der Pharao, der König von Ägypten, ist verloren (Eig. ist Untergang;) er hat die bestimmte Zeit (d. h. die Frist, welche Gott ihm gewährte) vorübergehen lassen!

18 So wahr ich lebe, spricht der König, Jehova der Heerscharen ist sein Name: Wie der Tabor unter den Bergen und wie der Karmel am Meere wird er (d. h. der alle anderen überragende König von Babel) kommen!

19 Mache dir Auswanderungsgeräte, du Bewohnerin, Tochter Ägyptens; denn Noph wird zur Wüste werden und verbrannt, ohne Bewohner. -

20 Eine sehr schöne junge Kuh ist Ägypten; eine Bremse von Norden kommt, sie kommt.

21 Auch seine Söldner in seiner Mitte sind wie gemästete Kälber; ja, auch sie wandten um, sind geflohen allzumal, haben nicht standgehalten; denn der Tag ihres Verderbens (O. Untergangs) ist über sie gekommen, die Zeit ihrer Heimsuchung.

22 Sein (d. i. Ägyptens) Laut ist wie das Geräusch einer Schlange (Eig. ist wie die Schlange,) welche davoneilt; denn sie (die Chaldäer) ziehen mit Heeresmacht einher und kommen über Ägypten (W. es) mit Beilen, wie Holzhauer.

23 Sie haben seinen Wald umgehauen, spricht Jehova, denn sie sind unzählig (Eig. denn es ist unerforschlich (nicht zu ermitteln); and. üb.: obgleich er undurchdringlich ist;) denn ihrer sind mehr als der Heuschrecken, und ihrer ist keine Zahl.

24 Die Tochter Ägyptens ist zu Schanden geworden, sie ist in die Hand des Volkes von Norden gegeben.

25 Es spricht Jehova der Heerscharen, der Gott Israels: Siehe, ich suche heim den Amon von No (d. h. von Theben, wo der Gott Amon verehrt wurde,) und den Pharao und Ägypten und seine Götter und seine Könige, ja, den Pharao und die auf ihn vertrauen.

26 Und ich gebe sie in die Hand derer, welche nach ihrem Leben trachten, und zwar in die Hand Nebukadrezars, des Königs von Babel, und in die Hand seiner Knechte. Hernach aber soll es bewohnt werden wie in den Tagen der Vorzeit, spricht Jehova.

27 Du aber, (Vergl. Kap. 30,10. 11.) fürchte dich nicht, mein Knecht Jakob, und erschrick nicht, Israel! denn siehe, ich will dich retten aus der Ferne und deine Nachkommen aus dem Lande ihrer Gefangenschaft; und Jakob wird zurückkehren und ruhig und sicher sein, und niemand wird ihn aufschrecken.

28 Du, mein Knecht Jakob, fürchte dich nicht, spricht Jehova, denn ich bin mit dir. Denn ich werde den Garaus machen allen Nationen, wohin ich dich vertrieben habe; aber dir werde ich nicht den Garaus machen, sondern dich nach Gebühr züchtigen und dich keineswegs ungestraft lassen.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4281

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4281. 'The hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him' means that in the descendants of Jacob that conjunction had been thoroughly damaged and the two loves pulled apart. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'wrestling' in this sense as being pulled apart and so suffering damage. It is evident from what has been stated above in 4280 that 'the hollow of the thigh' means a joining together; and that 'Jacob' in the Word means not only Jacob but also all his descendants is clear from very many places, such as Numbers 23:7, 10, 21, 23; 24:5, 17, 19; Deuteronomy 33:10; Isaiah 40:27; 43:1, 22; 44:1-2, 21; 48:12; 59:20; Jeremiah 10:16, 25; 30:7, 10, 18; 31:7, 11; 46:27-28; Hosea 10:11; Amos 7:2; Micah 2:12; 3:8; Psalms 14:7; 24:6; 59:13; 78:5; 99:4; and in other places.

[2] Jacob and his descendants were by nature such that with them celestial and spiritual love could not be joined to natural good, that is, the internal or spiritual man could not be joined to the external or natural man. This is evident from the details told in the Word concerning that nation. For they neither knew nor wished to know what the internal or spiritual man was, and therefore that matter was not revealed to them. In fact it was their belief that nothing existed with man apart from the external and natural. Nor in all their worship did they have anything else in mind, so that Divine worship with them was wholly idolatrous; for once internal worship is separated from external, it is nothing but idolatrous. The Church which was established among them was not in fact a Church but only a representative of the Church, for which reason that Church is called a representative Church. For it was possible for a representative of the Church to exist among such people, see 1361, 3670, 4208.

[3] Indeed in representations no attention is paid to the person who represents, only to the thing represented by him. Consequently not only persons represented Divine, celestial, or spiritual things, but also inanimate objects, such as Aaron's garments, the ark, the altar, the oxen and sheep which used to be sacrificed, the lampstand with its lamps, the bread of the presence on the table of gold, the oil with which they were anointed, the frankincense, and other objects like these. This was why their kings, bad ones no less than the good, represented the Lord's kingship, and why their high priests, bad ones no less than the good, represented the things that belong to the Lord's Divine priesthood, when they performed their own function in external form according to the prescribed rules and commands. In order therefore that among them a representative of the Church might come into existence they were provided through plainly visible revelation with such prescribed rules and such laws as would be entirely representative. Therefore as long as they kept to them and strictly complied with them, those people were able to play a representative role. But when they deviated from them into the prescribed rules and laws of other nations, and in particular to the worship of another god, they deprived themselves of their ability to play that representative role. For this reason they were coerced by external means - which were captivities, calamities, threats, and miracles - into obeying laws and prescribed rules that were truly representative, not by internal means, as those people are whose external worship has internal within it. These are the considerations that are meant in the internal historical sense by the words 'the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint', which sense has regard to Jacob and his descendants.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1097

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1097. 'Canaan will be a slave to him' means that such people as make worship consist solely in external things are among those who are able to perform inferior services to members of the Church. This becomes clear especially from the representatives in the Jewish Church. In the Jewish Church the internal Church was represented by Judah and Israel - the celestial Church by Judah, the spiritual by Israel - and the external Church by Jacob. People however who made worship consist solely in external things were represented by 'the gentiles' whom they called foreigners. The latter were to be 'their slaves' and were to perform inferior services in the Church, as in Isaiah,

Aliens will stand and pasture your flock, and sons of the foreigner will be your field-workers and your vine-dressers; and you will be called the priests of Jehovah, you will be spoken of as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of the gentiles, and in their glory will you glory. Isaiah 61:5-6.

Here celestial people are called 'the priests of Jehovah', spiritual people 'the ministers of God', while those who made worship consist solely in external things are called 'sons of the foreigner' who were to serve in their fields and vineyards.

[2] In the same prophet,

The sons of the foreigner will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you. Isaiah 60:10.

Here similar reference is made to the service they were to render. In reference to the Gibeonites the following is said in Joshua,

You are cursed, and some of you will always be slaves, 1 both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. Joshua made them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, especially for the altar of Jehovah. Joshua 9:23, 27.

It may be seen elsewhere whom the Gibeonites represented because of the covenant made with them, even though they belonged among those who were to be servants in the Church. Regarding foreigners, the law was laid down that if they would accept peace and open their gates they would become tributary and serve, 2 Deuteronomy 20:11; 1 Kings 9:21-22. Every single detail written down in the Word concerning the Jewish Church was representative of the Lord's kingdom. The Lord's kingdom is such that everyone, no matter who or what kind of person, must perform a use. In His kingdom the Lord looks to nothing else than use. Even those in hell have to perform a use, though the uses they do perform are the lowest of all. Among those performing inferior uses are people in the next life whose worship has been wholly external, separated from internal.

[3] Furthermore representatives in the Jewish Church were such that no attention was paid to the person who represented, but to that which was represented by him. The Jews, for example, who were anything but celestial people, nevertheless represented these, while Israel, anything but a spiritual man, nevertheless represented that man; and it was similar with Jacob and the rest. The same applied to kings and priests; they nevertheless represented the Kingship and Holiness of the Lord. This matter becomes clearer still from the fact that even inanimate objects were representative, such as Aaron's garments, the altar itself, the tables with the leaves on them, the lamps, bread and wine; as well as oxen, calves, goats, sheep, kids, lambs, doves, and pigeons. And because the sons of Judah and Israel did no more than represent the internal and the external worship of the Lord's Church, and yet more than anybody else made all worship consist merely in external things, it is therefore they, more than all others, who may be called 'Canaan' according to his meaning here.

Footnotes:

1. literally, and there will not be cut off from you the slave

2. literally, they would become tribute [taking the form] of a serving one

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