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Hesekiel 48

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1 Dies sind die Namen der Stämme. Von Mitternacht, von Hethlon gegen Hemath und Hazar-Enon und von Damaskus gegen Hemath; das soll Dan für seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

2 Neben Dan soll Asser seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

3 Neben Asser soll Naphthali seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

4 Neben Naphthali soll Manasse seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

5 Neben Manasse soll Ephraim seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

6 Neben Ephraim soll Ruben seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

7 Neben Ruben soll Juda seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

8 Neben Juda aber sollt ihr einen Teil absondern vom Morgen bis gegen Abend, der fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten breit und lang sei, ein Stück von den Teilen, so von Morgen bis gen Abend reichen; darin soll das Heiligtum stehen.

9 Und davon sollt ihr dem HERRN einen Teil absondern, fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten lang und zehntausend Ruten breit.

10 Und dasselbige heilige Teil soll der Priester sein, nämlich fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten lang gegen Mitternacht und gegen Mittag und zehntausend breit gegen Morgen und gegen Abend. Und das Heiligtum des HERRN soll mitten drinnen stehen.

11 Das soll geheiliget sein den Priestern, den Kindern Zadoks, welche meine Sitten gehalten haben und sind nicht abgefallen mit den Kindern Israel, wie die Leviten abgefallen sind.

12 Und soll also dies abgesonderte Teil des Landes ihr eigen sein, darin das Allerheiligste ist neben der Leviten Grenze.

13 Die Leviten aber sollen neben der Priester Grenze auch fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten in die Länge und zehntausend in die Breite haben; denn alle Länge soll fünfundzwanzigtausend und die Breite zehntausend Ruten haben.

14 Und sollen nichts davon verkaufen noch verändern, damit des Landes Erstling nicht wegkomme; denn es ist dem HERRN geheiliget.

15 Aber die übrigen fünftausend Ruten in die Breite gegen die fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten in die Länge, das soll unheilig sein zur Stadt, drinnen zu wohnen, und zu Vorstädten; und die Stadt soll mitten drinnen stehen.

16 Und das soll ihr Maß sein: viertausend und fünfhundert Ruten gegen Mitternacht und gegen Mittag; desgleichen gegen Morgen und gegen Abend auch viertausend und fünfhundert.

17 Die Vorstadt aber soll haben zweihundertundfünfzig Ruten gegen Mitternacht und gegen Mittag; desgleichen auch gegen Morgen und gegen Abend zweihundertundfünfzig Ruten.

18 Aber das übrige an der Länge desselben neben dem Abgesonderten und Geheiligten, nämlich zehntausend Ruten gegen Morgen und gegen Abend, das gehört zur Unterhaltung derer, die in der Stadt arbeiten.

19 Und die Arbeiter sollen aus allen Stämmen Israels der Stadt arbeiten,

20 daß die ganze Absonderung der fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten ins Gevierte eine geheiligte Absonderung sei zu eigen der Stadt.

21 Was aber noch übrig ist auf beiden Seiten neben dem abgesonderten heiligen Teil und neben der Stadt Teil, nämlich fünfundzwanzigtausend Ruten gegen Morgen und gegen Abend, das soll alles des Fürsten sein. Aber das abgesonderte heilige Teil und das Haus des Heiligtums soll mitten innen sein.

22 Was aber dazwischen liegt, zwischen der Leviten Teil und zwischen der Stadt Teil und zwischen der Grenze Judas und der Grenze Benjamins, das soll des Fürsten sein.

23 Danach sollen die andern Stämme sein: Benjamin soll seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

24 Aber neben der Grenze Benjamins soll Simeon seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

25 Neben der Grenze Simeons soll Isaschar seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

26 Neben der Grenze Isaschars soll Sebulon seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

27 Neben der Grenze Sebulons soll Gad seinen Teil haben von Morgen bis gen Abend.

28 Aber neben Gad ist die Grenze gegen Mittag, von Thamar bis an das Haderwasser zu Kades und gegen dem Wasser am großen Meer.

29 Also soll das Land ausgeteilet werden zum Erbteil unter die Stämme Israels; und das soll ihr Erbteil sein, spricht der HERR HERR.

30 Und so weit soll die Stadt sein: viertausend und fünfhundert Ruten gegen Mitternacht.

31 Und die Tore der Stadt sollen nach den Namen der Stämme Israels genannt werden, drei Tore gegen Mitternacht: das erste Tor Ruben, das andere Juda, das dritte Levi.

32 Also auch gegen Morgen viertausend und fünfhundert Ruten und auch drei Tore: nämlich das erste Tor Joseph, das andere Benjamin, das dritte Dan.

33 Gegen Mittag auch also: viertausend und fünfhundert Ruten und auch drei Tore: das erste Tor Simeon, das andere Isaschar, das dritte Sebulon.

34 Also auch gegen Abend viertausend und fünfhundert Ruten und drei Tore: ein Tor Gad, das andere Assur, das dritte Naphthali.

35 Also soll es um und um achtzehntausend Ruten haben. Und alsdann soll die Stadt genannt werden: Hie ist der HERR!

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #39

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39. And all the tribes of the earth shall wail over him. That this signifies that the falsities of the church will resist, is evident from the signification of wailing, as denoting to lament, to grieve, to be indignant, to be angry, to be averse from, thus also to resist; and from the signification of tribes, as denoting all truths and goods in the aggregate, and, in the opposite sense, all falsities and evils in the aggregate, concerning which we shall speak in what follows; and from the signification of the earth, as being the church (on which see above, n. 29). By all the tribes of the earth, therefore, is signified the whole church, and by their wailing over Him, is signified that truths and goods are no more, because falsities and evils are about to dominate and resist. For what the state of the church will be at its end is treated of in general in this verse, when there will be no longer any faith because no charity; that is, that the Lord will then reveal Himself, and that all will acknowledge Him who are in truths from good, and that those also shall see Him who are in falsities from evil, but that the falsities of the church will resist. (That the Apocalypse does not treat of the successive states of the church, but of its last state, or when it is at its end, may be seen above, n. 5; and that its end is when there is no faith because no charity, may be seen in the small work, The Last Judgment 33-39, and following numbers. When there is no faith because no charity, then falsities from evil reign, which offer opposition to truths from good.)

[2] Tribes are often mentioned in the Word, because the Israelitish people were divided into twelve tribes; and he who is ignorant of the internal sense of the Word supposes, that by tribes are meant the tribes of Israel; nevertheless, by tribes are not meant tribes, nor is Israel meant by Israel; but tribes mean all those who are in truths from good, and Israel means the church of the Lord. He who does not know this, will easily accept the common belief that the children of Israel were chosen before all others on the whole earth, and also that they will be introduced at last into the land of Canaan. Indeed, he will believe that heaven will consist chiefly of them; although, by the names of those tribes in the Word they are not meant, but those who are in truths from good, that is, those who belong to the church; by the twelve tribes, all, and by each one of them, some special truth and good pertaining to those who belong to the church.

[3] These things being understood, it is evident what is meant by these words in the Apocalypse:

"I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulun were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand" (7:4-8).

In this passage those who belonged to the Israelitish nation are not meant, but all those, however many they may be, who are in truths from good; for all these are sealed for heaven. The numbers one hundred and forty-four thousand and twelve thousand, also signify all, and each tribe signifies all those who are in that truth or good which is signified by its name.

(As may be evident from what is shown in Arcana Coelestia in regard to the following: what good and truth are signified by Judah, n. 3881, 6363; what by Reuben, n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; what by Gad, n. 3934, 3935; what by Asher, n. 3938, 3939, 6408; what by Naphtali, n. 3927, 3928 what by Manasseh, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6231, 6238, 6267, 6296 what by Simeon, n. 3869-3872, 4197, 4502, 4503, 5482, 5626, 5630; what by Levi, n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503; what by Issachar, n. 3956, 3957; what by Zebulun, n. 3960, 3961, 6383; what by Joseph, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what by Benjamin, n. 3969, 4592, 5411, 5413, 5443, 5639, 5686, 5688, 5689, 6440.

That all numbers in the Word signify things, see n. 482, 487, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253.

That twelve signifies all, and all things as to truths from good, see n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; also, the numbers 72, 144, 12,000, 144,000, because they arise from the number 12 by multiplication, n. 7973.

That numbers multiplied signify the same as the simple numbers from which they are produced by multiplication, see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.)

[4] He who does not know that numbers signify things, what the numbers twelve, one hundred and forty-four, and twelve thousand signify, and also what tribes and apostles signify, cannot know what is signified by those passages in the Apocalypse, where it is said, that the holy city, New Jerusalem,

"had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and the wall had twelve foundations, in which were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, and the length and the breadth of the city twelve thousand furlongs" (21:12, 14, 16, 17).

The signification of all these things may be seen explained in the little work, The New Jerusalem and its Doctrine, n. 1; where it is shown, that by Jerusalem is signified the church as to doctrine; by the wall, its truths of defence; by the gates, introductory truths; by the foundations, the knowledges upon which doctrine is founded; by twelve angels, and by twelve tribes, all truths and goods collectively; the same by the twelve apostles; and by the numbers twelve, one hundred and forty-four, and twelve thousand, all things and all persons.

[5] Moreover, he who knows that such things are signified by the twelve tribes may see the mystery involved in the names of the twelve tribes being engraved upon the precious stones of the Urim and Thummim, and also the signification of the breast-plate (Exodus 28:21; 39:10-15). (This arcanum may be seen unfolded in Arcana Coelestia 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905.) He may also see what is the signification of the twelve apostles sitting upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), namely, that the Lord alone will judge every one by truths from good (n. 2129, 6397); also what things are meant by the predictions of Israel the father, concerning his sons (Gen. 49); and also the meaning of many other passages in the Word where the tribes are mentioned (as in Isaiah 19:13; 49:6; 63:17; Jeremiah 10:16; Ezekiel 48:1, and following verses; Psalm 122:3-5; Deuteronomy 32:8; Numbers 24:2; Apoc. 5:9; 7:4-9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; and elsewhere).

[6] And again, the meaning of the Lord's words about the consummation of the age and His coming, may be seen:

"After the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and much glory" (Matthew 14:29, 30).

(These words may be seen explained in detail in the work, Heaven and Hell 1; and in the following passages in Arcana Coelestia, where it is shown that the twelve tribes of Israel represented, and thence signified, all truths and goods collectively, thus all things of faith and love, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; that similar things are signified by the twelve apostles, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; and that they have various significations according to the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, 6337, 6640, 10335.)

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.