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Hesekiel 23

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1 Und des HERRN Wort geschah zu mir und sprach:

2 Du Menschenkind, es waren zwei Weiber, einer Mutter Töchter.

3 Die trieben Hurerei in Ägypten in ihrer Jugend; daselbst ließen sie ihre Brüste begreifen und den Busen ihrer Jungfrauschaft betasten.

4 Die große heißt Ohola und ihre Schwester Oholiba. Und ich nahm sie zur Ehe, und sie gebaren mir Söhne und Töchter. Und Ohola heißt Samaria und Oholiba Jerusalem.

5 Ohola trieb Hurerei, da ich sie genommen hatte, und brannte gegen ihre Buhlen, nämlich gegen die Assyrer, die zu ihr kamen,

6 gegen die Fürsten und Herren, die mit Purpur gekleidet waren, und alle junge, liebliche Gesellen, Reisige, so auf Rossen ritten.

7 Und sie buhlte mit allen schönen Gesellen in Assyrien und verunreinigte sich mit allen ihren Götzen, wo sie auf einen entbrannte.

8 Dazu ließ sie auch nicht die Hurerei mit Ägypten, die bei ihr gelegen hatten von ihrer Jugend auf und die Brüste ihrer Jungfrauschaft betastet und große Hurerei mit ihr getrieben hatten.

9 Da übergab ich sie in die Hand ihrer Buhlen, den Kindern Assur, gegen welche sie brannte vor Lust.

10 Die deckten ihre Blöße auf und nahmen ihre Söhne und Töchter weg; sie aber töteten sie mit dem Schwert. Und es kam aus unter den Weibern, wie sie gestraft wäre.

11 Da es aber ihre Schwester Oholiba sah, entbrannte sie noch viel ärger denn jene und trieb die Hurerei mehr denn ihre Schwester;

12 und entbrannte gegen die Kinder Assur, nämlich die Fürsten und Herren, die zu ihr kamen wohl gekleidet, Reisige, so auf Rossen ritten, und alle junge, liebliche Gesellen.

13 Da sah ich, daß sie alle beide gleichermaßen verunreinigt waren.

14 Aber diese treib ihre Hurerei mehr. Denn da sie sah gemalte Männer an der Wand in roter Farbe, die Bilder der Chaldäer,

15 um ihre Lenden gegürtet und bunte Mützen auf ihren Köpfen, und alle gleich anzusehen wie gewaltige Leute, wie denn die Kinder Babels, die Chaldäer, tragen in ihrem Vaterlande:

16 entbrannte sie gegen sie, sobald sie ihrer gewahr ward, und schickte Botschaft zu ihnen nach Chaldäa.

17 Als nun die Kinder Babels zu ihr kamen, bei ihr zu schlafen nach der Liebe, verunreinigten sie dieselbe mit ihrer Hurerei, und sie verunreinigte sich mit ihnen, bis sie ihrer müde ward.

18 Und da ihre Hurerei und Schande so gar offenbar war, ward ich ihrer überdrüssig, wie ich ihrer Schwester auch war müde geworden.

19 Sie aber trieb ihre Hurerei immer mehr und gedachte an die Zeit ihrer Jugend, da sie in Ägyptenland Hurerei getrieben hatte,

20 und entbrannte gegen ihre Buhlen, welcher Brunst war wie der Esel und der Hengste Brunst.

21 Und du bestelltest deine Unzucht wie in deiner Jugend, da die in Ägypten deine Brüste begriffen und deinen Busen betasteten.

22 Darum, Oholiba, so spricht der HERR HERR: Siehe, ich will deine Buhlen, deren du müde bist geworden, wider dich erwecken und will sie ringsumher wider dich bringen,

23 nämlich die Kinder Babels und alle Chaldäer mit Hauptleuten, Fürsten und Herren und alle Assyrer mit ihnen, die schöne junge Mannschaft, alle Fürsten und Herren, Ritter und Edle, die alle auf Rossen reiten.

24 Und sie werden über dich kommen, gerüstet mit Wagen und Rädern und mit großem Haufen Volks, und werden dich belagern mit Tartschen, Schilden und Helmen um und um. Denen will ich das Recht befehlen, daß sie dich richten sollen nach ihrem Recht.

25 Ich will meinen Eifer über dich gehen lassen, daß sie unbarmherzig mit dir handeln sollen. Sie sollen dir Nase und Ohren abschneiden; und was übrigbleibt, soll durchs Schwert fallen. Sie sollen deine Söhne und Töchter wegnehmen und das übrige mit Feuer verbrennen.

26 Sie sollen dir deine Kleider ausziehen und deinen Schmuck wegnehmen.

27 Also will ich deiner Unzucht und deiner Hurerei mit Ägyptenland ein Ende machen, daß du deine Augen nicht mehr nach ihnen aufheben und Ägyptens nicht mehr gedenken sollst.

28 Denn so spricht der HERR HERR: Siehe, ich will dich überantworten, denen du feind geworden und deren du müde bist.

29 Die sollen wie Feinde mit dir umgehen und alles nehmen, was du erworben hast, und dich nackt und bloß lassen, daß die Schande deiner Unzucht und Hurerei offenbar werde.

30 Solches wird dir geschehen um deiner Hurerei willen, so du mit den Heiden getrieben, an deren Götzen du dich verunreinigt hast.

31 Du bist auf dem Wege deiner Schwester gegangen; darum gebe ich dir auch deren Kelch in deine Hand.

32 So spricht der HERR HERR: Du mußt den Kelch deiner Schwester trinken, so tief und weit er ist: du sollst zu so großem Spott und Hohn werden, daß es unerträglich sein wird.

33 Du mußt dich des starken Tranks und Jammers vollsaufen; denn der Kelch deiner Schwester Samaria ist ein Kelch des Jammers und Trauerns.

34 Denselben mußt du rein austrinken, darnach die Scherben zerwerfen und deine Brüste zerreißen; denn ich habe es geredet, spricht der HERR HERR.

35 Darum so spricht der HERR HERR: Darum, daß du mein vergessen und mich hinter deinen Rücken geworfen hast, so trage auch nun deine Unzucht und deine Hurerei.

36 Und der HERR sprach zu mir; Du Menschenkind, willst du nicht Ohola und Oholiba strafen und ihnen zeigen ihre Greuel?

37 Wie sie Ehebrecherei getrieben und Blut vergossen und die Ehe gebrochen haben mit den Götzen; dazu ihre Kinder, die sie mir geboren hatten, verbrannten sie denselben zum Opfer.

38 berdas haben sie mir das getan: sie haben meine Heiligtümer verunreinigt dazumal und meine Sabbate entheiligt.

39 Denn da sie ihre Kinder den Götzen geschlachtet hatten, gingen sie desselben Tages in mein Heiligtum, es zu entheiligen. Siehe, solches haben sie in meinem Hause begangen.

40 Sie haben auch Boten geschickt nach Leuten, die aus fernen Landen kommen sollten; und siehe, da sie kamen, badetest du dich und schminktest dich und schmücktest dich mit Geschmeide zu ihren Ehren

41 und saßest auf einem herrlichen Polster, vor welchem stand ein Tisch zugerichtet; darauf legtest du mein Räuchwerk und mein Öl.

42 Daselbst erhob sich ein großes Freudengeschrei; und es gaben ihnen die Leute, so allenthalben aus großem Volk und aus der Wüste gekommen waren, Geschmeide an ihre Arme und schöne Kronen auf ihre Häupter.

43 Ich aber gedachte: Sie ist der Ehebrecherei gewohnt von alters her; sie kann von der Hurerei nicht lassen.

44 Denn man geht zu ihr ein, wie man zu einer Hure eingeht; ebenso geht man zu Ohola und Oholiba, den unzüchtigen Weibern.

45 Darum werden sie die Männer strafen, die das Recht vollbringen, wie man die Ehebrecherinnen und Blutvergießerinnen strafen soll. Denn sie sind Ehebrecherinnen, und ihre Hände sind voll Blut.

46 Also spricht der HERR HERR: Führe einen großen Haufen über sie herauf und gib sie zu Raub und Beute,

47 daß die Leute sie steinigen und mit ihren Schwertern erstechen und ihre Söhne und Töchter erwürgen und ihre Häuser mit Feuer verbrennen.

48 Also will ich der Unzucht im Lande ein Ende machen, daß alle Weiber sich warnen lassen und nicht nach solcher Unzucht tun.

49 Und man soll eure Unzucht auf euch legen, und ihr sollt eurer Götzen Sünden tragen, auf daß ihr erfahret, daß ich der HERR HERR bin.

   

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Apocalypse Explained #126

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126. And I will give thee the crown of life, signifies wisdom and eternal happiness therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "crown," as being wisdom, in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of the knowledges of truth and good (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of "life," as being eternal happiness, which is also called life eternal. Those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and who are here treated of, have eternal happiness, because heaven with man is implanted by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. He who believes that heaven is implanted by other means is much deceived; for man is born merely natural, with the faculty of becoming spiritual, and he becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them. Who can ever become spiritual unless he has some knowledge of the Lord, of heaven, of the life after death, of faith, and of love, and of the other things that are means of salvation? If man had no knowledge of these things he would remain natural; and a merely natural man can have nothing in common with the angels of heaven, who are spiritual. Man has two minds, one exterior, the other interior.

The exterior mind is called the natural mind, but the interior is called the spiritual mind. The former or natural mind is opened by means of the knowledges of the things that are in the world; but the latter or spiritual mind by means of the knowledges of the things that are in heaven, which the Word teaches, and the church from the Word; by means of these man becomes spiritual when he knows them and lives according to them.

[2] This is meant by the Lord's words in John:

Except a man has been born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).

"Water" signifies the truths of faith, and "spirit" a life according to them (See above, n. 71); and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 202-209). Most people at this day believe that they are to come into heaven solely by virtue of holy worship in temples and by adorations and prayers; but such of them as do not care for the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and who fail to imbue with these the life, as well as the memory, remain natural as before, and do not become spiritual; for their holy worship, adorations, and prayers, do not proceed from any spiritual origin; since their spiritual mind has not been opened by the knowledges of spiritual things and a life according to them, but is empty; and worship that proceeds from what is empty is merely natural gesture, with nothing spiritual in it. If such persons are insincere and unjust in respect to moral and civil life, their holy worship, adorations, and prayers have within them what repels heaven from them, instead of opening heaven to them as they believe; for their holy worship is like a vessel containing things putrid and filthy, which are oozing forth, or like a splendid garment investing a body covered with ulcers. I have seen many thousands of such cast into hell. But wholly different are holy worship, adorations, and prayers with those who are in the knowledges of truth and good and in a life according to them; with such these acts are pleasing to the Lord, for they are the effects wrought by their spirit in the body, or the effects of their faith and love, thus they are not merely natural gestures, but spiritual acts.

From this it can be seen that the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and a life according to them, alone make man spiritual; and that in him who is thereby made spiritual, angelic wisdom from the Lord can be implanted together with eternal happiness. Angels derive happiness from no other source than from wisdom.

[3] A "crown" signifies wisdom, because all things by which man is clothed or distinguished derive their signification from the part of man that they clothe or distinguish (See Arcana Coelestia 9827), and "crown" signifies wisdom, because it is a sign upon the head, and "head" in the Word signifies wisdom, for there wisdom resides. So in Ezekiel:

I decked thee with ornaments, I put bracelets upon thy hands; and a chain upon thy throat. And I put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head (Ezekiel 16:11, 12).

Jerusalem, which signifies the church, is here treated of, such as it was when it was established by the Lord; by these various insignia are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as are of the church; and each one takes its signification from the part to which it is applied, and "the crown of adorning" here means wisdom. (But what is meant by "ornament," may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 10536, 10540; by "bracelets," n. 3103, 3105; by "chain" n . 5320; by "jewel," n. 4551; by "earrings," n. 4551, 10402) Wisdom, which is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from a life according to them, is likewise signified by "crown" in many other passages in the Word (as in Isaiah 28:5; Jeremiah 13:18; Lamentations 5:15, 16; Ezekiel 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zechariah 6:11-14; Psalms 89:38, 39; Psalms 132:17, 18; Job 19:9; Revelation 3:11; 4:4). The crowning of kings is from ancient times, when men were familiar with representatives and significatives, and it was known that "kings" represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and that a "crown" was intended to signify wisdom (that "kings" represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5068, 6148); that those that are in truths are called "kings" and "king's sons" see above n. 31; and as these are called "kings" in the Word, and kings have crowns, so here where these are treated of it is said that they were to receive "the crown of life."

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

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Arcana Coelestia #6148

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6148. 'Only the ground of the priests he did not buy' means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph', about whom these things are said, as the internal, dealt with already; from the meaning of 'the ground' as the receptacle of truth, dealt with above in 6135-6137, at this point the capacity to receive good, for the capacity of something is its inherent ability to receive, which causes a receptacle to be a receptacle (that capacity comes from good, that is, from the Lord through good, for if the good of love did not flow in from the Lord no one would ever have the capacity to receive truth or good. That inflow of the good of love from the Lord causes everything present inwardly in a person to be of a receptive nature. The truth that the capacity to receive good comes from the natural is meant by the fact that the ground lay in Egypt, since 'Egypt' means the natural in respect of factual knowledge, 6142); from the meaning of 'the priests' as good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'not buying' as not taking those capacities to itself - not in the way that it made truths and forms of the good of truth, together with their receptacles, its own, which came about through periods of desolation and sustainment - for the reason that those capacities came from itself, from the internal. All these meanings serve to show that 'only the ground of the priests he did not buy' means that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself.

[2] The implications of all this are that a person's capacities to receive truth and good come directly from the Lord; he obtains them without any help at all from himself. A person's capacity to receive goodness and truth is maintained in him unceasingly; and from that capacity he possesses understanding and will. But a person does not receive them if he turns to evil. The capacity to receive does, it is true, remain, but its access to thought and sensitivity is blocked, on account of which his capacity to see what is true and have a sensitive awareness of what is good perishes. And it perishes to the extent that he turns to evil and in faith and life becomes firmly settled in it. The fact that a person contributes nothing whatever to his capacity to receive truth and good is well known from the Church's teaching that nothing at all of the truth of faith and nothing at all of the good of charity comes from man but from the Lord. Yet a person can destroy that capacity residing with him. From all this one may now see how one should understand the idea that the internal obtained for itself from the natural every capacity to receive good, because every such capacity came from itself. The expression 'from the natural' is used because the inflow of good from the Lord is effected by the Lord through the internal into the natural; and once the capacity to receive has been obtained from there, the inflow takes place, for now there is reception, see 5828.

[3] So far as the meaning of 'the priests' as forms of good is concerned, it should be recognized that there are two realities which go forth from the Lord - goodness and truth. Divine Good was represented by priests, and Divine Truth by kings; and this is why 'the priests' means forms of good and 'the kings' truths. Regarding the attribution of Priesthood and Kingship to the Lord, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670. In the representative Ancient Church those two offices of priest and king existed jointly in one personage, the reason for this being that goodness and truth which go forth from the Lord are united; and they are also joined together in heaven among the angels.

[4] A personage in the Ancient Church in whom the two offices existed joined together was called Melchizedek, a name meaning king of righteousness. This may be seen from the following statement about Melchizedek who came to Abraham, 1

Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest to God Most High. And he blessed Abraham. Genesis 14:18-19.

His representation of the Lord in both offices is evident from the fact that he was a king and at the same time a priest, and from the fact that he was allowed to bless Abraham and offer him bread and wine, which even at that time were the symbols of the good of love and the truth of faith. His representation of the Lord in both offices is further evident in David,

Jehovah has sworn and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek. Psalms 110:4.

These words were spoken in reference to the Lord. 'After the manner of Melchizedek' means that He is both King and Priest, that is, in the highest sense that Divine Good and Divine Truth go forth together from Him.

[5] Because a representative Church was going to be established also among the descendants of Jacob, they too were to have a single personage to represent jointly Divine Good and Divine Truth, which go forth from the Lord united. But on account of the wars and the idolatry of that people the two were in fact divided right from the start; those who ruled over the attended to sacred duties were referred to as the priests, who belonged to the seed of Aaron and were the Levites. At a later time the two functions were joined together in a single person, as they were in Eli and Samuel. Yet because the nature of the people was such that the representative Church could not be established among them, only a representative of the Church, on account of the practice of idolatry prevalent among them, the two functions were allowed to be separated. The Lord was then represented in respect of Divine Truth by kings and in respect of Divine Good by priests. The separation took place because the people desired it, not because the Lord took any pleasure in it, as is clear from the Word of Jehovah to Samuel,

Obey the voice of the people in all that they have said to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them; and show them the right of the king. 1 Samuel 8:7-end; 12:19-20.

[6] The reason why the two functions were not meant to be separated was that Divine Truth separated from Divine Good condemns all people, whereas Divine Truth united to Divine Good saves them. Judged by Divine Truth a person is condemned to hell, but Divine Good brings him out of there and raises him into heaven. Salvation comes of mercy and so sprigs from Divine Good; but damnation exists when a person rejects mercy and so casts Divine Good away from himself, as a consequence of which he is left to be judged by Truth. As regards 'kings' representing Divine Truth, see 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068.

[7] 'The priests' represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good, and for that reason good is meant by them. This becomes clear from the internal sense of all that was prescribed regarding the priesthood when Aaron was chosen, and after him the Levites, such as these prescriptions:

The High Priest alone should enter the Holy of holies and minister there. [Leviticus 16.]

Things holy to Jehovah were to be for the priest. Leviticus 23:20; 27:21.

They were not to have any portion or inheritance in the land, but Jehovah would be their portion and inheritance. Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9; 18:1.

The Levites were given to Jehovah instead of the firstborn, and they were given by Jehovah to Aaron. Numbers 3:9, 12-13, Numbers 3:40-end; 8:16-19.

The high priest and the Levites were to be in the middle of the camp when they pitched it and when they were journeying. Numbers 1:50-54; 2:17; 3:23-38; 4:1-end.

No one from the seed of Aaron who had a blemish in himself was to approach to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices. Leviticus 21:17-20.

And there are many other prescriptions besides these, such as those in Leviticus 21:9-13, and elsewhere.

[8] In the highest sense all these prescriptions relating to the priests represented the Lord's Divine Good and therefore in the relative sense the good of love and charity. Aaron's vestments however, called 'vestments of holiness', represented Divine Truth from Divine Good. These matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with in the explanations of what appears in Exodus.

[9] Since truth is meant by 'kings' and good by 'priests', 'kings and priests' are mentioned together many times in the Word, as in John, Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. Revelation 1:6; 5:10.

By virtue of the truth of faith we are said to have been made 'kings', and by virtue of the good of charity to have been made 'priests', so that the truth and good residing with those who abide in the Lord have been joined together, in the way they are in heaven, as stated above. This is what is meant by 'being made kings and priests'.

[10] In Jeremiah,

It will happen on that day, that the heart of the king and of the princes will perish, and the priests will be dumbfounded and the prophets left wondering. Jeremiah 4:9.

In the same prophet,

The house of Israel is ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. Jeremiah 2:26.

In the same prophet,

The kings of Judah, the princes, the priests, and the prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 8:1.

In these places 'kings stands for truths, 'princes' for first and foremost truths, 1482, 1089, 5044, 'priests' for forms of good, and 'prophets' for those who teach, 2534.

[11] Quite apart from this it should be recognized that Joseph did not buy the ground of the priests. The fact that this was representative of the consideration that the whole of a person's capacity to receive truth and good comes from the Lord is evident from a similar law in Moses regarding the fields belonging to the Levites,

The field of the country surrounding the cities of the Levites shall not be sold, for it is their eternal possession. Leviticus 25:34.

The meaning here in the internal sense is that no one ought to lay any claim to the good of the Church, which is the good of love and charity, because that good is from the Lord alone.

Footnotes:

1. At this time the patriarch's name was still Abram.

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