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Ιεζεκιήλ 10

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1 Επειτα ειδον και ιδου, εν τω στερεωματι τω ανωθεν της κεφαλης των χερουβειμ εφαινετο υπερανω αυτων ως λιθος σαπφειρος, κατα την θεαν ομοιωματος θρονου.

2 Και ελαλησε προς τον ανδρα τον ενδεδυμενον τα λινα και ειπεν, Εισελθε μεταξυ των τροχων, υποκατω των χερουβειμ, και γεμισον την χειρα σου ανθρακας πυρος εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ και διασκορπισον αυτους επι την πολιν. Και εισηλθεν ενωπιον μου.

3 Τα δε χερουβειμ ισταντο εν δεξιοις του οικου, οτε εισηρχετο ο ανηρ· και η νεφελη εγεμισε την εσωτεραν αυλην.

4 Και η δοξα του Κυριου υψωθη ανωθεν των χερουβειμ κατα το κατωφλιον του οικου· και ενεπλησε τον οικον η νεφελη και η αυλη ενεπλησθη απο της λαμψεως της δοξης του Κυριου.

5 Και ο ηχος των πτερυγων των χερουβειμ ηκουετο εως της εξωτερας αυλης, ως φωνη του Παντοδυναμου Θεου, οποταν λαλη.

6 Και οτε προσεταξε τον ανδρα τον ενδεδυμενον τα λινα, λεγων, Λαβε πυρ εκ μεσου των τροχων, εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ, τοτε εισηλθε και εσταθη πλησιον των τροχων.

7 Και εν χερουβ εξετεινε την χειρα αυτου εκ μεσου των χερουβειμ, προς το πυρ το εν τω μεσω των χερουβειμ, και ελαβεν εκ τουτου και εθεσεν εις τας χειρας του ενδεδυμενου τα λινα· ο δε ελαβεν αυτο και εξηλθεν.

8 Εφαινετο δε ομοιωμα χειρος ανθρωπου εις τα χερουβειμ υπο τας πτερυγας αυτων.

9 Και ειδον και ιδου, τεσσαρες τροχοι πλησιον των χερουβειμ, εις τροχος πλησιον ενος χερουβ και εις τροχος πλησιον αλλον χερουβ, και η θεα των τροχων ητο ως οψις βηρυλλου λιθου.

10 Περι δε της θεας αυτων, και οι τεσσαρες ειχον το αυτο ομοιωμα, ως εαν ητο τροχος εν μεσω τροχου.

11 Ενω εβαδιζον, επορευοντο κατα τα τεσσαρα αυτων πλαγια· δεν εστρεφοντο ενω εβαδιζον, αλλ' εις οντινα τοπον ο πρωτος απευθυνετο, ηκολουθουν αυτον οι αλλοι· δεν εστρεφοντο ενω εβαδιζον.

12 Ολον δε το σωμα αυτων και τα νωτα αυτων και αι χειρες αυτων και αι πτερυγες αυτων και οι τροχοι, οι τεσσαρες αυτων τροχοι, ησαν κυκλω πληρεις οφθαλμων.

13 Περι δε των τροχων, ουτοι εκαλουντο, ακουοντος εμου, Γαλγαλ.

14 Και εκαστον ειχε τεσσαρα προσωπα· το προσωπον του ενος προσωπον χερουβ, και το προσωπον του δευτερου προσωπον ανθρωπου, και του τριτου προσωπον λεοντος, και του τεταρτου προσωπον αετου.

15 Και τα χερουβειμ υψωθησαν τουτο ειναι το ζωον, το οποιον ειδον παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ.

16 Και οτε τα χερουβειμ επορευοντο, επορευοντο οι τροχοι πλησιον αυτων και οτε τα χερουβειμ υψονον τας πτερυγας αυτων δια να ανυψωθωσιν απο της γης, και αυτοι οι τροχοι δεν εξεκλινον απο πλησιον αυτων.

17 Οτε δε ισταντο, και εκεινοι ισταντο· και οτε ανυψουντο, και εκεινοι ανυψουντο μετ' αυτων διοτι το πνευμα των ζωων ητο εν αυτοις.

18 Και η δοξα του Κυριου εξηλθεν απο του κατωφλιου του οικου και εσταθη επι των χερουβειμ.

19 Και τα χερουβειμ υψωσαν τας πτερυγας αυτων και ανυψωθησαν απο της γης ενωπιον μου οτε εξηλθον, ησαν και οι τροχοι πλησιον αυτων· και εσταθησαν εν τη θυρα της ανατολικης πυλης του οικου του Κυριου· και η δοξα του Θεου του Ισραηλ ητο επ' αυτων υπερανωθεν.

20 Τουτο ειναι το ζωον, το οποιον ειδον υποκατω του Θεου του Ισραηλ παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ· και εγνωρισα οτι ησαν χερουβειμ.

21 Εκαστον ειχεν ανα τεσσαρα προσωπα και εκαστον τεσσαρας πτερυγας και ομοιωμα χειρων ανθρωπου υπο τας πτερυγας αυτων.

22 Τα δε προσωπα αυτων ησαν κατα το ομοιωμα, τα αυτα προσωπα, τα οποια ειδον παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ, η θεα αυτων και αυτα· επορευοντο δε εκαστον κατεναντι του προσωπου αυτου.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9936

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9936. 'And it shall be on Aaron's forehead' means from the Lord's Divine Love. This is clear from the representation of 'Aaron' as the Lord in respect of Divine Good, which is the Good of His Divine Love, dealt with in 9806; and from the meaning of 'forehead', when the Lord is the subject, as His Divine Love. 'The Lord's face', which is the same as 'Jehovah's face', means all attributes of Divine Love, such as mercy, peace, goodness, or wisdom, 222, 223, 5585, 6848, 6849, 9306, 9545, 9546. These are meant by 'Jehovah's face' or 'the Lord's face' because in general 'the face' means a person's interiors, that is, a person's affections and consequent thoughts, thus the things which constitute his love and faith, see the places referred to in 9546. These are meant by 'the face' because they shine from the face, as if seen in their imprint or image, which also is why the face is called the image of the mind. So it is that when 'face' is mentioned in connection with Jehovah or the Lord the attributes of His Divine Love are meant. 'Forehead' in particular means Divine Love itself, because interiors have been allotted their own provinces in the face. The interiors that belong to love reside in the province of the forehead, those belonging to wisdom and intelligence in the province of the eyes, those belonging to perception in the province of the nose, and those belonging to utterance in the province of the mouth.

[2] From all this it is evident why 'forehead' - when the Lord, represented by Aaron, is the subject - means Divine Love. Since someone's forehead corresponds to his love those governed by celestial love, that is, by love to the Lord derived from the Lord, are said 'to have a sign on their foreheads', meaning that they are under the Lord's protection because they abide in His Love, as in Ezekiel,

Jehovah said, Go through the middle of Jerusalem and make a sign on the foreheads of the men (vir) who groan and sigh over all the abominations done in the midst of it, and strike; do not let your eye spare. But against any man (vir) on whom there is a sign do not go near. Ezekiel 9:4-6.

In John, in the Book of Revelation,

Behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1.

In the same book,

They will see the face of God and of the Lamb, and His name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4.

In the same book,

It was declared that they should not harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only the people who did not have God's sign on their foreheads. Revelation 9:4.

[3] 'Having God's sign on their foreheads' and 'having God and the Lamb's name on them' stand for their being kept safe from molestation by evils from hell, because they abide in the Lord through love. 'The grass' and 'any green thing', which were not to be harmed, stand for true factual knowledge by means of which the truth of faith develops, 7571, 7691; and 'any tree', which too was not to be harmed, stands for the perception of truth springing from good, 103, 2163, 2722, 2972, 4552, 7692.

[4] In Moses,

You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. You shall bind these words as a sign onto your hand, and let them be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 8.

'As frontlets' stands for as a sign of love to Jehovah God. The words 'between your eyes' are used because intelligence and wisdom which are born from that love are meant by 'eyes'; and wisdom born from that love consists in having God constantly before one's eyes. This is self-evidently so because the subject is love to Jehovah God. The declaration that they should love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength, means that they should do so with all their human powers. 'With the heart' means with the will where the good of love resides, 7542, 9050, 9300, 9495; and 'with the soul' means with the understanding where the truth of faith resides, and so with faith, 9050. These two powers belong to the internal man. 'With all their strength' means with those powers of will and understanding as they exist in the external man. The strength and power of the love of both, of the external man and of the internal, are meant by 'hands', 4931-4937, 7518; and this is why it says that those words were to be bound 'as a sign on the hand'.

[5] Since 'the forehead' by virtue of its correspondence means celestial or heavenly love with those who are good, with those who are bad it accordingly means hellish love, which is the opposite of heavenly. The forehead of the latter is called a bronze forehead in Isaiah 48:4, and an obstinate forehead in Ezekiel 3:7-8. And in reference to those ruled by hellish love it is said that they had the mark of the beast on their foreheads, Revelation 13:16; 14:9; 20:4, and also the name of Babylon on their foreheads, Revelation 17:5.

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