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Hosea 7

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1 Ενω ιατρευον τον Ισραηλ, απεκαλυφθη τοτε η ανομια του Εφραιμ και η κακια της Σαμαρειας· διοτι επραξαν ψευδος· και ο κλεπτης εισερχεται, ο ληστης γυμνονει εξωθεν.

2 Και αυτοι δεν λεγουσιν εν τη καρδια αυτων, οτι ενθυμουμαι πασαν την ανομιαν αυτων· τωρα περιεκυκλωσαν αυτους αι πραξεις αυτων· εμπροσθεν του προσωπου μου εγειναν.

3 Εν τη κακια αυτων ευφραναν τον βασιλεα και εν τοις ψευδεσιν αυτων τους αρχοντας.

4 Παντες ειναι μοιχοι, ως ο κλιβανος ο πεπυρωμενος υπο του αρτοποιου· οστις, αφου ζυμωση το φυραμα, παυει του να θερμαινη αυτον, εωσου γεινη η ζυμωσις.

5 Εν τη ημερα του βασιλεως ημων, οι αρχοντες ησθενησαν υπο της φλογωσεως του οινου, και αυτος εξηπλωσε την χειρα αυτου προς τους αχρειους.

6 Διοτι ενασχολουσι την καρδιαν αυτων φλεγωμενην ως κλιβανον εν ταις ενεδραις αυτων· ο αρτοποιος αυτων κοιμαται ολην την νυκτα· την δε αυγην αυτη καιει ως πυρ φλογιζον.

7 Παντες ουτοι εθερμανθησαν ως κλιβανος και κατεφαγον τους κριτας αυτων· παντες οι βασιλεις αυτων επεσον· δεν υπαρχει μεταξυ αυτων ο επικαλουμενος με.

8 Ο Εφραιμ, αυτος συνεμιγη μετα των λαων· ο Εφραιμ ειναι ως εγκρυφιας οστις δεν εστραφη.

9 Ξενοι κατεφαγον την δυναμιν αυτου και αυτος δεν γνωριζει τουτο· και λευκαι τριχες ανεφυησαν σποραδην εν αυτω και αυτος δεν γνωριζει τουτο.

10 Και η υπερηφανια του Ισραηλ μαρτυρει κατα προσωπον αυτου· και δεν επιστρεφουσι προς Κυριον τον Θεον αυτων ουδε εκζητουσιν αυτον δια παντα ταυτα.

11 Και ο Εφραιμ ειναι ως περιστερα δελεαζομενη, μη εχουσα συνεσιν· επικαλουνται την Αιγυπτον, υπαγουσιν εις την Ασσυριαν.

12 Οταν υπαγωσι, θελω εξαπλωσει επ' αυτους το δικτυον μου· θελω καταβιβασει αυτους καθως τα πετεινα του ουρανου· θελω παιδευσει αυτους καθως εκηρυχθη εν τη συναγωγη αυτων.

13 Ουαι εις αυτους, διοτι απεσκιρτησαν απ' εμου· ολεθρος εις αυτους, διοτι ησεβησαν εις εμε· ενω εγω εξηγορασα αυτους, αυτοι ελαλησαν κατ' εμου ψευδη.

14 Και δεν με επεκαλεσθησαν εν τη καρδια αυτων, αλλα ωλολυζον επι τας κλινας αυτων· βασανιζονται δια σιτον και οινον και στασιαζουσιν εναντιον μου.

15 Και εγω επαιδευσα αυτους ενω ενισχυσα τους βραχιονας αυτων, αυτοι ομως διελογιζοντο πονηρα εναντιον μου.

16 Επιστρεφουσιν, ουχι εις τον Υψιστον· εγειναν ως τοξον στρεβλον· οι αρχοντες αυτων θελουσι πεσει εν ρομφαια δια την αυθαδειαν της γλωσσης αυτων· τουτο θελει εισθαι το ονειδος αυτων εν τη γη της Αιγυπτου.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7906

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7906. 'No yeast shall be found in your houses' means no falsity whatever shall come near good. This is clear from the meaning of 'yeast' as falsity, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'house' as good, dealt with in 3652, 3720, 4982, 7833-7835. The meaning of 'yeast' as falsity becomes clear from the places where yeast and anything made with yeast, and also where unleavened and anything made without yeast are mentioned, such as in Matthew,

Jesus said, Look out for and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then the disciples understood that He had not said that they should beware of the yeast used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:6, 11.

Here 'yeast' plainly stands for false teaching. Because 'yeast' meant falsity it was forbidden to sacrifice the blood of the sacrifice with anything made with yeast, Exodus 23:18; 34:25. For 'the blood of the sacrifice' meant holy truth, thus truth pure and free from all falsity, 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850. It was also laid down that the minchah offered on the altar should not be baked with yeast in it, Leviticus 6:15-17, and that cakes and wafers also should be made without yeast, Leviticus 7:11-13.

[2] To go further with what 'made with yeast' and 'not made with yeast' refer to, it should be recognized that the purification of truth from falsity cannot ever come about in a person without so called fermentation, that is, without the conflict of falsity with truth and of truth with falsity. But after the conflict has taken place and truth has triumphed, the falsity falls away like dregs and the truth emerges purified. It is like wine that becomes clear after fermentation as the dregs sink to the bottom. That fermentation or conflict takes place especially when a person's state undergoes a change, that is to say, when his actions begin to spring from the good of charity, and not as previously from the truth of faith. For a person's state is not yet made pure while his actions spring from the truth of faith, but they have been made pure when they spring from the good of charity, since they now spring from his will. Previously they sprang merely from his understanding.

[3] Spiritual conflicts or temptations are fermentations in the spiritual sense, for during them falsities wish to link themselves to truths, but the truths reject them, eventually sending them to the bottom so to speak and in that way becoming refined. This is the sense in which to understand what the Lord teaches about 'yeast' in Matthew,

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was fermented by it. Matthew 13:33.

'Flour' is truth from which good is derived. Also in Hosea,

They are all committing adultery, like an oven heated by a baker; the raiser 1 ceases from kneading the dough until it has fermented. Hosea 7:4.

Since such conflicts, meant by 'fermentations', take place with a person in the state before he attains newness of life, as has been stated, it was also laid down that the new minchah, the bread of the wave-offering, that was to be brought at the feast of first fruits, should be baked with yeast; and that was to be the first fruits to Jehovah, Leviticus 23:16-17.

Footnotes:

1. Whether the raiser means the stirrer of the fire or the raiser of the dough is not clear.

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

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