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Yechezchial 41

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1 וַיְבִיאֵנִי אֶל־הַהֵיכָל וַיָּמָד אֶת־הָאֵילִים שֵׁשׁ־אַמֹּות רֹחַב־מִפֹּו וְשֵׁשׁ־אַמֹּות־רֹחַב מִפֹּו רֹחַב הָאֹהֶל׃

2 וְרֹחַב הַפֶּתַח עֶשֶׂר אַמֹּות וְכִתְפֹות הַפֶּתַח חָמֵשׁ אַמֹּות מִפֹּו וְחָמֵשׁ אַמֹּות מִפֹּו וַיָּמָד אָרְכֹּו אַרְבָּעִים אַמָּה וְרֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה׃

3 וּבָא לִפְנִימָה וַיָּמָד אֵיל־הַפֶּתַח שְׁתַּיִם אַמֹּות וְהַפֶּתַח שֵׁשׁ אַמֹּות וְרֹחַב הַפֶּתַח שֶׁבַע אַמֹּות׃

4 וַיָּמָד אֶת־אָרְכֹּו עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה וְרֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אֶל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי זֶה קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים׃

5 וַיָּמָד קִיר־הַבַּיִת שֵׁשׁ אַמֹּות וְרֹחַב הַצֵּלָע אַרְבַּע אַמֹּות סָבִיב סָבִיב לַבַּיִת סָבִיב׃

6 וְהַצְּלָעֹות צֵלָע אֶל־צֵלָע שָׁלֹושׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים פְּעָמִים וּבָאֹות בַּקִּיר אֲשֶׁר־לַבַּיִת לַצְּלָעֹות סָבִיב סָבִיב לִהְיֹות אֲחוּזִים וְלֹא־יִהְיוּ אֲחוּזִים בְּקִיר הַבָּיִת׃

7 וְרָחֲבָה וְנָסְבָה לְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה לַצְּלָעֹות כִּי מוּסַב־הַבַּיִת לְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה סָבִיב סָבִיב לַבַּיִת עַל־כֵּן רֹחַב־לַבַּיִת לְמָעְלָה וְכֵן הַתַּחְתֹּונָה יַעֲלֶה עַל־הָעֶלְיֹונָה לַתִּיכֹונָה׃

8 וְרָאִיתִי לַבַּיִת גֹּבַהּ סָבִיב סָבִיב [כ= מִיסָדֹות] [ק= מוּסְדֹות] הַצְּלָעֹות מְלֹו הַקָּנֶה שֵׁשׁ אַמֹּות אַצִּילָה׃

9 רֹחַב הַקִּיר אֲשֶׁר־לַצֵּלָע אֶל־הַחוּץ חָמֵשׁ אַמֹּות וַאֲשֶׁר מֻנָּח בֵּית צְלָעֹות אֲשֶׁר לַבָּיִת׃

10 וּבֵין הַלְּשָׁכֹות רֹחַב עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה סָבִיב לַבַּיִת סָבִיב סָבִיב׃

11 וּפֶתַח הַצֵּלָע לַמֻּנָּח פֶּתַח אֶחָד דֶּרֶךְ הַצָּפֹון וּפֶתַח אֶחָד לַדָּרֹום וְרֹחַב מְקֹום הַמֻּנָּח חָמֵשׁ אַמֹּות סָבִיב סָבִיב׃

12 וְהַבִּנְיָן אֲשֶׁר אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה פְּאַת דֶּרֶךְ־הַיָּם רֹחַב שִׁבְעִים אַמָּה וְקִיר הַבִּנְיָן חָמֵשׁ־אַמֹּות רֹחַב סָבִיב סָבִיב וְאָרְכֹּו תִּשְׁעִים אַמָּה׃

13 וּמָדַד אֶת־הַבַּיִת אֹרֶךְ מֵאָה אַמָּה וְהַגִּזְרָה וְהַבִּנְיָה וְקִירֹותֶיהָ אֹרֶךְ מֵאָה אַמָּה׃

14 וְרֹחַב פְּנֵי הַבַּיִת וְהַגִּזְרָה לַקָּדִים מֵאָה אַמָּה׃

15 וּמָדַד אֹרֶךְ־הַבִּנְיָן אֶל־פְּנֵי הַגִּזְרָה אֲשֶׁר עַל־אַחֲרֶיהָ [כ= וְאַתּוּקֵיהָא] [ק= וְאַתִּיקֶיהָא] מִפֹּו וּמִפֹּו מֵאָה אַמָּה וְהַהֵיכָל הַפְּנִימִי וְאֻלַמֵּי הֶחָצֵר׃

16 הַסִּפִּים וְהַחַלֹּונִים הָאֲטֻמֹות וְהָאַתִּיקִים סָבִיב לִשְׁלָשְׁתָּם נֶגֶד הַסַּף שְׂחִיף עֵץ סָבִיב סָבִיב וְהָאָרֶץ עַד־הַחַלֹּנֹות וְהַחַלֹּנֹות מְכֻסֹּות׃

17 עַל־מֵעַל הַפֶּתַח וְעַד־הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי וְלַחוּץ וְאֶל־כָּל־הַקִּיר סָבִיב סָבִיב בַּפְּנִימִי וּבַחִיצֹון מִדֹּות׃

18 וְעָשׂוּי כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרִים וְתִמֹרָה בֵּין־כְּרוּב לִכְרוּב וּשְׁנַיִם פָּנִים לַכְּרוּב׃

19 וּפְנֵי אָדָם אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה מִפֹּו וּפְנֵי־כְפִיר אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה מִפֹּו עָשׂוּי אֶל־כָּל־הַבַּיִת סָבִיב סָבִיב׃

20 מֵהָאָרֶץ עַד־מֵעַל הַפֶּתַח הַכְּרוּבִים וְהַתִּמֹרִים עֲשׂוּיִם וְקִיר הַהֵיכָל׃

21 הַהֵיכָל מְזוּזַת רְבֻעָה וּפְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ הַמַּרְאֶה כַּמַּרְאֶה׃

22 הַמִּזְבֵּחַ עֵץ שָׁלֹושׁ אַמֹּות גָּבֹהַּ וְאָרְכֹּו שְׁתַּיִם־אַמֹּות וּמִקְצֹעֹותָיו לֹו וְאָרְכֹּו וְקִירֹתָיו עֵץ וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלַי זֶה הַשֻּׁלְחָן אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה׃

23 וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתֹות לַהֵיכָל וְלַקֹּדֶשׁ׃

24 וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתֹות לַדְּלָתֹות שְׁתַּיִם מוּסַבֹּות דְּלָתֹות שְׁתַּיִם לְדֶלֶת אֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי דְלָתֹות לָאַחֶרֶת׃

25 וַעֲשׂוּיָה אֲלֵיהֶן אֶל־דַּלְתֹות הַהֵיכָל כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרִים כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשׂוּיִם לַקִּירֹות וְעָב עֵץ אֶל־פְּנֵי הָאוּלָם מֵהַחוּץ׃

26 וְחַלֹּונִים אֲטֻמֹות וְתִמֹרִים מִפֹּו וּמִפֹּו אֶל־כִּתְפֹות הָאוּלָם וְצַלְעֹות הַבַּיִת וְהָעֻבִּים׃

   

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Arcana Coelestia #4482

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4482. 'Behold, the land is broad and spacious before them' means extension, that is to say, of truth which is the truth of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as the Church, dealt with just above in 4480, and from the meaning of 'broad and spacious' as extension as regards truths, and so as regards those taught by doctrine. When in the Word the measurements of something are given, it is not those measurements that are meant in the internal sense but the essential characteristics of a state that is being described. For measurements involve spatial dimensions and in the next life there are no intervals of space, as there are no periods of time, but states which correspond to these, see 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 3404, 4321. That being so, lengths, breadths, and heights, which are spatial measurements, mean the aspects of a state - length meaning holiness, height good, and breadth truth, see 650, 1613, 3433, 3434. This then is why 'the land is broad and spacious' means the extension of truth which is the truth of doctrine within the Church.

[2] Anyone who does not know of the existence of anything spiritual in the Word other than that which stands out in the literal sense is bound to be amazed by the statement that 'the land is broad and specious' means the extension of truth which is the truth of doctrine within the Church. But the truth of this statement may be established from places where 'breadth' is mentioned in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Asshur will go through Judah, it will deluge it and pass through and will reach even to the neck; and the outstretchings of its wings will fill the breadth of the land. Isaiah 8:8.

In David,

O Jehovah, You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have made my feet stand in a broad place. Psalms 31:8.

In the same author,

Out of my distress I called on Jah; He answered me in a broad place. Psalms 118:5.

In Habakkuk,

I am rousing the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, marching' into the breadths of the earth. Habakkuk 1:6.

'Breadths' here means nothing other than the truth of the Church.

[3] The reason why breadth has this meaning is that in the spiritual world, that is, in heaven, the Lord is the centre of all, for He is the Sun there. Those in a state of good are more interior, their exact position towards the middle being determined by the character and the amount of the good present in them. This is why 'height' is used in reference to good. Those who are in a similar degree of good are also in a similar degree of truth, and so dwell so to speak at the same distance from the centre, or one might say, dwell on the same contour; and this is why 'breadth' is used in reference to truths. Therefore when a person reads the Word the angels present with him do not understand by 'breadth' anything other than truths. When in the Historical sections, for example, the ark, the altar, the temple, and the spaces outside cities are referred to, states of good and truth are perceived by the dimensions indicating the lengths, breadths, and heights of these. The same is so with the new earth, new Jerusalem, and new Temple - described in Chapters 40-47 of Ezekiel - by which heaven and a new Church are meant, as may be seen from the detailed descriptions in those chapters. So also in John where it is said of the New Jerusalem that it will be foursquare, 'its length being as great as its breadth', Revelation 21:16.

[4] Things which in the spiritual world are interior are described as those that are higher, while those that are exterior are described by those that are lower, 2148, for while in the world, no one can conceive of interior things and exterior ones in any other way, for the reason that he dwells within space and time, and things that belong to space and time have entered in among the ideas comprising his thought and have conditioned the majority of these. From this it is also evident that expressions which give the spatial measurements of things such as the height, length, and breadth of them, are in the spiritual sense expressions used to indicate the magnitude of affections for good and affections for truth.

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