The Bible

 

Yechezchial 11

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1 ותשא אתי רוח ותבא אתי אל שער בית יהוה הקדמוני הפונה קדימה והנה בפתח השער עשרים וחמשה איש ואראה בתוכם את יאזניה בן עזר ואת פלטיהו בן בניהו שרי העם׃

2 ויאמר אלי בן אדם אלה האנשים החשבים און והיעצים עצת רע בעיר הזאת׃

3 האמרים לא בקרוב בנות בתים היא הסיר ואנחנו הבשר׃

4 לכן הנבא עליהם הנבא בן אדם׃

5 ותפל עלי רוח יהוה ויאמר אלי אמר כה אמר יהוה כן אמרתם בית ישראל ומעלות רוחכם אני ידעתיה׃

6 הרביתם חלליכם בעיר הזאת ומלאתם חוצתיה חלל׃

7 לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה חלליכם אשר שמתם בתוכה המה הבשר והיא הסיר ואתכם הוציא מתוכה׃

8 חרב יראתם וחרב אביא עליכם נאם אדני יהוה׃

9 והוצאתי אתכם מתוכה ונתתי אתכם ביד זרים ועשיתי בכם שפטים׃

10 בחרב תפלו על גבול ישראל אשפוט אתכם וידעתם כי אני יהוה׃

11 היא לא תהיה לכם לסיר ואתם תהיו בתוכה לבשר אל גבול ישראל אשפט אתכם׃

12 וידעתם כי אני יהוה אשר בחקי לא הלכתם ומשפטי לא עשיתם וכמשפטי הגוים אשר סביבותיכם עשיתם׃

13 ויהי כהנבאי ופלטיהו בן בניה מת ואפל על פני ואזעק קול גדול ואמר אהה אדני יהוה כלה אתה עשה את שארית ישראל׃

14 ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר׃

15 בן אדם אחיך אחיך אנשי גאלתך וכל בית ישראל כלה אשר אמרו להם ישבי ירושלם רחקו מעל יהוה לנו היא נתנה הארץ למורשה׃

16 לכן אמר כה אמר אדני יהוה כי הרחקתים בגוים וכי הפיצותים בארצות ואהי להם למקדש מעט בארצות אשר באו שם׃

17 לכן אמר כה אמר אדני יהוה וקבצתי אתכם מן העמים ואספתי אתכם מן הארצות אשר נפצותם בהם ונתתי לכם את אדמת ישראל׃

18 ובאו שמה והסירו את כל שקוציה ואת כל תועבתיה ממנה׃

19 וננתי להם לב אחד ורוח חדשה אתן בקרבכם והסרתי לב האבן מבשרם ונתתי להם לב בשר׃

20 למען בחקתי ילכו ואת משפטי ישמרו ועשו אתם והיו לי לעם ואני אהיה להם לאלהים׃

21 ואל לב שקוציהם ותועבותיהם לבם הלך דרכם בראשם נתתי נאם אדני יהוה׃

22 וישאו הכרובים את כנפיהם והאופנים לעמתם וכבוד אלהי ישראל עליהם מלמעלה׃

23 ויעל כבוד יהוה מעל תוך העיר ויעמד על ההר אשר מקדם לעיר׃

24 ורוח נשאתני ותבאני כשדימה אל הגולה במראה ברוח אלהים ויעל מעלי המראה אשר ראיתי׃

25 ואדבר אל הגולה את כל דברי יהוה אשר הראני׃

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #276

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276. Verses 6-8. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four animals full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, and the third animal had a face as a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. And the four animals had each by itself six wings roundabout; and they were full of eyes within, and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

"And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne were four animals full of eyes before and behind," signifies the guardianship and providence of the Lord to prevent the interior heavens being approached, except by the good of love and of charity, that lower things thence depending may be in order.

"And the first animal was like a lion," signifies the appearance in ultimates of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as to the power and effect; "and the second animal like a calf," signifies the appearance in ultimates of Divine good as to defence; "and the third animal had a face as a man," signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Lord's Divine guardianship and providence as to wisdom; "and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle," signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine guardianship and providence as to intelligence, and as to circumspection in every direction.

"And the four animals had, each by itself six wings roundabout," signifies the appearance of the Divine spiritual in every direction around the Divine celestial; "and they were full of eyes within," signifies the Divine providence and guardianship; "and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy," signifies what is most holy proceeding from the Lord; "Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come," signifies who is infinite and eternal.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #6343

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6343. 'You are my might' means that through faith comes the power which good possesses. This is clear from the representation of Reuben, to whom 'you' refers here, as faith in the understanding, referred to immediately above in 6342; and from the meaning of 'might' as the power which good possesses. As regards power - the power to think and will, perceive, do what is good, believe, dispel falsities and evils - it comes wholly from good through truth, good being its primary source and truth merely the channel through which it comes, 3563, 4931, 5623. The reason the power that good possesses is meant is that 'might' means that power, whereas 'strength' means the power of truth. Thus it is that 'the beginning of my strength', which comes next, means the initial power that truth possesses; for the word used in the original language to express 'strength' has reference in the Word to truth, whereas the word used to express 'might' has reference to good.

[2] The fact that the Word is holy, extremely holy in its inner senses, is plainly evident from the consideration that the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of goodness and truth, thus heaven itself, is present within every detail of the Word. In the inmost sense every detail embodies the marriage of the Lord's Divine Human with His kingdom and Church; indeed the theme in the highest sense of all is the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human within the Lord. These extremely holy subjects contained in every detail of the Word are a plain indication that the Word has come down from the Divine. The truth of all this may be recognized from the consideration that where good is spoken of, so too is truth, and where what is internal is spoken of, so too is what is external. Also, there are expressions which always mean good, those which always mean truth, and those which mean both - both good and truth. Or if they do not mean them directly, they are nevertheless used with reference to them or else imply them. And such reference of those expressions to good and truth or their meaning them directly shows that every detail, as has been stated, embodies the marriage of goodness and truth, which is the heavenly marriage, and that the inmost and highest sense holds the Divine marriage which exists in the Lord, thus holds the Lord Himself, within it.

[3] All this reveals itself in every part of the Word, yet not plainly except in those places where the repetition of some matter occurs that is no more than a change of words, as in the present chapter, where Reuben is dealt with,

You are my might, and the beginning of my strength.

Also,

Excelling in eminence and excelling in worth.

Here 'might' is used in reference to good, and 'strength' to truth; 'excelling in eminence' is used in reference to truth, and 'excelling in worth' to good. Likewise in the next verse regarding Reuben,

You went up to your father's bed; at that time you profaned it - he went up to my couch.

Similarly further on, where Simeon and Levi are dealt with,

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel. Verse 7.

Here 'anger' means a turning away from good and 'wrath' a turning away from truth. 'Jacob' is the external aspect of the Church and 'Israel' the internal aspect of it. Then where Judah is dealt with,

Your brothers will praise you; your father's sons will bow down to you. Verse 8.

Further on,

He binds his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. Verse 11.

Where Zebulun is dealt with,

He will dwell at the haven of the seas, and he will be at the haven of ships. Verse 13.

Where Dan is dealt with,

He will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path. Verse 17.

[4] Similar examples occur frequently in the Psalms and among the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Babel will not be dwelt in ever again, it will not be lived in even from generation to generation. Its time is near and about to come, and its days will not be prolonged. Isaiah 13:20, 22.

In the same prophet,

Search from above in the Book of Jehovah, and read: None of these will be missing, not one will not be left longing for its mate; 1 for He has commanded with His mouth, and His Spirit has gathered them. The Same has cast the lot for them, and His hand has distributed to them by means of a measuring rod. Even for ever they will possess it, from generation to generation they will dwell in it. Isaiah 34:16-17.

More examples may be found in a thousand other places. Anyone who does not know that expressions are used in the Word to mean spiritual and celestial realities, and that some are used to refer to good but others to truth, will inevitably think that such usages are no more than repetitions that serve solely as fillers and so are in themselves meaningless. Thus it is that people who think ill of the Word also add this to the arguments they use in vilifying it. Yet utterly Divine things are concealed within those repetitions; that is to say, the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself, and the Divine Marriage, which is the Lord Himself, are concealed in them. This [highest] sense is 'the glory' in which the Lord is present, while the literal sense is 'the cloud' in which that glory is present, Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:27. See Preface to Genesis 18, and also 5922.

Footnotes:

1. literally, not one will be desiring the other

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