The Bible

 

Yechezchial 28

Study

   

1 ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר׃

2 בן אדם אמר לנגיד צר כה אמר אדני יהוה יען גבה לבך ותאמר אל אני מושב אלהים ישבתי בלב ימים ואתה אדם ולא אל ותתן לבך כלב אלהים׃

3 הנה חכם אתה מדנאל כל סתום לא עממוך׃

4 בחכמתך ובתבונתך עשית לך חיל ותעש זהב וכסף באוצרותיך׃

5 ברב חכמתך ברכלתך הרבית חילך ויגבה לבבך בחילך׃

6 לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה יען תתך את לבבך כלב אלהים׃

7 לכן הנני מביא עליך זרים עריצי גוים והריקו חרבותם על יפי חכמתך וחללו יפעתך׃

8 לשחת יורדוך ומתה ממותי חלל בלב ימים׃

9 האמר תאמר אלהים אני לפני הרגך ואתה אדם ולא אל ביד מחלליך׃

10 מותי ערלים תמות ביד זרים כי אני דברתי נאם אדני יהוה׃

11 ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר׃

12 בן אדם שא קינה על מלך צור ואמרת לו כה אמר אדני יהוה אתה חותם תכנית מלא חכמה וכליל יפי׃

13 בעדן גן אלהים היית כל אבן יקרה מסכתך אדם פטדה ויהלם תרשיש שהם וישפה ספיר נפך וברקת וזהב מלאכת תפיך ונקביך בך ביום הבראך כוננו׃

14 את כרוב ממשח הסוכך ונתתיך בהר קדש אלהים היית בתוך אבני אש התהלכת׃

15 תמים אתה בדרכיך מיום הבראך עד נמצא עולתה בך׃

16 ברב רכלתך מלו תוכך חמס ותחטא ואחללך מהר אלהים ואבדך כרוב הסכך מתוך אבני אש׃

17 גבה לבך ביפיך שחת חכמתך על יפעתך על ארץ השלכתיך לפני מלכים נתתיך לראוה בך׃

18 מרב עוניך בעול רכלתך חללת מקדשיך ואוצא אש מתוכך היא אכלתך ואתנך לאפר על הארץ לעיני כל ראיך׃

19 כל יודעיך בעמים שממו עליך בלהות היית ואינך עד עולם׃

20 ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר׃

21 בן אדם שים פניך אל צידון והנבא עליה׃

22 ואמרת כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני עליך צידון ונכבדתי בתוכך וידעו כי אני יהוה בעשותי בה שפטים ונקדשתי בה׃

23 ושלחתי בה דבר ודם בחוצותיה ונפלל חלל בתוכה בחרב עליה מסביב וידעו כי אני יהוה׃

24 ולא יהיה עוד לבית ישראל סלון ממאיר וקוץ מכאב מכל סביבתם השאטים אותם וידעו כי אני אדני יהוה׃

25 כה אמר אדני יהוה בקבצי את בית ישראל מן העמים אשר נפצו בם ונקדשתי בם לעיני הגוים וישבו על אדמתם אשר נתתי לעבדי ליעקב׃

26 וישבו עליה לבטח ובנו בתים ונטעו כרמים וישבו לבטח בעשותי שפטים בכל השאטים אתם מסביבותם וידעו כי אני יהוה אלהיהם׃

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9863

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

9863. 'And you shall adorn it with settings of stones' means the actual truths in their proper order, all springing from the one same good. This is clear from the meaning of the breastplate, to which 'it' refers here, as Divine Truth shining forth from the Lord's Divine Good, dealt with in 9823; from the meaning of 'settings of stones' as truths in their proper order. For the breastplate was adorned with stones in accord with the names of the sons of Israel, and in a general sense truths on the lowest level of order are meant by 'stones', 114, 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, and truths shining forth from good by 'precious stones' such as those in the breastplate, 9476. The expression 'springing from the one same good' is used because there is just one good that all the truths spring from. This good is the good of love within the Lord, thus is the Lord Himself, and is consequently the good of love from the Lord, which is the good of love to the Lord. For the good which flows in from the Lord and resides with man, spirit, or angel, has all the appearance of being theirs; and so it is that love to the Lord is love received from the Lord. This good is the one and only good from which all the truths spring, and from which the order among them begins; for the truths are outward forms of the good.

[2] The fact that the precious stones in the breastplate meant Divine Truths springing from Divine Good is clear from places in the Word where precious stones are mentioned, such as in John's Revelation,

The foundations of the wall of the city, the new Jerusalem, were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. Revelation 21:19-20.

These precious stones mean the Church's truths, which are God's truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'the city, the new Jerusalem', 'the wall of it', and 'the foundations of the wall'. 'The new Jerusalem' means a new Church which will take the place of the one that is ours at the present day; for the Book of Revelation deals with the state of the Church that exists now, through to its end, and then with a new Church, which is the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. 'The wall of it' means the truths of faith that serve to defend it, and 'the foundations' truths that spring from good. Those actual truths in their proper order are specified by the precious stones mentioned by name there. Anyone may see that no Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven or that anything else mentioned there is literally going to take place, but that this description in every detail means such things as have to do with the Church. The fact that the truths of faith are meant by the foundations of its wall is clear from the consideration that they are the things which guard the Church from every attack, as walls do a city.

'Jerusalem' is the Church, see 2117, 9166.

'Walls' are the truths of faith guarding the Church, 6419.

'Foundations' are truths springing from good, 9643.

[3] In Ezekiel,

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering - ruby, topaz, and diamond; tarshish, shoham, and jasper; sapphire, chrysoprase, and carbuncle - and gold. You were on the mountain of the holiness of God, you walked in the midst of stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14.

Here also precious stones mean truths springing from good. For 'Tyre' in the representative internal sense is one who has intelligence and wisdom arising from cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, 1201. This is why its king is said to be 'full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty'. 'Wisdom' has regard to good, and 'beauty' to truth; for all wisdom in heaven is derived from good, and all beauty there is derived from truths springing from good. 'The garden of Eden' means intelligence composed of good, 100, 'garden' meaning real intelligence, 100, 108, 2702. From this it is evident that the stones there mentioned by name mean truths springing from good.

[4] But precisely which truths springing from good are meant by each of the stones in the breastplate will be clear from what is to follow. The fact that they mean all truths and forms of good in their entirety is clear from the following considerations: They were twelve and had the names of the sons of Israel or the tribes inscribed on them, the forms of good and the truths of heaven and the Church in their entirety being meant by the twelve tribes, 3858, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397; they therefore meant heaven and all the communities there, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997; the meaning of them varied, depending on the order in which they are mentioned in the Word, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4303, 6337, 6640; and 'twelve' means all, 3272, 3858, 7973.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

The Bible

 

Joshua 13

Study

   

1 Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. Yahweh said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.

2 "This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites;

3 from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even to the border of Ekron northward, which is counted as Canaanite; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim,

4 on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites;

5 and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath;

6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, even all the Sidonians; them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only allocate it to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.

7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh."

8 With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them:

9 from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon;

10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;

11 and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (the same was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses attacked these, and drove them out.

13 Nevertheless the children of Israel didn't drive out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

14 Only he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The offerings of Yahweh, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spoke to him.

15 Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families.

16 Their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba;

17 Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,

18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar in the mount of the valley,

20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth,

21 all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

22 The children of Israel alse killed Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain.

23 The border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and its villages.

24 Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad, according to their families.

25 Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is before Rabbah;

26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;

27 and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan's bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward.

28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and its villages.

29 Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was for the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families.

30 Their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities.

31 Half Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the children of Machir according to their families.

32 These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward.

33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke to them.