The Bible

 

Ezékiel 42

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1 És kivitt engem a külsõ pitvarba az északi úton és vitt engem a kamarák épületéhez, mely az elkülönített hely ellenében és az épület ellenében észak felé vala;

2 A száz sing hosszú oldal elé az északi oldalra, és vala ötven sing a szélessége.

3 A húsz [singnek] ellenében, mely a belsõ pitvarhoz tartozék, és a kõbõl rakott pádimentom ellenében, mely a külsõ udvarhoz tartozék, folyosó vala folyosó ellenében három sorban.

4 És a kamarák elõtt tíz sing széles út vala befelé, hosszúsága száz sing; és ajtaik észak felé valának.

5 És a felsõ kamarák rövidebbek valának az épület alsó és középsõ kamaráinál, mert a folyosók elvettek belõlök.

6 Mivelhogy három sorban valának és nem valának oszlopaik, mint a pitvaroknak; ezért lõn az alsókhoz és a középsõkhöz képest elvéve a helybõl.

7 És egy fal, mely kivül vala, párhuzamosan a kamarákkal a külsõ pitvar felé, a kamarák elõtt, ötven sing hosszú vala.

8 Mert a kamarák hosszúsága, melyek a külsõ pitvar felé valának, ötven sing vala, és ímé, a szenthely ellenében száz sing vala.

9 És e kamarák alatt vala a bejáró hely napkelet felõl, ha beléjök a külsõ pitvarból méne valaki.

10 A pitvar falának szélességében dél felé az elkülönített hely és az épület elõtt is kamarák valának.

11 És egy út vala elõttök, melyek hasonlatosak valának a kamarákhoz, melyek északra valának, olyan hosszúságúak és olyan szélességûek, mint ezek, és minden kijárásuk és elrendezésök olyan vala, mint ezeké. És valamint amazoknak ajtói,

12 Akképen valának azoknak a kamaráknak ajtói is, melyek dél felé valának: egy ajtó kezdetén az útnak, annak az útnak, mely a megfelelõ fal elõtt kelet felé vala, ha valaki hozzájok méne.

13 És monda nékem: Az északi és a déli kamarák, melyek az elkülönített hely elõtt vannak, azok a szent kamarák, melyekben a papok, kik az Úrhoz közelednek, eszik az igen szentséges áldozatokat, ott rakják le az igen szentséges áldozatokat, az eledeli, a bûnért való és a vétekért való áldozatot; mert szent az a hely.

14 Mikor bemennek oda a papok, ki ne jõjjenek a szent helyrõl a külsõ pitvarba, hanem ott rakják le ruháikat, melyekben szolgáltak; mert szentek ezek, és más ruhába öltözzenek, úgy közeledjenek a nép helyéhez.

15 És mikor a belsõ háznak méréseit véghezvitte, kivitt engem a napkelet felõl való kapu útján, és megméré azt köröskörül.

16 Méré a keleti oldalt a mérõpálczával ötszáz singnyire, a mérõpálczával. [És] megfordula, [és

17 Méré az északi oldalt ötszáz singnyire a mérõpálczával. [És ]megfordula,

18 A déli oldal felé, [és] mére ötszáz singet a mérõpálczával.

19 Fordula aztán a nyugoti oldal felé, [és] mére ötszáz singet a mérõpálczával.

20 Mind a négy szél irányában méré azt. Kõfala vala köröskörül, hosszúsága ötszáz, szélessége is ötszáz sing, hogy elválaszsza a szentet a köztõl.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #904

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904. 21:15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. This symbolically means that to people who possess the goodness of love, the Lord grants a faculty for understanding and knowing the nature of the Lord's New Church as regards its doctrine and its introductory truths, and as regards the Word from which they are drawn.

He who spoke with me symbolizes the Lord speaking from heaven, because it was an angel speaking, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls mentioned in verse 9, who means the Lord speaking from heaven (no. 895). A reed symbolizes a power or ability springing from the goodness of love - a reed symbolizing power or ability (no. 485), and gold the goodness of love (nos. 211, 726). To measure means, symbolically, to learn the character of a thing, thus to understand and know it (no. 486). The city, the holy Jerusalem, symbolizes the church in respect to its doctrine (nos. 879, 880). Its gates symbolize concepts of truth and goodness from the Word's literal sense, which are truths and goods owing to the spiritual life in them (no. 899). And the wall symbolizes the Word in its literal sense from which the doctrine and concepts come (no. 898).

It is apparent from this that "he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall," symbolically means that to people who possess the goodness of love, the Lord grants a faculty for understanding and knowing the nature of the Lord's New Church as regards its doctrine and its introductory truths, and as regards the Word from which they are drawn.

[2] These symbolic meanings cannot be seen at all in the literal sense, for one sees in it only that an angel speaking with John had a gold reed with which to measure the city and its gates and wall. But even so, that these words contain another meaning, a spiritual meaning, is clearly apparent from the fact that the city Jerusalem does not mean a real city, but the church. Consequently everything said about Jerusalem as a city symbolizes such things as have to do with the church, and everything having to do with the church is, in itself, spiritual.

Such a spiritual meaning is present also in what is said in chapter 11 above, where we are told the following:

I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood by, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there." (Revelation 11:1)

A similar spiritual meaning is present, too, in everything that the angel measured with a reed in Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48. Also in these verses in Zechariah:

I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what its width is and what its length." (Zechariah 2:1-2)

Indeed, such a spiritual meaning is present in everything connected with the Tabernacle and in everything connected with the Temple in Jerusalem, whose measurements we are told, and also in the measurements themselves. And yet nothing of this can be seen in the literal sense.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #898

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898. 21:12 It had a great and high wall. This symbolizes the Word in its literal sense from which the doctrine of the New Church comes.

Since the holy city Jerusalem means the Lord's New Church in respect to its doctrine, its wall can only mean the Word in its literal sense, from which its doctrine comes; for the literal sense protects the spiritual meaning that lies within, as a wall protects a city and its inhabitants.

That the literal sense is the foundation, containing vessel, and buttress of the Word's spiritual meaning may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 27-36; and that the literal sense serves as a safeguard to keep the Divine truths within from being injured - truths which constitute the Word's spiritual meaning - may be seen in no. 97 of the same work. Also, that the church's doctrine is to be drawn from the Word's literal sense and verified by it, in nos. 50-61 there.

The wall is said to be great and high because it means the Word in respect to its Divine goodness and Divine truth, for greatness is predicated of goodness, and height of truth, as in no. 896 above.

[2] A wall symbolizes something that protects, and when mentioned in reference to the church, it symbolizes the Word in its literal sense, as it does also in the following places:

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall not keep silent day or night, who make mention of Jehovah... (Isaiah 62:6)

They shall call you the City of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel... And you shall call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. (Isaiah 60:14, 18)

(Jehovah) will be a wall of fire all around her, and... the glory in her midst. (Zechariah 2:5)

Men of Arvad... were on your walls..., and the men of Gammad... hung their shields on your walls all around, and made your beauty perfect. (Ezekiel 27:11)

The last is said of Tyre, which symbolizes the church in respect to its concepts of truth from the Word.

Run about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see... if there is anyone who... seeks the truth... Go up on her walls and cast them down. (Jeremiah 5:1, 10)

Jehovah has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion... ...He has caused the rampart and wall... to lament, to languish together... The Law and her prophets are no more... (Lamentations 2:8-9)

They will run about in the city, they will run on the wall; they will climb up into the houses, they will enter through the windows... (Joel 2:9)

These passages refer to falsifications of truth.

Day and night (the impious) go around (in the city) on its walls... Destructions are in their midst. (Psalms 55:10-11)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 22:5; 56:5; Jeremiah 1:15; Ezekiel 27:11; Lamentations 2:7.

That a wall symbolizes the Word in its literal sense is clearly apparent from the following verses in the present chapter, which describe at some length the wall of the city and its gates, foundations and dimensions. That is because the doctrine of the New Church, which the city symbolizes, comes only from the Word's literal sense.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.