The Bible

 

エゼキエル書 8

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1 第六年の五日にわたしがわたしのに座し、ユダ長老たちがわたしのに座していたとき、なる神のがわたしの上に下った。

2 わたしは見ていると、見よ、人のような形があって、そのとみられる所から下はのように見え、から上は光る青銅のように輝いて見えた。

3 彼はのようなものを伸べて、わたしの髪の毛をつかんだ。そして霊がわたしを天と地の間に引きあげ、神の幻のうちにわたしをエルサレムに携えて行き、に向かった内庭のの入口に至らせた。そこには、ねたみをひき起すねたみの偶像があった。

4 見よ、そこに、わたしがかの平野で見た幻のようなイスラエルの神の栄光があらわれた。

5 時に彼はわたしに言われた、「人のよ、をあげての方をのぞめ」。そこでわたしがをあげての方をのぞむと、見よ、祭壇にあたって、その入口に、このねたみの偶像があった。

6 彼はまたわたしに言われた、「人のよ、あなたは彼らのしていること、すなわちイスラエルのがここでしている大いなる憎むべきことを見るか。これはわたしを聖所から遠ざけるものである。しかしあなたは、さらに大いなる憎むべきことを見るだろう」。

7 そして彼はわたしを庭の門に行かせた。わたしが見ると、見よ、に一つの穴があった。

8 彼はわたしに言われた、「人のよ、に穴をあけよ」。そこでわたしがに穴をあけると、見よ、一つの戸があった。

9 彼はわたしに言われた、「はいって、彼らがここでなす所の悪しき憎むべきことを見よ」。

10 そこでわたしがはいって見ると、もろもろの這うものと、憎むべきの形、およびイスラエルののもろもろの偶像が、まわりのに描いてあった。

11 またイスラエルの長老七十人が、その立っていた。シャパンのヤザニヤも、彼らの中に立っていた。おのおのに香炉を持ち、そしてその香の煙がのようにのぼった。

12 時に彼はわたしに言われた、「人のよ、イスラエルの長老たちが暗い所で行う事、すなわちおのおのその偶像の室で行う事を見るか。彼らは言う、『はわれわれを見られない。はこの地を捨てられた』と」。

13 またわたしに言われた、「あなたはさらに彼らがなす大いなる憎むべきことを見る」。

14 そして彼はわたしを連れて主のの入口に行った。見よ、そこに女たちがすわって、タンムズのために泣いていた。

15 その時、彼はわたしに言われた、「人のよ、あなたはこれを見たか。これよりもさらに大いなる憎むべきことを見るだろう」。

16 彼はまたわたしを連れて、主のの内庭にはいった。見よ、主の宮の入口に、廊と祭壇との間に二十五人ばかりの人が、主の宮にその背中を向け、を東に向け、東に向かって太陽を拝んでいた。

17 時に彼はわたしに言われた、「人のよ、あなたはこれを見たか。ユダにとって、彼らがここでしているこれらの憎むべきわざは軽いことであるか。彼らはこの地を暴虐で満たし、さらにわたしを怒らせる。見よ、彼らはそのに木の枝を置く。

18 それゆえ、わたしも憤って事を行う。わたしのは彼らを惜しみ見ず、またあわれまない。たとい彼らがわたしの耳に大声で呼ばわっても、わたしは彼らの言うことを聞かない」。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10584

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10584. 'And I will take My palm away, and you will see My back parts; and My face will not be seen' means that they would see the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, but not the internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's back parts' as the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'Jehovah's face' as the internal ones, dealt with above in 10578. Consequently 'seeing Jehovah's back parts and not His face' means seeing the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship, and not the internal. The fact that the Israelite and Jewish nation was like this, and still is at the present day, has been shown in all that has gone before in the present chapter and the one before it.

[2] The reason why the external things of the Word, the Church, and worship are meant by 'Jehovah's back parts' is that internal things are meant by 'the face', 10578. And people are said 'to see Jehovah's back parts and not His face' when they believe and revere the Word, yet no more than what is external, that is, the literal sense. They do not go more deeply into it in the way that those who have been enlightened do, deriving religious teachings from the Word which enable them to see its true meaning, thus its inner one.

The Word cannot be understood without religious teachings, and teachings drawn from the Word by one who has been enlightened must serve the understanding as a lamp, see 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10400, 10431. The internal sense of the Word provides those teachings, 9430.

From all this it may be recognized what 'seeing Jehovah's back parts and not His face' means.

[3] But those who have no belief in the Word do not even see Jehovah's back parts; instead they turn themselves around, away from Jehovah, and see only themselves and the world. These are the ones who are meant in the Word by those who are said to turn their back parts towards the temple and worship the sun, of whom Ezekiel says,

I was brought into the court of Jehovah's house, and behold, twenty-five men, whose back parts were towards Jehovah's temple, and their faces towards the east; and the same bowed down towards the rising of the sun. Ezekiel 8:16.

By 'the sun and its rising' one should understand the sun in the world and its rising there, and by that sun self-love is meant, which is the complete opposite of love to the Lord. This is why in angels' ways of thinking the sun of the world is presented as something in complete obscurity, behind the back, whereas the Lord, who is the Sun of heaven, is before the face, see 7078. Regarding these people it is said that they turn their back parts towards the temple, and also - in Jeremiah - that they go backwards,

You have forsaken Jehovah, you have gone backwards. Jeremiah 15:6.

And elsewhere in the same prophet,

They went away in the obstinacy of their evil heart, and went 1 backwards but not forwards. Jeremiah 7:24.

Footnotes:

1. literally, became

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9382

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9382. 'And Moses came and reported to the people' means enlightenment and instruction by the Lord, imparted through Divine Truth which springs from Him. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the Lord in respect of the Word, and so in respect of Divine Truth since the Word is this, dealt with above in 9372; from the meaning of 'coming' - when it refers to the Lord in respect of the Word or Divine Truth, represented by 'Moses' - as enlightenment, for when the Lord comes or He is present in the Word there is enlightenment; and from the meaning of 'reporting' as instruction. From all this it is evident that 'Moses came and reported to the people' means enlightenment and instruction by the Lord, imparted through Divine Truth.

[2] A brief statement must also be made here regarding the nature of enlightenment and instruction from the Word. Everyone receives enlightenment and instruction from the Word according to his affection for truth and degree of desire for it, and according to his ability to receive it. The internal man of those who receive enlightenment dwells in the light of heaven, for the light of heaven is what enlightens a person in the truths and forms of the good of faith, 8707, 8861. Those who are in that way enlightened understand the Word according to its inner truths, which being so they establish for themselves from the Word guidelines, to which they then relate the literal sense. But those who have no affection for truth rooted in good nor consequently any desire to become wise are blinded rather than enlightened when they read the Word, since they do not dwell in the light of heaven. Indeed in the light of the world, called natural illumination, they gain no insights into things other than those of a worldly nature. And as a result of this the illusions to which their outward senses are subject lead them to seize on falsities which look to them like truths. The majority of these people therefore establish no guidelines for themselves but keep to the literal sense, which they use in support of falsities, especially such falsities as accord with self-love and love of the world. But those who are not like these do no more than assent to the teachings of their Church, without caring or knowing whether they are true or false. Regarding these, see 4741, 5033, 6865, 7012, 7680, 7950, 8521, 8780. From this it is evident who exactly they are who are enlightened by the Word and who exactly they are who are blinded. That is to say, those are enlightened who are governed by heavenly loves; for heavenly loves receive and like sponges soak up heaven's truths, and are also of their own accord joined to them in the manner of soul and body. On the other hand those are blinded who are ruled by worldly loves, since these loves receive and like sponges soak up falsities, and are also of their own accord joined to them. For good and truth accord with each other, as conversely do evil and falsity. This being so, evil and falsity joined together is called the hellish marriage, in which hell itself consists, while good and truth joined together is called the heavenly marriage, in which heaven itself consists.

[3] The reason why the Word is the source of enlightenment and instruction is that in its first origin the Word is God's truth itself emanating from the Lord, and on its way down into the world it is adjusted to suit all the heavens. Therefore when a person possessing a heavenly love reads it the Word links him to heaven and through heaven to the Lord, as a result of which he receives enlightenment and instruction. It is different when a person possessing a worldly love reads the Word. He is not linked to heaven and consequently has no enlightenment or instruction. Regarding the union of heaven and the world through the Word, and of the Lord with the human race, see 9212 (end), 9216 (end), 9357.

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