The Bible

 

Exodus 13

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1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, that opens·​·up every womb among the sons of Israel, in man and in beast; it is for Me.

3 And Moses said to the people, Remember thou this day, in which you went·​·out from Egypt, from the house of servitude*; for with firmness of hand Jehovah brought· you ·out from hence; and what is leavened shall not be eaten.

4 Today you go·​·out, in the month Abib.

5 And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee to the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He promised to thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt serve this service in this month.

6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened things, and in the seventh day is a festival to Jehovah.

7 Unleavened things shall be eaten seven days; and that which is leavened shall not be seen with thee, yeast shall not be seen with thee in all thy border.

8 And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying, It is on·​·account of this which Jehovah did for me, in my going·​·out from Egypt.

9 And it shall be for a sign to thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth; for with a firm hand has Jehovah brought· thee ·out from Egypt.

10 And thou shalt keep this statute at the set time from year to year.

11 And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee in to the land of the Canaanite, as He promised to thee and to thy fathers, and shall have given it to thee;

12 that thou shalt cause to pass·​·on to Jehovah all that opens·​·up the womb; and all that opens·​·up the womb of the progeny of a beast, which shall be to thee males, shall be for Jehovah.

13 And all that which opens·​·up the womb of a donkey thou shalt redeem with an animal·​·of·​·the·​·flock; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt chop· its ·neck; and every firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.

14 And it shall be that thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying, What is this? and thou shalt say to him, With firmness of hand Jehovah brought· us ·out from Egypt, from the house of servitude*.

15 And it was that Pharaoh made himself hard to send· us ·away, and Jehovah killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man and even·​·to the firstborn of the beast; therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that opens·​·up the womb, being males; and all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.

16 And it shall be for a sign on thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for with firmness of hand Jehovah brought· us ·out from Egypt.

17 And it was when Pharaoh sent· the people ·away, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, for that was near; for God said, Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.

18 And God turned· the people ·around, by the way of the wilderness, the Suph Sea*; and the sons of Israel went up girded·​·to·​·the·​·fifth* from the land of Egypt.

19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for promising he had caused the sons of Israel to promise, saying, Visiting God will visit you; and you shall bring up my bones with you from hence.

20 And they journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, at the end of the wilderness.

21 And Jehovah went before them by·​·day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give· them ·light; to go by·​·day and by night.

22 The pillar of cloud by·​·day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Commentary

 

Month

  

A 'month,' as in Genesis 29, signifies the end of an earlier state and the beginning of a following state, thus a new state. 'A month' signifies a full state.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 3814)


From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3814

Study this Passage

  
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3814. 'And he dwelt with him for a full month' means a new state of life. This is clear from the meaning of 'dwelling' as life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, and from the meaning of 'a full month' as a new state. All periods of time mean states, see 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3404, so that years, months, and days mean such. What kind of states are meant however is clear from the numbers attached to them. When however year, month, or day is used in the singular, an entire state is meant, and so the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, as has also been shown in various places in the explanations. Here therefore 'month' means the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, and so means a new state, as in other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

At length from month to its month, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh will come to bow down before Me, said Jehovah. Isaiah 66:23.

In John,

He showed me a pure river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month. Revelation 22:1-2.

'Yielding its fruit each month' stands for a state for ever new as regards the reception of good and the consequent practice of it. In Moses, Count the sons of Levi according to their father's house and according to their families. Every male a month old and over shall you count. Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel, a month old and over, and take the number of their names. Numbers 3:15, 40.

[2] It was because the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, that is, a new state, was meant by 'a month' that they were ordered to count those who were 'a month old and over'. In the same author,

If you see among captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her so that you would take her to yourself for a wife, she shall remove the clothing of her captivity from upon her, and she shall sit in your house and lament her father and her mother for a full month. After that you shall go in to her and know her, and she shall be your wife. Deuteronomy 21:11, 13.

Here 'a full month' clearly stands for the end of the previous and the beginning of the next or new state.

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