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Daniel 11

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1 καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῷ πρώτῳ κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως εἶπέν μοι ἐνισχῦσαι καὶ ἀνδρίζεσθαι

2 καὶ νῦν ἦλθον τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑποδεῖξαί σοι ἰδοὺ τρεῖς βασιλεῖς ἀνθεστήκασιν ἐν τῇ περσίδι καὶ ὁ τέταρτος πλουτήσει πλοῦτον μέγαν παρὰ πάντας καὶ ἐν τῷ κατισχῦσαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ ἐπαναστήσεται παντὶ βασιλεῖ ἑλλήνων

3 καὶ στήσεται βασιλεὺς δυνατὸς καὶ κυριεύσει κυριείας πολλῆς καὶ ποιήσει καθὼς ἂν βούληται

4 καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀναστῆναι αὐτὸν συντριβήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ καὶ μερισθήσεται εἰς τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀλκὴν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν κυριείαν αὐτοῦ ἣν ἐδυνάστευσε ὅτι ἀποσταθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἑτέρους διδάξει ταῦτα

5 καὶ ἐνισχύσει βασιλείαν αἰγύπτου καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν δυναστῶν κατισχύσει αὐτὸν καὶ δυναστεύσει δυναστεία μεγάλη ἡ δυναστεία αὐτοῦ

6 καὶ εἰς συντέλειαν ἐνιαυτῶν ἄξει αὐτούς καὶ εἰσελεύσεται βασιλεὺς αἰγύπτου εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν βορρᾶ ποιήσασθαι συνθήκας καὶ οὐ μὴ κατισχύσῃ ὅτι ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ οὐ στήσει ἰσχύν καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ ναρκήσει καὶ τῶν συμπορευομένων μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ μενεῖ εἰς ὥρας

7 καὶ ἀναστήσεται φυτὸν ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτοῦ καθ' ἑαυτόν καὶ ἥξει ἐπὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύι αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς βορρᾶ καὶ ποιήσει ταραχὴν καὶ κατισχύσει

8 καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν καταστρέψει μετὰ τῶν χωνευτῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ὄχλους αὐτῶν μετὰ τῶν σκευῶν τῶν ἐπιθυμημάτων αὐτῶν τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἀποίσουσιν εἰς αἴγυπτον καὶ ἔσται ἔτος βασιλεῖ βορρᾶ

9 καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς βασιλείαν αἰγύπτου ἡμέρας καὶ ἐπιστρέψει ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ

10 καὶ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐρεθισθήσεται καὶ συνάξει συναγωγὴν ὄχλου πολλοῦ καὶ εἰσελεύσεται κατ' αὐτὴν κατασύρων παρελεύσεται καὶ ἐπιστρέψει καὶ παροξυνθήσεται ἐπὶ πολύ

11 καὶ ὀργισθήσεται βασιλεὺς αἰγύπτου καὶ πολεμήσει μετὰ βασιλέως βορρᾶ καὶ παραδοθήσεται ἡ συναγωγὴ εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ

12 καὶ λήψεται τὴν συναγωγήν καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καὶ ταράξει πολλοὺς καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ

13 καὶ ἐπιστρέψει βασιλεὺς βορρᾶ καὶ συνάξει πόλεως συναγωγὴν μείζονα παρὰ τὴν πρώτην κατὰ συντέλειαν καιροῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς αὐτὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐν ὄχλῳ πολλῷ καὶ ἐν χρήμασι πολλοῖς

14 καὶ ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς ἐκείνοις διάνοιαι ἀναστήσονται ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσει τὰ πεπτωκότα τοῦ ἔθνους σου καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς τὸ ἀναστῆσαι τὴν προφητείαν καὶ προσκόψουσι

15 καὶ ἐπελεύσεται βασιλεὺς βορρᾶ καὶ ἐπιστρέψει τὰ δόρατα αὐτοῦ καὶ λήψεται τὴν πόλιν τὴν ὀχυράν καὶ οἱ βραχίονες βασιλέως αἰγύπτου στήσονται μετὰ τῶν δυναστῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῷ ἰσχὺς εἰς τὸ ἀντιστῆναι αὐτῷ

16 καὶ ποιήσει ὁ εἰσπορευόμενος ἐπ' αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἀνθεστηκὼς ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ καὶ στήσεται ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ ἐπιτελεσθήσεται πάντα ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ

17 καὶ δώσει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπελθεῖν βίᾳ πᾶν τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ καὶ συνθήκας μετ' αὐτοῦ ποιήσεται καὶ θυγατέρα ἀνθρώπου δώσει αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ φθεῖραι αὐτήν καὶ οὐ πείσεται καὶ οὐκ ἔσται

18 καὶ δώσει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ λήψεται πολλοὺς καὶ ἐπιστρέψει ὀργὴν ὀνειδισμοῦ αὐτῶν ἐν ὅρκῳ κατὰ τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ

19 ἐπιστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ κατισχῦσαι τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκόψει καὶ πεσεῖται καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται

20 καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτοῦ φυτὸν βασιλείας εἰς ἀνάστασιν ἀνὴρ τύπτων δόξαν βασιλέως καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις ἐσχάταις συντριβήσεται καὶ οὐκ ἐν ὀργῇ οὐδὲ ἐν πολέμῳ

21 καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ εὐκαταφρόνητος καὶ οὐ δοθήσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν δόξα βασιλέως καὶ ἥξει ἐξάπινα κατισχύσει βασιλεὺς ἐν κληροδοσίᾳ αὐτοῦ

22 καὶ τοὺς βραχίονας τοὺς συντριβέντας συντρίψει ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ

23 καὶ μετὰ τῆς διαθήκης καὶ δήμου συνταγέντος μετ' αὐτοῦ ποιήσει ψεῦδος καὶ ἐπὶ ἔθνος ἰσχυρὸν ἐν ὀλιγοστῷ ἔθνει

24 ἐξάπινα ἐρημώσει πόλιν καὶ ποιήσει ὅσα οὐκ ἐποίησαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ οἱ πατέρες τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ προνομὴν καὶ σκῦλα καὶ χρήματα αὐτοῖς δώσει καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἰσχυρὰν διανοηθήσεται καὶ οἱ λογισμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς μάτην

25 καὶ ἐγερθήσεται ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα αἰγύπτου ἐν ὄχλῳ πολλῷ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αἰγύπτου ἐρεθισθήσεται εἰς πόλεμον ἐν ὄχλῳ ἰσχυρῷ σφόδρα λίαν καὶ οὐ στήσεται ὅτι διανοηθήσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν διανοίᾳ

26 καὶ καταναλώσουσιν αὐτὸν μέριμναι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποστρέψουσιν αὐτόν καὶ παρελεύσεται καὶ κατασυριεῖ καὶ πεσοῦνται τραυματίαι πολλοί

27 καὶ δύο βασιλεῖς μόνοι δειπνήσουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μιᾶς τραπέζης φάγονται καὶ ψευδολογήσουσι καὶ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσονται ἔτι γὰρ συντέλεια εἰς καιρόν

28 καὶ ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ ἐν χρήμασι πολλοῖς καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ ἁγίου ποιήσει καὶ ἐπιστρέψει ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ

29 εἰς καιρόν καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς αἴγυπτον καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὡς ἡ πρώτη καὶ ἡ ἐσχάτη

30 καὶ ἥξουσι ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἐξώσουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμβριμήσονται αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπιστρέψει καὶ ὀργισθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ποιήσει καὶ ἐπιστρέψει καὶ διανοηθήσεται ἐπ' αὐτούς ἀνθ' ὧν ἐγκατέλιπον τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ ἁγίου

31 καὶ βραχίονες παρ' αὐτοῦ στήσονται καὶ μιανοῦσι τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ φόβου καὶ ἀποστήσουσι τὴν θυσίαν καὶ δώσουσι βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως

32 καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις διαθήκης μιανοῦσιν ἐν σκληρῷ λαῷ καὶ ὁ δῆμος ὁ γινώσκων ταῦτα κατισχύσουσι καὶ ποιήσουσι

33 καὶ ἐννοούμενοι τοῦ ἔθνους συνήσουσιν εἰς πολλούς καὶ προσκόψουσι ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ παλαιωθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ καὶ ἐν προνομῇ ἡμερῶν κηλιδωθήσονται

34 καὶ ὅταν συντρίβωνται συνάξουσιν ἰσχὺν βραχεῖαν καὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται ἐπ' αὐτοὺς πολλοὶ ἐπὶ πόλεως καὶ πολλοὶ ὡς ἐν κληροδοσίᾳ

35 καὶ ἐκ τῶν συνιέντων διανοηθήσονται εἰς τὸ καθαρίσαι ἑαυτοὺς καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐκλεγῆναι καὶ εἰς τὸ καθαρισθῆναι ἕως καιροῦ συντελείας ἔτι γὰρ καιρὸς εἰς ὥρας

36 καὶ ποιήσει κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ παροργισθήσεται καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἐπὶ πάντα θεὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν τῶν θεῶν ἔξαλλα λαλήσει καὶ εὐοδωθήσεται ἕως ἂν συντελεσθῇ ἡ ὀργή εἰς αὐτὸν γὰρ συντέλεια γίνεται

37 καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ προνοηθῇ καὶ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ γυναικὸς οὐ μὴ προνοηθῇ ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ὑψωθήσεται καὶ ὑποταγήσεται αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἰσχυρά

38 ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ κινήσει καὶ θεόν ὃν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτοῦ τιμήσει ἐν χρυσίῳ καὶ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ λίθῳ πολυτελεῖ καὶ ἐν ἐπιθυμήμασι

39 ποιήσει πόλεων καὶ εἰς ὀχύρωμα ἰσχυρὸν ἥξει μετὰ θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίου οὗ ἐὰν ἐπιγνῷ πληθυνεῖ δόξαν καὶ κατακυριεύσει αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ χώραν ἀπομεριεῖ εἰς δωρεάν

40 καὶ καθ' ὥραν συντελείας συγκερατισθήσεται αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐποργισθήσεται αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς βορρᾶ ἐν ἅρμασι καὶ ἐν ἵπποις πολλοῖς καὶ ἐν πλοίοις πολλοῖς καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς χώραν αἰγύπτου

41 καὶ ἐπελεύσεται εἰς τὴν χώραν μου

42 καὶ ἐν χώρᾳ αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῇ διασῳζόμενος

43 καὶ κρατήσει τοῦ τόπου τοῦ χρυσίου καὶ τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αἰγύπτου καὶ λίβυες καὶ αἰθίοπες ἔσονται ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ αὐτοῦ

44 καὶ ἀκοὴ ταράξει αὐτὸν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐν θυμῷ ἰσχυρῷ καὶ ῥομφαίᾳ ἀφανίσαι καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι πολλούς

45 καὶ στήσει αὐτοῦ τὴν σκηνὴν τότε ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν θαλασσῶν καὶ τοῦ ὄρους τῆς θελήσεως τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἥξει ὥρα τῆς συντελείας αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ βοηθῶν αὐτῷ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1066

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1066. That 'from them the whole earth was overspread' means that from these three all doctrines have been derived, both true and false, is clear from the meaning of 'the earth'. In the Word 'the earth' has various meanings. In the universal sense it stands for the place or region where the Church is or once was, for example, the land of Canaan, the land of Judah, the land of Israel. It thus stands in that universal sense for every member of the Church, for a land takes its name from the people who inhabit it, as is also well known from everyday speech. In ancient times therefore when people spoke of 'the whole earth' they did not mean every land throughout the world but only that part of the earth where the Church existed, and so the Church itself, as becomes clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Jehovah is emptying the earth, the earth will be utterly emptied. The earth will mourn and be turned upside down. And the earth will be polluted under its inhabitants. Therefore a curse will devour the earth, therefore the inhabitants of the earth will be scorched and few men left. The floodgates from on high have been opened, and the foundations of the earth have been shaken. The earth has been utterly broken. The earth has been utterly rent asunder. The earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers altogether like a drunken man, and sways to and fro like a hut. Its transgression will lie heavily upon it, and it will fall, and it will not rise again. Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 18-21.

'Earth' stands for the people inhabiting it, in particular the people of the Church, and so stands for the Church itself, and the things that are the Church's that have been vastated. These when being vastated are spoken of as 'being emptied', 'being shaken', 'staggering like a drunken man', 'swaying', 'falling and not rising'.

[2] That 'earth' or 'land' means man, and consequently the Church which is made up of men, is seen in Malachi,

All the nations will declare you blessed, for you will be a land of delight. Malachi 3:12.

That 'the earth' stands for the Church is seen in Isaiah,

Do you not understand the foundations of the earth? Isaiah 40:21.

Here 'foundations of the earth' stands for the foundations of the Church. In the same prophet,

Behold I am creating new heavens and a new earth. Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Revelation 21:1.

'New heavens and a new earth' stands for the Lord's kingdom and the Church. In Zechariah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

'Earth' stands for the Church, as in earlier chapters,

In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Genesis 1:1.

The heavens and the earth were finished. Genesis 2:1.

These are the generations of heaven and earth. Genesis 2:4.

In each instance 'earth' stands for the Church being 'created', 'formed', and 'made'. In Joel,

The earth quaked before Him, the heavens trembled. The sun and the moon were darkened. Joel 2:10.

'Earth' stands for the Church, and for the things that are the Church's. When these things are being vastated, 'heaven and earth' are said to quake, 'the sun and moon' to grow dark, that is, love and faith.

[3] In Jeremiah,

I looked to the earth, when behold, that which is void and empty; and to the heavens, and they had no light. Jeremiah 4:23.

Here 'the earth' plainly stands for the person who does not have anything of the Church within him. In the same prophet,

The whole earth will be desolate, yet I will not bring it to a close. For this the earth will mourn and the heavens be black. Jeremiah 4:27, 18.

Here likewise the Church is meant, whose exterior things are 'the earth' and interior 'the heavens'. These are referred to as 'being black and having no light' when there is no longer any wisdom arising from good or intelligence from truth. In that case the earth is also 'void and empty', as is the member of the Church who ought to be an embodiment of the Church. That 'the whole earth' is also used in other places to mean the Church alone is seen in Daniel,

The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it in pieces. Daniel 7:23.

'The whole earth' stands for the Church and for the things that are the Church's; for the Word does not deal, as secular authors do, with the powers of monarchs, but with sacred matters, and with states of the Church, which are meant by 'kingdoms of the earth'.

[4] In Jeremiah,

A great tempest will be raised up from the sides of the earth, and the slain 1 of Jehovah on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. Jeremiah 25:32, 33.

Here 'from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth' stands for the Church and for everything that is the Church's. In Isaiah,

The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they burst into cries of joy. Isaiah 14:7.

Here 'the whole earth' stands for the Church.

In Ezekiel,

As the whole earth rejoices. Ezekiel 35:14.

Here too 'the whole earth' stands for the Church.

In Isaiah,

I swore that the waters of Noah should go no more over the earth. Isaiah 54:9.

Here 'the earth' stands for the Church since the Church is the subject here. Because in the Word the earth means the Church it also means what is not the Church, for every such expression has a contrary or opposite sense. This applies, for example, to the various lands of the gentiles, in general to all lands outside the land of Canaan. 'Land' also stands therefore for the people and for the individual outside of the Church, and from this for the external man - for his will, for his proprium, and so on.

[5] In the Word 'earth' rarely stands for the whole world except when it is used to mean the state of the whole human race, whether of the Church or not of the Church. And because the earth includes the ground, which also means the Church, and the ground includes the field, the expression 'earth', entailing many things, has many meanings. But what it means is evident from the subject under discussion to which it refers. From this it now becomes clear that here 'the whole earth was overspread by the sons of Noah' does not mean the whole world, that is, the whole human race, but all doctrines, both true and false, which Churches possessed.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the pierced

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

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