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Ezekiel 27

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου λαβὲ ἐπὶ σορ θρῆνον

3 καὶ ἐρεῖς τῇ σορ τῇ κατοικούσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς θαλάσσης τῷ ἐμπορίῳ τῶν λαῶν ἀπὸ νήσων πολλῶν τάδε λέγει κύριος τῇ σορ σὺ εἶπας ἐγὼ περιέθηκα ἐμαυτῇ κάλλος μου

4 ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης τῷ βεελιμ υἱοί σου περιέθηκάν σοι κάλλος

5 κέδρος ἐκ σανιρ ᾠκοδομήθη σοι ταινίαι σανίδων κυπαρίσσου ἐκ τοῦ λιβάνου ἐλήμφθησαν τοῦ ποιῆσαί σοι ἱστοὺς ἐλατίνους

6 ἐκ τῆς βασανίτιδος ἐποίησαν τὰς κώπας σου τὰ ἱερά σου ἐποίησαν ἐξ ἐλέφαντος οἴκους ἀλσώδεις ἀπὸ νήσων τῶν χεττιιν

7 βύσσος μετὰ ποικιλίας ἐξ αἰγύπτου ἐγένετό σοι στρωμνὴ τοῦ περιθεῖναί σοι δόξαν καὶ περιβαλεῖν σε ὑάκινθον καὶ πορφύραν ἐκ τῶν νήσων ελισαι καὶ ἐγένετο περιβόλαιά σου

8 καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντές σου οἱ κατοικοῦντες σιδῶνα καὶ αράδιοι ἐγένοντο κωπηλάται σου οἱ σοφοί σου σορ οἳ ἦσαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι κυβερνῆταί σου

9 οἱ πρεσβύτεροι βυβλίων καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ αὐτῶν ἦσαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι ἐνίσχυον τὴν βουλήν σου καὶ πάντα τὰ πλοῖα τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ οἱ κωπηλάται αὐτῶν ἐγένοντό σοι ἐπὶ δυσμὰς δυσμῶν

10 πέρσαι καὶ λυδοὶ καὶ λίβυες ἦσαν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου ἄνδρες πολεμισταί σου πέλτας καὶ περικεφαλαίας ἐκρέμασαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι ἔδωκαν τὴν δόξαν σου

11 υἱοὶ αραδίων καὶ ἡ δύναμίς σου ἐπὶ τῶν τειχέων σου φύλακες ἐν τοῖς πύργοις σου ἦσαν τὰς φαρέτρας αὐτῶν ἐκρέμασαν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρμων σου κύκλῳ οὗτοι ἐτελείωσάν σου τὸ κάλλος

12 καρχηδόνιοι ἔμποροί σου ἀπὸ πλήθους πάσης ἰσχύος σου ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ σίδηρον καὶ κασσίτερον καὶ μόλυβον ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

13 ἡ ἑλλὰς καὶ ἡ σύμπασα καὶ τὰ παρατείνοντα οὗτοι ἐνεπορεύοντό σοι ἐν ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων καὶ σκεύη χαλκᾶ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἐμπορίαν σου

14 ἐξ οἴκου θεργαμα ἵππους καὶ ἱππεῖς ἔδωκαν ἀγοράν σου

15 υἱοὶ ῥοδίων ἔμποροί σου ἀπὸ νήσων ἐπλήθυναν τὴν ἐμπορίαν σου ὀδόντας ἐλεφαντίνους καὶ τοῖς εἰσαγομένοις ἀντεδίδους τοὺς μισθούς σου

16 ἀνθρώπους ἐμπορίαν σου ἀπὸ πλήθους τοῦ συμμίκτου σου στακτὴν καὶ ποικίλματα ἐκ θαρσις καὶ ραμωθ καὶ χορχορ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

17 ιουδας καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ισραηλ οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου ἐν σίτου πράσει καὶ μύρων καὶ κασίας καὶ πρῶτον μέλι καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ ῥητίνην ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸν σύμμικτόν σου

18 δαμασκὸς ἔμπορός σου ἐκ πλήθους πάσης δυνάμεώς σου οἶνος ἐκ χελβων καὶ ἔρια ἐκ μιλήτου

19 καὶ οἶνον εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν σου ἔδωκαν ἐξ ασηλ σίδηρος εἰργασμένος καὶ τροχὸς ἐν τῷ συμμίκτῳ σού ἐστιν

20 δαιδαν ἔμποροί σου μετὰ κτηνῶν ἐκλεκτῶν εἰς ἅρματα

21 ἡ ἀραβία καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες κηδαρ οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου διὰ χειρός σου καμήλους καὶ κριοὺς καὶ ἀμνοὺς ἐν οἷς ἐμπορεύονταί σε

22 ἔμποροι σαβα καὶ ραγμα οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου μετὰ πρώτων ἡδυσμάτων καὶ λίθων χρηστῶν καὶ χρυσίον ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

23 χαρραν καὶ χαννα οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου ασσουρ καὶ χαρμαν ἔμποροί σου

24 φέροντες ἐμπορίαν ὑάκινθον καὶ θησαυροὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς δεδεμένους σχοινίοις καὶ κυπαρίσσινα

25 πλοῖα ἐν αὐτοῖς καρχηδόνιοι ἔμποροί σου ἐν τῷ πλήθει ἐν τῷ συμμίκτῳ σου καὶ ἐνεπλήσθης καὶ ἐβαρύνθης σφόδρα ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης

26 ἐν ὕδατι πολλῷ ἦγόν σε οἱ κωπηλάται σου τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ νότου συνέτριψέν σε ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης

27 ἦσαν δυνάμεις σου καὶ ὁ μισθός σου καὶ τῶν συμμίκτων σου καὶ οἱ κωπηλάται σου καὶ οἱ κυβερνῆταί σου καὶ οἱ σύμβουλοί σου καὶ οἱ σύμμικτοί σου ἐκ τῶν συμμίκτων σου καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ πολεμισταί σου οἱ ἐν σοὶ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγή σου ἐν μέσῳ σου πεσοῦνται ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς πτώσεώς σου

28 πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κραυγῆς σου οἱ κυβερνῆταί σου φόβῳ φοβηθήσονται

29 καὶ καταβήσονται ἀπὸ τῶν πλοίων πάντες οἱ κωπηλάται σου καὶ οἱ ἐπιβάται καὶ οἱ πρωρεῖς τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν στήσονται

30 καὶ ἀλαλάξουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ τῇ φωνῇ αὐτῶν καὶ κεκράξονται πικρὸν καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσονται

32 καὶ λήμψονται οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ θρῆνον καὶ θρήνημά σοι

33 πόσον τινὰ εὗρες μισθὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐνέπλησας ἔθνη ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους σου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ συμμίκτου σου ἐπλούτισας πάντας βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς

34 νῦν συνετρίβης ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἐν βάθει ὕδατος ὁ σύμμικτός σου καὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγή σου ἐν μέσῳ σου ἔπεσον πάντες οἱ κωπηλάται σου

35 πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὰς νήσους ἐστύγνασαν ἐπὶ σέ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἐκστάσει ἐξέστησαν καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν

36 ἔμποροι ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν ἐσύρισάν σε ἀπώλεια ἐγένου καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9470

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9470. 'And wool of she-goats' means the good from this, that is to say, from the good of mutual love. The reason why 'wool of she-goats' means this good is that 'a she-goat' means the good of innocence in the external or natural man, 3519, 7840, and therefore 'wool' means the truth belonging to that good. However, since not truth but good is meant, the original language does not actually say 'wool of she-goats', only 'she-goats', as is also the case in other places, such as in the following words in Exodus,

All the skilled 1 women brought what they had spun, violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, [and] fine linen thread; and all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun she-goats. Exodus 35:25-26.

'Spinning she-goats' stands for producing things woven from the wool of she-goats.

[2] The fact that 'wool' means truth from a celestial origin, which in itself is good, is clear from places in the Word where the actual word is used, as in Hosea,

[Their mother has committed whoredom.] She said, I will go after my lovers, those giving me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen. Therefore I will return and take back My grain in its season, and I will snatch away My wool and My linen. Hosea 2:5, 9.

This refers to a corrupted Church, meant here by 'mother'. 'The lovers' with whom she is said to have committed whoredom are those who pervert forms of good and truths. 'Bread' and 'water' mean internal forms of the good of love, and the internal truths of faith; 'wool' and 'flax' mean external ones.

[3] In Daniel,

I saw until thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. Daniel 7:9.

This refers to the Church laid waste so far as every truth of faith was concerned, and then restored by the Lord, its having been completely laid waste being meant in the words 'thrones were placed'. 'The Ancient of Days' is the Lord in respect of celestial good as this existed in the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial Church. In the Word that good is called 'ancient', its external truth being meant by clothing which was 'white as snow', and its external good by hair of the head which was 'like pure wool'. Similar words occur in John,

... in the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man. His head and hair were white, like white wool, like snow. Revelation 1:13-14.

[4] This kind of truth, being in itself good because it is the outward form of celestial good, is again meant by 'wool' in Ezekiel,

Damascus was your merchant in the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zachar. 2 Ezekiel 27:18.

And in Isaiah,

Though your sins are like twice-dyed, they will be as white as snow. Though they are as red as scarlet, they will be as wool. Isaiah 1:18.

[5] Because Aaron's garments represented the kinds of realities that belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, thus the spiritual realities that belong to truth, his 'holy garments' were made of linen and not of wool. For 'linen' is spiritual truth, whereas 'wool' is celestial truth, which in comparison is good. On this account it says in Ezekiel,

The priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, when they enter the gates of the inner court they shall put on the linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them. The linen turbans shall be on their heads, the linen undergarments shall be over their loins. Ezekiel 44:17-18.

The fact that Aaron's garments were made not of wool but of linen is clear from Leviticus 16:4, 32.

[6] From all this it becomes clear that 'linen' means spiritual truth, which is the truth of the good of faith, whereas 'wool' means celestial truth, which is the truth of the good of love. And since those endued with the latter kind of truth cannot be endued with the former, because the two are as different as the light of the sun is from the light of the stars, it was laid down that no one should wear a garment made of wool and linen mixed together, Deuteronomy 22:10-11. The fact that between what is celestial and what is spiritual there is such a difference, and that both cannot be together in one and the same person, see the places referred to in 9277.

Footnotes:

1. literally, wise

2. The Hebrew word which Swedenborg, following the Latin version of Sebastian Schmidt, renders Zachar is not usually considered to be a proper name.

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

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