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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 #9854

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9854. 'With the work of slender rope' means the mode of the joining together. This is clear from the meaning of 'slender rope' as that which serves to join things together. The reason why 'slender rope' means that which so serves to join things together is that such a cord is used to join one object to another. But in this instance it means the mode of the joining together, for the narrative is saying that the small chains of pure gold had to be made 'with the work' of slender rope. 'Slender rope' is used in the original language to describe a cord made from twisted and intertwined work, by which is meant in the internal sense a joining together such as that of truths within known facts and interlinking such facts, thus a joining together in the natural or external memory. The reason why this kind of joining together is meant is that the subject at this point is the joining together of truths through good in the last and lowest parts of the spiritual kingdom. For 'the ephod' and 'the breastplate', to which [the shoulder-pieces] were joined by means of the small chains made from 'the work of slender rope', mean the lowest levels of the spiritual kingdom, 9824. As regards what is intertwined or tangled, that it denotes factual knowledge, see 2831.

[2] In the next life also ropes appear, varying in the ways in which their strands are twisted together and varying in thickness; and they represent the varying modes by which things are joined together. This explains also why in the Word things which serve to join others together are meant by 'ropes', as in the following places: In Isaiah,

Woe to those who draw iniquity with ropes of vanity, and [whose] sin is like a cart rope! Isaiah 5:18.

'Ropes of vanity' are joinings together of falsities, through which iniquity or evil in life is brought in. In the same prophet,

Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feast. May your eyes see Jerusalem, a quiet dwelling-place, a tent which will not be overthrown. Its pegs will never be removed, and none of its ropes will be pulled away. Your ropes have been loosed; they will not strengthen their mast. Isaiah 33:20, 23.

'Pegs' and 'ropes' stand for the things which serve to join together heaven's truths and forms of good; for the dwelling-place and tent, which the ropes spoken of here belong to, are heaven, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9615, 9784.

[3] In the same prophet,

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwelling-places; do not stop [them]. Lengthen your ropes, and make your pegs firm. Isaiah 54:2.

And in Jeremiah,

My tent has been laid waste, and all My ropes torn away. Jeremiah 10:20.

Here also 'ropes' stands for things that serve to join others together and make them firm. 'Tent' stands for the Church, which is the Lord's heaven on earth. In Hosea,

I drew them with ropes of human kindness, 1 with thick ropes of love. Hosea 11:4.

Here 'ropes' plainly stands for things which join others together; for love is spiritual togetherness. In Ezekiel,

Asshur and Kilmad, they were your traders with the treasures of garments tied by means of ropes. Ezekiel 27:23-24.

This refers to Tyre, by which cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth are meant, 1201. Outward joinings together of these are meant by 'garments tied by means of ropes'. In addition 'ropes' is also used in the Word to mean apportionments of inheritances and of the land, because ropes were used in measurements of them, as in Deuteronomy 32:9; Amos 7:17; Micah 2:4-5; Zechariah 2:1; Psalms 16:6; 78:55; 105:11; 140:5; and many times elsewhere.

Footnotes:

1. literally, with ropes of man (homo)

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