New Christian Bible Study

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 28

Study

   

1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου εἰπὸν τῷ ἄρχοντι τύρου τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀνθ' ὧν ὑψώθη σου ἡ καρδία καὶ εἶπας θεός εἰμι ἐγώ κατοικίαν θεοῦ κατῴκηκα ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης σὺ δὲ εἶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐ θεὸς καὶ ἔδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς καρδίαν θεοῦ

3 μὴ σοφώτερος εἶ σὺ τοῦ δανιηλ σοφοὶ οὐκ ἐπαίδευσάν σε τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ αὐτῶν

4 μὴ ἐν τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ σου ἢ ἐν τῇ φρονήσει σου ἐποίησας σεαυτῷ δύναμιν καὶ χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς σου

5 ἐν τῇ πολλῇ ἐπιστήμῃ σου καὶ ἐμπορίᾳ σου ἐπλήθυνας δύναμίν σου ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου

6 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐπειδὴ δέδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς καρδίαν θεοῦ

7 ἀντὶ τούτου ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ ἀλλοτρίους λοιμοὺς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐκκενώσουσιν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἐπιστήμης σου καὶ στρώσουσιν τὸ κάλλος σου εἰς ἀπώλειαν

8 καὶ καταβιβάσουσίν σε καὶ ἀποθανῇ θανάτῳ τραυματιῶν ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης

9 μὴ λέγων ἐρεῖς θεός εἰμι ἐγώ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀναιρούντων σε σὺ δὲ εἶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐ θεός ἐν πλήθει

10 ἀπεριτμήτων ἀπολῇ ἐν χερσὶν ἀλλοτρίων ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐλάλησα λέγει κύριος

11 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

12 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου λαβὲ θρῆνον ἐπὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα τύρου καὶ εἰπὸν αὐτῷ τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος σὺ ἀποσφράγισμα ὁμοιώσεως καὶ στέφανος κάλλους

13 ἐν τῇ τρυφῇ τοῦ παραδείσου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγενήθης πᾶν λίθον χρηστὸν ἐνδέδεσαι σάρδιον καὶ τοπάζιον καὶ σμάραγδον καὶ ἄνθρακα καὶ σάπφειρον καὶ ἴασπιν καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ λιγύριον καὶ ἀχάτην καὶ ἀμέθυστον καὶ χρυσόλιθον καὶ βηρύλλιον καὶ ὀνύχιον καὶ χρυσίου ἐνέπλησας τοὺς θησαυρούς σου καὶ τὰς ἀποθήκας σου ἐν σοὶ ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἐκτίσθης σύ

14 μετὰ τοῦ χερουβ ἔθηκά σε ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ θεοῦ ἐγενήθης ἐν μέσῳ λίθων πυρίνων

15 ἐγενήθης ἄμωμος σὺ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας σὺ ἐκτίσθης ἕως εὑρέθη τὰ ἀδικήματα ἐν σοί

16 ἀπὸ πλήθους τῆς ἐμπορίας σου ἔπλησας τὰ ταμίειά σου ἀνομίας καὶ ἥμαρτες καὶ ἐτραυματίσθης ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἤγαγέν σε τὸ χερουβ ἐκ μέσου λίθων πυρίνων

17 ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει σου διεφθάρη ἡ ἐπιστήμη σου μετὰ τοῦ κάλλους σου διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἔρριψά σε ἐναντίον βασιλέων ἔδωκά σε παραδειγματισθῆναι

18 διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου καὶ τῶν ἀδικιῶν τῆς ἐμπορίας σου ἐβεβήλωσας τὰ ἱερά σου καὶ ἐξάξω πῦρ ἐκ μέσου σου τοῦτο καταφάγεταί σε καὶ δώσω σε εἰς σποδὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν ὁρώντων σε

19 καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐπιστάμενοί σε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν στυγνάσουσιν ἐπὶ σέ ἀπώλεια ἐγένου καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξεις ἔτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

20 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

21 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ σιδῶνα καὶ προφήτευσον ἐπ' αὐτὴν

22 καὶ εἰπόν τάδε λέγει κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σέ σιδών καὶ ἐνδοξασθήσομαι ἐν σοί καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ἐν τῷ ποιῆσαί με ἐν σοὶ κρίματα καὶ ἁγιασθήσομαι ἐν σοί

23 αἷμα καὶ θάνατος ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις σου καὶ πεσοῦνται τετραυματισμένοι ἐν μαχαίραις ἐν σοὶ περικύκλῳ σου καὶ γνώσονται διότι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος

24 καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται οὐκέτι τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ισραηλ σκόλοψ πικρίας καὶ ἄκανθα ὀδύνης ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν περικύκλῳ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀτιμασάντων αὐτούς καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος

25 τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος καὶ συνάξω τὸν ισραηλ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὗ διεσκορπίσθησαν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἁγιασθήσομαι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐνώπιον τῶν λαῶν καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν ἣν δέδωκα τῷ δούλῳ μου ιακωβ

26 καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐν ἐλπίδι καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν οἰκίας καὶ φυτεύσουσιν ἀμπελῶνας καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν ἐλπίδι ὅταν ποιήσω κρίμα ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀτιμάσασιν αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς κύκλῳ αὐτῶν καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #90

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

90. "'Which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.'" This symbolically means, inwardly in the truths of wisdom and faith.

In the midst means, symbolically, the inmost (nos. 44, 383), here within or inwardly. The Paradise of God symbolizes truths of wisdom and faith. Consequently the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God symbolizes the Lord accompanied by the goodness of love and charity inwardly in the truths of wisdom and faith. Good also exists inwardly within truths, for good is the essence of life, and truth is the consequent expression of life, as we showed many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom.

That the Paradise of God is the truth of wisdom and faith is apparent from the symbolic meaning of a garden in the Word. A garden there symbolizes wisdom and intelligence, because trees symbolize the people of the church, and their fruits goods of life. That is what the Garden of Eden symbolizes, for it describes the wisdom of Adam.

[2] The garden of God in Ezekiel has the same meaning:

With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself... You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering... (Ezekiel 28:4, 13)

The subject is Tyre, which symbolizes the church in respect to its concepts of truth and good, thus in respect to its intelligence. Accordingly it is said, "With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself." The precious stones which served as its covering symbolize truths of intelligence.

[3] In the same book:

Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon... The cedars in the garden of God did not hide it... No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty... All the trees of Eden envied it... in the garden of God. (Ezekiel 31:3, 8-9)

This is said of Egypt and Assyria, because Egypt symbolizes knowledge, and Assyria rationality, which leads to intelligence. A cedar has a similar symbolism.

But because Egypt's rationality led also to a conceit in its own intelligence, therefore it is said of it,

To which of the trees in Eden were you then likened in glory and greatness, when you were brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below, and you lay in the midst of the uncircumcised...? (Ezekiel 31:18)

The uncircumcised are people who lack the goodness of charity.

[4] In Isaiah:

...Jehovah will comfort Zion..., and make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. (Isaiah 51:3)

Zion there is the church. The wilderness and desert are a deficiency of truth and ignorance of it. Eden and the garden of God are wisdom and intelligence.

Wisdom and intelligence are also symbolically meant by a garden in Isaiah 58:11; 61:11, Jeremiah 31:12, Amos 9:14, and Numbers 24:6.

[5] A person of the church is also like a garden in respect to his intelligence when he possesses goodness of love from the Lord, because the spiritual warmth that enlivens him is love, and spiritual light is the resulting intelligence.

People know that these two, warmth and light, cause gardens in the world to bloom. It is the same in heaven. Paradisal gardens are seen in heaven, with trees bearing fruit in accordance with the inhabitants' wisdom that springs from their goodness of love from the Lord. But around people who possess intelligence without the goodness of love, no gardens are seen, but grass, while around those whose faith is divorced from charity, not even grass is seen, but sand.

  
/ 962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

©2024 New Christian Bible Study Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed from newchristianbiblestudy.org