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Ezekiel 37

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ χεὶρ κυρίου καὶ ἐξήγαγέν με ἐν πνεύματι κύριος καὶ ἔθηκέν με ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πεδίου καὶ τοῦτο ἦν μεστὸν ὀστέων ἀνθρωπίνων

2 καὶ περιήγαγέν με ἐπ' αὐτὰ κυκλόθεν κύκλῳ καὶ ἰδοὺ πολλὰ σφόδρα ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ πεδίου ξηρὰ σφόδρα

3 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου εἰ ζήσεται τὰ ὀστᾶ ταῦτα καὶ εἶπα κύριε σὺ ἐπίστῃ ταῦτα

4 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με προφήτευσον ἐπὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ταῦτα καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς τὰ ὀστᾶ τὰ ξηρά ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου

5 τάδε λέγει κύριος τοῖς ὀστέοις τούτοις ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φέρω εἰς ὑμᾶς πνεῦμα ζωῆς

6 καὶ δώσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς νεῦρα καὶ ἀνάξω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς σάρκας καὶ ἐκτενῶ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς δέρμα καὶ δώσω πνεῦμά μου εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ ζήσεσθε καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος

7 καὶ ἐπροφήτευσα καθὼς ἐνετείλατό μοι καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἐμὲ προφητεῦσαι καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμός καὶ προσήγαγε τὰ ὀστᾶ ἑκάτερον πρὸς τὴν ἁρμονίαν αὐτοῦ

8 καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπ' αὐτὰ νεῦρα καὶ σάρκες ἐφύοντο καὶ ἀνέβαινεν ἐπ' αὐτὰ δέρμα ἐπάνω καὶ πνεῦμα οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς

9 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με προφήτευσον υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ εἰπὸν τῷ πνεύματι τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων πνευμάτων ἐλθὲ καὶ ἐμφύσησον εἰς τοὺς νεκροὺς τούτους καὶ ζησάτωσαν

10 καὶ ἐπροφήτευσα καθότι ἐνετείλατό μοι καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτοὺς τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἔζησαν καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῶν συναγωγὴ πολλὴ σφόδρα

11 καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρός με λέγων υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου τὰ ὀστᾶ ταῦτα πᾶς οἶκος ισραηλ ἐστίν καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν ξηρὰ γέγονεν τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν διαπεφωνήκαμεν

12 διὰ τοῦτο προφήτευσον καὶ εἰπόν τάδε λέγει κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀνοίγω ὑμῶν τὰ μνήματα καὶ ἀνάξω ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν μνημάτων ὑμῶν καὶ εἰσάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ ισραηλ

13 καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ἐν τῷ ἀνοῖξαί με τοὺς τάφους ὑμῶν τοῦ ἀναγαγεῖν με ἐκ τῶν τάφων τὸν λαόν μου

14 καὶ δώσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ ζήσεσθε καὶ θήσομαι ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος λελάληκα καὶ ποιήσω λέγει κύριος

15 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

16 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου λαβὲ σεαυτῷ ῥάβδον καὶ γράψον ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὸν ιουδαν καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ισραηλ τοὺς προσκειμένους ἐπ' αὐτόν καὶ ῥάβδον δευτέραν λήμψῃ σεαυτῷ καὶ γράψεις αὐτήν τῷ ιωσηφ ῥάβδον εφραιμ καὶ πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς ισραηλ τοὺς προστεθέντας πρὸς αὐτόν

17 καὶ συνάψεις αὐτὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλας σαυτῷ εἰς ῥάβδον μίαν τοῦ δῆσαι αὐτάς καὶ ἔσονται ἐν τῇ χειρί σου

18 καὶ ἔσται ὅταν λέγωσιν πρὸς σὲ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἀναγγελεῖς ἡμῖν τί ἐστιν ταῦτά σοι

19 καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς τάδε λέγει κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ λήμψομαι τὴν φυλὴν ιωσηφ τὴν διὰ χειρὸς εφραιμ καὶ τὰς φυλὰς ισραηλ τὰς προσκειμένας πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν φυλὴν ιουδα καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ῥάβδον μίαν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ιουδα

20 καὶ ἔσονται αἱ ῥάβδοι ἐφ' αἷς σὺ ἔγραψας ἐπ' αὐταῖς ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν

21 καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ λαμβάνω πάντα οἶκον ισραηλ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ἐθνῶν οὗ εἰσήλθοσαν ἐκεῖ καὶ συνάξω αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν περικύκλῳ αὐτῶν καὶ εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ ισραηλ

22 καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς εἰς ἔθνος ἓν ἐν τῇ γῇ μου καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ισραηλ καὶ ἄρχων εἷς ἔσται αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται ἔτι εἰς δύο ἔθνη οὐδὲ μὴ διαιρεθῶσιν οὐκέτι εἰς δύο βασιλείας

23 ἵνα μὴ μιαίνωνται ἔτι ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν καὶ ῥύσομαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτῶν ὧν ἡμάρτοσαν ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ καθαριῶ αὐτούς καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν καὶ ἐγὼ κύριος ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς θεόν

24 καὶ ὁ δοῦλός μου δαυιδ ἄρχων ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν καὶ ποιμὴν εἷς ἔσται πάντων ὅτι ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασίν μου πορεύσονται καὶ τὰ κρίματά μου φυλάξονται καὶ ποιήσουσιν αὐτά

25 καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν ἣν ἐγὼ δέδωκα τῷ δούλῳ μου ιακωβ οὗ κατῴκησαν ἐκεῖ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπ' αὐτῆς αὐτοί καὶ δαυιδ ὁ δοῦλός μου ἄρχων αὐτῶν ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

26 καὶ διαθήσομαι αὐτοῖς διαθήκην εἰρήνης διαθήκη αἰωνία ἔσται μετ' αὐτῶν καὶ θήσω τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

27 καὶ ἔσται ἡ κατασκήνωσίς μου ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς θεός καὶ αὐτοί μου ἔσονται λαός

28 καὶ γνώσονται τὰ ἔθνη ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ ἁγιάζων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ εἶναι τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1888

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1888. To illustrate that the sense of the letter of the Word is representative of Divine arcana and is the receptacle of, and thus the storehouse containing, celestial and spiritual things which are the Lord's, let two examples be taken, which will consequently reveal the position with all else The first example shows that David is not used to mean David but the Lord, the second that names mean nothing other than real things. Of David the following is said in Ezekiel,

My servant David will be King over them, and they will all have one Shepherd. They will dwell in the land, they, and their sons, and their sons' sons even for ever. And David my servant will be their Prince for ever. Ezekiel 37:24-25.

And in Hosea,

The children of Israel will return and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king. Hosea 3:5.

These promises were written by prophets who lived later than David, yet it is explicitly stated by them that he 'will be' their king and prince. From this it may become clear to anyone that in the internal sense David means the Lord. The same applies in all other places, including the historical descriptions, where David is referred to by name.

[2] As regards the names of kingdoms, regions, cities, and men meaning real things, this becomes quite clear in the Prophets. Take this single example in Isaiah,

Thus said the Lord, Jehovih Zebaoth, Do not be afraid - O My people, inhabitant of Zion - of Asshur; he will smite you with a rod, and he will lift up the staff over you in the way of Egypt. Jehovah Zebaoth will lift up the scourge over him, as when Midian was smitten in the rock of Horeb, and his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up in the way of Egypt. He will come against Aiath; he will pass over into Migron; he will command his arms towards Michmash. They will cross the Mabarah. Geba will be a lodging-place for us. Hormah 1 will tremble. Gibeah of Saul will flee. Make a noise with your voice, O daughter of Gallim. Hearken, O Laish. Wail, O Anathoth. Madmenah will wander about. The inhabitants of Gebim will gather themselves together. This very day he is in Nob to stay. The mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem, will shake her fist. He will cut down the entangled boughs of the wood with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by a majestic one. Isaiah 10:24, 26-34.

[3] These verses include little more than mere names, which would not make any sense at all if, without exception, those names did not mean real things; and if the mind remained fixed on those names, no acknowledgement that it was the Word of the Lord would ever be made. But who is going to believe that all those names in the internal sense contain arcana of heaven? Or that through them the state of people is described who endeavour by means of reasonings based on facts to penetrate the mysteries of faith? Or that by means of each name some particular aspect of that state is described? Or that those reasonings are dispersed by the Lord by means of the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith? That 'Asshur' means reasoning, which is the subject in these verses from Isaiah, becomes quite clear from what has been shown regarding 'Asshur' in 119, 1186; and that 'Egypt' means factual knowledge, from what has been shown in 1164, 1165, 1462. See these paragraphs and consider whether or not this is true. It is the same with all other names, and with individual expressions.

Footnotes:

1. Swedenborg appears to have copied Hormah from the Schmidius Latin Bible. The Hebrew is Haramah which is generally rendered Ramah in Latin and English versions.

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