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Ezekiel 47

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1 καὶ εἰσήγαγέν με ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τοῦ οἴκου καὶ ἰδοὺ ὕδωρ ἐξεπορεύετο ὑποκάτωθεν τοῦ αἰθρίου κατ' ἀνατολάς ὅτι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ οἴκου ἔβλεπεν κατ' ἀνατολάς καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ κατέβαινεν ἀπὸ τοῦ κλίτους τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἀπὸ νότου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον

2 καὶ ἐξήγαγέν με κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς πύλης τῆς πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ περιήγαγέν με τὴν ὁδὸν ἔξωθεν πρὸς τὴν πύλην τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς βλεπούσης κατ' ἀνατολάς καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ ὕδωρ κατεφέρετο ἀπὸ τοῦ κλίτους τοῦ δεξιοῦ

3 καθὼς ἔξοδος ἀνδρὸς ἐξ ἐναντίας καὶ μέτρον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ διεμέτρησεν χιλίους ἐν τῷ μέτρῳ καὶ διῆλθεν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι ὕδωρ ἀφέσεως

4 καὶ διεμέτρησεν χιλίους καὶ διῆλθεν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι ὕδωρ ἕως τῶν μηρῶν καὶ διεμέτρησεν χιλίους καὶ διῆλθεν ὕδωρ ἕως ὀσφύος

5 καὶ διεμέτρησεν χιλίους καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο διελθεῖν ὅτι ἐξύβριζεν τὸ ὕδωρ ὡς ῥοῖζος χειμάρρου ὃν οὐ διαβήσονται

6 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με εἰ ἑώρακας υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἤγαγέν με ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ ποταμοῦ

7 ἐν τῇ ἐπιστροφῇ μου καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τοῦ χείλους τοῦ ποταμοῦ δένδρα πολλὰ σφόδρα ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν

8 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον εἰς τὴν γαλιλαίαν τὴν πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καὶ κατέβαινεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀραβίαν καὶ ἤρχετο ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς διεκβολῆς καὶ ὑγιάσει τὰ ὕδατα

9 καὶ ἔσται πᾶσα ψυχὴ τῶν ζῴων τῶν ἐκζεόντων ἐπὶ πάντα ἐφ' ἃ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ἐκεῖ ὁ ποταμός ζήσεται καὶ ἔσται ἐκεῖ ἰχθὺς πολὺς σφόδρα ὅτι ἥκει ἐκεῖ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο καὶ ὑγιάσει καὶ ζήσεται πᾶν ἐφ' ὃ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ὁ ποταμὸς ἐκεῖ ζήσεται

10 καὶ στήσονται ἐκεῖ ἁλεεῖς ἀπὸ αινγαδιν ἕως αιναγαλιμ ψυγμὸς σαγηνῶν ἔσται καθ' αὑτὴν ἔσται καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες αὐτῆς ὡς οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς μεγάλης πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα

11 καὶ ἐν τῇ διεκβολῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπιστροφῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ ὑπεράρσει αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ὑγιάσωσιν εἰς ἅλας δέδονται

12 καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τοῦ χείλους αὐτοῦ ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν πᾶν ξύλον βρώσιμον οὐ μὴ παλαιωθῇ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ὁ καρπὸς αὐτοῦ τῆς καινότητος αὐτοῦ πρωτοβολήσει διότι τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων ταῦτα ἐκπορεύεται καὶ ἔσται ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῶν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ἀνάβασις αὐτῶν εἰς ὑγίειαν

13 τάδε λέγει κύριος θεός ταῦτα τὰ ὅρια κατακληρονομήσετε τῆς γῆς ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ πρόσθεσις σχοινίσματος

14 καὶ κατακληρονομήσετε αὐτὴν ἕκαστος καθὼς ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς ἣν ἦρα τὴν χεῖρά μου τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτὴν τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν καὶ πεσεῖται ἡ γῆ αὕτη ὑμῖν ἐν κληρονομίᾳ

15 καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὅρια τῆς γῆς πρὸς βορρᾶν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς μεγάλης τῆς καταβαινούσης καὶ περισχιζούσης τῆς εἰσόδου ημαθ σεδδαδα

16 βηρωθα σεβραιμ ηλιαμ ἀνὰ μέσον ὁρίων δαμασκοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ὁρίων ημαθ αὐλὴ τοῦ σαυναν αἵ εἰσιν ἐπάνω τῶν ὁρίων αυρανίτιδος

17 ταῦτα τὰ ὅρια ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἀπὸ τῆς αὐλῆς τοῦ αιναν ὅρια δαμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ πρὸς βορρᾶν

18 καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς αυρανίτιδος καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον δαμασκοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γαλααδίτιδος καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γῆς τοῦ ισραηλ ὁ ιορδάνης διορίζει ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρὸς ἀνατολὰς φοινικῶνος ταῦτα τὰ πρὸς ἀνατολάς

19 καὶ τὰ πρὸς νότον καὶ λίβα ἀπὸ θαιμαν καὶ φοινικῶνος ἕως ὕδατος μαριμωθ καδης παρεκτεῖνον ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν μεγάλην τοῦτο τὸ μέρος νότος καὶ λίψ

20 τοῦτο τὸ μέρος τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς μεγάλης ὁρίζει ἕως κατέναντι τῆς εἰσόδου ημαθ ἕως εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ ταῦτά ἐστιν τὰ πρὸς θάλασσαν ημαθ

21 καὶ διαμερίσετε τὴν γῆν ταύτην αὐτοῖς ταῖς φυλαῖς τοῦ ισραηλ

22 βαλεῖτε αὐτὴν ἐν κλήρῳ ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς προσηλύτοις τοῖς παροικοῦσιν ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν οἵτινες ἐγέννησαν υἱοὺς ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν καὶ ἔσονται ὑμῖν ὡς αὐτόχθονες ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ ισραηλ μεθ' ὑμῶν φάγονται ἐν κληρονομίᾳ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν φυλῶν τοῦ ισραηλ

23 καὶ ἔσονται ἐν φυλῇ προσηλύτων ἐν τοῖς προσηλύτοις τοῖς μετ' αὐτῶν ἐκεῖ δώσετε κληρονομίαν αὐτοῖς λέγει κύριος θεός

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #885

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885. That 'a leaf' means truth is clear from various places in the Word, where man is compared to or actually called a tree. 'Fruit' in those contexts means the good that stems from charity, and 'leaf' the truth deriving from this, for these are indeed like fruit and leaves, as in Ezekiel,

Beside the river there is rising up upon its bank, on this side and on that, every tree for food, whose leaf does not fall, nor its fruit fail, but is reborn monthly, for its waters flow out from the Sanctuary, and its fruit will be for food, and its leaf for medicine. Ezekiel 47:11; Revelation 22:1.

Here 'tree' stands for the member of the Church who has the Lord's kingdom within him, 'fruit' stands for the good that stems from love and charity, 'leaf' for truths deriving from that good which serve to instruct the human race and to regenerate it. And because truths do this the leaf is said to be 'for medicine'. In the same prophet,

Will He not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit so that it withers? And all the plucked off (leaves) from its off-shoot will wither. Ezekiel 17:9.

The subject here is the vine, which is the Church, when it has been vastated, whose good, which is 'the fruit', and its truth, which is that 'plucked off from its off-shoot', thus wither away.

[2] In Jeremiah,

Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah. He will be like a tree planted beside the waters. His leaf will be green, and in the year of scarcity he will not be anxious. Nor will he cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8.

'Green leaf' stands for the truth of faith, and so for faith itself which derives from charity. The same applies in David, Psalms 1:3. In the same prophet,

There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and its leaf has fallen. Jeremiah 8:13.

'Grapes on the vine' stands for spiritual good, 'figs on the fig tree' for natural good, 'leaf' for truth, which has accordingly fallen. Likewise in Isaiah 34:4. Similar things were meant by 'the fig tree' that Jesus saw, which was made to wither away when He found nothing but leaves on it, Matthew 21:20; Mark 11:13-14. The Jewish Church in particular was what 'the fig tree' was used to mean on that occasion. With this Church no natural good existed any longer, only that preserved with them which was meant by 'a leaf', namely doctrine, or truth, concerning faith. A Church that has been vastated is one that knows truth but has no wish to understand it. They are like people who say they know the truth, or matters of faith, but who possess no good at all that stems from charity. They are merely 'fig leaves', and they wither away.

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

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