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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 #9207

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9207. 'And your sons orphans' means that at the same time truths will do so, that is to say, will perish. This is clear from the meaning of 'orphans' as those who possess truth but not as yet good, and still have a desire for good, dealt with in 9199, at this point those who have truth but no desire for good, thus those with whom truths perish; for it is speaking about evil people whose sons will become orphans. The fact that truths perish with those who have no desire for good is evident from what has been stated immediately above in 9206 regarding goodness and truth when joined together. But something further must be stated regarding that joining together. Truths that have been joined to good always hold within them a desire to do good, and at the same time to be joined more closely to good by doing it. Or what amounts to the same thing, those who possess truths always have a desire to do good and to join it thereby to their truths. People therefore who think that they are in possession of truths but who have no desire to do good do not in fact possess truths; that is, they have no belief in them, however much they imagine they do have.

[2] Their condition is portrayed by the Lord when He speaks of 'salt', in Matthew,

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt is tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It no longer has any use, except to be thrown outdoors and trodden down by people. Matthew 5:13-14.

The Lord says these things to the disciples and to the people. By 'the salt of the earth' He means the Church's truth that has a desire for good, and by 'tasteless salt' He means truth devoid of any desire for good. The fact that such truth is worthless is portrayed by the idea of salt which has become tasteless and no longer has any use, except to be thrown outdoors and trodden down by people. Having a desire for good means having a desire to do good and thereby be joined to good.

[3] In Mark,

Everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes tasteless, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and seek 1 peace with one another. Mark 9:49-50.

'Being salted with fire' means good that has a desire for truth, and 'being salted with salt' truth that has a desire for good. 'Tasteless salt' is truth devoid of any desire for good; 'having salt in oneself' means possessing that desire.

[4] In Luke,

Any of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt is made tasteless, by what will it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill; people throw it outdoors. Luke 14:33-35.

Here 'salt' in a similar way stands for truth that has a desire for good, and 'tasteless salt' for truth that is devoid of any desire for good, 'unfit for the land or for the dunghill' standing for its total inability to serve any use, good or bad. People possessing such truth are called the lukewarm, as is evident from the words immediately before, stating that a person cannot be the Lord's disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions, that is, if he does not love the Lord above all things. For those loving the Lord and also themselves equally are the ones who are called the lukewarm and who are unfit to serve any use, good or bad.

[5] In Moses,

Every offering of your minchah shall be salted with salt; you shall not leave the salt of the covenant of your God off your minchah. 2 On all your offerings you shall offer salt. Leviticus 2:13.

Salt in every offering was a sign that truth's desire for good and good's desire for truth should be present in all worship. This also explains why this salt is called 'the salt of God's covenant'; for 'a covenant' is a joining together, 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037, 6804, 8767, 8778, and 'salt' is the desire for the joining together.

[6] When each desires to be joined to the other, that is, good to truth and truth to good, they look towards each other. But when truth tears itself away from good, they turn away from each other and look backwards or behind themselves. This is what is meant in Luke by Lot's wife who had become a pillar of salt,

Whoever will be on the housetop with his vessels in the house, let him not come down to take them away; and whoever is in the field likewise, let him not return to the things behind him. Remember Lot's wife. Luke 17:31-32.

This means looking behind oneself or backwards, see 3652, 5895 (end), 5897, 7857, 7923, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8516.

[7] One reason why 'salt' means the desire truth possesses is that salt renders land fertile and makes food tasteful, and another reason is that salt contains a fiery property and at the same time a conjunctive power, even as truth contains a burning desire for good and at the same time a conjunctive power. 'A pillar of salt' is a separation from truth, for 'salt' in the contrary sense means truth that has been destroyed and laid waste, as in Zephaniah 2:9; Ezekiel 47:11; Jeremiah 17:6; Psalms 107:33-34; Deuteronomy 29:23; Judges 9:45; 2 Kings 2:19-22.

These matters have been introduced so that people may know what truth's desire for good is, and what good's desire for truth is, meant by 'orphan' and 'widow'.

Footnotes:

1. literally, cultivate

2. literally, you shall not cause to cease the salt of the covenant of your God upon your minchah

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