The Bible

 

Ezekiel 8

Study

   

1 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ ἔτει ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ μηνὶ πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς ἐγὼ ἐκαθήμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ιουδα ἐκάθηντο ἐνώπιόν μου καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ χεὶρ κυρίου

2 καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁμοίωμα ἀνδρός ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕως κάτω πῦρ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ὑπεράνω ὡς ὅρασις ἠλέκτρου

3 καὶ ἐξέτεινεν ὁμοίωμα χειρὸς καὶ ἀνέλαβέν με τῆς κορυφῆς μου καὶ ἀνέλαβέν με πνεῦμα ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἤγαγέν με εἰς ιερουσαλημ ἐν ὁράσει θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς πύλης τῆς ἐσωτέρας τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς βορρᾶν οὗ ἦν ἡ στήλη τοῦ κτωμένου

4 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ ἦν δόξα κυρίου θεοῦ ισραηλ κατὰ τὴν ὅρασιν ἣν εἶδον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ

5 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ ἀνέβλεψα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀπὸ βορρᾶ ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν πρὸς ἀνατολάς

6 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἑώρακας τί οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν ἀνομίας μεγάλας ποιοῦσιν ὧδε τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου καὶ ἔτι ὄψει ἀνομίας μείζονας

7 καὶ εἰσήγαγέν με ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς αὐλῆς

8 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ὄρυξον καὶ ὤρυξα καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα μία

9 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με εἴσελθε καὶ ἰδὲ τὰς ἀνομίας ἃς οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν ὧδε

10 καὶ εἰσῆλθον καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ μάταια βδελύγματα καὶ πάντα τὰ εἴδωλα οἴκου ισραηλ διαγεγραμμένα ἐπ' αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ

11 καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οἴκου ισραηλ καὶ ιεζονιας ὁ τοῦ σαφαν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἱστήκει πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν καὶ ἕκαστος θυμιατήριον αὐτοῦ εἶχεν ἐν τῇ χειρί καὶ ἡ ἀτμὶς τοῦ θυμιάματος ἀνέβαινεν

12 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἑώρακας ἃ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ οἴκου ισραηλ ποιοῦσιν ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι τῷ κρυπτῷ αὐτῶν διότι εἶπαν οὐχ ὁρᾷ ὁ κύριος ἐγκαταλέλοιπεν κύριος τὴν γῆν

13 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με ἔτι ὄψει ἀνομίας μείζονας ἃς οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν

14 καὶ εἰσήγαγέν με ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς πύλης οἴκου κυρίου τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ γυναῖκες καθήμεναι θρηνοῦσαι τὸν θαμμουζ

15 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἑώρακας καὶ ἔτι ὄψει ἐπιτηδεύματα μείζονα τούτων

16 καὶ εἰσήγαγέν με εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν οἴκου κυρίου τὴν ἐσωτέραν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν προθύρων τοῦ ναοῦ κυρίου ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν αιλαμ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ὡς εἴκοσι ἄνδρες τὰ ὀπίσθια αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ἀπέναντι καὶ οὗτοι προσκυνοῦσιν τῷ ἡλίῳ

17 καὶ εἶπεν πρός με ἑώρακας υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου μὴ μικρὰ τῷ οἴκῳ ιουδα τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰς ἀνομίας ἃς πεποιήκασιν ὧδε διότι ἔπλησαν τὴν γῆν ἀνομίας καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ ὡς μυκτηρίζοντες

18 καὶ ἐγὼ ποιήσω αὐτοῖς μετὰ θυμοῦ οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου οὐδὲ μὴ ἐλεήσω

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1045

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

1045. Having a golden cup in her hand full of the abominations and uncleanness of her whoredoms. That this signifies doctrine from goods and truths profaned, is evident from the signification of a cup, as denoting falsity from hell. For the signification of a cup is the same as that of wine; and by wine is signified truth from heaven, and, in the opposite sense, falsity from hell (see (n. 887, 960, 1022). And because a cup signifies truth or falsity; and the doctrine of every church is either that of truth or of falsity - for all the truth or falsity of the church is contained in doctrine - therefore by a cup is also signified doctrine, and by a golden cup, the doctrine of falsity from evil.

[2] Similarly in Jeremiah:

"A golden cup is Babel in the hand of Jehovah, making drunken the whole earth" (51:7).

It is called a golden cup for the same reason that the woman is said to be clothed in crimson and scarlet, and decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, namely, from appearance in externals, although, in internals, it is as a cup full of abominations and uncleanness. For it is as the Lord says of the externals and internals with the scribes and Pharisees:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, who make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. And ye make yourselves like to whitened sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of bones of the dead and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:25-27).

It is also evident from the signification of abominations, as denoting the profanations of good, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the uncleanness of whoredom, as denoting the profanation of truth. For whoredom signifies the falsification of truth, as above, hence the uncleanness thereof signifies profanation.

[3] As to the profanations signified by abominations, they are the perversions of the holy things of the church; thus, the turning of its goods into evils, and its truths into falsities. They are called abominations, because the angels abominate them; for so far as they were the holy things of the church, from goods and truths from the Word, they ascend into heaven; but so far as they were applied to evils, and thus profaned, they carry with them that which is infernal, concealed within. Consequently, they are perceived as things dead, in which there once was a living soul, and therefore heaven abominates and detests them.

[4] That such things are meant by abominations in the Word, is evident from the account of the abominations of Jerusalem. Thus in Ezekiel:

As that she took off the garments of her adorning which were given to her, and made herself variegated lofty places, and played the harlot upon them.

That of the gold and silver given to her, she made herself images of a male, with which she also committed whoredom.

That the oil, the incense, the bread, fine flour, and honey, which were given to her, she made into an odour of rest.

That they sacrificed their sons and their daughters.

That she committed whoredom first in Egypt, and afterwards with the sons of Asshur, and lastly with the Chaldeans. Besides several other things which are there called abominations (16:2-63).

By all these things are signified the profanations of the Word, of the church, and of worship. Similarly in other passages where abominations are either recounted or spoken of:

As Jeremiah 7:9, 10; 16:18; 32:35; Ezekiel 5:11; 7:19, 20; 8:6-18; 11:21; 14:6; 20:7, 8; Deuteronomy 7:25, 26; 12:31; 18:9, 10; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Dan. 9:27; 11:31; and elsewhere.

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.