The Bible

 

Hosea 2

Study

   

1 καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης ἣ οὐκ ἐκμετρηθήσεται οὐδὲ ἐξαριθμηθήσεται καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς ἐκεῖ κληθήσονται υἱοὶ θεοῦ ζῶντος

2 καὶ συναχθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ ιουδα καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ θήσονται ἑαυτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν καὶ ἀναβήσονται ἐκ τῆς γῆς ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ ιεζραελ

3 εἴπατε τῷ ἀδελφῷ ὑμῶν λαόσ-μου καὶ τῇ ἀδελφῇ ὑμῶν ἠλεημένη

4 κρίθητε πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν κρίθητε ὅτι αὐτὴ οὐ γυνή μου καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐκ προσώπου μου καὶ τὴν μοιχείαν αὐτῆς ἐκ μέσου μαστῶν αὐτῆς

5 ὅπως ἂν ἐκδύσω αὐτὴν γυμνὴν καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω αὐτὴν καθὼς ἡμέρᾳ γενέσεως αὐτῆς καὶ θήσομαι αὐτὴν ὡς ἔρημον καὶ τάξω αὐτὴν ὡς γῆν ἄνυδρον καὶ ἀποκτενῶ αὐτὴν ἐν δίψει

6 καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσω ὅτι τέκνα πορνείας ἐστίν

7 ὅτι ἐξεπόρνευσεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῶν κατῄσχυνεν ἡ τεκοῦσα αὐτά εἶπεν γάρ ἀκολουθήσω ὀπίσω τῶν ἐραστῶν μου τῶν διδόντων μοι τοὺς ἄρτους μου καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ μου καὶ τὰ ἱμάτιά μου καὶ τὰ ὀθόνιά μου καὶ τὸ ἔλαιόν μου καὶ πάντα ὅσα μοι καθήκει

8 διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φράσσω τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς ἐν σκόλοψιν καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν τρίβον αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ

9 καὶ καταδιώξεται τοὺς ἐραστὰς αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ μὴ καταλάβῃ αὐτούς καὶ ζητήσει αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ αὐτούς καὶ ἐρεῖ πορεύσομαι καὶ ἐπιστρέψω πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα μου τὸν πρότερον ὅτι καλῶς μοι ἦν τότε ἢ νῦν

10 καὶ αὐτὴ οὐκ ἔγνω ὅτι ἐγὼ δέδωκα αὐτῇ τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ ἀργύριον ἐπλήθυνα αὐτῇ αὐτὴ δὲ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χρυσᾶ ἐποίησεν τῇ βααλ

11 διὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστρέψω καὶ κομιοῦμαι τὸν σῖτόν μου καθ' ὥραν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν οἶνόν μου ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀφελοῦμαι τὰ ἱμάτιά μου καὶ τὰ ὀθόνιά μου τοῦ μὴ καλύπτειν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῆς

12 καὶ νῦν ἀποκαλύψω τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν αὐτῆς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐ μὴ ἐξέληται αὐτὴν ἐκ χειρός μου

13 καὶ ἀποστρέψω πάσας τὰς εὐφροσύνας αὐτῆς ἑορτὰς αὐτῆς καὶ τὰς νουμηνίας αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ σάββατα αὐτῆς καὶ πάσας τὰς πανηγύρεις αὐτῆς

14 καὶ ἀφανιῶ ἄμπελον αὐτῆς καὶ τὰς συκᾶς αὐτῆς ὅσα εἶπεν μισθώματά μου ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ ἔδωκάν μοι οἱ ἐρασταί μου καὶ θήσομαι αὐτὰ εἰς μαρτύριον καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτὰ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς γῆς

15 καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν βααλιμ ἐν αἷς ἐπέθυεν αὐτοῖς καὶ περιετίθετο τὰ ἐνώτια αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ καθόρμια αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπορεύετο ὀπίσω τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς ἐμοῦ δὲ ἐπελάθετο λέγει κύριος

16 διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πλανῶ αὐτὴν καὶ τάξω αὐτὴν εἰς ἔρημον καὶ λαλήσω ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῆς

17 καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα αχωρ διανοῖξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὐτῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναβάσεως αὐτῆς ἐκ γῆς αἰγύπτου

18 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ λέγει κύριος καλέσει με ὁ ἀνήρ μου καὶ οὐ καλέσει με ἔτι βααλιμ

19 καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν βααλιμ ἐκ στόματος αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν οὐκέτι τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν

20 καὶ διαθήσομαι αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ διαθήκην μετὰ τῶν θηρίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ καὶ μετὰ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῆς γῆς καὶ τόξον καὶ ῥομφαίαν καὶ πόλεμον συντρίψω ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ κατοικιῶ σε ἐπ' ἐλπίδι

21 καὶ μνηστεύσομαί σε ἐμαυτῷ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ μνηστεύσομαί σε ἐμαυτῷ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν ἐλέει καὶ ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς

22 καὶ μνηστεύσομαί σε ἐμαυτῷ ἐν πίστει καὶ ἐπιγνώσῃ τὸν κύριον

23 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ λέγει κύριος ἐπακούσομαι τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπακούσεται τῇ γῇ

24 καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐπακούσεται τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ αὐτὰ ἐπακούσεται τῷ ιεζραελ

25 καὶ σπερῶ αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐλεήσω τὴν οὐκ-ἠλεημένην καὶ ἐρῶ τῷ οὐ-λαῷ-μου λαός μου εἶ σύ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ κύριος ὁ θεός μου εἶ σύ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #299

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

299. And he who sat on it had a bow. This symbolizes their having a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word, from which they fought against falsities and evils emanating from hell, thus fighting against hell.

He who sat on the white horse in Revelation 19:11-13 means the Lord in relation to the Word, but he who sat on this white horse means an angelic person in relation to a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word, thus a doctrine from the Lord, like the army of the Lord in heaven which followed the Lord on white horses in Revelation 19:14.

Regarding Him who sat on the white horse in Revelation 19, we are told that out of his mouth went a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations, and the sword going out of His mouth symbolizes the Divine truth of the Word fighting against falsities and evils (nos. 52, 108, 117). Here, however, we are told that he who sat on this white horse had a bow, and the bow symbolizes a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word fighting against evils and falsities.

To fight against falsities and evils is also to fight against the hells, as evils and falsities emanate from there, and therefore this, too, is symbolically meant.

[2] That a bow in the Word symbolizes doctrine doing battle in both senses can be seen from the following passages:

(Jehovah's) arrows are sharp, and all His bows bent; His horses' hooves are accounted as rocks. (Isaiah 5:28)

(The Lord) has bent his bow like an enemy... (Lamentations 2:4)

O Jehovah..., You ride on Your horses; ...Your bow will be bared. (Habakkuk 3:8-9)

He gave the nations before Him, and made Him rule over kings. He gave them as the dust to His sword, as... stubble to His bow. (Isaiah 41:2)

Because the subject is Jehovah or the Lord, a bow in these places symbolizes the Word, from which the Lord fights in a person against evils and falsities.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the war bow shall be cut off. Rather He shall speak peace to the nations. (Zechariah 9:10)

They bend their tongue, their bow a lie, and not the truth... (Jeremiah 9:3)

Lo, the wicked bend their bow; they make ready their arrows on the bowstring, to shoot in the dark the upright in heart. (Psalms 11:2)

They will provoke Joseph and shoot at him; the archers will hate him. But he will rest on the tautness of his bow... by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob... (Genesis 49:23-24)

Set yourselves in array against Babylon... All you who bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrow, for she has sinned against Jehovah. (Jeremiah 50:14, cf. 50:29)

David lamented... over Saul... to teach the children of Judah the Bow. (2 Samuel 1:17-18)

This lamentation describes the combat of truth against falsities.

[3] Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: "Lo, I am breaking the bow of Elam, the source of its might." (Jeremiah 49:35)

(Jehovah) made Me a polished arrow; in His quiver He has hidden Me. (Isaiah 49:2)

Behold, children are a heritage from Jehovah... Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them. (Psalms 127:3-5)

Children here and elsewhere symbolize doctrinal truths.

In Salem shall be (Jehovah's) tabernacle... There He broke the strings of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the war. (Psalms 76:1-3)

(Jehovah) will make wars cease... He will break the bow..., cut asunder the spear; He will burn the chariot with fire. (Psalms 46:9; cf. Ezekiel 39:8-9, Hosea 2:18)

In these places a bow symbolizes a doctrine of truth fighting against falsities, and in an opposite sense, a doctrine of falsity fighting against truths. Arrows accordingly symbolize truths or falsities.

Since a war in the Word symbolizes a spiritual war, therefore the weapons of war - such as the sword, spear, shield, buckler, bow, and arrows - symbolize the kind of things that have to do with that war.

  
/ 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.