New Christian Bible Study

The Bible

 

Lamentations 2

Study

   

1 πῶς ἐγνόφωσεν ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ κύριος τὴν θυγατέρα σιων κατέρριψεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εἰς γῆν δόξασμα ισραηλ καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθη ὑποποδίου ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ

2 κατεπόντισεν κύριος οὐ φεισάμενος πάντα τὰ ὡραῖα ιακωβ καθεῖλεν ἐν θυμῷ αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀχυρώματα τῆς θυγατρὸς ιουδα ἐκόλλησεν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐβεβήλωσεν βασιλέα αὐτῆς καὶ ἄρχοντας αὐτῆς

3 συνέκλασεν ἐν ὀργῇ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ πᾶν κέρας ισραηλ ἀπέστρεψεν ὀπίσω δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἀνῆψεν ἐν ιακωβ ὡς πῦρ φλόγα καὶ κατέφαγεν πάντα τὰ κύκλῳ

4 ἐνέτεινεν τόξον αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐχθρός ἐστερέωσεν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ὡς ὑπεναντίος καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν πάντα τὰ ἐπιθυμήματα ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἐν σκηνῇ θυγατρὸς σιων ἐξέχεεν ὡς πῦρ τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ

5 ἐγενήθη κύριος ὡς ἐχθρός κατεπόντισεν ισραηλ κατεπόντισεν πάσας τὰς βάρεις αὐτῆς διέφθειρεν τὰ ὀχυρώματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπλήθυνεν τῇ θυγατρὶ ιουδα ταπεινουμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην

6 καὶ διεπέτασεν ὡς ἄμπελον τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ διέφθειρεν ἑορτὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπελάθετο κύριος ὃ ἐποίησεν ἐν σιων ἑορτῆς καὶ σαββάτου καὶ παρώξυνεν ἐμβριμήματι ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλέα καὶ ἱερέα καὶ ἄρχοντα

7 ἀπώσατο κύριος θυσιαστήριον αὐτοῦ ἀπετίναξεν ἁγίασμα αὐτοῦ συνέτριψεν ἐν χειρὶ ἐχθροῦ τεῖχος βάρεων αὐτῆς φωνὴν ἔδωκαν ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς

8 καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν κύριος τοῦ διαφθεῖραι τεῖχος θυγατρὸς σιων ἐξέτεινεν μέτρον οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ καταπατήματος καὶ ἐπένθησεν τὸ προτείχισμα καὶ τεῖχος ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἠσθένησεν

9 ἐνεπάγησαν εἰς γῆν πύλαι αὐτῆς ἀπώλεσεν καὶ συνέτριψεν μοχλοὺς αὐτῆς βασιλέα αὐτῆς καὶ ἄρχοντας αὐτῆς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος καί γε προφῆται αὐτῆς οὐκ εἶδον ὅρασιν παρὰ κυρίου

10 ἐκάθισαν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐσιώπησαν πρεσβύτεροι θυγατρὸς σιων ἀνεβίβασαν χοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν περιεζώσαντο σάκκους κατήγαγον εἰς γῆν ἀρχηγοὺς παρθένους ἐν ιερουσαλημ

11 ἐξέλιπον ἐν δάκρυσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐξεχύθη εἰς γῆν ἡ δόξα μου ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐν τῷ ἐκλιπεῖν νήπιον καὶ θηλάζοντα ἐν πλατείαις πόλεως

12 ταῖς μητράσιν αὐτῶν εἶπαν ποῦ σῖτος καὶ οἶνος ἐν τῷ ἐκλύεσθαι αὐτοὺς ὡς τραυματίας ἐν πλατείαις πόλεως ἐν τῷ ἐκχεῖσθαι ψυχὰς αὐτῶν εἰς κόλπον μητέρων αὐτῶν

13 τί μαρτυρήσω σοι ἢ τί ὁμοιώσω σοι θύγατερ ιερουσαλημ τίς σώσει σε καὶ παρακαλέσει σε παρθένος θύγατερ σιων ὅτι ἐμεγαλύνθη ποτήριον συντριβῆς σου τίς ἰάσεταί σε

14 προφῆταί σου εἴδοσάν σοι μάταια καὶ ἀφροσύνην καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν σου τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι αἰχμαλωσίαν σου καὶ εἴδοσάν σοι λήμματα μάταια καὶ ἐξώσματα

15 ἐκρότησαν ἐπὶ σὲ χεῖρας πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι ὁδόν ἐσύρισαν καὶ ἐκίνησαν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν θυγατέρα ιερουσαλημ ἦ αὕτη ἡ πόλις ἣν ἐροῦσιν στέφανος δόξης εὐφροσύνη πάσης τῆς γῆς

16 διήνοιξαν ἐπὶ σὲ στόμα αὐτῶν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐσύρισαν καὶ ἔβρυξαν ὀδόντας εἶπαν κατεπίομεν αὐτήν πλὴν αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν προσεδοκῶμεν εὕρομεν αὐτήν εἴδομεν

17 ἐποίησεν κύριος ἃ ἐνεθυμήθη συνετέλεσεν ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἃ ἐνετείλατο ἐξ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων καθεῖλεν καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσατο καὶ ηὔφρανεν ἐπὶ σὲ ἐχθρόν ὕψωσεν κέρας θλίβοντός σε

18 ἐβόησεν καρδία αὐτῶν πρὸς κύριον τείχη σιων καταγάγετε ὡς χειμάρρους δάκρυα ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός μὴ δῷς ἔκνηψιν σεαυτῇ μὴ σιωπήσαιτο θύγατερ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου

19 ἀνάστα ἀγαλλίασαι ἐν νυκτὶ εἰς ἀρχὰς φυλακῆς σου ἔκχεον ὡς ὕδωρ καρδίαν σου ἀπέναντι προσώπου κυρίου ἆρον πρὸς αὐτὸν χεῖράς σου περὶ ψυχῆς νηπίων σου τῶν ἐκλυομένων λιμῷ ἐπ' ἀρχῆς πασῶν ἐξόδων

20 ἰδέ κύριε καὶ ἐπίβλεψον τίνι ἐπεφύλλισας οὕτως εἰ φάγονται γυναῖκες καρπὸν κοιλίας αὐτῶν ἐπιφυλλίδα ἐποίησεν μάγειρος φονευθήσονται νήπια θηλάζοντα μαστούς ἀποκτενεῖς ἐν ἁγιάσματι κυρίου ἱερέα καὶ προφήτην

21 ἐκοιμήθησαν εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον παιδάριον καὶ πρεσβύτης παρθένοι μου καὶ νεανίσκοι μου ἐπορεύθησαν ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ ἀπέκτεινας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς σου ἐμαγείρευσας οὐκ ἐφείσω

22 ἐκάλεσεν ἡμέραν ἑορτῆς παροικίας μου κυκλόθεν καὶ οὐκ ἐγένοντο ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς κυρίου ἀνασῳζόμενος καὶ καταλελειμμένος ὡς ἐπεκράτησα καὶ ἐπλήθυνα ἐχθρούς μου πάντας

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #898

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

898. 21:12 It had a great and high wall. This symbolizes the Word in its literal sense from which the doctrine of the New Church comes.

Since the holy city Jerusalem means the Lord's New Church in respect to its doctrine, its wall can only mean the Word in its literal sense, from which its doctrine comes; for the literal sense protects the spiritual meaning that lies within, as a wall protects a city and its inhabitants.

That the literal sense is the foundation, containing vessel, and buttress of the Word's spiritual meaning may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 27-36; and that the literal sense serves as a safeguard to keep the Divine truths within from being injured - truths which constitute the Word's spiritual meaning - may be seen in no. 97 of the same work. Also, that the church's doctrine is to be drawn from the Word's literal sense and verified by it, in nos. 50-61 there.

The wall is said to be great and high because it means the Word in respect to its Divine goodness and Divine truth, for greatness is predicated of goodness, and height of truth, as in no. 896 above.

[2] A wall symbolizes something that protects, and when mentioned in reference to the church, it symbolizes the Word in its literal sense, as it does also in the following places:

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall not keep silent day or night, who make mention of Jehovah... (Isaiah 62:6)

They shall call you the City of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel... And you shall call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. (Isaiah 60:14, 18)

(Jehovah) will be a wall of fire all around her, and... the glory in her midst. (Zechariah 2:5)

Men of Arvad... were on your walls..., and the men of Gammad... hung their shields on your walls all around, and made your beauty perfect. (Ezekiel 27:11)

The last is said of Tyre, which symbolizes the church in respect to its concepts of truth from the Word.

Run about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see... if there is anyone who... seeks the truth... Go up on her walls and cast them down. (Jeremiah 5:1, 10)

Jehovah has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion... ...He has caused the rampart and wall... to lament, to languish together... The Law and her prophets are no more... (Lamentations 2:8-9)

They will run about in the city, they will run on the wall; they will climb up into the houses, they will enter through the windows... (Joel 2:9)

These passages refer to falsifications of truth.

Day and night (the impious) go around (in the city) on its walls... Destructions are in their midst. (Psalms 55:10-11)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 22:5; 56:5; Jeremiah 1:15; Ezekiel 27:11; Lamentations 2:7.

That a wall symbolizes the Word in its literal sense is clearly apparent from the following verses in the present chapter, which describe at some length the wall of the city and its gates, foundations and dimensions. That is because the doctrine of the New Church, which the city symbolizes, comes only from the Word's literal sense.

  
/ 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.

©2024 New Christian Bible Study Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed from newchristianbiblestudy.org