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Hosea 5

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1 ἀκούω-VA--AAD2P οὗτος- D--APN ὁ- A--NPM ἱερεύς-N3V-NPM καί-C προςἔχω-V1--PAD2P οἶκος-N2--NSM *ἰσραήλ-N---GSM καί-C ὁ- A--NSM οἶκος-N2--NSM ὁ- A--GSM βασιλεύς-N3V-GSM ἐνὠτίζομαι-V1--PMD2P διότι-C πρός-P σύ- P--AP εἰμί-V9--PAI3S ὁ- A--ASN κρίμα-N3M-ASN ὅτι-C παγίς-N3D-NSF γίγνομαι-VCI-API2P ὁ- A--DSF σκοπιά-N1A-DSF καί-C ὡς-C δίκτυον-N2N-NSN ἐκτείνω-VM--XMPNSN ἐπί-P ὁ- A--ASN ἰταβύριον-N2N-ASN

2 ὅς- --ASN ὁ- A--NPM ἀγρεύω-V1--PAPNPM ὁ- A--ASF θήρα-N1A-ASF καταπήγνυμι-VAI-AAI3P ἐγώ- P--NS δέ-X παιδευτής-N1M-NSM σύ- P--GP

3 ἐγώ- P--NS γιγνώσκω-VZI-AAI1S ὁ- A--ASM *ἐφράιμ-N---ASM καί-C *ἰσραήλ-N---NSM οὐ-D ἀποεἰμί-V9--PAI3S ἀπό-P ἐγώ- P--GS διότι-C νῦν-D ἐκπορνεύω-VAI-AAI3S *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM μιαίνω-VCI-API3S *ἰσραήλ-N---NSM

4 οὐ-D δίδωμι-VAI-AAI3P ὁ- A--NPN διαβούλιον-N2N-NPN αὐτός- D--GPM ὁ- A--GSN ἐπιστρέφω-VA--AAN πρός-P ὁ- A--ASM θεός-N2--ASM αὐτός- D--GPM ὅτι-C πνεῦμα-N3M-NSN πορνεία-N1A-GSF ἐν-P αὐτός- D--DPM εἰμί-V9--PAI3S ὁ- A--ASM δέ-X κύριος-N2--ASM οὐ-D ἐπιγιγνώσκω-VZI-AAI3P

5 καί-C ταπεινόω-VC--FPI3S ὁ- A--NSF ὕβρις-N3I-NSF ὁ- A--GSM *ἰσραήλ-N---GSM εἰς-P πρόσωπον-N2N-ASN αὐτός- D--GSM καί-C *ἰσραήλ-N---NSM καί-C *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM ἀσθενέω-VF--FAI3P ἐν-P ὁ- A--DPF ἀδικία-N1A-DPF αὐτός- D--GPM καί-C ἀσθενέω-VF--FAI3S καί-D *ἰούδας-N1T-NSM μετά-P αὐτός- D--GPM

6 μετά-P πρόβατον-N2N-GPN καί-C μόσχος-N2--GPM πορεύομαι-VF--FMI3P ὁ- A--GSN ἐκζητέω-VA--AAN ὁ- A--ASM κύριος-N2--ASM καί-C οὐ-D μή-D εὑρίσκω-VB--AAS3P αὐτός- D--ASM ὅτι-C ἐκκλίνω-V1I-IAI3S ἀπό-P αὐτός- D--GPM

7 ὅτι-C ὁ- A--ASM κύριος-N2--ASM ἐν καταλείπω-VBI-AAI3P ὅτι-C τέκνον-N2N-NPN ἀλλότριος-A1A-NPN γεννάω-VCI-API3P αὐτός- D--DPM νῦν-D καταἐσθίω-VF--FMI3S αὐτός- D--APM ὁ- A--NSF ἐρυσίβη-N1--NSF καί-C ὁ- A--APM κλῆρος-N2--APM αὐτός- D--GPM

8 σαλπίζω-VA--AAD2P σάλπιγξ-N3G-DSF ἐπί-P ὁ- A--APM βουνός-N2--APM ἠχέω-VA--AAD2P ἐπί-P ὁ- A--GPM ὑψηλός-A1--GPM κηρύσσω-VA--AAD2P ἐν-P ὁ- A--DSM οἶκος-N2--DSM *ων-N---GS ἐκἵστημι-VHI-AAI3S *βενιαμίν-N---NSM

9 *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM εἰς-P ἀφανισμός-N2--ASM γίγνομαι-VBI-AMI3S ἐν-P ἡμέρα-N1A-DPF ἔλεγχος-N2--GSM ἐν-P ὁ- A--DPF φυλή-N1--DPF ὁ- A--GSM *ἰσραήλ-N---GSM δεικνύω-VAI-AAI1S πιστός-A1--APN

10 γίγνομαι-VBI-AMI3P ὁ- A--NPM ἄρχων-N3--NPM *ιουδα-N---GSM ὡς-C μετατίθημι-V7--PAPNPM ὅριον-N2N-APN ἐπί-P αὐτός- D--APM ἐκχέω-VF2-FAI1S ὡς-C ὕδωρ-N3--ASN ὁ- A--ASN ὅρμημα-N3M-ASN ἐγώ- P--GS

11 καταδυναστεύω-VAI-AAI3S *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM ὁ- A--ASM ἀντίδικος-N2--ASM αὐτός- D--GSM καταπατέω-VAI-AAI3S κρίμα-N3M-ASN ὅτι-C ἄρχω-VAI-AMI3S πορεύομαι-V1--PMN ὀπίσω-P ὁ- A--GPM μάταιος-A1A-GPM

12 καί-C ἐγώ- P--NS ὡς-C ταραχή-N1--NSF ὁ- A--DSM *ἐφράιμ-N---DSM καί-C ὡς-C κέντρον-N2N-NSN ὁ- A--DSM οἶκος-N2--DSM *ιουδα-N---GSM

13 καί-C ὁράω-VBI-AAI3S *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM ὁ- A--ASF νόσος-N2--ASF αὐτός- D--GSM καί-C *ἰούδας-N1T-NSM ὁ- A--ASF ὀδύνη-N1--ASF αὐτός- D--GSM καί-C πορεύομαι-VCI-API3S *ἐφράιμ-N---NSM πρός-P *ἀσσύριος-N2--APM καί-C ἀποστέλλω-VAI-AAI3S πρέσβις-N3I-APM πρός-P βασιλεύς-N3V-ASM *ιαριμ-N---ASM καί-C αὐτός- D--NSM οὐ-D δύναμαι-VSI-API3S ἰάομαι-VA--AMN σύ- P--AP καί-C οὐ-D μή-D διαπαύω-VA--AAS3S ἐκ-P σύ- P--GP ὀδύνη-N1--NSF

14 διότι-C ἐγώ- P--NS εἰμί-V9--PAI1S ὡς-C πανθήρ-N3--NSM ὁ- A--DSM *ἐφράιμ-N---DSM καί-C ὡς-C λέων-N3W-NSM ὁ- A--DSM οἶκος-N2--DSM *ιουδα-N---GSM καί-C ἐγώ- P--NS ἁρπάζω-VF2-FMI1S καί-C πορεύομαι-VF--FMI1S καί-C λαμβάνω-VF--FMI1S καί-C οὐ-D εἰμί-V9--FMI3S ὁ- A--NSM ἐκαἱρέω-V2--PMPNSM

15 πορεύομαι-VF--FMI1S καί-C ἐπιστρέφω-VF--FAI1S εἰς-P ὁ- A--ASM τόπος-N2--ASM ἐγώ- P--GS ἕως-P ὅς- --GSM ἀπο ἀναἵζω-VS--APS3P καί-C ἐπιζητέω-VF--FAI3P ὁ- A--ASN πρόσωπον-N2N-ASN ἐγώ- P--GS ἐν-P θλῖψις-N3I-DSF αὐτός- D--GPM ὀρθρίζω-VF2-FAI3P πρός-P ἐγώ- P--AS λέγω-V1--PAPNPM

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #247

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247. There are many passages in the prophets describing how the church among the Israelite or Jewish race was utterly destroyed and annihilated by their falsifying the meaning or understanding of the Word; for it is this and nothing else which destroys a church. The understanding of the Word, both true and false, is described in the prophets, especially Hosea, by Ephraim; for this name stands in the Word for the understanding of the Word in the church. Since the understanding of the Word makes the church, Ephraim is called the precious son and the child of delight (Jeremiah 31:20); the first-born (Jeremiah 31:9); the strength of Jehovah's head (Psalms 60:7; 108:8); the powerful one (Zechariah 10:7); the one armed with the bow (Zechariah 9:13). The sons of Ephraim are called armed men and shooters of the bow (Psalms 78:9); for a bow means doctrine from the Word militating against falsities. For the same reason too Ephraim was transferred to Israel's right hand and blessed, and also received in place of Reuben 1 (Genesis 48:5, 11ff). Also Ephraim with his brother Manasseh was raised above all others by Moses when he blessed the sons of Israel in the name of Joseph their father (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

[2] What the church, however, is like when its understanding of the Word is destroyed is also described by Ephraim in the prophets, especially in Hosea, as in the following passages:

Israel and Ephraim will fall; Ephraim will become a wilderness. Ephraim is overwhelmed and shaken in judgment, Hosea 5:5, 9, 11-14.

What shall I do to you, Ephraim? For your holiness has departed, like the clouds of dawn and like the dew that falls in the morning, Hosea 6:4.

They will not dwell in the land of Jehovah; Ephraim will return to Egypt, and will eat unclean food in Assyria, Hosea 9:3.

The land of Jehovah is the church; Egypt is the factual knowledge of the natural man; Assyria is reasoning from this. It is these two together which lead to falsification of the Word in respect of its inward understanding. This is why it is said that Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

[3] Ephraim pastures the wind and pursues the east wind; every day he increases the lie and devastation; he makes an agreement with Assyria and oil is carried down into Egypt, Hosea 12:1.

Pasturing the wind, pursuing the east wind and increasing the lie and devastation is falsifying truths and so destroying the church. Ephraim's whoring has a similar meaning, as whoring means the falsification of the understanding of the Word, that is, of its genuine truth, in the following passages:

I know Ephraim, that he has utterly given himself to whoring, and Israel is defiled, Hosea 5:3.

In the house of Israel I have seen a foul thing; there Ephraim went whoring and Israel is defiled, Hosea 6:10.

Israel is the church itself, and Ephraim is the understanding of the Word, the source which determines what sort of church it is. This is why it says that Ephraim went whoring and Israel is defiled.

[4] The church among the Israelite and Jewish people was utterly destroyed by falsifying the Word, so therefore it is said of Ephraim:

I shall give you up, Ephraim, I shall hand you over, Israel, like Admah and I shall make you like Zeboyim, Hosea 11:8.

So because the book of the prophet Hosea from the first chapter to the last is about the falsification of the genuine understanding of the Word and the resultant destruction of the church, and because whoring there means the falsification of truth, that is why the prophet was ordered to represent that state of the church by taking to wife a whore and having sons by her (chapter 1), and again by taking an adulterous woman (chapter 3).

These passages have been quoted to provide knowledge and proof from the Word that what the church is like depends on how the Word is understood in it. It is excellent and valuable, if its understanding is based upon genuine truths from the Word, but ruined and actually foul, if based upon falsified truths.

Footnotes:

1. Thought by some editors to be an error for Manasseh, but the reference may be to verse 5: 'Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are.'

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

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