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Amos 9

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1 ειδον τον κυριον εφεστωτα επι του θυσιαστηριου και ειπεν παταξον επι το ιλαστηριον και σεισθησεται τα προπυλα και διακοψον εις κεφαλας παντων και τους καταλοιπους αυτων εν ρομφαια αποκτενω ου μη διαφυγη εξ αυτων φευγων και ου μη διασωθη εξ αυτων ανασωζομενος

2 εαν κατορυγωσιν εις αδου εκειθεν η χειρ μου ανασπασει αυτους και εαν αναβωσιν εις τον ουρανον εκειθεν καταξω αυτους

3 εαν εγκρυβωσιν εις την κορυφην του καρμηλου εκειθεν εξερευνησω και λημψομαι αυτους και εαν καταδυσωσιν εξ οφθαλμων μου εις τα βαθη της θαλασσης εκει εντελουμαι τω δρακοντι και δηξεται αυτους

4 και εαν πορευθωσιν εν αιχμαλωσια προ προσωπου των εχθρων αυτων εκει εντελουμαι τη ρομφαια και αποκτενει αυτους και στηριω τους οφθαλμους μου επ' αυτους εις κακα και ουκ εις αγαθα

5 και κυριος κυριος ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ ο εφαπτομενος της γης και σαλευων αυτην και πενθησουσιν παντες οι κατοικουντες αυτην και αναβησεται ως ποταμος συντελεια αυτης και καταβησεται ως ποταμος αιγυπτου

6 ο οικοδομων εις τον ουρανον αναβασιν αυτου και την επαγγελιαν αυτου επι της γης θεμελιων ο προσκαλουμενος το υδωρ της θαλασσης και εκχεων αυτο επι προσωπον της γης κυριος ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ ονομα αυτω

7 ουχ ως υιοι αιθιοπων υμεις εστε εμοι υιοι ισραηλ λεγει κυριος ου τον ισραηλ ανηγαγον εκ γης αιγυπτου και τους αλλοφυλους εκ καππαδοκιας και τους συρους εκ βοθρου

8 ιδου οι οφθαλμοι κυριου του θεου επι την βασιλειαν των αμαρτωλων και εξαρω αυτην απο προσωπου της γης πλην οτι ουκ εις τελος εξαρω τον οικον ιακωβ λεγει κυριος

9 διοτι ιδου εγω εντελλομαι και λικμιω εν πασι τοις εθνεσιν τον οικον του ισραηλ ον τροπον λικμαται εν τω λικμω και ου μη πεση συντριμμα επι την γην

10 εν ρομφαια τελευτησουσι παντες αμαρτωλοι λαου μου οι λεγοντες ου μη εγγιση ουδ' ου μη γενηται εφ' ημας τα κακα

11 εν τη ημερα εκεινη αναστησω την σκηνην δαυιδ την πεπτωκυιαν και ανοικοδομησω τα πεπτωκοτα αυτης και τα κατεσκαμμενα αυτης αναστησω και ανοικοδομησω αυτην καθως αι ημεραι του αιωνος

12 οπως εκζητησωσιν οι καταλοιποι των ανθρωπων και παντα τα εθνη εφ' ους επικεκληται το ονομα μου επ' αυτους λεγει κυριος ο θεος ο ποιων ταυτα

13 ιδου ημεραι ερχονται λεγει κυριος και καταλημψεται ο αλοητος τον τρυγητον και περκασει η σταφυλη εν τω σπορω και αποσταλαξει τα ορη γλυκασμον και παντες οι βουνοι συμφυτοι εσονται

14 και επιστρεψω την αιχμαλωσιαν λαου μου ισραηλ και οικοδομησουσιν πολεις τας ηφανισμενας και κατοικησουσιν και καταφυτευσουσιν αμπελωνας και πιονται τον οινον αυτων και φυτευσουσιν κηπους και φαγονται τον καρπον αυτων

15 και καταφυτευσω αυτους επι της γης αυτων και ου μη εκσπασθωσιν ουκετι απο της γης αυτων ης εδωκα αυτοις λεγει κυριος ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #467

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467. In the Word the Garden of Eden does not mean a garden, but intelligence, and a tree does not mean a tree, but man. The Garden of Eden can be shown to mean intelligence and wisdom from the following passages:

In your intelligence and wisdom you made riches for yourself. 1 Ezekiel 28:4.

and in the continuation of this chapter:

Full of wisdom, you were in Eden, God's garden; every kind of precious stone was your covering, Ezekiel 28:12-13.

This is said of the prince and king of Tyre, to whom wisdom is attributed, because Tyre in the Word means the church in respect of knowledge of truth and good, which is the means to wisdom. The precious stones which are to be his covering also mean things known about truth and good; for the prince and king of Tyre were not in the Garden of Eden.

[2] In another passage in Ezekiel:

Asshur is a cedar in Lebanon. The cedars have not hidden it in the garden of God. All the trees in the garden of God were not its equal in beauty; all the trees of Eden in the garden of God envied it, Ezekiel 31:3, 8-9.

And further on:

To whom you thus became like in glory and size among the trees of Eden, Ezekiel 31:18.

This is said of Asshur, because in the Word Asshur means rationality and intelligence arising from this.

[3] In Isaiah:

Jehovah will comfort Zion, and turn its desert into an Eden and its wilderness into a garden of Jehovah, Isaiah 51:3.

Zion there is the church, Eden and the garden of Jehovah are wisdom and intelligence. In Revelation:

To him who overcomes I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise 2 of God, Revelation 2:7.

In the midst of the street, on either side of the river was the tree of life, Revelation 22:2.

[4] These passages show plainly that the garden in Eden, in which we are told Adam was placed, means intelligence and wisdom, because similar things are said of Tyre, Asshur and Zion. A garden also means intelligence in other passages of the Word, such as Isaiah 58:11; 61:11; Jeremiah 31:12; Amos 9:14; Numbers 24:6. This spiritual way of understanding a garden is due to the representations seen in the spiritual world. There parks are to be seen, wherever angels possess intelligence and wisdom; it is the intelligence and wisdom themselves, which they get from the Lord, which produce such appearances around them. This is due to the correspondence, because everything which comes into being in the spiritual world is an example of correspondence.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin text repeats here the phrase 'you were in Eden, God's garden' from the next quotation.

2. The Greek word paradeisos, used here in its Latin form, means properly an enclosed garden or park; the meaning 'paradise' arose only later.

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

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