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2 Mosebok 29

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1 Og dette er hvad du skal gjøre med dem for å hellige dem til å tjene mig som prester: Ta en ung okse og to værer som er uten lyte,

2 Og usyret brød Og usyrede kaker med olje i, og usyrede, tynne brødleiver, smurt med olje; av fint hvetemel skal du lage dem.

3 Og du skal legge dem i en kurv og bære dem frem i kurven, og lede frem oksen og de to værer.

4 Så skal du føre Aron og hans sønner frem til inngangen til sammenkomstens telt, og du skal tvette dem med vann.

5 Og du skal ta klærne og klæ Aron i underkjortelen og overkjortelen som hører til livkjortelen, og livkjortelen og brystduken og binde livkjortelens belte om ham

6 Og sette huen på hans hode Og feste det hellige hodesmykke på huen.

7 Og du skal ta salvings-oljen og helle ut over hans hode og salve ham.

8 Så skal du føre hans sønner frem og klæ dem i underkjortler

9 og spenne beltet om dem - både om Aron og hans sønner - og binde de høie huer på dem, og de skal ha prestedømmet som en evig rett. Så skal du fylle Arons hånd og hans sønners hånd.

10 Du skal lede oksen frem foran sammenkomstens telt, og Aron og hans sønner skal legge sine hender på oksens hode.

11 Og du skal slakte oksen for Herrens åsyn ved inngangen til sammenkomstens telt.

12 Og du skal ta av oksens blod og stryke på alterets horn med din finger, Og resten av blodet skal du helle ut ved alterets fot.

13 Og du skal ta alt fettet som dekker innvollene, og den store leverlapp og begge nyrene med fettet som er på dem, og du skal brenne det på alteret.

14 Men kjøttet av oksen og dens hud og dens skarn skal du brenne op med ild utenfor leiren - det er et syndoffer.

15 Så skal du ta den ene vær, og Aron og hans sønner skal legge sine hender på værens hode.

16 Og du skal slakte væren og ta dens blod og sprenge rundt om på alteret.

17 Men væren selv skal du dele op i sine stykker; og du skal tvette innvollene og føttene og legge dem ovenpå stykkene og hodet.

18 Og du skal brenne hele væren på alteret - det er et brennoffer for Herren, en velbehagelig duft; det er et ildoffer for Herren.

19 Så skal du ta den andre vær, og Aron og hans sønner skal legge sine hender på værens hode.

20 Og du skal slakte væren og ta av dens blod og stryke på den høire ørelapp på Aron og hans sønner og på tommelfingeren på deres høire hånd og på stortåen på deres høire fot, og du skal sprenge resten av blodet rundt om på alteret.

21 Og du skal ta av blodet som er på alteret, og av salvings-oljen og sprenge på Aron og på hans klær, og likeledes på hans sønner og på deres klær, så blir han hellig, han selv og hans klær, og likeledes hans sønner og deres klær.

22 Og du skal ta det feteste på væren, bade halen og fettet som dekker innvollene, og den store leverlapp og begge nyrene og fettet på dem og det høire lår; for dette er innvielses-væren.

23 Så skal du ta et rundt brød og en oljekake og en tynn brødleiv av kurven med de usyrede brød som står for Herrens åsyn.

24 Alt dette skal du legge i Arons hender og i hans sønners hender, og du skal svinge det for Herrens åsyn.

25 Så skal du ta det av deres hånd og brenne det på alteret sammen med brennofferet til en velbehagelig duft for Herrens åsyn; det er et ildoffer for Herren.

26 Derefter skal du ta brystet av Arons innvielses-vær og svinge det for Herrens åsyn; det skal være din del.

27 Og du skal hellige svingebrystet og løftelåret - det som svinges og det som løftes av Arons og hans sønners innvielses-vær.

28 Det skal være en rettighet for Aron og hans sønner hos Israels barn til evig tid; for det er en gave, en gave som Israels barn skal gi av sine takkoffer, en gave fra dem til Herren.

29 De hellige klær som Aron har, skal hans sønner ha efter ham; dem skal de ha på når de salves og vies til prester.

30 I syv dager skal den av hans sønner som blir prest i hans sted, bære disse klær - han som skal gå inn i sammenkomstens telt for å gjøre tjeneste i helligdommen.

31 Så skal du ta innvielses-væren og koke kjøttet på et hellig sted.

32 Og Aron og hans sønner skal ete kjøttet av væren og brødet som er i kurven, ved inngangen til sammenkomstens telt.

33 De skal ete dette soningsoffer, det som bæres frem når de vies til prester og helliges; men en uinnvidd skal ikke ete av det; for det er hellig.

34 Men dersom det blir noget tilovers av innvielses-kjøttet eller av brødet til om morgenen, da skal du brenne op det som er tilovers; det skal ikke etes, for det er hellig.

35 Således skal du gjøre med Aron og hans sønner, i ett og alt således som jeg har befalt dig. Syv dager skal deres innvielse vare.

36 Du skal hver dag ofre en okse som syndoffer til soning, og du skal rense alteret fra synd idet du gjør soning for det, og du skal salve det for å hellige det.

37 I syv dager skal du gjøre soning for alteret og hellige det, og da skal alteret være høihellig; hver den som rører ved alteret, blir hellig.

38 Dette er det du alltid skal ofre på alteret: hver dag to årsgamle lam.

39 Det ene lam skal du ofre om morgenen, og det andre lam skal du ofre mellem de to aftenstunder,

40 og til det første lam tiendedelen av en efa* fint mel, blandet med fjerdedelen av en hin olje av støtte oliven, og til drikkoffer fjerdedelen av en hin vin. / {* en efa var et mål for tørre varer, likesom en hin for flytende.}

41 Det andre lam skal du ofre mellem de to aftenstunder; med det samme matoffer som om morgenen og med det samme drikkoffer skal du ofre det, til en velbehagelig duft, et ildoffer for Herren.

42 Dette skal være et stadig brennoffer hos eders efterkommere, og det skal bæres frem for Herrens åsyn ved inngangen til sammenkomstens telt, hvor jeg vil komme sammen med eder for å tale til eder.

43 Der vil jeg komme sammen med Israels barn, og det skal helliges ved min herlighet.

44 Og jeg vil hellige sammenkomstens telt og alteret; og Aron og hans sønner vil jeg hellige til å tjene mig som prester.

45 Og jeg vil bo midt iblandt Israels barn, og jeg vil være deres Gud.

46 Og de skal kjenne at jeg er Herren deres Gud, som førte dem ut av Egyptens land for å bo midt iblandt dem. Jeg er Herren deres Gud.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7978

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7978. 'And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt - unleavened cakes' means that from the truth of good further good was produced that had no falsity at all in it. This is clear from the meaning of 'baking' - when used in reference to the truth of good, meant by 'the dough' - as producing; from the meaning of 'the dough' as the truth of good, dealt with above in 7966; and from the meaning of 'unleavened cakes' as forms of good that have no falsity at all in them, since 'unleavened' means without falsity, see 2342, 7906. This is the second state of truth from good that they passed through when they were delivered, see above in 7966, 7972. The reason why 'cakes' means forms of good is that they are cakes of bread, and 'bread' in the internal sense is the good of love, dealt with in 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915. But bread in the form of cakes is distinguished from bread in general, in that bread in the form of cakes means the good of love towards the neighbour, which is spiritual good, while bread in general means the good of love to the Lord, which is celestial good. Such spiritual good was meant by 'the minchah' which was offered and burned with the sacrifice on the altar; for 'the minchah' was baked into cakes and into wafers, as is made clear in Exodus 29:2-3, 23-24, 32; Leviticus 2:2 and following verses; 6:20-21; Numbers 6:15, 19; 15:18-21.

[2] Something similar was meant by 'the twelve loaves of the presence which too were baked into cakes, described in Moses as follows,

You shall take fine flour and bake it into twelve cakes; two-tenths [of an ephah] shall there be in one cake. And you shall place them in two rows, six in a row, on the clean table before Jehovah. And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, and it shall be loaves of bread serving as a memorial, a fire-offering to Jehovah. Leviticus 24:5-9.

From these instructions it becomes clear that 'the loaves' meant what was holy, for such instructions would never have been issued but for that reason. And since they meant what was holy they were also called in verse 9 of the same chapter 'holiness of holinesses.' 1 But these loaves meant the good of celestial love, and their being baked into cakes meant forms of the good of spiritual love. From these verses and from those in the references given above it becomes clear that something similar is meant by the bread in the Holy Supper.

Footnotes:

1. A very literal rendering of the Hebrew

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2165

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2165. That 'I will take a piece of bread' means something heavenly or celestial to go with [that something natural] is clear from the meaning of 'bread' as that which is celestial, dealt with already in 276, 680, 681, 1798. The reason 'bread' here means that which is celestial is that bread means all food in general, and so in the internal sense all heavenly or celestial food. What celestial food is has been stated in Volume One, in 56-58, 680, 681, 1480, 1695. That 'bread' means all food in general becomes clear from the following places in the Word: One reads of Joseph telling the man in charge of his house to bring the men, that is, his brothers, into the house, and then to slaughter what needed to be slaughtered and made ready. And after that, when these things had been made ready and the men were to eat them, he said, Set on bread, Genesis 43:16, 31, by which he meant that the table was to be made ready by them. Thus 'bread' stood for all the food that made up the entire meal. Regarding Jethro one reads that Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God, Exodus 18:12. Here also 'bread' stands for all the food that made up the entire meal. And regarding Manoah, in the Book of Judges,

Manoah said to the angel of Jehovah, Let us now detain you, and let us make ready a kid before you. And the angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, If you detain me I will not eat your bread. Judges 13:15-16.

Here 'bread' stands for the kid. When Jonathan ate from the honeycomb the people told him that Saul had commanded the people with an oath, saying,

Cursed be the man who eats bread this day. 1 Samuel 14:27-28.

Here 'bread' stands for all food. Elsewhere, regarding Saul,

When Saul sat down to eat bread he said to Jonathan, Why has not the son of Jesse come either yesterday or today, to bread? 1 Samuel 20:24, 27.

This stands for coming to the table, where there was food of every kind. Regarding David who said to Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son,

You will eat bread at my table always. 2 Samuel 9:7, 10.

Similarly regarding Evil-Merodach who said that Jehoiachin the king of Judah was to eat bread with him always, all the days of his life, 2 Kings 25:29. Regarding Solomon the following is said,

Solomon's bread for each day was thirty cors 1 of fine flour, sixty cors of meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides harts and wild she-goats and roebucks and fatted fowl. 1 Kings 4:22-23.

Here 'bread' plainly stands for all the provisions that are mentioned.

[2] Since then 'bread' means every kind of food in general it consequently means in the internal sense all those things that are called heavenly or celestial foods. This becomes even clearer still from the burnt offerings and sacrifices that were made of lambs, sheep, 2 she-goats, kids, he-goats, young bulls, and oxen, which are referred to by the single expression bread offered by fire to Jehovah, as is quite clear from the following places in Moses where the various sacrifices are dealt with and which, it says, the priest was to burn on the altar as the bread offered by fire to Jehovah for an odour of rest, Leviticus 3:11, 16. All those sacrifices and burnt offerings were called such. In the same book,

The sons of Aaron shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, for it is the fire-offerings to Jehovah, the bread of their God, that they offer. You shall sanctify him, for it is the bread of your God that he offers. No man of Aaron's seed who has a blemish in himself shall approach to offer the bread of his God. Leviticus 21:6, 8, 17, 21.

Here also sacrifices and burnt offerings are referred to as 'bread', as they are also in Leviticus 22:25. Elsewhere in the same author,

Command the children of Israel, and say to them, My gift, My bread, for fire-offerings of an odour of rest, you shall take care to offer to Me at their appointed times. Numbers 28:2.

Here also 'bread' stands for all the sacrifices that are mentioned in that chapter. In Malachi,

Offering polluted bread on My altar. Malachi 1:7.

This also has regard to sacrifices. The consecrated parts of the sacrifices which they ate were called 'bread' as well, as is clear from these words in Moses,

The person who has touched anything unclean shall not eat any of the consecrated offerings, but he shall surely bathe his flesh in water, and when the sun has set he will be clean. And afterwards he shall eat of the consecrated offerings, because it is his bread. Leviticus 22:6-7.

[3] Burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Jewish Church represented nothing else than the heavenly things of the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and of the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. They also represented the things of the Lord's kingdom or Church as it exists with every individual; and in general they represented all those things that are composed of love and charity, for those things are celestial or of heaven. In addition each type of sacrifice represented some specific thing. In those times all of the sacrifices were called 'bread', and therefore when the sacrifices were abolished and other things serving for external worship took their place, the use of bread and wine was commanded.

[4] From all this it is now clear what is meant by that 'bread', namely that it means all those things which were represented in the sacrifices, and thus in the internal sense means the Lord Himself. And because 'bread' there means the Lord Himself it means love itself towards the whole human race and what belongs to love. It also means man's reciprocal love to the Lord and towards the neighbour. Thus the bread now commanded means all celestial things, and wine accordingly all spiritual things, as the Lord also explicitly teaches in John,

They said, Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always. Jesus said to them, I am the Bread of life he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:31-35.

And in the same chapter,

Truly I say to you, He who believes in Me has eternal life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the Bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this Bread he will live for ever. John 6:47-51.

[5] Now because this 'Bread' is the Lord it exists within the celestial things of love which are the Lord's, for the Lord is the celestial itself, because He is love itself, that is, mercy itself. This being so, 'bread' also means everything celestial, that is, all the love and charity existing with a person, for these are derived from the Lord. People who are devoid of love and charity therefore do not have the Lord within them, and so are not endowed with the forms of good and of happiness which are meant in the internal sense by 'bread'. This external symbol [of love and charity] was commanded because the worship of the majority of the human race is external, and therefore without some external symbol scarcely anything holy would exist among them. Consequently when they lead lives of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour, that which is internal exists with them even though they do not know that such love and charity constitute the inner core of worship. Thus in their external worship they are confirmed in the kinds of good which are meant by 'the bread'.

[6] In the Prophets as well 'bread' means the celestial things of love, as in Isaiah 3:1, 7; 30:23; 33:15-16; 55:2; 58:7-8; Lamentations 5:9; Ezekiel 4:16-17; 5:16; 14:13; Amos 4:6; 8:11; Psalms 105:16. Those things are in a similar way meant by 'the loaves of the Presence' on the table, referred to in Leviticus 24:5-9; Exodus 25:30; 40:23; Numbers 4:7; 1 Kings 7:48.

Footnotes:

1. A cor, or a homer, was a Hebrew measure of about 6 bushels or 220 litres.

2. The Latin has a word meaning oxen (boves), but comparison with other places where Swedenborg gives the same list of animals suggests that he intended sheep (oves).

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