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Ezequiel 42

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1 SACOME luego al atrio de afuera hacia el norte, y llevóme á la cámara que estaba delante del espacio que quedaba enfrente del edificio de hacia el norte.

2 Por delante de la puerta del norte su longitud era de cien codos, y la anchura de cincuenta codos.

3 Frente á los veinte codos que había en el atrio de adentro, y enfrente del solado que había en al atrio exterior, estaban las cámaras, las unas enfrente de las otras en tres pisos.

4 Y delante de las cámaras había un corredor de diez codos de ancho á la parte de adentro, con viaje de un codo; y sus puertas hacia el norte.

5 Y las cámaras más altas eran más estrechas; porque las galerías quitaban de ellas más que de las bajas y de las de en medio del edificio:

6 Porque estaban en tres pisos, y no tenían columnas como las columnas de los atrios: por tanto, eran más estrechas que las de abajo y las del medio desde el suelo.

7 Y el muro que estaba afuera enfrente de las cámaras, hacia el atrio exterior delante de las cámaras, tenía cincuenta codos de largo.

8 Porque la longitud de las cámaras del atrio de afuera era de cincuenta codos: y delante de la fachada del templo había cien codos.

9 Y debajo de las cámaras estaba la entrada al lado oriental, para entrar en él desde el atrio de afuera.

10 A lo largo del muro del atrio hacia el oriente, enfrente de la lonja, y delante del edificio, había cámaras.

11 Y el corredor que había delante de ellas era semejante al de las cámaras que estaban hacia el norte, conforme á su longitud, asimismo su anchura, y todas sus salidas; conforme á sus puertas, y conforme á sus entradas.

12 Y conforme á las puertas de las cámaras que estaban hacia el mediodía, tenía una puerta al principio del camino, del camino delante del muro hacia el oriente á los que entran.

13 Y díjome: Las cámaras del norte y las del mediodía, que están delante de la lonja, son cámaras santas, en las cuales los sacerdotes que se acercan á Jehová comerán las santas ofrendas: allí pondrán las ofrendas santas, y el presente, y la expiación, y el

14 Cuando los sacerdotes entraren, no saldrán del lugar santo al atrio de afuera, sino que allí dejarán sus vestimentas con que ministrarán, porque son santas; y vestiránse otros vestidos, y así se allegarán á lo que es del pueblo.

15 Y luego que acabó las medidas de la casa de adentro, sacóme por el camino de la puerta que miraba hacia el oriente, y midiólo todo alrededor.

16 Midió el lado oriental con la caña de medir, quinientas cañas de la caña de medir en derredor.

17 Midió al lado del norte, quinientas cañas de la caña de medir alrededor.

18 Midió al lado del mediodía, quinientas cañas de la caña de medir.

19 Rodeó al lado del occidente, y midió quinientas cañas de la caña de medir.

20 A los cuatro lados lo midió: tuvo el muro todo alrededor quinientas cañas de longitud, y quinientas cañas de anchura, para hacer separación entre el santuario y el lugar profano.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9603

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9603. 'All the curtains shall have one measure' means that the state of affairs shall be the same [with each one]. This is clear from the meaning of 'measure' as the state of affairs as regards truth, dealt with in 3104, so that 'all the curtains shall have one measure' means that the state of affairs shall be the same with every truth. The expression 'the same state of affairs', when applied to the truths of faith in the spiritual kingdom, means that they all look towards good, and through good towards the Lord, the Source of it. Truths which do not look in this direction are not the truths of faith, nor consequently are they truths of the Church or of heaven. Truths which look in some other direction may indeed to outward appearance seem like truths, but they are not truths because they are devoid of life. For the life of truth is good, and good comes from the Lord, who Alone is life. Truths that look in any other direction are like members of a body without a soul, which are not the members of any body because they are devoid of life and so are useless.

[2] The fact that 'measure' means the state of affairs as regards truth, and also the state of affairs as regards good, is evident from the places in the Word where the measures of the new Jerusalem, and also those of the new temple, are the subject. The new or holy Jerusalem means the Lord's New Church, as does the new temple; therefore by their measures states of affairs as regards truth and as regards good are meant, as in John,

The angel had a gold reed to measure the holy Jerusalem, and its gates, and its wall. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. He measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man (homo), that is, of an angel. Revelation 21:15-17.

The measures stated here, it is plainly evident, mean states as regards good and truth, for 'the holy Jerusalem' is the Lord's New Church, 'its gates and wall' being the protective truths of faith. 'Twelve thousand' means all the truths and forms of good in their entirety; and 'a hundred and forty-four' has a similar meaning, 7973, for this number is similar in meaning to the number twelve because it is the product of twelve multiplied by twelve, and 'twelve' means all truths and forms of good in their entirety, see 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3858, 3913. 'The measure of a man, that is, of an angel' means that this is what the state of the Church and of heaven is like as regards forms of the good of love and truths of faith; for 'a man' is the Church and 'an angel' is heaven. Without knowledge of what is meant by 'the holy Jerusalem', by 'its gates and wall', by the number 'twelve thousand furlongs', and by the measure of the wall being 'a hundred and forty-four [cubits]', and also what is meant by 'the measure', 'a man', and 'an angel', would anyone ever know [the real meaning of the description] that the measure of the city was twelve thousand furlongs, or that the measure of a wall of 144 cubits was the measure of a man, that is, of an angel?

[3] Much the same is meant by the measuring in Zechariah,

I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a man (vir) who had a measuring line in his hand. I said, Where are you going? And he said, To measure Jerusalem to see how broad it is and how long it is. Zechariah 2:1-2.

Also in Chapters 40-42 of Ezekiel, which speak about the man with a measuring rod, who measured the houses of the new city, and also the temple - the walls, gates, footings, thresholds, windows, and steps. Unless the measurements in these places had meant the states of the thing as regards truth and good, such details would never have been mentioned. 'Measuring' generally means the state of the truth and good: In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth beneath searched out, behold, I will nevertheless reject the seed of Israel on account of all that they have done. Behold, the days are coming in which the city for Jehovah will be built. And the measuring line will again go out over the hill of Gareb, and around towards Goah. Jeremiah 31:37-39.

And also in Isaiah,

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, marked off 1 the heavens with His span, and gathered the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills on the scales? Isaiah 40:12.

Footnotes:

1. literally, weighed

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2129

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2129. There are also other types of tumults, or rather of conflicts, which also convey the idea of a Last Judgement and by which communities harmfully joined together as regards their interiors are dissolved. Concerning them let the following be mentioned: Such spirits are driven into a condition in which they do not think in their normal way as a community, that is, one with another, but each one independently. As a result of their thinking, each at variance with the others, and of each muttering something different from the rest, an uproar is produced which sounds like that of many waters; and conflict with one another takes place such as defies description which arises out of the mishmash of opinions concerning firmly established truths, which are at the time the substance of their thoughts and speech. That mishmash is such as may be called spiritual chaos.

[2] The sound of these conflicting and confused uproarings was threefold. The first flowed in around the head, and I was told it was that of thoughts. The second flowed in towards the left temple. I was told that this was a conflict of reasonings about certain truths in which they were unwilling to pin their faith. The third flowed in from above over on the right. It was rasping though less confused, a rasping sound directed first this way, then that. I was told that this was the product of truths clashing which were being turned this way and that by means of reasonings. While these conflicts were going on there were other spirits who spoke to me, telling me in speech that rose clearly above all that noise the meaning of every single thing.

[3] The matters which they reasoned about were chiefly these - whether the statement that the twelve apostles were going to sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel was to be understood literally, and also whether other people who have endured persecution and affliction were to be allowed into heaven. Each one reasoned in accordance with what had taken his fancy during his lifetime. Some of them however who had been brought back into associations with one another and into order were then informed that those descriptions were to be understood in a completely different way, that is to say, that 'apostles' is not used to mean apostles, nor 'thrones' to mean thrones, nor 'tribes' tribes, nor indeed is 'twelve' used to mean twelve. Instead apostles, thrones, tribes, and also twelve, meant the first and foremost matters of faith, 2089. They also said that such matters of faith are the starting-point and the criteria from which everyone is judged. And over and above all this they were shown that the apostles have no power to judge anyone at all, and that all judgement is the Lord's alone.

[4] As regards the second point which they reasoned about, this should not be taken to mean that only those who have endured persecution and affliction will enter heaven, but that the rich no less than the poor will do so, those who have held important positions no less than those whose position has been humble. Furthermore the Lord takes pity on all, especially on people who have endured spiritual afflictions and temptations, which are persecutions by the evil, thus on those who acknowledge that of themselves they are wretched and who believe that it is through the Lord's mercy alone they are saved.

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