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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 #3104

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3104. 'Half a shekel in weight' means the amount needed for the introduction. This is clear from the meaning of 'a shekel', 'half a shekel', and 'weight'. 'A shekel' means the price or valuation of good and truth, and 'half a shekel' a defined amount of it, see 2959. 'Weight' means the state of something as regards good, as will be seen [below]. From these considerations it is evident that 'half a shekel in weight' means and embodies the amount as regards the good which 'a gold nose-jewel' is used to mean - that amount being the quantity of it that was needed for the introduction, as is plain from what comes before and after this point in the story.

[2] That 'weight' is the state of something as regards good is evident from the following places in the Word:

In Ezekiel where the prophet was told to eat food each day twenty shekels in weight, and to drink water in measure the sixth of a hin,

For, behold, I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, so that they may eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by measure and with dismay; that they may be in want of bread and water. Ezekiel 4:10-11, 16-17.

This refers to the vastation of good and truth, which is represented by 'the prophet'. A state of good when vastated is meant by their having to eat food and bread 'by weight', and a state of truth when vastated by their having to drink water 'by measure' - 'bread' meaning that which is celestial, and so good, see 276, 680, 2165, 2177, and 'water' that which is spiritual, and so truth, 739, 2702, 3058. From this it is evident that 'weight' is used in reference to good, and 'measure' to truth.

[3] In the same prophet,

You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. Ezekiel 45:10 and following verses.

This refers to the holy land, by which the Lord's kingdom in heaven is meant, as may be recognized from every detail at this point in this prophet, where what are required are not balances, an ephah, and a bath that are just but the goods and truths meant by those weights and measures.

In Isaiah,

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and weighed the heavens in [His] palm, and gathered the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in the scales? Isaiah 40:12.

'Weighing the mountains in a balance and the hills in the scares' stands for the truth that the Lord is the source of the heavenly things of love and charity, and that He alone orders the states of these things. For 'the mountains' and 'the hills' referred to in connection with those weights mean the heavenly things of love, see 795, 796, 1430, 2722.

[4] In Daniel,

The writing on the wall of Belshazzar's palace was, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation: Mene, God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the scales and have been found wanting; Peres, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel 5:25-28.

Here 'mene' or 'He has numbered' has reference to truth, but 'tekel' or 'weighed in the scales' to good. Described in the internal sense is the time when the age is drawing to a close.

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