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Jeremías 46

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1 Palabra del SEÑOR que vino a Jeremías profeta, contra los gentiles.

2 A Egipto: contra el ejército de Faraón Necao rey de Egipto, que estaba cerca del río Eufrates en Carquemis, al cual hirió Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia, el año cuarto de Joacim hijo de Josías, rey de Judá.

3 Aparejad escudo y pavés, y venid a la guerra.

4 Uncid caballos, y subid, vosotros los caballeros, y poneos con capacetes; limpiad las lanzas, vestíos de lorigas.

5 ¿Por qué los vi medrosos, tornando atrás? Y sus valientes fueron deshechos, y huyeron a más huir sin volver a mirar atrás ; miedo de todas partes, dijo el SEÑOR.

6 No huya el ligero, ni el valiente escape; al aquilón junto a la ribera del Eufrates tropezaron y cayeron.

7 ¿Quién es éste que como río sube, y cuyas aguas se mueven como ríos?

8 Egipto como río se hincha, y las aguas se mueven como ríos, y dijo: Subiré, cubriré la tierra, destruiré la ciudad y los que en ella moran.

9 Subid, caballos, y alborotaos, carros; y salgan los valientes: los etíopes y los de Libia que toman escudo, y los de Lidia que toman y entesan arco.

10 Mas ese día será al SEÑOR Dios de los ejércitos día de venganza, para vengarse de sus enemigos; y la espada devorará y se saciará, y se embriagará de la sangre de ellos; porque matanza será al SEÑOR, Dios de los ejércitos, en tierra del aquilón junto al río Eufrates.

11 Sube a Galaad, y toma bálsamo, virgen hija de Egipto; por demás multiplicarás medicinas; no hay cura para ti.

12 Los gentiles oyeron tu afrenta, y tu clamor llenó la tierra; porque fuerte se encontró con fuerte, y cayeron ambos juntos.

13 Palabra que habló el SEÑOR a Jeremías profeta acerca de la venida de Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, para herir la tierra de Egipto:

14 Denunciad en Egipto, y haced saber en Migdol; haced saber también en Menfis y en Tafnes; decid: Está quieto, y aparéjate; porque espada ha de devorar tu comarca.

15 ¿Por qué ha sido derribado tu fuerte? No se pudo tener, porque el SEÑOR lo empujó.

16 Multiplicó los caídos, y cada uno también cayó sobre su compañero; y dijeron: Levántate y volvámonos a nuestro pueblo, y a la tierra de nuestro nacimiento, de delante de la espada vencedora.

17 Allí gritaron: Faraón rey de Egipto, rey de revuelta; dejó pasar el tiempo señalado.

18 Vivo yo, dice el Rey, cuyo nombre es el SEÑOR de los ejércitos, que como Tabor entre los montes, y como Carmelo en el mar, así vendrá.

19 Hazte vasos de transmigración, moradora hija de Egipto; porque Menfis será por yermo, y será asolada hasta no quedar morador.

20 Becerra hermosa es Egipto; mas viene destrucción, del aquilón viene.

21 Sus soldados también en medio de ella como becerros engordados, que también ellos se volvieron, huyeron todos sin pararse; porque vino sobre ellos el día de su quebrantamiento, el tiempo de su visitación.

22 Su voz saldrá como de serpiente; porque con ejército vendrán, y con hachas vienen a ella como cortadores de leña.

23 Cortaron su monte, dice el SEÑOR, porque no podrán ser contados; porque serán más que langostas, ni tendrán número.

24 Se avergonzó la hija de Egipto; entregada será en mano del pueblo del aquilón.

25 Dijo el SEÑOR de los ejércitos, Dios de Israel: He aquí que yo visito el pueblo de Alejandría, y a Faraón y a Egipto, y a sus dioses y a sus reyes; y a Faraón, y a los que en él confían.

26 Y los entregaré en mano de los que buscan su alma, y en mano de Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia, y en mano de sus siervos; pero después será habitada como en los días pasados, dijo el SEÑOR.

27 Y tú no temas, siervo mío Jacob, y no desmayes, Israel; porque he aquí que yo te salvo de lejos, y a tu simiente de la tierra de su cautividad. Y volverá Jacob, y descansará y será prosperado, y no habrá quien lo espante.

28 Tú, siervo mío Jacob, no temas, dice el SEÑOR; porque contigo soy yo; porque haré consumación en todos los gentiles a los cuales te echaré; pero en ti no haré consumación, sino que te castigaré con juicio, y no te talaré del todo.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4748

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4748. 'And their camels carrying spices, and resin' and stacte' means interior natural truths. This is clear from the general meaning of 'camels' as things belonging to the natural man which serve the spiritual, and from their specific meaning as general facts within the natural man, dealt with in 3048, 3071, 3114, 3143, 3145, 4156; and from the meaning of 'spices, resin, and stacte' as interior natural truths joined to the good there, which are dealt with below. Among the ancients, sweet smelling and fragrant substances were used in their sacred worship; from these substances they obtained their frankincense and incense, similar substances being mixed with oil for their anointings. But no one today knows why those fragrances were used, for the reason that no knowledge at all exists of the fact that all aspects of the worship of the ancients had their origin in the spiritual and celestial things existing in heaven, or that those aspects of it corresponded to these. Mankind has been removing itself so far from spiritual and celestial things, immersing itself in natural, worldly, and bodily ones, that it lives in obscurity, many people having a negative attitude of mind to the existence of anything spiritual or celestial.

[2] The reason frankincense and incense were used among the ancients in sacred acts of worship is that 'odour' corresponds to perception, and 'a fragrant odour' - like that of the aromas which various kinds of spices have - to a pleasing and acceptable perception, as is the perception of truth derived from good, or of faith from charity. Indeed the correspondence of one to the other is such that, as often as it pleases the Lord, actual perceptions in the next life are converted into odours. Regarding these, see what has already been told from experience in 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634. What specifically is meant here by 'spices, resin, and stacte' may be seen from other places where these three are mentioned. In general they mean interior truths within the natural, but those truths which are derived from the good there; for truths do not on their own constitute the natural, but good does by means of truths. Consequently variations exist, conditioned by what the truth joined to the good is like and therefore by what the good is like, since the particular nature of the good depends on what the truths are like.

[3] 'Gilead' means exterior good like that belonging to the senses, called pleasure, 4117, 4124, while 'Egypt' in the good sense means facts, which are the external truths of the natural man that correspond to, that is, are in accord with, that good, 1462. Therefore the reference to Ishmaelites from Gilead bringing down those aromatic commodities on camels to Egypt means bringing their own interior truths, based on their own facts, to the facts meant by 'Egypt', which matters are dealt with below. Interior truths are conclusions based on exterior truths, that is, on facts; for the facts belonging to the natural man are the means that enable conclusions to be drawn about interior truths and thereby to identify them, just as a person identifies another's state of mind in his facial expressions and in the twinkling of light in his eyes, as well as in his tone of voice and his gestures.

[4] Because such truths are the means by which a person's natural is made more perfect and also receives correction, healing is therefore associated with spices of this kind - with resin, for example, in Jeremiah,

Is there no balsamic resin in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why has not the healing of the daughter of my people arisen? Jeremiah 8:22.

In the same prophet,

Go up to Gilead to take resin, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have multiplied medicaments; there is no healing for you. Jeremiah 46:11.

In the same prophet,

Suddenly Babel has fallen and been broken; wail over her! Take resin for her pain; perhaps she will be healed. Jeremiah 51:8.

[5] Wares similar to this mean spiritual things, as is quite evident in John,

The merchants of the earth will weep and will mourn over Babel, that nobody buys their wares any longer, wares of gold and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and bronze, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and draught-cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and the bodies and souls of people. Revelation 18:11-13.

These wares would never have been listed in this specific manner if each and all had not meant the kinds of things that exist in the Lord's kingdom and in His Church. Otherwise they would have been words that had no real meaning. It is well known that 'Babel' means those who turn all worship of the Lord into worship of themselves, so that profanity exists inwardly while outwardly they are doing what is holy. This being so, 'their wares' means the things which, for the sake of worship of themselves, they themselves have invented enthusiastically and skillfully, as well as doctrinal teachings and ideas of good and truth from the Word which they have twisted to suit themselves. Thus the individual wares mentioned in these verses mean specific features of their invention, 'cinnamon, incense, ointment, and frankincense' meaning truths that are derived from good, but with those people perverted truths and falsities that are the products of evil.

[6] Something similar may be seen in what is recorded in Ezekiel regarding the wares of Tyre,

Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders. Wheat of minnith and pannag, and honey, and oil, and resin, they exchanged for your trading. Ezekiel 27:17.

Here also 'resin' means truth derived from good. To one who has no belief in the internal sense of the Word all these expressions will be mere words and so vessels with nothing in them, when in fact they hold Divine, celestial, and spiritual things within them.

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