The Bible

 

Jeremías 49

Study

   

1 De los hijos de Amón. Así dijo el SEÑOR: ¿No tiene hijos Israel? ¿No tiene heredero? ¿Por qué tomó como por heredad el rey de ellos a Gad, y su pueblo habitó en sus ciudades?

2 Por tanto, he aquí vienen días, dijo el SEÑOR, en que haré oír en Rabá de los hijos de Amón clamor de guerra; y será puesta en montón de asolamiento, y sus ciudades serán puestas a fuego, e Israel tomará por heredad a los que los tomaron a ellos, dijo el SEÑOR.

3 Aúlla, oh Hesbón, porque destruida es Hai; clamad, hijas de Rabá, vestíos de cilicio, endechad, y rodead por los vallados, porque el rey de ellos fue en cautiverio, sus sacerdotes y sus príncipes juntamente.

4 ¿Por qué te glorías de los valles? Tu valle se le escurrió, oh hija contumaz, la que confía en sus tesoros, la que dice: ¿Quién vendrá contra mí?

5 He aquí yo traigo sobre ti espanto, dice el Señor DIOS de los ejércitos, de todos tus alrededores; y seréis lanzados cada uno en derechura de su rostro, y no habrá quien recoja al errante.

6 Y después de esto haré tornar la cautividad de los hijos de Amón, dijo el SEÑOR.

7 De Edom. Así dijo el SEÑOR de los ejércitos: ¿No hay más sabiduría en Temán? ¿Ha perecido el consejo en los sabios? ¿Se corrompió su sabiduría?

8 Huid, volveos, escondeos en simas para estar, oh moradores de Dedán; porque el quebrantamiento de Esaú traeré sobre él, al tiempo que lo tengo de visitar.

9 Si vendimiadores vinieran contra ti, ¿no dejarán rebuscos? Si ladrones de noche, tomarán lo que hubieren necesitado.

10 Pero yo desnudaré a Esaú, descubriré sus escondrijos, y no podrá esconderse; será destruida su simiente, y sus hermanos, y sus vecinos; y no será.

11 Deja tus huérfanos, yo los criaré; y en mí se confiarán tus viudas.

12 Porque así dijo el SEÑOR: He aquí que los que no estaban condenados a beber del cáliz, beberán ciertamente; ¿y serás tú absuelto del todo? No serás absuelto, sino que de cierto beberás.

13 Porque por mí juré, dijo el SEÑOR, que en asolamiento, en oprobio, en soledad, y en maldición, será Bosra; y todas su ciudades serán en asolamientos perpetuos.

14 La noticia oí, que del SEÑOR había sido enviado mensajero a los gentiles, diciendo: Juntaos, y venid contra ella, y levantaos a la batalla.

15 Porque he aquí que pequeño te he puesto entre los gentiles, menospreciado entre los hombres.

16 Tu arrogancia te engañó, y la soberbia de tu corazón, que habitas en cavernas de peñas, que tienes la altura del monte; aunque alces como águila tu nido, de allí te haré descender, dijo el SEÑOR.

17 Y será Edom en asolamiento; todo aquel que pasare por ella se espantará, y silbará sobre todas sus plagas.

18 Como en el trastornamiento de Sodoma y de Gomorra, y de sus ciudades vecinas, será , dijo el SEÑOR, no morará allí nadie, ni la habitará hijo de hombre.

19 He aquí que como león subirá de la hinchazón del Jordán a la morada fuerte; porque haré reposo y lo haré correr de sobre ella, y al que fuere escogido la encargaré; porque ¿quién es semejante a mí? ¿O quién me emplazará? ¿O quién será aquel pastor que me podrá resistir?

20 Por tanto, oíd el consejo del SEÑOR, que ha acordado sobre Edom; y sus pensamientos, que ha resuelto sobre los moradores de Temán. Ciertamente los más pequeños del hato los arrastrarán, y destruirán sus moradas con ellos.

21 Del estruendo de la caída de ellos la tierra tembló, y el grito de su voz se oyó en el mar Bermejo.

22 He aquí que como águila subirá y volará, y extenderá sus alas sobre Bosra; y el corazón de los valientes de Edom será en aquel día como el corazón de mujer en angustias.

23 De Damasco: Se confundió Hamat, y Arfad, porque oyeron malas nuevas; se derritieron en aguas de desmayo, no pueden sosegarse.

24 Se desmayó Damasco, se volvió para huir, y le tomó temblor; angustia y dolores le tomaron, como de mujer que está de parto.

25 ¡Cómo no perdonaron a la ciudad de alabanza, ciudad de mi gozo!

26 Por tanto, sus jóvenes caerán en sus plazas, y todos los hombres de guerra morirán en aquel día, dijo el SEÑOR de los ejércitos.

27 Y haré encender fuego en el muro de Damasco, y consumirá las casas de Ben-adad.

28 De Cedar y de los reinos de Hazor, los cuales hirió Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia. Así dijo el SEÑOR: Levantaos, subid contra Cedar, y destruid los hijos de oriente (de Cedem ).

29 Sus tiendas y sus ganados tomarán; sus cortinas, y todos sus vasos, y sus camellos, tomarán para sí; y llamarán contra ellos miedo alrededor.

30 Huid, idos muy lejos, meteos en simas para estar, oh moradores de Hazor, dijo el SEÑOR; porque tomó consejo contra vosotros Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia, y contra vosotros ha formado designio.

31 Levantaos, subid a gente pacífica, que vive confiadamente, dice el SEÑOR, que ni tienen puertas ni cerrojos, que viven solos.

32 Y serán sus camellos por presa, y la multitud de sus ganados por despojo; y los esparciré por todos los vientos, echados hasta el postrer rincón; y de todos sus lados les traeré su ruina, dijo el SEÑOR.

33 Y Hazor será morada de dragones, soledad para siempre; ninguno morará allí, ni la habitará hijo de hombre.

34 Palabra del SEÑOR que vino a Jeremías profeta acerca de Elam, en el principio del reinado de Sedequías rey de Judá, diciendo:

35 Así dijo el SEÑOR de los ejércitos: He aquí que yo quiebro el arco de Elam, principio de su fortaleza.

36 Y traeré sobre Elam los cuatro vientos de los cuatro cantones del cielo, y los aventaré a todos estos vientos; ni habrá gente adonde no vengan extranjeros de Elam.

37 Y haré que Elam tenga temor delante de sus enemigos, y delante de los que buscan su alma; y traeré sobre ellos mal, y el furor de mi enojo, dijo el SEÑOR; y enviaré en pos de ellos espada hasta que los acabe.

38 Y pondré mi trono en Elam, y perderé de allí rey y príncipes, dijo el SEÑOR.

39 Mas acontecerá en lo postrero de los días, que haré tornar la cautividad de Elam, dijo el SEÑOR.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #539

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

539. And there arose smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace.- That this signifies dense falsities thence from the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, is evident from the signification of smoke, which denotes the falsity of evil, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the well of the abyss, which denotes the hell where those are who have falsified the Word (see above, n. 537); and from the signification of a great furnace, which denotes the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, from which such falsities break forth, of which we shall speak in the following article. Smoke signifies the falsity of evil, because it proceeds from fire, and fire signifies the loves of self and of the world, and all evils thence; therefore also the hells which are in falsities from the evils of those loves, and more so where those are who have falsified the Word by applying it to favour those loves, appear in a fire as of a great furnace, from which ascends a dense smoke mixed with fire. I have also seen them, and it was evident that the loves of those who were there caused the appearance of such fire, and that the falsities issuing therefrom presented the appearance of a fiery smoke. But such things do not appear to those who are there; for they are in those loves and in the falsities thence; in them is their life; they are tormented by these in various ways, and not by material fire and smoke, such as are in our natural world as may be better seen from the article in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 566-575), where what is meant by infernal fire and by gnashing of teeth is explained.

[2] That smoke signifies the dense falsity which goes forth from evil, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

Abraham "looked toward the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the faces of the land of the plain, and he saw, and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace" (Genesis 19:28).

Sodom and Gomorrah, in the spiritual sense, mean those who are altogether in the loves of self, therefore the smoke seen by Abraham to rise out of the earth after the burning [of those cities], signifies the dense falsity pertaining to those who are entirely in that love. For those who love themselves above all things, are in the utmost darkness as to things spiritual and celestial, being merely natural and sensual, and altogether separated from heaven; and then they not only deny Divine things, but also contrive falsities, by which they destroy them. These falsities are signified by the smoke seen to arise from Sodom and Gomorrah.

[3] In the same:

"And the sun went down, and there was thick darkness, and behold a smoking furnace, and a torch of fire that passed between those pieces" (Genesis 15:17).

These things are said concerning the posterity of Abraham from Jacob, as is evident from the preceding parts of that chapter. The sun going down signifies the last time, when there is a consummation; and thick darkness arising signifies evil in the place of good, and falsity in the place of truth. "Behold a smoking furnace," signifies very dense falsity from evils; the torch of fire signifies the heat of disorderly desires, and that these separated them from the Lord is signified by its passing between the pieces. These things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 1858-1862).

[4] Again, in Moses:

"Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether parts of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Exodus 19:17, 18).

And afterwards it is said:

"And all the people saw the voices and the torches and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw it, and they were moved and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:18, 19).

These things represented the nature and quality of that people, for Jehovah, that is the Lord, appears to every one according to his quality. To those who are in truths from good, He appears as a serene light, but to those who are in falsities from evil, as smoke from fire; and because that people was in earthly and corporeal loves, and thence in the falsities of evil, therefore the Lord from mount Sinai appeared to them as a devouring fire, and as the smoke of a furnace. That the sons of Jacob were of such a character is shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, from which a number of passages are quoted in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248); and that the Lord appears to every one according to his quality, as a vivifying and recreating fire to those who are in good, and as a consuming fire to those who are in evil, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551). The signification of the remaining details in the passages above adduced, is also given in the Arcana Coelestia, where the book of Exodus is explained.

[5] The signification of smoke and fire in the following passages in David is similar:

"Because he was wroth, there went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and a fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by him. He bowed the heaven also, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet" (Psalm 18:7-9; 2 Sam. 22:8, 9).

This does not mean that smoke and devouring fire ascended from Him, for there is no wrath in Him; but it is so said, because the Lord thus appears to those who are in falsities and evils, for they view Him from their own falsities and evils.

[6] Similar things are signified by the following in the same:

"He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke" (Psalm 104:32).

And again:

"Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" (Psalm 144:5).

And in Isaiah:

"Howl, O gate, cry, O city; thou whole Philistia, art dissolved; for there cometh a smoke from the north" (14:31).

By the gate is signified truth which introduces into the church; by city is signified doctrine. By Philistia is signified faith; hence by howl, O gate, cry, O city, thou whole Philistia, art dissolved, is signified the vastation of the church as to the truth of doctrine, and thence as to faith. The north signifies the hell where and whence are the falsities of doctrine and the falsities of faith, and the smoke those falsities themselves. Therefore by smoke coming from the north is signified falsity vastating from the hells.

[7] So in Nahum:

"Behold, I will burn her chariot in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions" (2:13).

The subject here treated of is the vastation of the church. By burning the chariot in the smoke is signified the perversion of all the truths of doctrine into falsities, smoke signifying falsity, and chariot denoting doctrine. By the sword shall devour the young lions, is signified that falsities will destroy the principal truths of the church, young lions denoting the principal and defensive truths of the church, and sword denoting falsity destroying truth.

[8] So in Joel:

"I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke" (2:30).

These things are said concerning the Last Judgment, and by blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, are signified the truth of the Word falsified, the good thereof adulterated, and absolute falsities therefrom. Blood denotes the truth of the Word falsified, fire, its good adulterated, and pillars of smoke denote the absolute and dense falsities thence.

[9] Again, in David:

"The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah as the glory of lambs shall be consumed; in smoke shall they be consumed" (Psalm 37:20).

By the wicked perishing, and the enemies of Jehovah being consumed in smoke, is signified that they shall perish by means of the falsities of evil. Those who are in falsities are called wicked, and enemies those who are in evils, while smoke denotes the falsity of evil.

[10] Again:

"As smoke is driven away, so shalt thou drive them away; as wax melteth before the fire, so the wicked shall perish before God" (Psalm 68:2).

The destruction of the wicked is here compared to smoke driven away by the wind, and to wax which melts before the fire, because smoke signifies falsities, and fire, evils.

[11] So in Isaiah:

"The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment" (51:6).

Here also smoke signifies falsity, in which they should perish who were in the former heaven; and by the garment waxing old is signified truth destroyed by the falsities of evil. Comparison is made with smoke vanishing away, and with a garment waxing old, because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and are equally significative.

[12] So in Hosea:

"They sin more and more, and make them a molten image of their silver, and idols in their intelligence, all of it the work of the craftsmen; therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early falling dew that passeth away, as the [chaff] that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney" (13:2, 3).

By these words are described doctrinals which are from [man's] own intelligence in which are evils of falsity, and falsities of evil. Such doctrinals are signified by the molten images of silver, and by idols. Their silver signifies that which is from [man's] own intelligence, and the work of the craftsmen signifies that intelligence; therefore it is also said, that they have made them idols in their own intelligence, all of it the work of the craftsmen. That those doctrinals because they are falsities, would pass away, is signified by their passing away as smoke out of the chimney. The reason why they are said to be as the morning cloud, and as the early falling dew that passeth away, and as [the chaff] out of the floor, is, because the church in its beginning is as the morning cloud, as the early falling dew, and as corn on the threshing floor, by which are signified truths of good, and goods of truth, which yet successively pass away, and are changed into falsities of evil, and into evils of falsity.

[13] By smoke is also signified falsity in other passages in the Apocalypse; as in the following:

"Out of the horses' mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone" (9:17, 18).

Again:

"The smoke of their torment ascendeth up unto ages of ages" (14:11).

And again:

"The smoke of Babylon rose up unto ages of ages" (19:3).

[14] Because fire signifies love in both senses, both heavenly love and infernal love, and smoke signifies that which flows from love, both the falsity from infernal love, and the truth from heavenly love, therefore smoke also, in a good sense, signifies holy truth; this is what smoke from the fire of the incense offerings signifies, as may be seen above (n. 494), and also in the following passages:

"Jehovah shall create over every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day and smoke, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory a covering" (Isaiah 4:5).

This passage may be seen explained above (n. 294:10, 504:11).

Again, in the same prophet:

"The posts of the thresholds were moved at the voice of the seraphim that cried, and the house was filled with smoke" (6:4).

And in the Apocalypse it is written:

"The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power" (15:8).

And again:

"The smoke of the offerings of incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand" (8:4).

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Isaiah 63:12-13

Study

      

12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? who divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13 who led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they didn't stumble?