The Bible

 

Amos 3

Study

   

1 Dinggin ninyo ang salitang ito na sinalita ng Panginoon laban sa inyo, Oh mga anak ni Israel, laban sa buong angkan na aking iniahon mula sa lupain ng Egipto, na sinasabi,

2 Kayo lamang ang aking nakilala sa lahat ng angkan sa lupa: kaya't aking dadalawin sa inyo ang lahat ninyong kasamaan.

3 Makalalakad baga ang dalawa na magkasama, liban na sila'y magkasundo?

4 Uungal baga ang leon sa gubat, kung wala siyang huli? sisigaw baga ang batang leon sa kaniyang yungib, kung wala siyang huling anoman?

5 Malalaglag baga ang ibon sa silo sa ibabaw ng lupa, ng walang silo sa kaniya? lulukso baga ang panghuli mula sa lupa, at walang nahuling anoman?

6 Tutunog baga ang pakakak sa bayan, at ang bayan ay hindi manginginig? sasapit baga ang kasamaan sa bayan, at hindi ginawa ng Panginoon?

7 Tunay na ang Panginoong Dios ay walang gagawin, kundi kaniyang ihahayag ang kaniyang lihim sa kaniyang mga lingkod na mga propeta.

8 Ang leon ay umungal, sinong di matatakot? Ang Panginoong Dios ay nagsalita; sinong hindi manghuhula?

9 Ihayag ninyo sa mga palacio sa Asdod, at sa mga palacio sa lupain ng Egipto, at inyong sabihin, Magpipisan kayo sa mga bundok ng Samaria, at inyong masdan kung anong laking ingay ang nandoon, at kung anong pahirap ang nasa gitna niyaon.

10 Sapagka't hindi sila marunong magsigawa ng matuwid, sabi ng Panginoon, na nagiimbak ng pangdadahas at pagnanakaw sa kanilang mga palacio.

11 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Kaaway ay paririto sa palibot ng lupain; at kaniyang ibabagsak ang lakas mo sa iyo, at ang iyong mga palacio ay sasamsaman.

12 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon: Kung paanong inaagaw ng pastor sa bibig ng leon ang dalawang hita, o ang isang putol ng tainga; gayon ililigtas ang mga anak ni Israel na nangauupo sa Samaria sa sulok ng hiligan, at sa mga sedang colchon ng higaang malaki.

13 Dinggin ninyo, at patotohanan ninyo laban sa sangbahayan ni Jacob, sabi ng Panginoong Dios, ng Dios ng mga hukbo.

14 Sapagka't sa araw na aking dadalawin ang mga pagsalangsang ng Israel sa kaniya, aking dadalawin din ang mga dambana ng Beth-el, at ang mga sungay ng dambana ay mahihiwalay, at malalaglag sa lupa.

15 At aking sisirain ang bahay na pangtagginaw na kasabay ng bahay na pangtaginit; at ang mga bahay na garing ay mangawawala, at ang mga malaking bahay ay magkakawakas, sabi ng Panginoon.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9489

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

9489. 'And a cubit and a half its height' means what is complete so far as degrees are concerned. This is clear from the meaning of 'a cubit and a half' as what is complete, dealt with immediately above in 9488; and from the meaning of 'height' as degrees so far as good and so far as truth are concerned. The reason why 'height' has this meaning is that all good and the truth derived from it emanates from the Lord, and the Lord is in the highest place of all, and therefore is called the Most High, 8153. For He is the Sun of heaven, 5097, 8812, and that Sun is above the heavens; it is also the centre from which the whole of heaven that is underneath is brought into being and kept in being. All heights in heaven, measured from its Sun as the centre, are differences in good and the truth derived from it. Consequently those in the inmost heaven are closer to the Lord, because they are governed by the good of love to Him, thus are governed by good more than all others are. Those in the middle heaven are further away from there because they are governed by a lower kind of good, and those in the lowest are still further away. But those in hell are altogether remote from the Lord, because they are ruled by evil and the falsity arising from it. They do not even look towards the Sun, but backwards, away from the Sun. When regarded by the angels therefore, they appear in an upside down position, feet upwards and head downwards. Now since distances and spatial dimensions in the next life are appearances determined by states of good and the truth derived from it, 9440, 'height' in the spiritual sense means degrees so far as good and so far as truth are concerned, that is, degrees away from the Most High, who is the Lord and so Divine Good itself.

[2] From this it is clear what 'height' means in the following places, as in Jeremiah,

They will come and sing on the height of Zion, and converge towards the goodness of Jehovah; and their soul will be like a watered garden. Jeremiah 31:12.

Here 'the height of Zion' stands for celestial good, which is the level of good above spiritual good. The meaning of 'height' as good is what accounts for the statement that they will 'converge towards the goodness of Jehovah'. In Ezekiel,

Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon. Its height was made high, and its branches were made long by many waters. It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches. Ezekiel 31:3, 5, 7.

'Asshur' stands for an enlightened power of reason, 'a cedar in Lebanon' for the spiritual Church, 'its height' for the degree of good.

[3] In the same prophet,

On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it. Ezekiel 17:23.

Again in the same prophet,

On My holy mountain, and on the mountain height of Israel, all the house of Israel will serve Me. Ezekiel 20:40.

'The mountain height of Israel' stands for the highest degree of good and of the truth derived from it among those belonging to the spiritual Church. Since most things in the Word have a contrary meaning as well, so too does 'height'. In the contrary sense it means the evil of self-love, and so haughtiness of mind, as in Isaiah 14:14; Ezekiel 31:10, 14; 32:5; Amos 2:9; Daniel 4:11, 20; and a number of other places. Another reason why 'height' means degrees so far as good and the truth derived from it are concerned is that what is 'high' means what is internal, and good becomes by degrees more perfect towards more internal parts. For the meaning of what is 'high' as what is internal, see 1735, 2148, 4210, 4599.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2148

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

2148. That 'he lifted up his eyes' means that He saw within Himself is clear from the meaning of 'lifting up the eyes'. By 'eyes' in the Word is meant interior sight, or the understanding, as becomes clear from the places quoted in 212, and therefore by 'lifting up the eyes' is meant seeing and perceiving the things which exist above oneself. Things that are interior are expressed in the Word by those that are higher, as in the expressions 'looking upwards', 'lifting up the eyes to heaven', and 'thinking high things' - the reason being that man imagines heaven to be on high, or up above himself, though in fact it is not on high but exists in things that are internal; when the heavenly things of love are present in a person, his heaven exists within him, see 450. From this it is plain that 'lifting up the eyes' means seeing within oneself.

  
/ 10837  
  

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