The Bible

 

Ezekiel 24

Study

   

1 Muli, nang ikasiyam na taon, nang ikasangpung araw ng buwan, ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi,

2 Anak ng tao, isulat mo ang pangalan ng kaarawan, ang kaarawan ding ito: ang hari sa Babilonia ay nagpakalapit sa Jerusalem sa kaarawan ding ito.

3 At ipagsabi mo ng isang talinhaga ang mapanghimagsik na sangbahayan, at sabihin mo sa kanila, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Magsalang ka ng kaldera, isalang mo, at buhusan mo rin naman ng tubig:

4 Pisanin mo ang mga putol niyaon doon, lahat ng mabuting putol, ang hita, at ang balikat; punuin mo ng mga piling buto.

5 Kumuha ka ng pinili sa kawan, at ibunton mo ang mga buto sa ilalim niyaon: pakuluan mong mabuti; oo, lutuin mo ang mga buto sa loob niyaon.

6 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Sa aba ng mabagsik na bayan, ng kaldera na may kalawang, at ang kalawang ay hindi naalis doon! ilabas mo na putolputol; walang sapalaran na ginawa roon.

7 Sapagka't ang dugo niya ay nasa gitna niya; kaniyang inilagay sa luwal na bato; hindi niya ibinuhos sa lupa, na tabunan ng alabok.

8 Upang pukawin ang kapusukan ng manghihiganti, inilagay ko ang kaniyang dugo sa luwal na bato, upang huwag matakpan.

9 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios; Sa aba ng mabagsik na bayan! akin ding palalakihin ang bunton.

10 Ibunton ang kahoy, paningasin ang apoy, pakuluang mabuti ang laman, palaputin ang sabaw, at sunugin ang mga buto.

11 Kung magkagayo'y ipatong mong walang laman sa mga baga niyaon, upang uminit, at ang tanso niyao'y masunog, at ng ang dumi niyaon ay matunaw roon, upang mapugnaw ang kalawang niyaon.

12 Siya'y nagpakapagod sa paggawa; gayon ma'y ang maraming kalawang ay hindi naaalis; ang kalawang niyaon ay hindi naaalis sa pamamagitan ng apoy.

13 Nasa iyong karumihan ang kahalayan: sapagka't ikaw ay aking nilinis at hindi ka nalinis, hindi ka na malilinis pa sa iyong karumihan, hanggang sa aking malubos ang aking kapusukan sa iyo.

14 Akong Panginoon ang nagsalita: mangyayari, at aking gagawin; hindi ako magbabalik-loob, ni magpapatawad man, ni magsisisi man; ayon sa iyong mga lakad, at ayon sa iyong mga gawa, kanilang hahatulan ka, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

15 Ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating din sa akin, na nagsasabi,

16 Anak ng tao, narito, aalisin ko sa iyo sa pamamagitan ng kamatayan ang nasa ng iyong mga mata: gayon ma'y hindi ka tatangis, ni iiyak man, ni aagos man ang iyong mga luha.

17 Magbuntong-hininga ka, nguni't huwag malakas; huwag mong tangisan ang patay; itali mo ang pugong mo sa ulo, at isuot mo ang iyong mga panyapak sa iyong mga paa, at huwag mong takpan ang iyong mga labi, at huwag kang kumain ng tinapay ng mga tao.

18 Sa gayo'y nagsalita ako sa bayan nang kinaumagahan; at sa kinahapunan ay namatay ang aking asawa; at aking ginawa nang kinaumagahan ang gaya ng iniutos sa akin.

19 At sinabi ng bayan sa akin, Hindi mo baga sasaysayin sa amin kung anong mga bagay ito sa amin, na ikaw ay gumagawa ng ganyan?

20 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ko sa kanila, Ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi:

21 Salitain mo sa sangbahayan ni Israel, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Narito, aking lalapastanganin ang aking santuario, na kapalaluan ng inyong kapangyarihan, na nasa ng inyong mga mata, at kinahihinayangan ng inyong kalooban, at ang inyong mga anak na lalake at babae na inyong iniwan sa hulihan ay mangabubuwal sa pamamagitan ng tabak.

22 At inyong gagawin ang aking ginawa; hindi ninyo tatakpan ang inyong mga labi, o kakain man ng tinapay ng mga tao.

23 At ang inyong turbante ay malalagay sa inyong mga ulo, at ang inyong mga panyapak sa inyong mga paa: kayo'y hindi tatangis o iiyak man; kundi kayo'y manganglulupaypay sa inyong mga kasamaan, at mangagdadaingang isa't isa.

24 Ganito magiging isang tanda sa inyo si Ezekiel; ayon sa lahat niyang ginawa ay inyong gagawin: pagka ito'y nangyari ay inyo ngang malalaman na ako ang Panginoong Dios.

25 At ikaw, anak ng tao, hindi baga mangyayari sa araw na aking alisin sa kanila ang kanilang lakas, ang kagalakan ng kanilang kaluwalhatian, ang nasa ng kanilang mga mata, at ang kanilang pinaglalagakan ng kanilang puso, ang kanilang mga anak na lalake at babae,

26 Na sa araw na yaon ang makatatanan ay paroroon sa iyo, upang iparinig sa iyo ng iyong mga pakinig?

27 Sa araw na yaon ay mabubuka ang iyong bibig sa kaniya na nakatanan, at ikaw ay magsasalita, at hindi na mapipipi pa: gayon magiging isang tanda ka sa kanila; at kanilang malalaman na ako ang Panginoon.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10105

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

10105. 'And boil its flesh in a holy place' means employing the truths of doctrine seen in light received from the Lord to make good ready for use in life. This is clear from the meaning of 'boiling' as employing the truths of doctrine to make ready for use in life; from the meaning of 'flesh' as good, dealt with in 7850, 9127; and from the meaning of 'in a holy place' as thanks to Divine enlightenment. For a holy place is one where what is Divine and the Lord's is present, and so, when the expression has specific reference to the truths of doctrine, is one where Divine enlightenment exists; for where what is Divine and the Lord's is present, so is enlightenment. The reason why 'boiling the flesh of the sacrifice' means employing the truths of doctrine to make good ready for use in life is that flesh, by which good is meant, is by that means made ready for the use of the body; consequently being made ready for use in life is meant in the spiritual sense. The fact that the truths of doctrine are what are employed to make good ready is self-evident, for use is what those truths teach. Also 'the water' in which the flesh is boiled means truths, see 2702, 3058, 3424, 5668, 8568, 9323.

[2] The words 'employing the truths of doctrine seen in light received from the Lord' are used because truths drawn from the Word have to be marshalled into doctrine in order that they may be put to use. The marshalling must be done by those who see things in light received from the Lord; and those so enlightened when they read the Word are people who desire truth for its own sake and for the sake of goodness of life, not those who desire it for the sake of self-glorification, reputation, or gain. Doctrine drawn from the Word is wholly essential for understanding the Word, see 9025, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430; and those who gather doctrine from the Word must see things in light received from the Lord, 9382, 9424.

[3] The meaning of 'boiling in water' as turning truths into doctrine and thereby making them ready for use in life seems at first sight to be implausible and far-fetched. Nevertheless that is indeed the meaning, as becomes clear from places in the Word where the words 'boiling in water' occur, and also where 'a pot' in which the boiling is done is mentioned, as in the second Book of Kings,

Elisha came again to Gilgal, when there was a famine in the land. When the sons of the prophets were sitting before him he said to his servant, Put on a great pot, and boil a soup for the sons of the prophets. One of them went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine, and gathered from it wild gourds, and cut them up into the pot of soup. While they were eating of the soup they cried out, There is death in the pot, O man of God! Therefore he said that they should bring flour, which he threw into the pot, and said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. Then there was not anything bad in the pot. 2 Kings 4:38-41.

This miracle, like all others in the Word, holds holy things of the Church within it, which are made evident by the internal sense. This sense shows that Elisha represented the Lord in respect of the Word, as Elijah had done; that 'the sons of the prophets' are those who teach truths drawn from the Word; that 'the pot' which was put on at Elisha's command is doctrine formed from them; that 'a wild vine' and 'gourds' from it are falsities; and from all this it is evident what 'death in the pot' is. 'The flour which he threw into the pot' is truth springing from good, as a result of which action - because doctrine had been cured - 'there was not anything bad in the pot'. The internal sense also shows that 'boiling in the pot' means combining into doctrine and thereby making ready for use.

All miracles in the Word hold holy things of the Church within them, see 7337, 8364, 9086.

Elisha represented the Lord in respect of the Word, 2762.

'Prophets' are teachers of truths, thus in the abstract sense, without reference to persons, the truths of doctrine, 2534, 7269.

'Vine' is the Church's truth, and 'grapes' its good, 5113, 5117, 9277, so that 'a wild vine' and 'gourds' are falsities and evils.

'Flour' is the authentic truth of faith derived from good, 9995.

'The soup' which they were to boil means matters of doctrine massed together, as those of the Jews were, 3316.

From all this people may deduce what 'boiling' means, and what 'a pot' means.

[4] In Ezekiel,

Tell a parable against the house of rebellion: Put on the pot, put it on, and also pour water into it; gather the pieces into it - every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice of the bones, and let the bones be boiled in the midst of it. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Woe to the city of blood 1 , to the pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum does not come out of it! Ezekiel 24:3-6.

These verses describe what the Word is like so far as doctrine is concerned, that is to say, it contains Divine Truths emanating from Divine Good. Then they describe doctrine from the Word as it existed among the Jewish nation - full of unclean and false notions. 'The pot' is doctrine; 'the thigh, the shoulder, and the choice of the bones' are Divine Truths emanating from Divine Good in successive order; 'the city of blood' is the Jewish nation in respect of the truth of doctrine among them, and in the abstract sense, without reference to nation or person, doctrine destructive of good; 'the scum in it' is that which is external and favours foul kinds of love, which if not removed defile truth. From this also it is evident that 'the pot' is doctrine, and 'boiling' making ready for use.

[5] In the same prophet,

The Spirit said to me, Son of man, these men think iniquity and give wicked counsel in the city, saying, [The time] is not near to build houses; [the city] itself is the pot and we are the flesh. Ezekiel 11:2-3, 7.

Here also 'the pot' stands for doctrine consisting of falsity arising from evil; for 'the pot' is used to describe the city in which iniquity is thought and wicked counsel is given. 'The city' too means doctrine, see 402, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493, in this instance doctrine of the same type.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Jehovah said, What do you see? I said, A puffed-out pot do I see, its face towards the north. Jehovah said, From the north evil will be opened over all the inhabitants of the land. Jeremiah 1:13-14.

'A puffed-out pot' likewise means doctrine consisting of falsity arising from evil. 'The north' means an obscure state so far as the truth of faith is concerned, also thick darkness caused by falsities, 3708. From this it is evident what this prophetic vision holds within it.

[7] In Zechariah,

On that day every pot in Jerusalem [and] in Judah will be holiness to Jehovah Zebaoth, and all offering sacrifice will come, and take from them, and boil in them. Zechariah 14:21.

Here 'pot' means doctrine teaching about charity and faith, thus doctrine consisting of truth springing from good; 'Jerusalem' is the Lord's Church; and '[all] offering sacrifice' are those engaging in Divine worship. From this it is evident that 'boiling in the pots' means making ready for use in spiritual life.

[8] In Moses,

Every earthen vessel in which the flesh of the sacrifice of a guilt or a sin offering is boiled shall be broken. But if it has been boiled in a bronze vessel, it shall be scoured and rinsed 2 in water. Leviticus 6:28.

'An earthen vessel' in which the boiling was done is falsity that does not go together with good; 'a bronze vessel' is doctrinal teaching that has good in it; 'boiling the flesh of the sacrifice of a guilt or sin offering' in them means making something ready for purification from evils and consequent falsities. From this it is evident what was represented by the decree that an earthen vessel should be broken and that a bronze vessel should be scoured and rinsed in water.

Footnotes:

1. literally, bloods

2. literally, shall be scraped and immersed

  
/ 10837  
  

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