Arcana Coelestia#5224
5224. 'And Pharaoh told them the dream' means regarding things to come. This is clear from the meaning of 'the dream' as foresight, foretelling, and outcome, dealt with in 5091, 5092, 5104, and so things to come. What this implies in the internal sense is clear from the whole train of thought. The present verse deals with a new state in the natural when this dwells in obscurity because truths have been banished from it; at this particular point it deals with the turmoil involved in consulting factual knowledge regarding things to come. For when that kind of obscurity exists, thought about what the outcome is to be instantly arises. Because this is what generally happens in every state such as this when a person is being regenerated, that state is therefore described here in the internal sense.
[2] But such states are not known about at the present day, because for one thing few are being regenerated and because for another those who are being regenerated do not stop to reflect on these matters. No one is interested at the present day in what goes on in a person interiorly, because external interests have a complete hold; that is, when external interests are the ends in view in people's lives, internal interests are of no importance at all to them. Regarding the obscurity referred to here they would say, Of what concern is that to me when there is nothing to be gained from it, and no honour in knowing it? Why give any thought to the state of the soul or state of the internal man, and why ask whether this is in obscurity when truths are banished or in clearness when truths are restored there? What advantage is there in knowing this? I doubt whether any internal man exists or whether any state of the soul exists apart from that of the body. Indeed I even doubt the existence of a soul that lives after death. Has anyone ever returned from the dead to show us? These are the kind of things that the member of the Church says to himself at the present day and the kind of thoughts he has when he hears or reads anything about the state of the internal man. From this one may see how it comes about that the things which go on inside a person are in obscurity and wholly unknown about at the present day.
[3] Such obscurity of understanding never existed among the ancients. Their wisdom consisted in fostering more internal things and so in perfecting both powers of the mind, which are the understanding and the will, and so consisted, because they did this, in seeing to the needs of the soul. The fact that these were the kinds of things the ancients were concerned about is plain from their writings which are extant at the present day, and in addition to this from everyone's desire to hear Solomon,
Therefore they came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom. 1 Kings 4:34.
This was the reason why the queen of Sheba came to him; and because of the blessing she received from Solomon's wisdom she said,
Blessed are your men, blessed are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom 1 Kings 10:8.
Would anyone today say that he is blessed on that account?
1 Kings第4章
1
King Solomon was king over all Israel.
2
These were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
3
Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
4
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5
and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, [and] the king's friend;
6
and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.
7
Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year.
8
These are their names: Ben Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9
Ben Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;
10
Ben Hesed, in Arubboth (to him [pertained] Socoh, and all the land of Hepher);
11
Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife);
12
Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam;
13
Ben Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (to him [pertained] the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; [even] to him [pertained] the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14
Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15
Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife);
16
Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
17
Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18
Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19
Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and [he was] the only officer who was in the land.
20
Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.
21
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt: they brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22
Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal,
23
ten head of fat cattle, and twenty head of cattle out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fattened fowl.
24
For he had dominion over all [the region] on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he had peace on all sides around him.
25
Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26
Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27
Those officers provided food for king Solomon, and for all who came to king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking.
28
Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they to the place where [the officers] were, every man according to his duty.
29
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and very great understanding, even as the sand that is on the seashore.
30
Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31
For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all the nations all around.
32
He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were one thousand five.
33
He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish.
34
There came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
