圣经文本

 

以西結書第42章

学习

   

1 我出來向北,到外院,又我進入聖屋;這聖屋一排順著空地,一排與邊鋪石地之屋相對。

2 這聖屋長一肘,寬五十肘,有向北

3 對著內院那二十肘寬之空地,又對著外院的鋪石地,在第三層樓上有樓廊對著樓廊。

4 在聖屋前有條夾道,寬肘,長百肘。房向北

5 聖屋因為樓廊佔去些地方,所以上層比中下兩層窄些。

6 聖屋有層,卻無子,不像外院的屋子有子;所以上層比中下兩層更窄。

7 聖屋外,東邊有,靠著外院,長五十肘。

8 靠著外院的聖屋長五十肘。殿北面的聖屋長一肘。

9 在聖屋以,東頭有進入之處,就是從外院進入之處。

10 向南(原文是東)在內院裡有聖屋,一排與鋪石地之屋相對,一排順著空地。

11 這聖屋前的夾道與邊聖屋的夾道長寬一樣;出入之處與的樣式相同。

12 正在前、夾道的東,有可以進入,與向南聖屋的一樣。

13 他對我:順著空地的屋,都是屋;親近耶和華的祭司當在那裡的物,也當在那裡放至的物,就是素祭、贖祭,和贖愆祭,因此處為

14 祭司進去出了所的時候,不可直到外院,但要在屋放下他們供職的衣服,因為是衣;要穿上別的衣服才可以到屬民的外院。

15 他量完了內殿,就帶我出朝東的,量院的四圍。

16 他用量度的竿量四圍,量東面五肘(原文是竿;本章下同),

17 用竿量面五肘,.

18 用竿量面五肘,

19 到西面,用竿量五肘。

20 他量面,圍有,長五肘,寬五肘,為要分別地與俗地。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Apocalypse Revealed#861

学习本章节

  
/962  
  

861. 20:9 And they went up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. This symbolically means that, being roused up by followers of the dragon, these people scorned every truth in the church and attempted to destroy everything connected with the New Church and its fundamental doctrine regarding the Lord and life.

To go up over the breadth of the earth means, symbolically, to scorn every truth in the church, because going up over symbolically means to transcend and bypass, thus to scorn. And the breadth of the earth symbolizes the truth in the church, as will be seen below. To surround the camp of the saints means, symbolically, to besiege and try to destroy everything connected with the New Church, as will be seen in the number following next. And the beloved city symbolizes the doctrine of the New Church. That a city symbolizes a church's doctrine may be seen in nos. 194, 501, 502, 712 above. The city is called beloved because its doctrine teaches about the Lord and how to live, as it is the doctrine of the New Jerusalem that is meant here.

That this is the symbolic meaning of these words, no one can see except as a consequence of the Word's spiritual sense. For it cannot possibly enter a person's thought that the breadth of the earth symbolizes the truth in a church, that the camp of the saints symbolizes everything connected with the New Church, both its truths and its goods, and that the city symbolizes its doctrine. Lest the mind remain in a state of doubt, therefore, we must demonstrate what breadth and the camp of the saints symbolize in the spiritual sense, which will make it possible for one to see afterward that the meaning of these words is as we have said.

[2] The breadth of the earth symbolizes the truth in a church because the spiritual world has in it four zones - eastern, western, southern and northern - and the eastern and western zones form its longitude or length, while the southern and northern zones form its latitude or breadth. Moreover, because the inhabitants in the eastern and western zones are ones impelled by the goodness of love, and therefore the east and west symbolize goodness, so likewise does longitude or length. And because the inhabitants in the southern and northern zones are ones impelled by truths of wisdom, and therefore the south and north symbolize truth, so likewise does latitude or breadth. But for more on this subject, see the book Heaven and Hell (London, 1758), nos. 141-153.

That breadth symbolizes truth can be seen from the following passages in the Word:

You (Jehovah) have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in the broad place. (Psalms 31:8)

Out of distress I called on Yah; He answered me in the broad place. (Psalms 118:5)

(Jehovah) led me out into the broad place; He delivered me... (Psalms 18:19)

...I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and impetuous nation which marches into the breadths of the earth... (Habakkuk 1:6)

(The Assyrian) will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over..., and the spreading of his wings will fill the breadth... (Isaiah 8:8)

...Jehovah will pasture them like a lamb in broad pasture. (Hosea 4:16)

And so on elsewhere, as in Psalms 4:1; 66:12, Deuteronomy 33:20.

[3] Nothing else is meant by the breadth of the city New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:16). For since the New Jerusalem means the New Church, its breadth and length cannot symbolically mean its breadth and length, but its truth and goodness. These, indeed, are the measures of a church.

So also in Zechariah:

I said (to the angel), "Where are you going?" He said..., "To measure Jerusalem, to see how great its width is and how great its length." (Zechariah 2:2)

So likewise the breadth and length of the new temple and new earth in Ezekiel, chapters 40-47.

So, too, the length and breadth of the altar of burnt offering, of the Tabernacle, of the table of showbread, of the altar of incense, and of the ark within. So also the length and breadth of the temple in Jerusalem, and of many other things whose dimensions are given.

  
/962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.