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出埃及记第18章

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1 摩西的岳父,米甸祭司叶忒罗,摩西的百姓以色列所行的一切事,就是耶和华以色列埃及领出来的事,

2 便带着摩西的妻子西坡拉,就是摩西从前打发回去的,

3 又带着西坡拉的两个儿子个名叫革舜,因为摩西:我在外邦作了寄居的;

4 个名叫以利以谢因为他:我父亲帮助了我,救我脱离法老的刀。

5 摩西的岳父叶忒罗带着摩西的妻子和两个儿子,就是摩西旷野安营的地方。

6 他对摩西:我是你岳父叶忒罗,带着你的妻子和两个儿子到你这里。

7 摩西迎接他的岳父,向他下拜,与他亲嘴,彼此问安,都进了帐棚。

8 摩西耶和华以色列的缘故向法老埃及人所行的一切事,以及上所遭遇的一切艰难,并耶和华怎样搭救他们,都述说与他岳父听。

9 叶忒罗因耶和华以色列的一切处,就是拯救他们脱离埃及人,便甚欢喜。

10 叶忒罗耶和华是应当称颂的;他救了你们脱离埃及人法老的,将这百姓从埃及人救出来。

11 我现今在埃及人向这百姓发狂傲的事上得知,耶和华比万

12 摩西的岳父叶忒罗把燔祭和平安祭献给亚伦以色列的长老来了,与摩西的岳父在面前饭。

13 第二天,摩西坐着审判百姓,百姓从到晚都站在摩西的左右。

14 摩西的岳父见他向百姓所做的一切事,就:你向百姓做的是甚麽事呢?你为甚麽独自坐着,众百姓从到晚都站在你的左右呢?

15 摩西对岳父:这是因百姓到我这里求问

16 他们有事的时候就到我这里,我便在两造之间施行审判;我又叫他们知道的律例和度。

17 摩西的岳父:你这做的不

18 你和这些百姓必都疲惫;因为这事太重,你独自一人办理不了。

19 现在你要我的。我为你出个主意,愿与你同在。你要替百姓到面前,将案件奏告

20 又要将律例和度教训他们,指示他们当行的道,当做的事;

21 并要从姓中拣选有才能的人,就是敬畏、诚实无妄、恨不义之财的人,派他们作夫长、夫长、五十夫长、夫长,管理姓,

22 叫他们随时审判百姓,事都要呈到你这里,小事他们自己可以审判。这样,你就轻省些,他们也可以同当此任。

23 你若这样行,也这样吩咐你,你就能受得住,这百姓也都平平安安归回他们的住处。

24 於是,摩西从他岳父的话,按着他所的去行。

25 摩西以色列人中拣选了有才能的人,立他们为姓的首领,作夫长、夫长、五十夫长、夫长。

26 他们随时审判百姓,有难断的案件就呈到摩西那里,但各样小事他们自己审判。

27 此後,摩西让他的岳父去,他就往本去了。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#8650

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8650. 'Of whom the name of one was Gershom (for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land)' means the essential nature of the good of truth of those outside the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the name' and 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421, 6674. That essential nature is described by the words uttered by Moses then, which were, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. The reason why these words mean the good of truth of those outside the Church is that 'a sojourner'' means those who were born outside the Church, yet were receiving instruction in things of the Church; and 'a foreign land' means a place where the Church does not exist. For the meaning of 'a sojourner' as those who were born outside the Church and were receiving instruction in things of the Church, see 1463, 4444, 7908, 8007, 8013. The reason why 'a foreign land' is where the genuine Church does not exist is that 'land' or 'earth' means the Church, 662, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, and 'foreign' a place where what is genuine does not exist; for the Lord's Church is spread throughout all lands, and so exists also among gentiles, 2049, 2284, 2589-2604. Furthermore when Gershom was born Moses was outside his own Church, among those with whom the good of simple truth existed, who are meant by 'the Midianites', see 6793-6796.

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

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#4444

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4444 .'When they heard; and the men were grieved and blazing with anger' means that they were under the influence of evil that was directed against the truth of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'being grieved and blazing with anger' here as being under the influence of evil. Its direction against the truth of the Church among the Ancients follows because the anger was against Shechem the son of Hamor, who means the truth known to the Ancients, as stated above in 4430, 4431. Their being under the influence of evil is evident from details given further on, namely that they spoke deceitfully, verse 13, and then after Shechem and Hamor had submitted to their demands they killed them, verses 26-29. Consequently 'being grieved' here and 'blazing with anger' mean that they were under the influence of evil. Their action looks like zeal aroused in them because he had lain with their sister, to judge by the words which immediately follow 'because he had done something disgraceful in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing that ought not to be done' - and by those at the end of the chapter 'They said, Is he going to treat our sister like a prostitute?' verse 31. But it was not zeal, for zeal cannot possibly exist with someone who is under the influence of evil, only with one governed by good; for zeal has good within it, 4164.

[2] The semblance of religion which existed among their descendants did indeed have good within it, in that all its details, each one, represented the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom. But in the case of those with whom it existed it did not hold anything good at all since they were confined solely to external things devoid of internal, as shown above. It is the same with the semblance of religion possessed by that nation among whom it exists even at the present day. They acknowledge Moses and the Prophets, and so the Word. In itself this is holy but in their case it is not holy, for within every detail there they see themselves and so that which is worldly. Indeed they turn the Word into something earthly, for they do not know or even care about anything heavenly within it. If the state of a people is like this, no good can exist in them when their own semblance of religion holds sway over them. Instead evil is present, for nothing heavenly enters into them because they will annihilate it.

[3] There was a law, also known in the Ancient Church, according to which anyone who ravished a virgin had to provide her with a dowry and take her to be his wife, as the following words in Moses laid down,

If a man persuades a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall endow her with a dowry to be his wife; if her father utterly refuses to give her to him he shall weigh silver according to the dowry of virgins. Exodus 22:16-17.

And elsewhere,

If a man finds a young woman, a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty pieces of silver, and she shall become his wife, because he ravished her; and he will not be able to divorce her all his days. Deuteronomy 22:28-29.

The fact that this same law was known to the Ancients is quite evident from Shechem's words to the young woman's father and brothers,

Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will give that which you tell me. Increase the dowry and gift to any size and I will give you whatever you tell me, and give me the young woman for a wife. Verses 11-12.

Also, because Shechem was willing to fulfill this law and Dinah's brothers gave their consent provided he became as they themselves were, by circumcising every male, according to the words that follow

Only on this [condition] will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, by circumcising every male among you, then we will give our daughters to you, and your daughters we will take to ourselves, and we will dwell with you, and we wit be one people. Verses 15-16

- it is therefore evident that they did not act in conformity with the law, thus were not motivated by good, but acted contrary to the law, and consequently were motivated by evil.

[4] The law forbade them, it is true, to enter into marriages with the gentile nations, as laid down in Moses,

Lest you take their daughters for your sons, and their daughters go whoring after their gods, and they cause your sons to go whoring after their gods. Exodus 34:16.

And elsewhere,

You shall not establish a marriage relationship with the nations; you shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son, for he will turn your son from following Me, to serve other gods. Deuteronomy 7:3-4.

But this law referred to idolatrous nations. It was laid down to prevent their turning away, through such marriages, from truly representative worship to idolatrous worship; for once they became idolaters they were no longer able to represent the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom, only their opposites, namely the things of hell. In fact, once they were idolaters, they summoned from hell a certain devil whom they worshipped and to whom they applied Divine representatives. This accounts for its being said that they were not to go whoring after their gods. That law was also laid down for the further reason that 'the nations' means evils and falsities with which the goods and truths which they represented were not to be mingled, and therefore devilish and hellish things were not to be mingled with celestial and spiritual ones, 3024 (end).

[5] But they were in no way forbidden to contract marriages with nations who willingly adopted their worship and who, after being circumcised, acknowledged Jehovah. These they called sojourners sojourning with them, of whom the following is said in Moses,

If a sojourner sojourns with you and wishes to keep the Passover to Jehovah, every male he has shall be circumcised, and then he shall come near and keep it; and he will be as an inhabitant of the land. There shall be one law for the inhabitant and for the sojourner who sojourns in the midst of you. Exodus 12:48-49.

And elsewhere,

When the sojourner has sojourned with you, he shall keep the Passover to Jehovah according to the statute for the Passover, and according to the regulations 1 for it. There shall be one statute for you, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land. Numbers 9:14.

The reason why they were called sojourners sojourning in the midst of them and with them was that 'sojourning' meant receiving instruction, and so 'a sojourner' those who allowed themselves to receive instruction in statutes and matters of doctrine, see 1463, 2025, 3672. In the same author,

If a sojourner should sojourn with you who would make a fire-offering of an odour of rest to Jehovah, he shall do as you do. As for the assembly, one statute shall there be for you and for the sojourner who sojourns, an eternal statute throughout your generations. As you are, so shall the sojourner be before Jehovah. There shall be one law and one judgement for you and for the sojourner sojourning with you. Numbers 15:14-16.

And elsewhere,

As the native among you shall the sojourner sojourning with you be to you.

Leviticus 19:34.

One judgement shall there be for you; it shall be for the sojourner as for the native. Leviticus 24:22.

[6] The fact that this statute was known not only to Jacob and his sons but also to Shechem and Hamor is evident from the words spoken by them. For the statutes, judgements, and laws which were given to the Israelite and Jewish nation were not new but such as existed previously in the Ancient Church and in the second Ancient Church which, from Eber, was called the Hebrew, as has been shown in various places. The consequent knowledge of this law is evident from the words of Jacob's sons,

Jacob's sons said to Hamor and Shechem, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who has a foreskin; for that would be a reproach to us. Only on this [condition] will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, by circumcising every male among you, then we will give our daughters to you, and your daughters we will take to ourselves, and we will dwell with you, and we will be one people. Verses 14-16.

That knowledge is also evident from Hamor and Shechem's words, in that they not only consented but also did cause themselves and every male of their city to be circumcised, verses 18-24.

[7] This shows that Shechem became a sojourner such as is referred to in the Law, and so could take Jacob's daughter as a wife; and that their killing them was accordingly an unmentionable deed, as Jacob also bore witness before his death, Genesis 49:5-7. The fact that not only Judah but also Moses, as well as the kings of the Jews and Israelites, and many of the people too, married wives from gentile nations is clear from the historical sections of the Word; and one should not doubt that those wives accepted their statutes, judgements, and laws and were acknowledged as sojourners.

脚注:

1. literally, statutes

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