IBhayibheli

 

Esodo 25

Funda

   

1 L’Eterno parlò a Mosè dicendo: "Di’ ai figliuoli d’Israele che mi facciano un’offerta;

2 accetterete l’offerta da ogni uomo che sarà disposto a farmela di cuore.

3 E questa è l’offerta che accetterete da loro: oro, argento e rame;

4 stoffe di color violaceo, porporino, scarlatto;

5 lino fino e pel di capra; pelli di montone tinte in rosso, pelli di delfino e legno d’acacia;

6 olio per il candelabro, aromi per l’olio della unzione e per il profumo odoroso;

7 pietre di onice e pietre da incastonare per l’efod e il pettorale.

8 E mi facciano un santuario perch’io abiti in mezzo a loro.

9 Me lo farete in tutto e per tutto secondo il modello del tabernacolo e secondo il modello di tutti i suoi arredi, che io sto per mostrarti.

10 Faranno dunque un’arca di legno d’acacia; la sua lunghezza sarà di due cubiti e mezzo, la sua larghezza di un cubito e mezzo, e la sua altezza di un cubito e mezzo.

11 La rivestirai d’oro puro; la rivestirai così di dentro e di fuori; e le farai al di sopra una ghirlanda d’oro, che giri intorno.

12 Fonderai per essa quattro anelli d’oro, che metterai ai suoi quattro piedi: due anelli da un lato e due anelli dall’altro lato,

13 Farai anche delle stanghe di legno d’acacia, e le rivestirai d’oro.

14 E farai passare le stanghe per gli anelli ai lati dell’arca, perché servano a portarla.

15 Le stanghe rimarranno negli anelli dell’arca; non ne saranno tratte fuori.

16 E metterai nell’arca la testimonianza che ti darò.

17 Farai anche un propiziatorio d’oro puro; la sua lunghezza sarà di due cubiti e mezzo, e la sua larghezza di un cubito e mezzo.

18 E farai due cherubini d’oro; li farai lavorati al martello, alle due estremità del propiziatorio;

19 fa’ un cherubino a una delle estremità, e un cherubino all’altra; farete che questi cherubini escano dal propiziatorio alle due estremità.

20 E i cherubini avranno le ali spiegate in alto, in modo da coprire il propiziatorio con le loro ali; avranno la faccia vòlta l’uno verso l’altro; le facce dei cherubini saranno volte verso il propiziatorio.

21 E metterai il propiziatorio in alto, sopra l’arca; e nell’arca metterai la testimonianza che ti darò.

22 Quivi io m’incontrerò teco; e di sul propiziatorio, di fra i due cherubini che sono sull’arca della testimonianza, ti comunicherò tutti gli ordini che avrò da darti per i figliuoli d’Israele.

23 Farai anche una tavola di legno d’acacia; la sua lunghezza sarà di due cubiti; la sua larghezza di un cubito, e la sua altezza di un cubito e mezzo.

24 La rivestirai d’oro puro, e le farai una ghirlanda d’oro che le giri attorno.

25 Le farai all’intorno una cornice alta quattro dita; e a questa cornice farai tutt’intorno una ghirlanda d’oro.

26 Le farai pure quattro anelli d’oro, e metterai gli anelli ai quattro canti, ai quattro piedi della tavola.

27 Gli anelli saranno vicinissimi alla cornice per farvi passare le stanghe destinate a portar la tavola.

28 E le stanghe le farai di legno d’acacia, le rivestirai d’oro, e serviranno a portare la tavola.

29 Farai pure i suoi piatti, le sue coppe, i suoi calici e le sue tazze da servire per le libazioni; li farai d’oro puro.

30 E metterai sulla tavola il pane della presentazione, che starà del continuo nel mio cospetto.

31 Farai anche un candelabro d’oro puro; il candelabro, il suo piede e il suo tronco saranno lavorati al martello; i suoi calici, i suoi pomi e i suoi fiori saranno tutti d’un pezzo col candelabro.

32 Gli usciranno sei bracci dai lati: tre bracci del candelabro da un lato e tre bracci del candelabro dall’altro;

33 su l’uno de’ bracci saranno tre calici in forma di mandorla, con un pomo e un fiore; e sull’altro braccio, tre calici in forma di mandorla, con un pomo e un fiore. Lo stesso per i sei bracci uscenti dal candelabro.

34 Nel tronco del candelabro ci saranno poi quattro calici in forma di mandorla, coi loro pomi e i loro fiori.

35 Ci sarà un pomo sotto i due primi bracci che partono dal candelabro; un pomo sotto i due seguenti bracci, e un pomo sotto i due ultimi bracci che partono dal candelabro: così per i sei bracci uscenti dal candelabro.

36 Questi pomi e questi bracci saranno tutti d’un pezzo col candelabro; il tutto sarà d’oro fino lavorato al martello.

37 Farai pure le sue lampade, in numero di sette; e le sue lampade si accenderanno in modo che la luce rischiari il davanti del candelabro.

38 E i suoi smoccolatoi e i suoi porta smoccolature saranno d’oro puro.

39 Per fare il candelabro con tutti questi suoi utensili s’impiegherà un talento d’oro puro.

40 E vedi di fare ogni cosa secondo il modello che t’è stato mostrato sul monte.

   

Okususelwe Emisebenzini kaSwedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #9474

Funda lesi Sigaba

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

9474. 'Spices for the anointing oil' means internal truths belonging to the good that consecrates. This is clear from the meaning of 'spices' as interior truths, which are the truths of internal good, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love, as above in 9473; and from the meaning of 'anointing' as consecrating to serve as a representative sign. For objects which were to represent realities that were holy were anointed with oil smelling sweetly of spices and thereby consecrated, as is clear from these words later on in Exodus,

Take for yourself the chief spices - best myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, sweet-scented cane, cassia, olive oil. Afterwards you shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfect ointment; 1 a holy anointing oil it shall be. With it you shall anoint the tent, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its vessels, the lampstand and its vessels, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its vessels, and the laver and its base. Thus shall you sanctify them, that they may be most holy. 2 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons. Exodus 30:23-31.

The reason why objects were holy when they had been anointed was that they then represented realities that were holy; and from this it is evident that the anointing of something was the consecration of it to serve as a representative sign.

[2] The reason why oil was used for anointing was that oil was the sign of celestial good, and celestial good is the good of love received from the Lord, and consequently is the good of love to the Lord. This good is the indispensable element within every single aspect of heaven and eternal life. Sweet-smelling spices were used to make that oil sweet-scented, to the end that what was delightful might be represented; for 'odour' means perception, and 'a pleasant and sweet odour' means a delightful perception, see 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748. And since every perception of good comes through truth, spices were used, by which interior truths are meant, 4748, 5621.

[3] Something more must be stated briefly about why the anointing oil and also the incense were to be made sweet-smelling. As stated above, 'oil' means the good of love, and 'spice' internal truth. But the good of love cannot come to be perceived except through truths; for truth bears witness to good, indeed is the revealer of it, and may be called the outward form of good. This is like the situation with human will and understanding, in that the will cannot make itself known except through the understanding. For the understanding takes to itself and reveals the good of the will; also the understanding is the outward form of the will, in addition to which truth belongs to the understanding and good to the will. From all this it becomes clear why the anointing oil was made to smell sweetly of spices, as also was the incense. But the difference between them is that the spicy smell of the anointing oil means the delightfulness of internal perception, whereas the spicy smell of incense means the delightfulness of external perception. For the spicy smell of the anointing oil was given off without any smoke, and so presented a sweet odour without any external appearance, whereas the spicy smell of incense was given off with the smoke.

Imibhalo yaphansi:

1. literally, ointment of ointment

2. literally, the holy thing of holy things

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

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

Okususelwe Emisebenzini kaSwedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #925

Funda lesi Sigaba

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

925. 'Jehovah smelled an odour of rest' means that worship stemming from these was pleasing to the Lord, that is to say, worship stemming from charity and from faith deriving from charity, meant by 'a burnt offering', as stated in the previous verse. In various places in the Word it is said that 'Jehovah smelled an odour of rest', especially that from burnt offerings, and wherever this occurs that which is pleasing or acceptable is meant. For references to His smelling an odour of rest from burnt offerings, see Exodus 29:18, 25, 41; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 23:12-13, 18; Numbers 28:6, 8, 13; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36; also from other sacrifices, Leviticus 2:2, 9; 6:15, 21; 8:21, 28; Numbers 15:3, 7, 13. They are also called 'that which has been made by fire as an odour of rest to Jehovah' which means that it stems from love and charity. In the Word when 'fire' or 'made by fire' is used in reference to the Lord and to worship of Him, it means love. And the same applies to 'bread', which also is why representative worship by means of burnt offerings and sacrifices is called 'bread offered by fire to Jehovah as an odour of rest', Leviticus 3:11, 16.

[2] The reason why 'an odour' means that which is pleasing and acceptable, and so why in the Jewish Church an odour was also representative of that which is pleasing and is ascribed to Jehovah or the Lord, is that good stemming from charity, and the truth of faith deriving from charity, correspond to sweet and pleasant odours. What the correspondence itself is and the character of it becomes clear from the spheres in heaven which surround spirits and angels. The spheres there are spheres of love and faith, and are clearly perceived. These spheres are such that when a good spirit or angel, that is, a community of good spirits or angels, approaches, the nature of the spirit or angel - that is, of the community - as regards love and faith is, as often as the Lord pleases, instantly perceived. It is perceived even when they are a long way off, more so still when they are closer at hand. This is unbelievable but nevertheless perfectly true. Such is the communication in the next life, and such the perception. Consequently, when the Lord pleases there is no necessity to make extensive enquiries to discover the character of a soul or spirit, for it is recognizable the moment he approaches. It is to these spheres that spheres belonging to odours in the world correspond. That they do correspond in this way becomes clear from the fact that when the Lord pleases the spheres of love and faith are readily converted in the world of spirits into spheres of sweet and pleasant odours, which are clearly perceived.

[3] From these considerations it is now clear from where and why 'an odour of rest' means that which is pleasing, why in the Jewish Church an odour became a representative, and why 'an odour of rest' is here ascribed to Jehovah or the Lord. 'An odour of rest' is descriptive of peace, that is, of the pleasantness of peace. Peace in one embrace takes in every single feature of the Lord's kingdom; for the state of the Lord's kingdom is a state of peace. It is within the state of peace that all the happy states occur which flow from love and faith in the Lord. All that has now been stated shows not only what representatives were essentially, but also why the Jewish Church had an altar for burning incense in front of the veil and the Mercy-seat, why offerings of frankincense accompanied sacrifices, and also why so many fragrant substances were used in incense, in frankincense, and in the anointing oil too. It shows therefore what 'an odour of rest', 'incense', and 'fragrances' mean in the Word, namely celestial things of love, and spiritual things of faith deriving from these, in general everything pleasing that derives from love and faith.

[4] As in Ezekiel,

On My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, there all the house of Israel, all of it in the land, will serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions, and the first fruits comprising your gifts in all your holy acts. Through the odour of rest I will accept you. Ezekiel 20:40-41.

Here 'an odour of rest' has reference to burnt offerings and gifts, that is, to worship stemming from charity and attendant faith, which worship is meant by burnt offerings and gifts, and is consequently acceptable, which is meant by 'the odour'. In Amos,

I hate, I reject your feasts, and I will not smell your solemn assemblies 1 [as a pleasant odour], for though you offer Me your burnt offerings and gifts, they will not be accepted. Amos 5:21-22.

This clearly means that which is pleasing or acceptable. The passage which describes Isaac's blessing Jacob instead of Esau reads,

Jacob went near and Isaac kissed him. He smelled the odour of his clothes, and he blessed him and said, See, the odour of my son, like the odour of a field that Jehovah has blessed. Genesis 27:26-27.

'The odour of his clothes' means natural good and truth whose pleasantness stems from their harmony with celestial and spiritual good and truth. Their pleasantness is described by 'the odour of the field'.

Imibhalo yaphansi:

1. literally, cessations i.e. cessations from work

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

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