Arcana Coelestia #3391
3391. 'That Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through a window and saw' means the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts held within cognitions. This is clear from the representation of 'Abimelech' as the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts, dealt with in 2504, 2509, 2510, 2533; from the meaning of 'the king of the Philistines' as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 3365; and from the meaning of 'a window' as the understanding part of the mind, dealt with in 655, 658, and therefore internal sight, for this in former times was meant by 'windows'. Thus 'looking through a window' is perceiving things that are seen through internal sight. In general those things are cognitions which belong to the external man; but rational concepts - or what amounts to the same, appearances of truth, which are spiritual truths, 3368 - are not cognitions but are held within cognitions since they belong to the rational man, and so to the internal man. And it is characteristic of the internal man to regard the things belonging to the external man, and so to regard the truths held within cognitions. Since cognitions belong to the natural man they are consequently the recipient vessels for rational concepts. For Divine truths flow into the rational part of the mind and by way of the rational into the natural, where they present themselves like an image produced by many objects reflected in a mirror, see 3368.
[2] That 'windows' means the things that constitute internal sight, that is, the understanding, which are referred to by the single term 'intellectual concepts' is clear from the places in the Word introduced in 655, as well as from the following: In Joel,
They will run about the city, they will run on the wall, they will climb into the houses, they will go in through the windows like a thief. Joel 2:9.
This refers to the evils and falsities present in the final days of the Church. 'Climbing into the houses' stands for destroying goods which belong to the will - 'houses' being goods that belong to the will, see 710, 2233, 2234; and 'going in through the windows' for destroying truths and cognitions of those which belong to the understanding. In Zephaniah,
Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north and will destroy Asshur. Herds will lie down in the midst of her, every wild beast of that nation. The spoonbill also and the duck will lodge in its pomegranates. 1 A voice will sing in the window, dryness will be on the threshold, for the cedar has been laid bare. Zephaniah 2:13-14.
This refers to the destruction of the truths of faith by means of reasonings, meant by Asshur, 119, 1186. 'A voice will sing in the window' stands for the desolation of truth, and so of the ability to understand what is true.
[3] In the Book of Judges,
She looked through the window, and the mother of Sisera exclaimed through the lattices, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Judges 5:28.
These words come in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak and have to do with the resurgence of the spiritual Church. 'Looking through the window' stands for the reasonings of those who deny truths and in so doing destroy things that belong to the Church; for such reasonings are intellectual concepts in the contrary sense. In Jeremiah,
Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness, and his upper rooms without judgement, who says, I will build myself a wide house and spacious upper rooms, and he cuts out windows for himself, panelling it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion. Jeremiah 22:13-14.
'Building a house without righteousness, and upper rooms without judgement' stands for building a religion out of what is not good and not truth - 'righteousness and judgement' meaning good and truth, see 2235. 'Cutting out windows for oneself, panelling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion' stands for falsifying truths, intellectual and spiritual. The windows of the Temple in Jerusalem represented nothing else than such things as constitute intellectual and thus spiritual concepts. The windows of the new temple that are mentioned in Ezekiel, 40:16, 22, 25, 33, 36; 41:16, 26, have a similar meaning, for anyone may see that the new temple, the new Jerusalem, and the new earth described in that prophet mean nothing else than the Lord's kingdom, and that accordingly the details mentioned concerning them are the kind of things that belong to that kingdom.
Imibhalo yaphansi:
1. The original Hebrew word is thought to describe capitals shaped like pomegranates.
Ezekiel 40
1
In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was struck, in the same day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there.
2
In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south.
3
He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
4
The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, you are brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.
5
Behold, a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
6
Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up its steps: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad.
7
Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and [the space] between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.
8
He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed.
9
Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.
10
The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.
11
He measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;
12
and a border before the lodges, one cubit [on this side], and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
13
He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; door against door.
14
He made also posts, sixty cubits; and the court [reached] to the posts, around the gate.
15
[From] the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits.
16
There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches; and windows were around inward; and on [each] post were palm trees.
17
Then brought he me into the outer court; and behold, there were rooms and a pavement, made for the court all around: thirty rooms were on the pavement.
18
The pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gates, even the lower pavement.
19
Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, [both] on the east and on the north.
20
The gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured its length and its breadth.
21
The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.
22
The windows of it, and its arches, and the palm trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and its arches were before them.
23
There was a gate to the inner court over against the [other] gate, [both] on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate one hundred cubits.
24
He led me toward the south; and behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.
25
There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.
26
There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on its posts.
27
There was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits.
28
Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29
and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.
30
There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad.
31
The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
32
He brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures;
33
and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.
34
The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
35
He brought me to the north gate: and he measured [it] according to these measures;
36
its lodges, its posts, and its arches: and there were windows therein all around; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.
37
The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
38
A room with its door was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering.
39
In the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to kill thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
40
On the [one] side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables.
41
Four tables were on this side, and Four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they killed [the sacrifices].
42
There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice.
43
The hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within all around: and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44
Outside of the inner gate were rooms for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.
45
He said to me, This room, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house;
46
and the room whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him.
47
He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house.
48
Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
49
The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
