Arcana Coelestia #9397
9397. 'And read it in the ears of the people' means to be listened to and obeyed. This is clear from the meaning of 'reading' as to be listened to, for when something is read, it is in order that it may be heard, discerned, and obeyed, that is, listened to; and from the meaning of 'in the ears' as to be obeyed, for 'the ears' and 'hearing' mean obeying, 2542, 3869, 4551, 4652-4660, 5471, 5475, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311.
[2] Since not only hearing and discerning are meant by 'the ears' but also obeying, expressions such as 'speak in their ears' and 'read in their ears' are used very often in the Word, not speak or read to them, as in Jeremiah,
Hear these words which I speak in your ears and in the ears of all the people. Jeremiah 28:7.
In the first Book of Samuel,
They spoke those words in the ears of the people. 1 Samuel 11:4.
And elsewhere in that book,
Let your maidservant speak in your ears. 1 Samuel 25:24.
In the Book of Judges,
Proclaim in the ears of the people, saying ... Judges 7:3.
In Moses,
Say in the ears of the people. Exodus 11:2.
In the same author,
Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgements which I speak in your ears today. Deuteronomy 5:1.
In the same author,
I speak in their ears these words. Deuteronomy 31:28.
In the same author,
And Moses spoke all the words of the song in the ears of the people. Deuteronomy 32:44.
In the second Book of Kings,
He read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant. 2 Kings 23:2.
In Jeremiah,
They said to him, Sit and read it in our ears. And Baruch read it in their ears. Jeremiah 36:15.
In Luke,
When Jesus had finished all the words in the people's ears ... Luke 7:1.
[3] Because 'the ear' and 'hearing' mean receiving, discerning, and obeying truth, thus mean belief from start to finish, it was said many times by the Lord, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, as in Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 14:35. And since 'the deaf' or 'those who do not hear' mean in the spiritual sense people with no belief in the truth because they have no knowledge nor consequently any discernment of it, 6989, 9209, the Lord, when He cured the one who was deaf, put His finger into his ears and said, Ephphatha (that is, Be opened), and immediately his ears were opened, Mark 7:32-35. All the Lord's miracles involved and were signs of states of the Church, see 8364, 9086.
Exodus 6
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Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land."
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God spoke to Moses, and said to him, "I am Yahweh;
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and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them.
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I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they lived as aliens.
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Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.
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Therefore tell the children of Israel, 'I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments:
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and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
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I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.'"
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Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn't listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel Go out of his land."
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Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, "Behold, the children of Israel haven't listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?"
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Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
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These are the heads of their fathers' houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
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The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
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These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
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The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
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The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred thirty-three years.
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The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
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Amram took Jochebed his father's sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
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The sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
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The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri.
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Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
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The sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
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Eleazar Aaron's son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families.
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These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom Yahweh said, "Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies."
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These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.
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It happened on the day when Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
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that Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "I am Yahweh. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I Speak to you."
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Moses said before Yahweh, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?"
