HR90

THE SCIENCE OF CORRESPONDENCES

Banner777
TSL9

<< Ezekiel XIII >>

PARABLES: THE FALSE PROPHETESSES

Para23


1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
 2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah:
 3 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
 4 O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.
 5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.
 6 They have seen falsehood and lying divination, that say, Jehovah saith; but Jehovah hath not sent them: and they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.
 7 Have ye not seen a false vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, Jehovah saith; albeit I have not spoken?
 8 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 9 And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
 10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and when one buildeth up a wall, behold, they daub it with untempered mortar:
 11 say unto them that daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.
 12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my wrath; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it.
 14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
 15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar; and I will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
 16 to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
 18 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the women that sew pillows upon all elbows, and make kerchiefs for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves?
 19 And ye have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hearken unto lies.
 20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
 21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
 22 Because with lies ye have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive:
 23 Therefore ye shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations: and I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.


 1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

1-3. Respecting those who from their own intelligence hatch out doctrine, or falsify doctrine. P. P.

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah:

2, 3, 9. By the prophets mentioned here in the external sense are understood those mentioned in the Old Testament by whom the Lord spoke. But in the spiritual sense not those prophets only, but all are understood who are led by the Lord; for with them also the Lord flows in, and reveals to them the mysteries of the Word, whether they teach them or not. By prophets who prophesy out of their own heart, and follow their own spirit, and who see vanity and Divine lies, are understood all who are not led by the Lord, but by themselves, whence they have the love of self instead of love for God and the love of the world instead of love toward the neighbor. Consequently they have insanity instead of intelligence, and folly instead of wisdom. E. 624.
2, 17. The Son of Man signifies the Lord as to the Word. L.28.

3 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

3. By spirit is meant the very life of man. By spirit in the natural sense is meant man's life of respiration, and that respiration, which is of the lungs, corresponds to the life of truth, which is the life of faith and understanding. A. 9818.
    Means a life of various affections. L. 48.
    The spirit signifies such things as are of a perverted and wicked mind. T. 156.
    Heart in the opposite sense signifies evil, and spirit what is false. E. 183.

4 O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.
5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.

4, 5. They do not stand in the day of judgment. P. P.
5. By wars in the Word, especially in the prophets, spiritual wars, or temptations are meant. A. 1664.
    To stand in the breach means to ward off falsity, and to be on guard lest they break in. A. 4926.
    In the day of the Lord means the coming of the Lord. L.4.
    Spiritual wars are signified, which are fightings against the truth, and are carried on by reasonings from falsities. R. 500.
    It is evident from these passages that the Lord's coming and a new church at that time are meant by the day of Jehovah. R. 704.
    By baptism men were introduced into the future church of the Lord, and inserted in heaven. So they were guarded by angels, that devils might not break forth from hell and destroy them. T. 689.
    Speaking of the foolish prophets, by whom are signified faises of doctrine from the Word falsified, that they are not able to repair the lapses of the church, or amend any thing thereof. Not to stand in the war in the day of Jehovah signifies not to fight against falses from evil, which are from hell. E. 734.
    To stand in battle in the day of Jehovah.D. P., Page 86.

6 They have seen falsehood and lying divination, that say, Jehovah saith; but Jehovah hath not sent them: and they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.
7 Have ye not seen a false vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, Jehovah saith; albeit I have not spoken?
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
9 And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

6, 7. They say that it is the Word of the Lord, and yet it is not. P. P.
6-9. Falsehood or a lie stands for falsity and evil of faith. A.8908.
    They see vanity and divine a lie signify those who teach, and in the abstract sense the teaching or doctrine. A. 9248.
    A lie signifies falsity of doctrine, thus falsities which confirm evil. R. 924.
8, 9. They will be shut out of the church. P. P.
8, 13, 16, 18, 20. In the Old Testament the name Lord involves the same as Jehovah. It is said Lord when good is treated of. A. 2921.
9, 11. The prophets who see vanity and divine lies stand for those who teach evils and falsities. Daubing on what is unfit stands for fashioning falsities, and making them appear like truths. These are called hailstones from falsities. Hail in this passage is expressed in the original by another term which signifies great hail. A. 7553.

10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and when one buildeth up a wall, behold, they daub it with untempered mortar:

10-12. The wall which they daubed with un tempered morter signifies the falsity which is assumed as a principle, and which, by application of the Word according to its literal sense, they make appear as truth. Daubing or smearing stands for application, and thence apparent confirmation. Untempered mortar, or what is unfit, stands for what is falsified. E. 237.
    They falsely interpret the truths of the Word. P. P.
10, 16. They alone have peace who are in good and thence in truths, and not they who are in evils and thence in falsities. E. 365.

11 say unto them that daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.
12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

 

11. To daub on what is unfit is to confirm falsity so as to appear like truth, therefore they who do this are called hailstones. R. 399.
    They daub who confirm falsities that they may outwardly appear as truths. They are called hailstones, because they thereby destroy truths. The dispersion of such falsities is signified by an overflowing shower. E. 503.
11, 12. The walls of loose stones are like those who build up with one hand, and destroy with the other, or that build a house and soon pull it down, wherefore their houses are rubbish. R. 208.
11, 13. Rain, here used in the opposite sense, means cursing, and hence damnation. A. 2445.
The daubing what is unfit is the confirmation of falses, and hailstones are falses. Coro. 34.
11, 13, 14. Here a stormy wind and an inundating rain stand for the desolation of falsities. The wall daubed with what is unfit stands for fiction appearing as truth. A. 739.
    An inundating rain stands for the devastation of truth. R. 496
    By the incrustation of what is unfit is signified confirmation of what is false by fallacies, whereby the false appears as truth. By the hailstones are signified truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, which inwardly are all falses. E. 644.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my wrath; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it.

13. A nearer and stronger Divine influx through the heavens disperses the truths which are with the evil, therefore wind signifies the dispersion of the truth with them, and thence their conjunction with hell, and their destruction. R. 343.
    It has been observed that in the spiritual world, as well as in the natural world, there exist strong winds and storms, but the storms in the spiritual world exist from the influx of the Divine into the lower parts of that world, where those are who are in evils and falsities. E. 419.
13-15. They will be destroyed. P. P.

14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar; and I will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

14, 15. The vastation, desolation and consummation was accomplished, when our Lord the Saviour, after receiving the sponge of vinegar, cried out upon the cross: it is finished. Coro. 59.
15-19. A lie signifies falsity, and false speaking. T. 322.

16 to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Jehovah.
17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

16. They will have no protection against the hells. P. P.
17. The daughters of the nations signify the affection for evil and falsity from which were their religious systems, and thus the religious systems themselves. A. 3024.
    The affection for falsifying. P. P.

18 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the women that sew pillows upon all elbows, and make kerchiefs for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves?
19 And ye have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hearken unto lies.

18. To swear by one's own head means by the truth which the man himself believes to be truth, and which he makes his truth of faith, for this with man constitutes the head, and is also signified by the head. A. 9166.
    The head is the whole man, because from the head descends all of the man, for the body is a derivation thence. The head with man corresponds to the inmost heaven. A. 10011.
18, 19. A man who is dead is not called dead for the reason that he is to die after the life of the body, but that he is to live a life of death, for death is damnation and hell.This is here signified by living. A. 304.
    Soul is used to indicate the life of the spirit of man, which is called his spiritual life. E. 750.
    From such affections arise persuasions of falsity, by which they are led astray. P. P.
18-21. By hunting is meant captivating by persuasions, and by knowledges which they pervert, and interpret in favor of themselves, and in accomodation to the disposition of another. A. 1178.
    Hunting signifies persuading from affection for falsity. A. 3309·
19. To kill is plainly to destroy spiritual life, that is, faith and charity. A. 6767.
    The soul stands for the spiritual life of man, which is the life of his spirit after death. To slay the soul is to die spiritually or to be condemned. A. 7021.
    To slay souls here means to take away spiritual life. A. 8902.
    The subject here treated of is concerning the falsification of truth, which is understood by its being said: Wilt thou pollute me among my people? and by: Your lying to my people. A lie signifies what is false, and truth falsified. To slay the souls is to persuade them that life eternal is from falsities. E. 186.
19, 22. By saving alive and by life is understood in the literal sense spiritual life itself. A. 5890.
By death is signified spiritual death or damnation. A. 6119.

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
22 Because with lies ye have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive:
23 Therefore ye shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations: and I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

20-23. They will perish, and those who do not suffer themselves to be led astray will be protected. P.P. D. P., Page 26.
    Chapter mentioned. By prophets in the internal sense are meant those who teach. A. 2534

Author: Emanuel Swedenborg (Compiled by Robert S. Fischer 1925)

site search by freefind advanced
 

[Home] [DICTIONARY] [HEAVEN] [EARTH] [DIVINE HUMAN] [THE WORD] [PLACES] [PERSONS] [ANIMALS] [PLANTS] [MINERALS] [NUMBERS]

Copyright © 2007-2013 A. J. Coriat All rights reserved.