<< Ezekiel XIV >>

 1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
 2 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
 3 Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?
 4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;
 5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
 6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
 7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself:
 8 and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
 9 And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
 10 And they shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that seeketh unto him;
 11 that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 12 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
 13 Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;
 14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 15 If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;
 16 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.
 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast;
 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.
 19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast;
 20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
 21 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
 22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
 23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 
 

1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
2 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

1-4. Those who depart from the worship of the Lord have no enlightenment from the Word. P. P.

3 Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

3. The reason why Noah is mentioned in verse 14 is because he was mentioned in Genesis, namely, the man and his three sons signified the succeeding church. Q. 9.
3-6. See Chapter VI., 4-5. R. 459.
    See Chapter VI., 4, 5. E. 587.
3, 13. The prophet Ezekiel was called son of man. L.28.

4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;
5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

4, 6, 11, 18, 20, 21. The name Lord Jehovah (Lord God) is used when the aid of omnipotence is more especially sought and implored. A. 2921.
5. The Church is of this description. P. P.

6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

6. See Chapter V., 11. E. 1045.
6, 7. If they do not become converted, they cannot be enlightened in truths from the Word. P. P.

7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself:
8 and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

7, 8. By the face of Jehovah, in the opposite sense, is meant anger and aversion, because the evil man turns himself away from the Lord; and when he turns himself away, it appears to him as if the Lord had turned away, and was angry. R. 939.
    When man from liberty chooses evil, he thus shuts the door against himself, and by so doing he excludes the good and truth which flow from the Lord. The Lord then appears as if absent, and it is from this appearance that it is predicated of Jehovah that He hides, or withdraws His face, although He does not do so in reality. E. 412.
8. and the church will be devastated, P. P.
8, 15. See Chapter XIII., 14, 15. Coro. 59.

9 And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
10 And they shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that seeketh unto him;

9, 10. until there be nothing of the doctrine of truth in it. P. P.
9, 13. Omnipotence is described by Jehovah stretching out his hand. A. 7673.

11 that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah.
12 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

11. They must not go back, but must acknowledge the Lord. P. P.
12-14. When there is no longer any truth or good in the church, intercession will not avail in the least. P. P.

13 Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;
 
13. In the prophets the celestial things of love are signified by bread. A. 2165.
See Chapter IV., 16. A. 4876.
    A staff signifies power, and the staff of bread the power of good. R. 485.
    A rod and a staff, in the opposite sense, mean the power of the infernal false. Breaking the staff of bread means a deficiency of good and truth, and thence of the power of resisting evils and falses. E. 727.
13, 15, 17, 19, 21. In the internal sense of the Word by cutting off man and beast is signified to deprive of all affection for good and truth, as well internal or spiritual, as external or natural. E. 388.
13, 15, 21. There is a spiritual sense in every thing in the Word in which a sword is the destruction of spiritual life by falsities, famine is the destruction of spiritual life by evils, the beast of the earth is the destruction of spiritual life by the lusts of falsity and evil, and the pestilence and death are an utter wasting away, and thus condemnation. R. 323.
In these words is described the vastation of the church. The house of Israel and Jerusalem stand for the church. By breaking the staff of bread is signified to destroy everything celestial and spiritual, from which spiritual nourishment is derived, for bread involves everything pertaining to heaven and to the church, or all spiritual nourishment. By cutting off man and beast is signified all spiritual and natural affection. The sword the famine, the evil beast and pestilence are called the four sore judgments. E. 386
13, 17, 19. By man and beast together is signified man as to spiritual and natural affection. R. 567.
    By man and beast is signified the interior or spiritual, and the exterior or natural, consequently by man the spiritual affection for truth, from which is all intelligence; and by beast the natural affection, corresponding to the spiritual. Man as to his external or natural is nothing but a beast, for he enjoys similar lusts, and also pleasures, appetites, and senses, so that in regard to such things the natural man may be called the animal man. But man as to his internal spiritual enjoys the affections of good and truth, such as appertain to the angels of heaven. By those affections in himself man rules his animal or natural man, which is a beast. E. 650.
13, 19, 21. What is interior is signified by man, because man is man as to the internal or spiritual man, enjoying there affections for good and truth. By t se he rules his natural mind, which is a beast. A. 7523.

14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.

14, 16. See Chapter XIII., 14, 15. Coro. 59.
14-18, 20. By these words is described he devastation of the church of all truths and good, except those who by truths from the Word and by temptation are reformed, these are signified by Noah, Daniel and Job. With the rest all truths and good shall perish. This is signified by: they shall not deliver their sons or their daughters, but they only shall be delivered. E. 724.

15 If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;

15. By being bereaved (spoiled) is understood that the church is deprived of its truths, and that thereby it ceases to be a church. A. 5536.
    See Chapter V., 17. A.9335.
15, 16. Neither will intercession be of any avail when
evil desires take possession of the church. P. P.

16 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.
17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast;
18 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

16-18, 20. Those are meant by sons who are in truths of doctrine from the Word, and abstractly the truths themselves. R. 543.
17-18. So likewise when falsities take possession of the church, P. P.

19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast;
20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

19, 20. likewise when adulteration of good takes possession of it. P. P.

21 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

21. By pestilence is signified the punishment of evil and its damnation. A. 7102.
    To cut off man and beast means to lay waste interior and exterior good. A. 7505.
21-23. When these have taken possession of the church, another church will be established, on which the Lord will have mercy. P. P.

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