<< Ezekiel XXXVI >>

 1 And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.
 2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;
 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
 4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;
 5 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:
 7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.
 8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.
 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;
 10 and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded;
 11 and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
 12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of children.
 13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land art a devourer of men, and hast been a bereaver of thy nation;
 14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah;
 15 neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, saith the Lord Jehovah.
 16 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
 17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
 18 Wherefore I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood which they had poured out upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols;
 19 and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
 20 And when they came unto the nations, whither they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Jehovah, and are gone forth out of his land.
 21 But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they went.
 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went.
 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
 24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
 25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.
 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
 29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you.
 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.
 31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
 32 Nor for your sake do I this, saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.
 33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded.
 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by.
 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.
 36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it.
 37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.
 38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

 
1 And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.
2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;

1, 2. The perverted church in general. It has been by evils and falsities. P. P.
1-17. The prophet Ezekiel was called son of man. L. 28.

3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;

3-7. Because it has been destroyed even to its ultimates, those that have been destroyed will perish. P. P.
3, 4-12. The subject is the desolation which preceeds regeneration. The desolation is signified by the desolate wastes, and the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision. The regeneration is signified by shooting forth branches and yielding fruit, by paying attention to them that they may be tilled and sown, that man may be multiplied, the cities inhabited, and the waste places built, and by causing them to dwell as in their former times, and doing better to them than at their beginnings. A. 5376.
3, 4, 7. By the regions round about are meant exteriors. A. 2973.

5 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.

5. Edom, in an opposite sense, means those who despise, reject, and vilify spiritual truths. To appoint the land unto themselves for a possession means to vastate the church, that is, the good and truth of the church. A. 3322 .

6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:
7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.

6, 9. By the land of Israel is understood the church. The mountains, rivers, hills, and valleys signify all things of the church, from its first to its last. Rivers and valleys stand for the tru ths and goods, which are the last things. Mountains stand for the goods of love to the Lord, and hills for charity toward our neighbor, which are the first things of the church. E. 304.

8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.

8. Mountains and hills signify love to the Lord, and love toward the neighbor. R. 330.
    The reason why a mountain signifies the good of love, is, because in heaven they dwell upon mountains who are principled in the good of love. to the Lord. Those principled in charity dwell upon hills. Branches shooting forth are truths of faith and goods of life, and the fruits which they shall yield. E. 405.
8-11. Man here means the spiritual man, who is also called Israel. Ancient times are the Most Ancient church, beginnings the Ancient church after the flood. A. 55.
    A new church will be established by the Lord, which will be in truths and goods. P. P.

9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;

9, 10. By seed is signified the truth of doctrine from the Word, and in the supreme sense Divine truth. E. 768.
9-11. Here regeneration is treated of. A. 46.
9-14, 38. The restoration of the church. By the waste cities being filled with flocks of men means that the doctrines of the church shall be filled with spiritual truths by not bereaving the nations any more, that what is false shall no more destroy truths. E. 280.

10 and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded;

10. The cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded. D. P., Page. 27.
10-12. The Most Ancient church is meant by the ancient times the Ancient church by the beginnings, and the Primitive church, or church of the Gentiles, by the house of Israel and the people of Israel. These churches are called "Man." A. 477.

11 and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

11. See Chapter XIV., 13, 17, 19. R. 567.
    By man and beast is signified the interior or spiritual affection for truth, from which is all intelligence by man, by beast the corresponding natural affection; the latter because man as to his external or natural is nothing but a beast. E. 650.

12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of children.
13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land art a devourer of men, and hast been a bereaver of thy nation;
14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah;

12, 13. Bereaving is depriving of truths. A. 5536.
13-15. The evils and falsities of the perverted church wil no longer do any harm. P. P.

15 neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, saith the Lord Jehovah.

15. Nations and people are mentioned together. By nations are meant those who are in good, and in the opposite sense, in evil. By people those who are in truths, and in the opposite sense, in falsities. S. 86.
    People has reference to truth, and nations to good. In the Word, and in each and every thing of it, there is the marriage of the Lord and the church. R. 483.
    The statement in Chapter XXXVI., 15, S. 86, repeated. Add: they who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom are called nations, and they in the spiritual kingdom are called people. T. 251.
    People stand for those who are against the truths of the spiritual church, thus who are in falsities; nations for those who are against the goods of the celestial church, thus in evils. E. 331.

16 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
18 Wherefore I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood which they had poured out upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols;
19 and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

16-19. That perverted church will perish utterly. P. P.

20 And when they came unto the nations, whither they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Jehovah, and are gone forth out of his land.
21 But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they went.
22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went.
23 And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

20-23. Yet it will still be tolerated because of the Word, and because the Lord is known by means of the Word. P.P.
21-23. See Chapter XX., 14, 44. A. 6674.
23, 26, 28. I will sanctify Myself in you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit I will put in you. And I will take away the stony heart, and will give you a heart of flesh, and will put my spirit within you, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. D. P., Page 27.
24-30. A new church will then be established which being freed from falsities and evils, will be in truths and goods, and will acknowledge the Lord. P. P.

25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

25. Clean waters are truths, the idols are the falsities of worship. R. 459.
By idols are signified falsities of doctrine. Clean water means genuine truths, and sprinkling to purify from falsities. E. 587.
25, 26. By sprinkling clean water is meant purification of the heart, and thus being cleansed means being sanctified. A. 4545.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.

26. See Chapter XI., 19· A. 3813.
    See Chapter XVIII., 31. A. 9818.
    The heart signifies the love of the will, thus by the soul or the spirit is meant the wisdom of the understanding. W. 383.
    See Chapter XI., 19. R. 832.
    See Chapter XI., 19. T. 705.
    See Chapter XVIII., 31. E. 183.
    The heart of flesh is the will and love of good. E. 1082.
26, 27. See Chapter XI., 19. L. 49·
    See Chapter XI., 19. Life 86.
    See Chapter XI., 19. T. 143.
    See Chapter XVIII., 31. T. 601.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you.
30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.

28. See Chapter XI., 20. R. 883.

31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
32 Nor for your sake do I this, saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

31, 32. It will reject evils. P. P.

33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded.
34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by.
35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.
36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it.
37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.
38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

33. In the day means the coming of the Lord. L. 4.
The day of Jehovah means the Lord's coming, and a new church from him. R. 704.
33-36. Its intelligence will gradually grow by means of Divine truths. P. P.
33-38. In the day that I have cleansed you from all your iniquities, and caused you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built up, they shall say that the land which was desolate has become like a garden of Eden, and the desolate and vastated cities have become fenced and inhabited. D. P., Page 27.
37, 38. They that lead the flock to the good of charity are those that gather the flock, and they that do not lead to the good of charity are those who scatter them. A. 343.
    The Lord will be acknowledged in it and there will be the worship of Him. P. P.
38. See Chapter XXXIV., 31. A. 4287·
    See Chapter XXXIV., 31. R. 243

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