<< Ezekiel VII >>

1 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
 2 And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto the land of Israel, An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
 3 Now is the end upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
 4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
 5 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh.
 6 An end is come, the end is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh.
 7 Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting, upon the mountains.
 8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite.
 10 Behold, the day, behold, it cometh: thy doom is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
 11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them.
 12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
 13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
 14 They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle; for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
 15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword: and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
 16 But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.
 17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
 18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
 19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be as an unclean thing; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of Jehovah: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels; because it hath been the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

 20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein: therefore have I made it unto them as an unclean thing.
 21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane it.
 22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall profane my secret place; and robbers shall enter into it, and profane it.
 23 Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
 24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.
 25 Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
 26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.
 27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

1 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto the land of Israel, An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now is the end upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

1-4. They are to be destroyed on the day of the last judgment. P. P.
2. See Chapter II., 1, 3, 6, 8. L. 28.
2-12. An end, an end is come upon the four corners of the land. I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways. The end is come, the end is come, it is come upon thee who dwelleth in the land, the time is come, the time of trouble is near. D. P., Page 26.
    Of the last judgment. D. P., Page 86.
2, 5. The Lord is described as to the Word above the expanse of the Cherubim, and is called the Lord Jehovah. Coro. 60.
    See Chapter II., 4. D. P., Page 26.
    See Chapter II., 4. D. P., D. P., Page 56.
2, 23. By an end coming upon the four quarters of the earth is signified the last time and state of the church when it is at its end. The four quarters of the earth standing for all the truths and goods of the church, and, in an opposite sense, all the falsities and evils thus all things of the church. The city full of violence signifies the doctrine of that church, offering violence to the good of charity, and entirely destroying it. E. 304.

5 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh.
6 An end is come, the end is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh.
7 Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting, upon the mountains.
8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite.
10 Behold, the day, behold, it cometh: thy doom is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

5, 6, 7. These things are said concerning the state of the church. The end of the former church is first described and the establishment of the new church afterwards. The morning describes the state of a new church. E.610.
    The morning, the beginning of a new church, and the advent of the Lord. E. 612.
    Morning signifies a state of enlightenment and salvation of the good, also the end of a former church and the beginning of a new church. A.8211.
    The state of the church is here meant by time, because day and night, morning and evening, summer and winter make time in the world, and these, understood in the spiritual sense, make the states of the church; therefore when these states are no longer there is no church, and there is none, when good and truth are no longer, thus when the light of truth is thick darkness, and the heat of good is cold. R. 476.
5-13. This will take place when the Lord comes. P. P.
5, 6, 7, 10. This treats of the consummation of the age, and of the coming of the Lord. Coro. 5.
6-10. By morning is meant the coming of the Lord, when He came into the world, and established a new church. R. 151.
Evening and night mean the last time of a church and morning the first of it. The Lord Himself is also called the morning. T. 764.
    This passage treats concerning the coming of the Lord, also concerning the end of the former church, and the beginning of a new one. E. 179.
6, 7, 10, 12, 19. By day and by time is meant the coming of the Lord. L. 4.

11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them.
12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.

12 13. This is said of the land of Israel, which is the spiritual church, the seller standing for him who had alienated truths and brought falsities. A. 5886.

14 They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle; for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword: and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
16 But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.

14, 15. Then they will perish by their evils, falsi ties and profanities. P. P.
15. The vastation of natural truth is treated of. A. 2799.
    The sword here stands for the vastation of truth, and the damnation of falsity, famine and pestilence for the vastation of good and damnation of evil. The sword is said to be without, and famine and pestilence for the vastation of good and damnation of evil. The sword is said to be without, and famine and pestilence within, because vastation of truth is without, but vastation of good within. When the life is formed according to falsity, damnation is signified by him who is in the field dying by the sword, and when the life is in evil, which is defended by falsity, damnation is signified by famine and pestilence devouring him who is in the city. A. 7102.
    Pestilence stands for the vastation of good. A. 7505.
    By a sword is meant the devastation of truth in the church. R. 52.
    See Chapter V., II, 12, 16, 17. R·3 23·
    By the sword is here meant the destruction of truth, by pestilence consumption thence, and famine signifies a full defect. E. 131.
    See Chapter V., II, 12, 16, 17. E. 386.
    By the sword, pestilence and famine mean the devastation of the church by falsity and evil. E. 827.
16. Some will be left. P. P.

17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.

17-18. Clothed in sackcloth signifies mourning on account of the vastated truth of the church. R. 492.
    Sack signifies mourning. To gird a sack over the body instead of a garment signifies mourning on account of the truth of the church being destroyed. E. 637.
17-19. The advent of the Lord is treated. The various emotions of the mind arising from grief on account of evils, and from joy on account of goods, are described by various kinds of fear and grief, as by the hands being let down, the knees going into water, they shall gird themselves with sacks, terror covering them. By the falses which they shall reject is signified the silver which they shall cast into the streets, and the evils by the gold, which shall be an abomination. E. 677.
    But even these will have no truth or good. P. P.

18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be as an unclean thing; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of Jehovah: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels; because it hath been the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

18. The truth of faith which a man makes for himself constitutes the head, and is also called the head. A. 9166.
    Baldness was a grievous disgrace. S. 35.
    Bald signifies in the Word that it is without its ultimate, which is the literal sense. Therefore when the Israelitish nation had perverted all the sense of the letter of the Word this lamentation is made over them. R. 47.    Wisdom and intelligence are signified by the head, and in the opposite sense insanity. By putting dust upon the head, and by inducing baldness is meant lamentations that they had acted insanely. R. 538.
    By cutting of the hair of the head, shaving the beard, and inducing baldness, is signified to deprive of all good and truth, for he who is deprived of the ultimates is also deprived of things prior, for prior things exist and subsist in ultimates. E. 66.
See Chapter V., 1-2. E. 577.
 18, 19. Baldness upon all heads stands for deprivation of intelligence of truth, and of wisdom of good. Silver is the truth of intelligence, and gold the good of wisdom. A. 9960.
19. By their silver and gold are signified falsities and evils of the religion which is from self-intelligence and selfwill. That from these there is not any spiritual nourishment, or intelligence and affection for good is signified by: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels. By the bowels are signified the interiors of the thought. E. 622.
    Here the soul is put for the understanding of truth, which is not to be satisfied (saturated) when there is no truth in the church. The bowels stand for the will of good, they are said not to be filled when there is no good in the church. Silver and gold here stand for what is not true and not good. The day of wrath means the day of judgment. E. 750.
The day of wrath. D. P., Page 86.
19, 20. As for transposing the beauty of his adornment for pride, and making thereof images etc. signifies that they profaned the goods and truths of the church. E.827·
See Chapter V., 11. E. 1045.

20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein: therefore have I made it unto them as an unclean thing.
21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane it.
22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall profane my secret place; and robbers shall enter into it, and profane it.

20. The idols and graven images of the ancients were images of their religion, hence the falsities and evils of doctrine are signified by them. R. 601.
20-22. They will draw near to those who have perverted all things of the church. P. P.
22. These things are predicated from Jehovah or the Lord, although He is never angry, and never turns away or hides His face, but it is so said from the appearance with the man who is in evil; for the man who is in evil turns himself away and hides from himself the Lord's face, that is removes the Divine mercy from himself. A. 5585.
    It is to be known that the Lord never turns away His face from man, but that man who is in evil turns away his face from the Lord. Then the Divine is at his back, therefore it appears as if this hides or turns away. A. 10579·
    By seeing the face of the Lord is not meant to see His face, but to know and acknowledge Him. In the opposite sense by the face of Jehovah is meant anger and aversion, because the evil man turns himself away from the Lord, and then it appears to him as if the Lord turned Himself away, and were angry. R. 939.
    The Lord never hides nor withdraws His Divine good and Divine truth, which are signified by His face, for He is Divine love itself, and mercy itself, and desires the salvation of all. E. 412 .
22-24. It is called violence when men do violence to holy things by profaning them. The violent are here described. A. 623.

23 Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.
25 Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

23. Hatred is contrary to charity, and kills it in whatever way it can, if not with the hand yet in spirit. All hatred therefore is blood. A. 374.
Judgment of bloods stands for the destruction of faith, and violence for the destruction of charity. A. 6353.
23,24. Falsification of the Word. P. P.
23, 24, 27. The earth is the church. Being full of the crimes of bloods means, that it is immersed in falsities destroying goods, city stands for doctrine. To be full of violence means offering violence to the good of charity. The worst of the nations stands for dire falsities from evil, to occupy their houses means taking possession of their minds. The king who shall mourn is the truth of the church. The prince who shall be clothed with stupor (desolation) signifies truth subservient. E. 175.
25-27. They cannot repent, because they cannot be led away from evil and falsities. P. P.

26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.
27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

26, 27. The ancients (elders) stand for what is of wisdom. A.6524.
    By kings here are not meant. kings, but they who are in Divine truths from the Lord, and abstractly the Divine truths from which is wisdom. R. 20.
    Wretchedness (mischief) signifies that they do not know that all the things which they know and think concerning the goods and truths of the church do not at all cohere, and that they are walls of loose stones. By wretched one is meant who thinks about the things
of the church without coherence. R. 208.
    By kings those are meant who of the Lord are in truths derived from good. E. 31.
    The vastation of the church is here treated of, which takes place when there is no truth but what is falsified. Falsity from falsity is understood by wretchedness upon wretchedness. A vision from the prophet stands for doctrine and here false doctrine. The law shall perish from the priest means that the Word is not understood, for the law signifies the word. E. 237.
    Here by a vision from the prophet is meant the understanding of the Word. By the law from the priest are meant the precepts of life, and by counsel from the ancients is meant wisdom thence derived. The king and the princes mean intelligence by truths from good. E. 624.
27. Hands stand for power. A. 878.
    The king stands for truths in general, and prince for its primaries, that is a primary or a governing truth. A. 5044.

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