3901.教会的最后状态之所以好比聚在“尸首”或“躯体”上的“鹰”，是因为“鹰”表示人的理性事物。当论及良善时，“鹰”表示真正的理性事物；但当论及邪恶时，“鹰”表示虚假的理性事物或推理。“鸟”一般表示人的思维，无论正面意义上还是反面意义上（40，745，776，866，991，3219节）；每一种都有某种特定含义。老鹰因飞得很高，且眼睛锐利，故表示理性事物。这种含义从圣言中的许多经文可以看出来，我们从中引用下列经文。首先引用它们表示真正理性事物的经文，摩西五经：
耶和华遇见在旷野之地，在空旷、咆哮、荒凉之地寻见祂的人；就环绕他、教导他、保护他，如同保护眼中的瞳人；又如鹰搅动巢窝，在雏鹰上面飞翔，展开双翅接住雏鹰，背在两翼之上。（申命记32:10-11）
此处描述并被比作“鹰”的，就是信之真理与良善上的教导。直到人变得理性并属灵的这一实际过程就包含在这段描述和比喻中。圣言中所作的一切比喻都是借助有意义的符号，此处则借助表示理性的“鹰”。
又：
耶和华对摩西说，我向埃及人所行的事，你们都看见了，且看见我如鹰将你们背在翅膀上，把你们带来归我。（出埃及记19:3，4）
此处所表相同。以赛亚书：
那等候耶和华的，必重新得力；他们必如鹰展翅上腾；他们奔跑却不困倦，行走却不疲乏。（以赛亚书40:31）
“重新得力”是指在意愿良善方面的成长；“如鹰展翅上腾”是指在理解真理、因而在理性方面的成长。此处和别处一样，也是用双重表述来阐述主题，其中一种表述涉及属于意愿的良善，第二种表述则涉及属于理解力的真理。“奔跑却不困倦，行走却不疲乏”同样是双重表述。
以西结书：
你要向以色列家设比喻，说，主耶和华如此说：有一大鹰，翎毛长，羽毛丰满，色彩缤纷，来到黎巴嫩，将香柏树梢拧去。他把它带到贸易之地，放在香料商人的城中。它抽芽生长，成了一棵蔓延的葡萄树。又有一大鹰，翅膀大，羽毛丰满，看哪，葡萄树从肥田中栽种它的苗圃向这鹰伸出根来，长出枝子，好得多水浇灌它。但它必荒废。祂差遣使者往埃及去，要他们给他马匹和多民。（以西结书17:2-9，15）
首先提到的“鹰”表示由神性所启示的理性；第二处提到的“鹰”表示源于人自我的理性，后来通过基于感官经验和记忆知识的推理而变得败坏。“埃及”表示记忆知识（参看1164，1165，1186，1462节），“马”表示由所有这一切产生的理解力（2761-2762，3217节）。
但以理书：
但以理的异象。有四个大兽从海中上来，彼此各不相同。头一个像狮子，有鹰的翅膀。我一直在观看它，直至它的翅膀被拔去，它从地上被扶起，用两脚站立，像人一样；又有人的心给了它。（但以理书7:3，4）
此处“有鹰翅膀的狮子”描述的是教会的第一个状态，“鹰的翅膀”在此表示源于人自我的理性事物。当这些被除去后，源于神性的理性事物和意愿的渴望就被赋予它。这些由鹰“从地上被扶起，用两脚站立，像人一样，又有人的心给了它”来表示。
以西结书对四活物，或基路伯脸面形像的描述：
四个各有人的脸，右面各有狮子的脸；四个左面各有牛的脸；四个各有鹰的脸。（以西结书1:10）
它们的轮子被称为基耳加耳（旋转的轮子），每一个基路伯各有四脸：
第一张脸是基路伯的脸，第二张脸是人的脸，第三张脸是狮子的脸，第四张脸是鹰的脸。（以西结书10:13-14）
启示录：
宝座周围有四个活物，前后都长满了眼睛；第一个活物像狮子，第二个活物像牛犊，第三个活物有脸面像人，第四个活物像飞鹰。（启示录4:6-7）
显然，所看到这些活物表示神性奥秘；因此，它们脸面的形像也表示神性奥秘。至于具体是指哪种奥秘不得而知，除非知道“狮子”、“牛犊”、“人”和“鹰”在内在意义上表示什么。很明显，“鹰脸”表示小心谨慎，因而表示天命（Providence）；因为在以西结书，活物所代表的基路伯表示主的天命（Providence of the Lord），免得人凭自己和自己的理性进入信的秘密（参看308节）。这也表明，当论及人时，“鹰”在内在意义上是指理性。它之所以具有这种含义，是因为老鹰飞得很高，并从高处对下面的事物拥有广阔的视野。
约伯记：
鹰隼飞翔，展开翅膀向南，岂是借你的智慧吗？大鹰上腾，在高处搭窝，岂是听你的吩咐吗？（约伯记39:26，27）
显然，此处“大鹰”表示推理，推理是聪明（intelligence）的属性。这就是古教会“鹰”的含义，因为约伯记是古教会的一本书（参看3540节末尾）。那个时期几乎所有着作都是用有意义的符号来写的；但随着时间推移，这些有意义的符号被彻底遗忘了，以致人们甚至不知道“鸟”一般表示思维，尽管它们在圣言如此频繁地被提及，并且在那些地方明显表示不同于鸟类的某种事物。
“鹰”在反面意义上表示并非真正、因而虚假的理性事物，这一点从以下经文明显看出来。摩西五经：
耶和华要从远方地极带来一个民族，如鹰飞来攻击你，这民族的言语，你听不懂，这民族铁面无情。（申命记28:49-50）
耶利米书：
看哪！他必如云上来，他的战车如旋风；他的马匹比鹰更快。我们有祸了！我们败落了！（耶利米书4:13）
同一先知书：
你这住在石缝中、盘据在山顶的啊，你的傲慢，你心中的狂傲欺骗了你；你虽如老鹰高高搭窝，我却从那里拉下你来。看哪，他必上腾，如鹰飞起，在波斯拉上展开翅膀；到那日，以东的勇士心必疼痛，如临产妇人的心一样。（耶利米书49:16，22）
耶利米哀歌：
追赶我们的比鹰更快；他们在山上追逼我们，在旷野等候我们。（耶利米哀歌4:19）
弥迦书：
犹大啊，要使你秃头，要为你所喜爱的孩子剪除你的头发，要大大地光秃，如同秃鹰，因为他们都被掳去离开你。（弥迦书1:16）
俄巴底亚书：
你虽如鹰高升，在星宿之间搭窝，我必从那里拉下你来。（俄巴底亚书1:4）
哈巴谷书：
我必激起迦勒底人，就是那怀恨暴躁的民族，向广大之地进发，占据那不属自己的住处。他们的马比鹰更快，他们的马兵都从远方而来，他们飞跑如鹰急速抓食。（哈巴谷书1:6，8）
在这些经文中，“鹰”表示通过推理所引入的虚假，感官错觉和外在表象就是这虚假的源头。所引用最后一段先知书经文中的“迦勒底人”表示那些外在神圣，内在却处于虚假的人（参看1368节）；以及这些荒废教会的人就像巴比伦（1327节）；“广大之地”表示真理（3433，3434节）。真理的荒废由“向广大之地进发”来表示。 “他们的马”表示他们的智性事物（intellectual things），这些事物是相似的（参看2761，2762，3217节）。从所有这一切清楚可知“如鹰急速抓食”是什么意思，即在真理上急速使人荒凉，因为这几节论述的主题是教会的荒凉。此处用鹰来打比喻，不过，如前所述，在圣言中，比喻是通过有意义的符号来设的。综上所述，我们可以看出，以“鹰必聚在尸首上”所设的比喻是什么意思。
Potts(1905-1910) 3901
3901. The reason why the last state of the church is compared to "eagles" gathered together to a "carcass," or to a "body," is that by "eagles" are signified man's rational things, which when predicated of the good, are true rational things; but when predicated of the evil, are false rational things or reasonings. "Birds" in general signify man's thoughts, in both senses good and bad (n. 40, 745, 776, 866, 991, 3219); and every species has a special signification. As eagles fly high and are sharp-sighted, they signify rational things. That this is the case may be seen from many passages in the Word, of which in confirmation we may adduce the following. First, where they signify true rational things; in Moses:
Jehovah found His people in a desert land, and in emptiness, in wailing, in solitude: He led him about, He instructed him, he kept him as the pupil of the eye; as the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth out her wings, taketh him, beareth him upon her wings (Deut. 32:10-11). Instruction in the truths and goods of faith is what is here described, and is compared to the "eagle." The very process until man becomes rational and spiritual, is contained in the description and comparison. The comparisons in the Word are all made by means of significatives; thus here by the "eagle," which is the rational. [2] In the same: Jehovah said to Moses:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and bare you up upon eagles' wings, that I might bring you unto Myself (Exod. 19:3-4);
denoting the same. In Isaiah:
They that wait upon Jehovah shall be renewed in strength, they shall mount up with strong wing as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isa. 40:31);
"to be renewed in strength" is to grow as to the willing of good; and "to mount up with strong wing as eagles" is to grow as to the understanding of truth, thus as to the rational. The subject is set forth here as elsewhere by two expressions, one of which involves the good which is of the will, and the other the truth which is of the understanding; and the case is the same with the expressions, "they shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint." [3] In Ezekiel:
Speak a parable about the house of Israel, and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, A great eagle, with long pinions, full of feathers, that had embroidery, came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of the cedar; he carried it into a land of traffic, he set it in a city of spice merchants. It grew, and became a spreading vine. There was another great eagle, with great and many feathers; and behold this vine did bend its roots toward him, and sent forth its branches toward him, that he might water it from the beds of its plantations in a good field, by many waters; but it shall be laid waste. He sent his ambassadors into Egypt that they might give him horses and much people (Ezek. 17:2-9, 15). The "eagle" first mentioned denotes the rational enlightened by the Divine; the "eagle" mentioned in the second place denotes the rational from what is man's own, afterwards become perverted through reasonings from sensuous things and memory-knowledges. ("Egypt" denotes memory-knowledges, see n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462; "horses" the intellectual from them, n. 2761-2762, 3217.) [4] In Daniel:
The vision of Daniel: Four beasts came up out of the sea, diverse one from another; the first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I held till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon its feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it (Dan. 7:3-4). The first state of the church is what is here described by a "lion that had eagle's wings;" and the "eagle's wings" here are rational things from what is man's own, on the taking away of which they were given rational and voluntary things from the Divine, which are signified by its "being taken up from the earth, and made to stand upon its feet like a man, and having a man's heart given to it." [5] In Ezekiel, in the description of the likeness of the faces of the four living creatures, or cherubs:
They had the face of a man, and they four had the face of a lion on the right side, and they four had the face of an ox on the left side, and they four had the face of an eagle (Ezek. 1:10). As for the wheels they were called Galgal [whirling wheels], and everyone and everyone had four faces; the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle (Ezek. 10:13-14). In John:
Round about the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind; the first living creature was like a lion; and the second living creature was like a calf; and the third living creature had a face as a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle (Rev. 4:6-7). That the living creatures thus seen signify Divine arcana, is evident; and consequently so does the "likeness of their faces;" but what arcana in particular are signified cannot be known unless it is known what in the internal sense is a "lion," a "calf," a "man," and an "eagle." That the "face of an eagle" is circumspection and consequently Providence is manifest; for the cherubs represented by the living creatures in Ezekiel signify the Providence of the Lord lest man should enter into the mysteries of faith from himself and his own rational (see n. 308). This shows that when it is predicated of man, the "eagle" is in the internal sense the rational; and this for the reason that the eagle flies high, and from above has a wide view of the things that are below. [6] In Job:
Does the hawk fly by thine intelligence, and stretch her wings toward the south? Does the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? (Job 39:26-27);
it is evident that the "eagle" here is reason, which is of intelligence. Such was the signification of the "eagle" in the Ancient Church; for the book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church (see n. 3540, end). Almost all the books of that period were written by means of significatives; but in process of time the significatives have become so completely forgotten that it is not even known that "birds" in general denote thoughts, although they are so frequently mentioned in the Word and it appears quite plain that they have another meaning. [7] That in the opposite sense an "eagle" signifies rational things that are not true, and thus are false, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah shall bring upon thee a nation from far from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou hearest not, a nation hard in faces (Deut. 28:49-50). In Jeremiah:
Behold he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles.* Woe unto us! For we are laid waste (Jer. 4:13). In the same:
Thy boasting hath deceived thee, the pride of thy heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill; because thou makest thy nest as high as the eagle I will bring thee down from thence. Behold he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread out his wings above Bozrah; and the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs (Jer. 49:16, 22). In the same:
Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles; they chased us upon the mountains; they laid wait for us in the wilderness (Lam. 4:19). In Micah:
Make thee bald, and poll thee for the sons of thy delights; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee (Micah 1:16). In Obadiah:
Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence (Obad. 4). In Habukkuk:
I am stirring up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, that marcheth through the breadths of the land to inherit dwelling-places that are not theirs. Their horses are swifter than eagles;* their horsemen come from far, they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour (Hab. 1:6, 8). [8] By "eagles" in these passages is signified falsity induced by reasonings, which is induced from the fallacies of the senses and external appearances. That by the "Chaldeans" in the Prophet last cited are signified those who are in a holy external, but interiorly in falsity, may be seen above (n. 1368); also that they who vastate the church are like Babylon (n. 1327); that the "breadths of the land" denote truths (n. 3433, 3434). Vastation is signified by "marching through the breadths of the land." Their "horses" are their intellectual things, which are similar (see n. 2761, 2762, 3217). What the "eagle hastening to devour" signifies, is thus evident, namely, the desolation of man in respect to truths; for the desolation of the church is there treated of. Comparisons are here made with eagles; but as before said, the comparisons in the Word are made by means of significatives. From all this we can now see what is signified by the comparison with the "eagles that will be gathered together to the carcass." * The Latin here has aquilis, eagles. Elsewhere sometimes pardis, leopards, as in the Apocalypse Explained, n. 281, 355; but aquilis in n. 780 of that work. In the Hebrew the two words are nearly alike in form. Schmidius reads pardis. [Reviser.] GENESIS 30
1. And Rachel saw that she did not bear to Jacob, and Rachel was zealous against her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me sons; and if not, I am dead. 2. And Jacob was kindled with anger against Rachel, and he said, Am I in God's stead, who withholdeth from thee the fruit of the belly? 3. And she said, Behold my maidservant Bilhah, come to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I shall be built, even I, from her. 4. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for a woman, and Jacob came to her. 5. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and also hath heard my voice, and hath given me a son; therefore she called his name Dan. 7. And she conceived again, and Bilhah Rachel's handmaid bare a second son to Jacob. 8. And Rachel said, With the wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali. 9. And Leah saw that she had stood still from bearing; and she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob for a woman. 10. And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a son. 11. And Leah said, A troop cometh; and she called his name Gad. 12. And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare a second son to Jacob. 13. And Leah said, In my blessedness; for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher. 14. And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found dudaim in the field, and brought them unto Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me I pray of thy son's dudaim. 15. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my man, and wouldest thou take also my son's dudaim? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's dudaim. 16. And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come to me, for hiring I have hired thee with my son's dudaim; and he lay with her that night. 17. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bare Jacob a fifth son. 18. And Leah said, God hath given me my reward, because I gave my handmaid to my man; and she called his name Issachar. 19. And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. 20. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my man dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun. 21. And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23. And she conceived, and bare a son, and said, God hath gathered my reproach. 24. And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let Jehovah add to me another son. 25. And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, and I will go to my place and to my land. 26. Give me my females, and my children, for whom I have served thee, and I will go; for thou knowest my service, wherewith I have served thee. 27. And Laban said unto him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes, I have tested it, and Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. 28. And he said, Signify to me thy reward, and I will give it. 29. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy substance has been with me. 30. For it was little that thou hadst before me, and it hath burst forth into a multitude, and Jehovah hath blessed thee at my foot; and now when shall I also be doing for mine own house? 31. And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this word for me, I will return, and feed and keep thy flock. 32. I will pass through all thy flock this day, removing from thence every small cattle that is speckled and spotted, and every black one among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and these shall be my reward. 33. And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, because thou comest upon my reward before thee; every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the lambs, stolen is this with me. 34. And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35. And he removed that day the he-goats that were party-colored and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, everyone that had white in it, and all the black among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36. And he set a way of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. 37. And Jacob took him a fresh rod of poplar, and hazel, and plane-tree, and peeled white peelings on them, laying bare the white that was upon the rods. 38. And he set the rods which he had peeled in the gutters, in the watering troughs, whither the flocks came to drink, over against the flocks; and they grew warm when they came to drink. 39. And the flocks grew warm at the rods, and the flocks brought forth party-colored, speckled, and spotted. 40. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the party-colored and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put for himself droves for himself alone, and put them not unto Laban's flock. 41. And it came to pass in every growing warm of the flock that came together first, that Jacob put the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that it might grow warm at the rods. 42. And to the flock that came together later he did not set them; and those that came together later were Laban's, and those that came together first were Jacob's. 43. And the man spread himself abroad exceeding greatly, and he had many flocks, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3901
3901. The reason why the final state of the Church is compared to eagles gathered together where there is a carcass or body is that 'eagles' means man's rational ideas. When used in reference to forms of good 'eagles' means true rational ideas, but when used in reference to forms of evil 'eagles' means false rational ideas, or reasonings. 'Birds' in general means a person's thoughts, and in both the genuine and the contrary senses, 40, 745, 776, 866, 991, 3219; and each species has some individual meaning, 'eagles' meaning rational ideas because they are high-flyers and sharp-sighted. This meaning may be seen from many places in the Word, from which let the following be brought forward to confirm it. First, places where true rational ideas are meant: in Moses,
Jehovah found His people [Jacob] in a wilderness land and in the emptiness, the howling, the lonely place He encompassed him, instructed him, and kept him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreads out its wings, takes one, carries it on its wings. Deut 32:10, 11.
That which is described here and compared to the eagle is instruction in the truths and goods of faith. The actual process up to the point when a person becomes rational and spiritual is what this description and comparison contains. All comparisons in the Word are made by means of meaningful signs, in this case by 'the eagle', which means the rational.
[2] In the same author,
Jehovah said to Moses, You have seen the things which I did to the Egyptians, and I bore you on eagles' wings so that I might bring you to Myself. Exod 19:3, 4.
Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,
Those who await Jehovah will be renewed with strength; they will mount up with strong wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint. Isa 40:31.
'Being renewed with strength' stands for growth in the willing of good, 'mounting up with strong wings like eagles' for growth in the understanding of truth, and so growth of the rational. Here, as elsewhere, dual expressions are used to present the subject, the first of a pair involving good which belongs to the will, the second truth which belongs to the understanding. 'Running and not being weary' and 'walking and not fainting' are similar dual expressions.
[3] In Ezekiel,
Speak a parable about the house of Israel, and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, A great eagle with long pinions, full of feathers, in its embroidery, came on Lebanon and took a twig of the cedar. He carried it into a land of trade, he placed it in a city of perfumers. It sprouted and became a spreading vine. There was another great eagle with great wings and full of feathers, towards which, behold, this vine directed its roots, and sent out its branches towards it to water it from the beds of its young plants in a good field, by many waters. But it will be laid waste. He sent his ambassadors to Egypt that they might give him horses and many people. Ezek 17:2-9, 15.
The eagle mentioned first stands for the rational enlightened by the Divine, the eagle mentioned second for the rational originating in the proprium, subsequently perverted by means of reasonings based on sensory evidence and factual knowledge - 'Egypt' standing for factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, and 'horses' for understanding resulting from all this, 2761, 2762, 3217.
[4] In Daniel,
A vision of Daniel. Four beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion, but had eagle's wings. I watched it until its wings were torn away and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on its feet like a human being; and the heart of a human being was given to it. Dan 7:3, 4.
That which is described by 'a lion which had eagle's wings' is the first state of the Church, 'eagle's wings' in this case meaning rational ideas originating in the proprium. And when these had been removed, rational ideas and desires in the will which had a Divine origin were given to it. These are meant by the lifting up of the eagle from the ground and the standing of it on its feet like a human being, and the gift to it of the heart of a human being.
[5] In Ezekiel,
As for the likeness of the faces of the four living creatures or cherubs, each of the four had the face of a human being, and the face of a lion on the right side; and each of the four the face of an ox on the left side; and each of the four had the face of an eagle. Ezek 1: 10.
Their wheels were called Galgal; and each one had four faces - the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. Ezek 10:13, 14.
In John,
Around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a human being, the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Rev 4:7.
Clearly, those living creatures that were seen mean Divine arcana, as consequently does the likeness of their faces. But exactly which arcana are meant cannot be known unless one knows what 'lion', 'calf', 'human being', and 'eagle' mean in the internal sense. It is evident that 'the face of an eagle' means vigilance and therefore providence, for the cherubs who were represented by the living creatures in Ezekiel mean the Lord's providence which guards against anyone entering the mysteries of faith from himself and his own rationality as the starting point, see 308. This also shows that when 'an eagle' is used in reference to a human being the rational is meant in the internal sense. It has this meaning because an eagle is a high-flyer and from its more exalted position has a wide view of things below.
[6] In Job,
Is it through your intelligence that the hawk flies up and spreads its wings towards the south? Is it at your commanda that the eagle lifts itself up and makes its nest up high? Job 39:26, 27.
In this verse it is evident that 'the eagle' means reason which is an attribute of intelligence. This was what 'eagle' meant in the Ancient Church, for the Book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, 3540 (end). In fact the writing of almost all the books of that period involved the use of meaningful signs, but with the passage of time meaningful signs have been so eclipsed that it is not even known that 'birds' in general means thoughts, even though these are referred to many times in the Word and in those places quite clearly is meant something different from birds.
[7] As regards 'the eagle' in the contrary sense meaning rational ideas that are not true, and so are false, this is evident from the following places: In Moses,
Jehovah will raise up above you a nation from far away, from the end of the earth, as an eagle flies, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation. Deut. 28: 49, 50.
In Jeremiah,
Behold, he comes up [like] clouds, and his chariots like a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we have been laid waste! Jer 4:13.
In the same prophet,
Your bragging has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill; because, like the eagle, you have made your nest up high, I will cast you down from there. Behold, he mounts up and flies like an eagle, and spreads his wings over Bozrah; and the heart of the powerful men of Edom has become on that day like the heart of a woman in distress. Jer 49:16, 22.
In the same prophet,
Our pursuers were swifter than eagles; they pursued us over the mountains, they laid in wait for us in the wilderness. Lam 4:19.
In Micah,
Make yourself bald, and shave your head for the children of your delight; extend your baldness like an eagle, for they have departed from you. Micah 1:16.
In Obadiah,
If you raise yourself up like the eagle, and if you place your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there. Obad. verse 4.
In Habakkuk,
I am rousing the Chaldeans, a bitter and headlong nation, marching into the breadths of the earth, to inherit habitations that are not its own. Its horses are swifter than leopards.b Its horsemen will come from afar. They will fly in like an eagle hastening to devour. Hab 1:6, 8.
[8] In all these places 'eagles' means falsity that has been introduced through reasonings - the delusions of the senses and external appearances being the source of that falsity. 'The Chaldeans' referred to in the last of the Prophets quoted means people who outwardly are holy but inwardly are under the influence of falsity, see 1368, and these like Babel are those who lay waste the Church, 1367. 'The breadths of the earth' means truths (the vastation of which is meant by 'marching into the breadths of the earth') see 3433, 3434, and 'horses' their intellectual concepts, which are similar, 2761, 2762, 3217. What is meant by 'an eagle hastening to devour' is clear from all this, namely a hastening to make man desolate of truths, for the desolation of the Church is the subject in these verses. Comparisons are made with eagles, but as has been stated, comparisons in the Word are made by means of meaningful signs. From all this one may now see what is meant by the comparison with the eagles which will be gathered together where the carcass is. a lit. mouth b The Latin means eagles, but the Hebrew means leopards, which Sw. has in other places where he quotes this verse.
43 And the man became very very prosperous,b and he had many flocks, and servant-girls and slaves, and camels and asses.
Latin(1748-1756) 3901
3901. Quod Ecclesiae ultimus status comparatus sit aquilis quae congregantur ad cadaver seu corpus, est quia per `aquilas' significantur rationalia hominis, quae cum praedicantur de bonis, sunt rationalia vera, sed cum de malis, sunt rationalia falsa seu ratiocinia; `aves' in genere significant cogitationes hominis, etiam in utroque sensu, {1}n. 4 0, 745, 776, 866, 991, 3219 {2}; et unaquaevis species aliquid singulare, {3}aquilae quia alte volant et acute vident, rationalia; quod ita sit, constare potest a pluribus locis in Verbo, quorum haec licet ad confirmationem adducere; primum ubi significant rationalia vera apud Mosen, Jehovah invenit populum Suum in terra deserti, et in inanitate ejulatu, solitudine, circumduxit illum, instruxit illum, custodivit illum sicut pupillam oculi Sui, sicut aquila excitat nidum suum super pullis motitat se, expandit alas suas, accipit illum, portat illum super ala sua, Deut. xxxii 10, 11;est instructio in veris et bonis fidei quae hic describitur, et comparatur aquilae; ipse processus usque dum homo fit rationalis et spiritualis, ii descriptione et comparatione continetur;
comparationes in Verbo omnes fiunt per significativa, inde hic per `aquilam' quae est rationale: [2] apud eundem, Jehovah ad Mosen,... Vos vidistis, quae fecerim Aegyptiis, et tulerim vos super alis aquilarum, {4}ut adducerem vos ad Me, Exod. xix 3, 4;
similiter: apud Esaiam, Exspectantes Jehovam innovabuntur robore, ascendent ala forti sicut aquilae, current et non delassabuntur, ambulabunt et non defatigabuntur, xl 31;
`innovari robore' pro crescere quoad velle bonum, `ascendere ala forti sicut aquilae' pro crescere quoad intelligere verum, ita quoad rationale; res per binas expressiones hic ut alibi exponitur, quarum una involvit bonum quod est voluntatis, altera verum quod est intellectus; similiter `currere non delassari, ambulare non defatigari': [3] apud Ezechielem, Parabolam paraboliza de domo Israelis, et dic, Sic dixit Dominus Jehovih, Aquila magna,... longa (x)pennis, plena plumis, cui acupictura {5}, venit super Libanum, et accepit ramusculum cedri,... deduxit in terram commercii, in urbe aromatariorum posuit, germinavit et factus est in vitem luxuriantem.... Fuit aquila altera {6}magna, magna alis et plena plumis, ad quam ecce vitis haec applicabat radices suas, et palmites suos emisit ad illam, ad irrigandum illam ex areolis plantationum suarum, in agro bono, apud aquas multas,... sed devastabitur:... misit legatos suos in Aegyptum ad dandum sibi equos et populum multum, xvii 2-9, 15;
`aquila' primum nominata pro rationali illustrato a Divino, `aquila' altero loco pro rationali ex proprio per ratiocinia ex sensualibus et scientificis dein perverso facto; `Aegyptus' pro scientificis, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462; `equi' pro intellectuali inde, n. 2762, 2762, 3217: [4] apud Danielem, Visio Danielis; quatuor... bestiae ascenderunt e mari, diversae haec ab altera, prima sicut leo, sed alae aquilae illi, videns fui donec evulsae sunt alae ejus, et sublata est (c)a terra, et {7}supra pedes sicut homo erecta, et cor hominis datum ei, vii 3, 4;
est status primus Ecclesiae qui per `leonem cui alae aquilae' describitur, et sunt ibi `alae aquilae' rationalia ex proprio, quibus sublatis rationalia et voluntaria ex Divino {8}data sunt, quae significantur per quod `sublata sit (c)a terra, et super pedes sicut homo erecta, et cor hominis datum': [5] apud Ezechielem, Similitudo facierum quatuor animalium seu cheruborum, facies hominis et facies leonis ad dextram quatuor illis, et facies bovis ad sinistram quatuor illis, et facies aquilae quatuor illis, i 10.
Rotae eorum vocabantur Galgal, et quatuor facies unicuique, facies primae facies cherubi, et facies secundae facies hominis, et tertiae facies leonis, et quartae facies aquilae x 13, 14:
apud Johannem, Circa thronum quatuor animalia plena oculis ante et retro, primum animal simile leoni, alterum animal simile vitulo, tertium animal habens faciem sicut homo, quartum animal simile aquilae volanti, Apoc. iv 7;
quod animalia illa visa significent arcana Divina, constat, proinde quod similitudo facierum illorum; sed {9}quaenam arcana non sciri potest nisi sciatur quid in sensu interno est `leo, vitulus, homo, aquila'; quod `aquilae facies' sit circumspectio et inde providentia, patet, nam cherubi qui repraesentati sunt per animalia apud Ezechielem, significant providentiam Domini ne homo ex se et ex suo rationali intret in mysteria fidei, videatur n. 308; inde quoque patet quod `aquila' cum praedicatur de homine, in sensu interno sit rationale, et hoc inde quia aquila alte volat, et a superiore prospicit late illa quae infra sunt: [6] apud Hiobum, Num per intelligentiam tuam volat accipiter, expandit alas versus austrum, num juxta os tuum attollit se aquila, et quod exaltet nidum suum? xxxix 26, 27;
hic quod `aquila' sit ratio, quae est intelligentiae, patet; tale significavit aquila in Ecclesia Antiqua, nam liber Hiobi est Antiquae Ecclesiae liber, n. 3540 f.; libri enim tunc temporis paene omnes per significativa conscripti sunt, sed significativa temporis successu ita obliterata sunt ut ne quidem sciatur quod `aves' in communi sint cogitationes, tametsi in Verbo toties nominantur, et ibi apparet manifeste quod aliud significent. [7] Quod `aquila' in opposito sensu significet rationalia non vera, ita falsa, patet a sequentibus locis; apud Mosen, Extollet Jehovah supra te gentem e longinquo ab extremitate terrae, quemadmodum advolat aquila, gentem cujus non audis linguam, gentem duram faciebus, Deut. xxviii 49, 50:
apud Jeremiam, Ecce nubes ascendit, et sicut procella currus ejus, celeres sunt prae aquilis equi jus, vae nobis quia vastati sumus, iv 13 apud eundem, Jactantia tua decepit te, superbia cordis tui habitans in foraminibus petrae occupans altitudinem collis, quia exaltas sicut aquila nidum tuum, inde dejiciam te. Ecce sicut aquila ascendit et volat, et extendit alas suas supra Bozram, et factum est cor potentum Edomi in die illo sicut cor mulieris quae in angustia, xlix 16, 17, 22 apud eundem, Celeres fuerunt insectantes nos prae aquilis, super montibus insectati sunt nos, in deserto insidiati sunt nobis, Thren. iv 19:
apud Micham, Calvitiem induc, et tonde te super filios deliciarum tuarum, dilata calvitiem {10}sicut aquila, quia migrarunt a te, i 16:
apud Obadiam, Si exaltaveris te sicut aquila, et si inter stellas ponis nidum tuum, inde detraham te, vers. 4:
apud Habakkuk, Ego excitans Chaldaeos, gentem amaram et praecipitem, pergentem in latitudines terrae, ad hereditandum habitacula non sua,... cujus es sunt prae {11}aquilis equi, equites ejus e longinquo venient, advolabunt sicut aquila festinans ad comedendum, i 6, 8;
[8] in his locis per `aquilas' significatur falsitas inducta per ratiocinia, quae inducitur ex fallaciis sensuum et apparentiis externis; (m)quod apud Prophetam ultimo citatum per `Chaldaeos' significentur illi qui in externo sancto sunt, sed {12}interius in falso, videatur n. 1368; quod illi sicut Babel sint qui vastant Ecclesiam, n. 1327; quod `latitudines terrae' sint vera, n. 3433, 3434, vastatio eorum significatur per `pergentem in latitudines terrae'; quod `equi' sint intellectualia illorum quae similia, n. 2761, 2762, 3217; quid `aquila festinans ad comedendum' inde constat, quod nempe ad desolandum hominem veris, nam de {13}desolatione Ecclesiae ibi agitur: comparationes sunt cum aquilis', sed, ut dictum, comparationes in Verbo fiunt per significativa.(n) Inde nunc patet quid per comparationem cum `aqualis quae congregabuntur ad cadaver' significatur. @1 i ut$ @2 i ostensum est$ @3 aliquae IT$ @4 et$ @5 So also Sch. but Heb. (reqmah) though chiefly used of needlework can be applied to anything wonderfully wrought, as in Ps. 139, v. 15, where it is used of the embryo in the womb.$ @6 A and I have magna, magna magna plumis$ @7 super$ @8 illi$ @9 quae$ @10 i tuam$ @11 AI have aquilis, but Sch has pardis, AV leopards; n. 1368, 6534 have pardis. Heb towards are rather similar viz.: (nesher) eagle and (namer) leopard, Heb has latter.$ @12 in interno$ @13 vastatione$
CAPUT XXX
1. Et vidit Rachel quod non pareret Jacobo, et zelavit Rachel in sororem suam, et dixit ad Jacobum, Da mihi filios, et si non, mortua ego. 2. Et accensus ira Jacob in Rachelem, et dixit, An pro Deo ego, Qui prohibet a te fructum ventris? 3. Et dixit, Ecce famula mea Bilhah, veni ad illam, et pariat super genua mea, et aedificabor etiam ego ex illa. 4. Et dedit ei Bilham ancillam suam ad mulierem, et venit ad illam Jacob. 5. Et concepit Bilhah, et peperit Jacobo filium. 6. Et dixit Rachel, Judicavit me DEUS, et etiam audivit vocem meam, et dedit mihi filium, propterea vocavit nomen ejus Dan. 7. Et concepit adhuc, et peperit Bilhah ancilla Rachelis filium secundum Jacobo. 8. Et dixit Rachel, Luctationibus DEUS luctata sum cum sorore mea, etiam valui; et vocavit nomen ejus Naphtali. 9. Et vidit Leah quod substitisset a pariendo, et accepit Zilpam ancillam suam, et dedit illam Jacobo ad mulierem. 10. Et peperit Zilpah ancilla Leae Jacobo filium. 11. Et dixit Leah, Venit turma; et vocavit nomen ejus Gad. 12. Et peperit Zilpah ancilla Leae filium secundum Jacobo. 13. Et dixit Leah, In beatitudine mea, quia beatificabunt me filiae, et vocavit nomen ejus Asher. 14. Et ivit Reuben in diebus messis triticorum, et invenit {1}dudaim in agro, et adduxit illos ad Leam matrem suam, et dixit Rachel ad Leam, Da quaeso mihi de dudaim filii tui. @1 Heb. (dudaim) = `mandrakes or love apples.'$
15. Et dixit illi, An parum sumpsisse te virum meum, et sumes etiam dudaim filii mei? et dixit Rachel, Idcirco cubabit cum te nocte hac pro dudaim filium. 16. Et venit Jacob de agro in vespera, et exivit Leah obviam ei, et dixit, Ad me venies, quia conducendo conduxi te in dudaim filii mei; et cubuit cum illa in nocte illa. 17. Et audivit DEUS ad Leam, et concepit et peperit Jacobo filium quintum. 18. Et dixit Leah, Dedit DEUS mercedem meam, quod dedi ancillam meam viro meo; et vocavit nomen ejus Jisaschar. 19. Et concepit adhuc Leah, et peperit filium sextum Jacobo. 20. Et dixit Leah, Dotavit me DEUS {1}me dote bona, vice hac cohabitabit mihi vir meus, quia peperi illi sex filios; et vocavit nomen ejus Zebulun. @1 Heb. also repeats this pronoun.$
21. Et postea peperit filiam, et vocavit nomen ejus Dinah. 22. Et recordatus est DEUS Rachelis, et audivit ad illam DEUS, et aperuit uterum illius. 23. Et concepit, et peperit filium, et dixit, Collegit DEUS ignominiam meam. 24. Et vocavit nomen ejus Joseph, dicendo, Addat JEHOVAH mihi filium alterum. * * * * 25. Et factum, eum peperisset Rachel Josephum, et dixit Jacob ad Laban, Mitte me et eam ad locum meum et ad terram meam. 26. Da feminas meas, et natos meos, quod servivi tibi pro illis, et eam, quia tu nosti servitium meum, quo servivi tibi. 27. Et dixit ad eum Laban, Si quaeso inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, expertus sum, et benedixit mihi JEHOVAH propter te. 28. Et dixit, Designa mercedem tuam super me, et dabo illam. 29. Et dixit ad eum, Tu nosti qualiter servivi tibi, et qualis fuit acquisitio tua mecum. 30. Quia parum quod fuit tibi ante me, et erupit ad multitudinem, et benedixit JEHOVAH tibimet ad pedem meum, et nunc quando faciam etiam ego domui meae? 31. Et dixit, Quid dabo tibi? et dixit Jacob, Non dabis mihi quicquam, si facias mihi verbum hoc; revertar, pascam, gregem tuum custodiam. 32. Transibo per omnem gregem tuum hodie, removendo abinde omne pecus punctatum et maculosum, et omne pecus nigrum in agnis, et maculosum et punctatum in capris, et erit merces mea. 33. Et respondebit mihi justitia mea in die crastino, quia venis super mercedem meam coram te, omne quod non est illud punctatum et maculosum in capris, et nigrum in agnis, furatum illud cum me. 34. Et dixit Laban, Ecce utique sit secundum verbum tuum. 35. Et removit in die isto capros variegatos et maculosos, et omnes capras punctatas et maculosas, omne in quo album, et omne nigrum in agnis, et dedit in manum filiorum ejus. 36. Et posuit viam trium dierum inter se et inter Jacobum; et Jacob pascens greges Labanis reliquos. 37. Et accepit sibi Jacob baculum populi recentem, et corylum, et platanum, et decorticavit in illis decorticationes albas, denudationem albi, quod super baculis. 38. Et constituit baculos quos decorticavit, in canalibus, in potatoriis aquae, quo veniebant greges ad bibendum, e regione gregum, et incalescebant in veniendo illos ad bibendum. 39. Et incalescebant greges ad baculos, et pariebant greges variegatos, punctatos, et maculosos. 40. Et agnos separavit Jacob, et dedit facies gregis ad variegatum, et omne nigrum in grege Labanis, et posuit sibi catervas soli sibi, et non posuit eos ad gregem Labanis. 41. Et fuit in omni incalescere gregis primum coeuntium, et posuit Jacob baculos ad oculos gregis in canaliculis, ad incalescendum illum ad baculos. 42. Et ad dein coire gregem non posuit, et erat dein coeuntium, Labani, et primum coeuntium Jacobo. 43. Et diffudit se vir valde valde, et erat ei greges multi, et ancillae, et servi, et cameli, et asini.