878、“挪亚伸手”表示他自己的能力，“接了鸽子，把它带到自己这里，进入方舟”表示自我是他所行的良善和所思的真理的源头，或说他从自己实行良善和思想真理。这从“手”的含义清楚可知，“手”是指能力，故在此是指他做这些事所倚靠的自己的能力。事实上，“伸手接了鸽子，把它带到自己这里”就是将鸽子所表示的真理应用并归因于自己。“手”表示能力，以及权威或能力的行使和由此产生的自信，这一点从圣言中的许多经文明显看出来，如以赛亚书：
我必察罚亚述王自大的心所结的果子，因为他说，我所成就的事，是靠我手的能力和我的智慧，我本有聪明。（以赛亚书10:12-13）
此处“手”明显表示他自己的能力，他将所成就的事归因于自己的能力，这是察罚他的原因。又：
摩押必在它中间伸开手，好像游泳者伸开手来游泳一样，但祂必使他们的骄傲和他们手的水闸一并败落。（以赛亚书25:11）
“手”表示由高于他人的优越感，因而由傲慢所产生的人自己的能力。又：
其居民手力短缺，惊惶羞愧。（以赛亚书37:27）
“手力短缺”表示没有能力。又：
泥土岂可对陶匠说，你作什么呢？或你所作成的说，祂或造我的没有手吗？（以赛亚书45:9）
此处“没有手”表示没有任何能力。以西结书：
君王必悲哀，首领必披上惊愕，那陆地人民的手都必发颤。（以西结书7:27）
此处“手”表示能力。弥迦书：
祸哉！那些在床上图谋罪孽、造作恶事的，他们在晨光中就实行出来，因他们的手是他们的神。（弥迦书2:1）
“手”表示他们自己的能力，他们倚靠自己的能力如同倚靠他们的神。撒迦利亚书：
丢弃羊群的无用牧人有祸了！剑必临到他的膀臂和右眼上。他的膀臂必全然枯干，他的右眼也必完全昏暗。（撒迦利亚书11:17）
由于“手”表示能力，所以在圣言中，人的邪恶和虚假常被称为“他手所作的，或他手的工作”。邪恶来自人之自我的意愿，虚假来自人之自我的理解力。这就是邪恶和虚假的源头。这一点从人之自我的性质足以清楚看出来，它无非是邪恶和虚假。这就是自我的性质（可参看39，41，141，150，154，210，215节）。由于“手”一般表示能力，所以在圣言中，“手”常被归于耶和华或主；这时，“手”在内义上表示全能，如以赛亚书：
耶和华，你的手高举。（以赛亚书26:11）
此处“手”表示神性能力。同一先知书：
耶和华一伸手，他们都灭亡。（以赛亚书31:3）
“手”表示神性能力。又：
关于我手的工作，你们可以吩咐我吗？我亲手铺张诸天，又命定了天上的万象或众军。（以赛亚书45:11-12）
“手”表示神性能力。在圣言中，重生之人经常被称为“耶和华手所作的或耶和华手的工作”。又：
我手立了地的根基，我右手以手掌丈量诸天。（以赛亚书48:13）
“手”和“右手”表示全能。
又：
我的手岂是缩短、不能救赎吗？我岂无拯救之力吗？（以赛亚书50:2）
“手”和“力”表示神性能力。耶利米书：
你用神迹奇事和大能的手，并伸出来的膀臂，领你的百姓以色列出了埃及陆地。（耶利米书32:17，21）
这表示神性能力，只是17节用的词是“大能”，21节用的词是“手”。经上常说，用大能的手和伸出来的膀臂把以色列领出埃及。以西结书：
主耶和华（LordJehovih）如此说，当日我拣选以色列，向雅各家的种举手，在埃及陆地使他们认识我；我向他们举手，要把他们从埃及陆地领出来。（以西结书20:5-6，23）
摩西五经：
以色列人看见耶和华向埃及人所施展的大手。（出埃及记14:31）
从上述经文很清楚地看出，“手”表示能力。事实上，手如此象征能力，以致它也成为能力的代表，这一点从在埃及所行的奇迹明显看出来，那时，当摩西被吩咐伸出他的杖或手时，奇迹就发生了。如出埃及记：
摩西向天伸杖，耶和华使冰雹如下雨降在埃及地上。（出埃及记9:22，23）
摩西向天伸手，就有幽暗。（出埃及记10:21，22）
摩西向海伸手，耶和华便使海成了干陆地；摩西向海伸出手，海就回流。（出埃及记14:21，27）
凡精神正常的人，都不会相信摩西的手或杖有任何能力，但举起和伸出手因表示神性能力，故在犹太教会中成为能力的代表。
约书亚伸出标枪也一样，如约书亚记：
耶和华对约书亚说，你向艾城伸出手里的标枪，因为我要把它交在你手里。约书亚伸出手里的标枪，他们就进了城，夺了它。约书亚没有收回伸出标枪的手，直到他灭绝艾城所有的居民。（约书亚记8:18-19，26）
由此也明显可知，构成犹太教会外在的代表是何性质。因此，圣言是这样：外在意义上所记载的细节看上去并不是主及其国度的代表，如此处摩西或约书亚伸出手和其它所有细节；当头脑只专注于文字上的历史细节时，它们看上去并不是代表。由此还明显看出，犹太人距离对圣言和其教会宗教仪式的正确理解何等遥远，因为他们使整个敬拜完全集中于外在事物，甚至到了将能力归于摩西的杖和约书亚的标枪的地步；而事实上，这些东西所拥有的能力并不比一块木头大。只是由于它们表示主的全能，并且在天上就是这么理解的，所以当他们伸出手或杖时，神迹奇事就会发生。当摩西站在山顶上举手时，类似的事也发生了。摩西一举手，约书亚就得胜，摩西一垂手，约书亚就失败。所以他们就扶着他的手（出埃及记17:9-13）。
给那些被分别为圣的人按手也一样，如以色列人给利未人按手（民数记8:9，10，12），以及当约书亚接替摩西时，摩西给约书亚按手（民数记27:18，23），以便赋予权力。这就是为何在我们这个时代，授予圣职和祝福的仪式都是通过按手来进行的。手表示和代表能力到了何种程度，这从圣言中论到乌撒和耶罗波安的话明显看出来。论到乌撒，经上说：乌撒就伸（手）扶住神的约柜，结果死了（撒母耳记下6:6-7）。“约柜”代表主，因而代表神圣和天上的一切事物。“乌撒就伸（手）扶住约柜”代表人自己的能力，也就是他的自我。由于这自我是亵渎的，所以“手”这个词在原文被省略了，但仍理解为“手”，以防止天使感知到这种亵渎之物触到了神圣之物。乌撒因伸手而死。
论到耶罗波安，经上说：
耶罗波安听见神人向伯特利的坛所呼叫的话，就从坛上伸手，说，抓住他！他向那人所伸的手就枯干了，不能收回到自己那里。他对神人说，请为我祷告，求求耶和华你神的情面，使我的手复原。于是神人就求耶和华的情面，王的手就复了原，像先前一样。（列王纪上13:4-6）
此处“伸手”同样表示人自己的能力，或他的自我，这是亵渎的。他想通过伸手攻击神人来侵犯神圣之物，结果他的手就枯干了。然而，由于耶罗波安是偶像崇拜者，因而不能亵渎，如前所述（303，408，661:1节），所以他的手复原了。“手”表示和代表能力，这一点从灵人界中的代表清楚看出来。在灵人界，一只裸露的臂膀有时会出现在眼前，拥有如此强大的力量，以至于能把人的骨头压碎，并把最里面的骨髓挤净。因此，它会造成如此恐惧，以至于导致心脏衰竭。它的确拥有这种力量。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]878. He put his hand out symbolizes their personal power, and he took it and brought it in to himself, into the ark, means that they did good and thought about truth under their own direction. This can be seen from the symbolism of a hand as power and so here as the personal power that they exercised. Putting out one's hand, taking a dove, and bringing it in to oneself is laying claim to the truth meant by the dove and using it for one's own purposes.
The symbolism of a hand as power, authority, and the arrogant self-assurance these impart, is established by many scriptural passages, such as this one from Isaiah:
I will exact punishment on the fruit of the bloated heart of Assyria's king because he said, "In the power of my hand have I acted, and in my wisdom, because I have understanding." (Isaiah 10:12-13)
The hand obviously stands for personal power, to which Assyria's king attributed his success; hence the punishment inflicted on him. In the same author:
Moab will stretch out its hands in its own midst — as a swimmer stretches them out to swim — and [Jehovah] will lay their arrogance low, together with the floodgates{*1} of their hands. (Isaiah 25:11)
The hands stand for personal power resulting from a sense of superiority to others and so from arrogance.
[2] In the same author:
Their residents, their hand shortened, have felt panic and shame. (Isaiah 37:27)
Having shortened hands stands for lacking any power. In the same author:
Will the clay say to its potter, "What are you doing?" or will your work say, " [My maker] has no hands"? (Isaiah 45:9)
Not having hands stands for not having any power. In Ezekiel:
The monarch will mourn and the chieftain will be clothed in shock, and the hands of the people of the land will be uneasy. (Ezekiel 7:27)
The hands stand for various kinds of power. In Micah:
Doom to those who contemplate wickedness and practice evil on their beds, because they do it in the morning light, and because their hand is as a god.{*2} (Micah 2:1)
Their hand stands for their personal power, which they trust in as their god. In Zechariah:
Doom to shepherds who are good for nothing, abandoning the flock! A sword against their arm and against their right-hand eye! Their arm will utterly shrivel and their right-hand eye go utterly dark. (Zechariah 11:17)
[3] Because a hand symbolizes different kinds of power, the Word frequently calls humanity's evil ways and false thinking the works of their hands.{*3} Evil grows out of selfishness in our will, and falsity out of selfishness in our intellect. This fact becomes clear from the nature of human selfhood [or autonomy], which is unremitting evil and falsity. For a description of human selfhood in these terms, see above at 39, 41, 141, 150, 154, 210, 215.
Since hands in general mean power, the Word many times attributes hands to Jehovah, or the Lord, and in those places, on an inner level, hands mean omnipotence. In Isaiah, for instance:
Jehovah, your hand is lifted high. (Isaiah 26:11)
Here the hand stands for divine power. In the same author:
Jehovah stretches out his hand, they are all consumed. (Isaiah 31:3)
Again it stands for divine power. In the same author:
Concerning the work of my hands do you command me? My hands spread out the heavens, and to their whole army I gave commands! (Isaiah 45:11-12)
Again it stands for divine power.
The Word frequently refers to regenerate people as the work of Jehovah's hands. In the same author:
My hand founded the earth, and my right hand measured the heavens by palm-breadths. (Isaiah 48:13)
The hand and the right hand stand for omnipotence.
[4] In the same author:
Is my hand shortened, so that redemption fails; or do I not have in me the power to rescue? (Isaiah 50:2)
This stands for divine power. In Jeremiah:
You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and portents, and by a strong hand, and by an outstretched arm. (Jeremiah 32:17, 21)
This stands for divine power, and verse 17 uses the word power where verse 21 uses hand.{*4} The saying that the people of Israel were brought out of Egypt by a strong hand and an outstretched arm comes up repeatedly [Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 26:8; Psalms 136:11-12]. In Ezekiel:
This is what the Lord Jehovih has said: "On the day when I chose Israel and raised my hand{*5} to the seed of the house of Jacob and became known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised my hand to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt." (Ezekiel 20:5-6, 23)
In Moses:
Israel saw the massive hand that Jehovah used against the Egyptians. (Exodus 14:31)
[5] These passages now make it quite clear that a hand symbolizes power. In fact the symbolism was so strong that a hand also came to serve as a representation of power. This is visible in the miracles performed in Egypt, when Moses was commanded to stretch out his staff or his hand in order to accomplish a given result. For example:
Moses stretched out his hand and hail fell on Egypt. (Exodus 9:22)
Moses stretched out his hand and darkness fell. (Exodus 10:21-22)
Moses stretched out his hand and staff over the Suph Sea{*6} and it dried up. And he stretched out his hand and it returned to its place. (Exodus 14:21, 27)
No clear-thinking person can believe that there was any power in Moses' hand or staff. Rather, since the act of lifting and stretching out a hand symbolized divine power, it had become representative [of that power] in the Jewish religion.
[6] The instance in which Joshua extended a javelin was similar:
Jehovah said, "Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, because I will deliver it into your hand." When Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand, they came into the city and seized it, and Joshua did not draw back the hand with which he had stretched out the javelin until he had exterminated all the residents of Ai. (Joshua 8:18-19, 26)
This shows what the case was with the representative acts and objects that formed the external ritual of the Jewish religion. It also shows what the Word is like, in that the particulars of its outward meaning do not seem as if they would be representative of the Lord and his kingdom. This applies to the examples here of times when leaders stretched their hands out, and to all other details as well. Their representative nature will never be clear as long as our minds cling exclusively to the literal narrative.
The same evidence indicates how far the Jews fell away from a true understanding of the Word and the rituals of their religion, since they identified worship with outward forms alone. They went so far as to ascribe power to Moses' staff{*7} and Joshua's javelin, when in reality these were no more powerful than a piece of wood. It was because those objects symbolized the Lord's omnipotence, and because heaven viewed them this way, that signs and wonders occurred when those men stretched out a hand or a staff as ordered. The same is true of the fact that when Moses raised his hands on top of the hill, Joshua won, and when he dropped them Joshua lost, which led others to support his hands (Exodus 17:9-13).{*8} [7] The situation was similar when one person, seeking to transfer power, laid hands on another to consecrate that other, as the people did to the Levites (Numbers 8:9-10, 12) and as Moses did to Joshua when Joshua was to take his place (Numbers 27:18, 23). This is the source of modern rites of ordination and benediction that involve the laying on of hands.
The extent to which a hand symbolized and represented power can be seen from the stories of Uzzah and Jeroboam, which the Word tells in the following way.
Concerning Uzzah: Uzzah put (his hand) out onto the ark of God, grasped it, and died for doing so (2 Samuel 6:6-7). The ark represented the Lord and so represented everything that was sacred and heavenly. Uzzah's "putting it out" onto the ark represented his own, independent power, or human autonomy. Because human autonomy is profane, the word hand does not appear in the text (although it is implied) to prevent the angels from being aware that anything so profane touched something holy. And since he put it out, he died.
[8] Concerning Jeroboam: It happened that when he heard the word that the man of God had shouted in denunciation of the altar, Jeroboam put his hand out from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" And his hand that he had put out in denunciation of the man shriveled up, and he could not draw it back to himself. He said to the man of God, "Please entreat Jehovah your God to restore my hand to me." And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and his hand was restored to him and became as it had been before (1 Kings 13:4, 5, 6).
Here again putting out a hand symbolizes a person's own, independent power or autonomy, which is profane. Jeroboam wanted to violate what was holy by putting his hand out toward the man of God, so his hand shriveled, but since he was an idolater and incapable of profaning anything, as noted earlier [303, 408, 661:1], his hand was restored.
The symbolism and representation of a hand as power can be deduced from objects in the world of spirits that have a representative meaning. Sometimes an arm becomes visible there — a bare arm, possessing such tremendous strength that it could crush bone and pound one's deepest marrow more or less into oblivion. The arm strikes so much terror into the inhabitants that their hearts turn to water. And it actually does have the strength that it seems to have.{*9}
Footnotes:
{*1} The Hebrew word here — usually read as אָרְבּוֹת ('ārbôṯ) — occurs only once in the Bible. Modern translators generally view it as meaning something like "trickery." However, Swedenborg's Latin translation here shows that he read the word as אֲרֻבּוֹת ('ărubbôṯ), "floodgates." This reading is plausible because the only difference between the two words is in the vowels, which were added to the written Hebrew long after the original texts were composed. As the third Latin edition points out, Swedenborg's reading of the word is the same as that of Tremellius and Beza 1669. [LHC]
{*2} The word translated "god" in this verse is usually translated as "power" or some equivalent. The New Revised Standard Version, for instance, reads, "Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power." The Hebrew word is אֵל ('ēl), which represents two related homographs; one can mean "a powerful person," "god," or "God," and the other means simply "power." See also note 1 in 300. Swedenborg, like Schmidt 1696, renders it deus, "god." [LHC]
{*3} For examples of biblical passages mentioning the works of people's hands, see Deuteronomy 27:15; 2 Kings 22:17; Psalms 9:16; 28:4; 115:4; 135:15; Isaiah 2:8; 17:8; 37:19; Jeremiah 1:16; 10:3; 25:6-7, 14; 32:30; 44:8; Revelation 9:20. [LHC]
{*4} The indented excerpt just given in the text is solely from Jeremiah 32:21, despite the reference to both verse 17 and verse 21 supplied there by Swedenborg. That citation is in accordance with his usual practice of listing related verses along with the numbers of the verses he is actually quoting. (On Bible quotations in Swedenborg, see note 3 in 25 above and the translator's preface, pages 8-11.) Jeremiah 32:17 says, "You made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm." [LHC]
{*5} The phrase "raised my hand" is a figure of speech meaning "made a vow." [LHC]
{*6} Concerning the name Suph Sea, see note 1 in 756. [LHC]
{*7} The Jewish tradition has many legends associated with Moses' staff. It was said to have been created in the week of creation and handed down from Adam to Seth and then down to Jacob and Joseph. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, was given it as a gift from Pharaoh and stuck it in the ground in his garden. Neither he nor any of the strong men of his country could pull it out. Moses succeeded in removing it, proving that it was he that would free the children of Israel from slavery (Gaer 1966, 146-147). [RS]
{*8} Exodus 17:9-13 describes a battle between the Israelites, led by Joshua, and a band of Amalekites, which Moses watched from atop a nearby hill, holding his staff. When he grew tired, his arms were supported by Aaron and Hur. [LHC]
{*9} Other references to this arm appear in 4934-4935; Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell 231 (at the end); True Christianity 136:5; and his Spiritual Experiences (Swedenborg 1998-2002) 881, 1754. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 878
878. And he put forth his hand and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. That this signifies his own power, and that he did what was good and thought what was true from himself, is evident from the signification of "hand" as being power, and thus here his own power from which he did these things. For to "put forth his hand and take the dove and bring her in to himself" is to apply and attribute to himself the truth meant by the "dove." That by "hand" is signified power, also authority [potestas], and the derivative self-confidence, is evident from many passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:
I will visit upon the fruit of the greatness of heart of the king of Assyria, because he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent (Isa. 10:12-13),where "hand" manifestly denotes his own strength to which he attributed what he did, and this was the cause of the visitation upon him. Again:
Moab shall spread forth his hands in the midst of him, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim, and he shall lay low his pride together with the cataracts of his hands (Isa. 25:11);
where "hands" denote man's own power, from regarding himself as above others, thus from pride. [2] Again:
Their inhabitants were short of hand, they were dismayed and put to shame (Isa. 37:27);
"short of hand" meaning of no power. Again:
Shall the clay say to the potter, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? (Isa. 45:9). Here "he hath no hands" means that he has no power. In Ezekiel:
The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with stupefaction, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled (Ezek. 7:27), where "hands" denote power. In Micah:
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds; when the morning is light they practice it, because their hand is their god (Micah 2:1), where "hand" denotes their own power in which they trust as their god. In Zechariah:
Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock; the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened (Zech. 11:17). [3] Because "hands" signify powers, man's evils and falsities are continually called in the Word "the works of his hands." Evils are from the Own of man's will, falsities are from the Own of his understanding. That this is the source of evils and falsities is evident enough from the nature of man's Own, which is nothing but evil and falsity (as may be seen above, n. 39, 41, 141, 150, 154, 210, 215). As "hands" in general signify power, "hands" are many times in the Word attributed to Jehovah, or the Lord, and then by "hands" is understood in the internal sense Omnipotence, as in Isaiah:
Jehovah, Thy hand is lifted up (Isa. 26:11), denoting the Divine power. Again:
Jehovah stretched out His hand, all are consumed (Isa. 31:3), Concerning the work of My hands command ye Me My hands have stretched out the heavens and all their army have I commanded (Isa. 45:11, 12), denoting the Divine power. The regenerate are often called in the Word "the work of the hands of Jehovah." In the same Mine hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath measured the heavens with the palm (Isa. 48:13), where "hand" and "right hand" denote omnipotence. [4] Again:
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver ? (Isa. 1:2), denoting the Divine power. In Jeremiah:
Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and by Thy stretched out arm; and didst bring forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched-out arm (Jer. 32:17, 21), denoting the Divine power; "power" being named in the seventeenth verse, and "hand" in the twenty-first. That Israel was brought out of Egypt with "a strong hand and with a "stretched-out arm" is often said. In Ezekiel:
Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made My self known unto them in the land of Egypt; I lifted up Mine hand unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-6, 23). In Moses: Israel saw the great hand which Jehovah executed upon the Egyptians (Exod. 14:31). [5] That by "hand" is signified power is now plainly manifest from these passages. Indeed "hand" was so significant of power that it became also its representative, as is evident from the miracles that were done in Egypt, when Moses was commanded to stretch forth his rod, or hand, and so they were done; as in Exodus:
Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt (Exod. 9:22, 23); Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness (Exod. 10:21, 22); Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Jehovah made the sea dry land; and Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned (Exod. 14:21, 27). No one with mental capacity for right thinking can believe that there was any such power in the hand or rod of Moses, but because the lifting up and stretching forth of the hand signified the Divine power, it became a representative in the Jewish Church. [6] It was similar when Joshua stretched out his javelin, as in Joshua:
And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand; and Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city, and they entered into the city and took it for Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai (Josh. 8:18, 26).From this it is also evident how the case is with the representatives that were the externals of the Jewish Church; and also how it is with the Word: that the things in its external sense do not appear to be representative of the Lord and His kingdom, as here the stretching forth of the hand, and likewise all the other things, which bear no appearance of being representative while the mind is fixed only on the historic details of the letter. It is evident also how far the Jews had fallen away from a true understanding of the Word and of the rites of the church, while making all worship consist in externals only, even to the extent of attributing power to the rod of Moses and the javelin of Joshua, when yet there was no more power in them than in wood. But because the omnipotence of the Lord was signified, and this was understood in heaven when they stretched forth their hand or rod, the signs and miracles followed. [7] So too it was when Moses on the top of the hill held up his hands, and Joshua prevailed; and when he let down his hands, and Joshua was overcome; and therefore they stayed up his hands (Exod. 17:9-13). Thus it was that hands were laid upon those who were being consecrated, as on the Levites by the people (Num. 8:9, 10, 12), and on Joshua by Moses, when he was substituted in his place (Num. 27:18, 23), in order that power might so be given. Hence also come the rites still observed of inauguration and benediction by the laying on of hands. To what extent the hand signified and represented power, is evident from what is said in the Word concerning Uzzah and Jeroboam. Concerning Uzzah it is said that he put forth (his hand) to the ark of God, and took hold of it, and therefore he died (2 Sam. 6:6, 7). The "ark" represented the Lord, thus all that is holy and celestial. Uzzah's putting forth (his hand) to the ark, represented man's own power, or what is his own; and as this is profane, the word "hand" is understood, but is not expressed in the original, lest it should be perceived by the angels that such a profane thing had touched what is holy. [8] And because Uzzah put it forth, he died. Concerning Jeroboam it is said: And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him; and his hand which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him; and he said unto the man of God, Intreat now the faces of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again; and the man of God intreated the faces of Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before (1 Kings 13:4-6). Here in like manner by "putting forth the hand" is signified man's own power, or his Own, which is profane, and that it wished to violate what is holy by putting forth the hand against the man of God; wherefore the hand was dried up; but as Jeroboam was an idolater and therefore could not commit profanation, his hand was restored. That the "hand" signifies and represents power, is evident from the representatives in the world of spirits, where a naked arm sometimes comes into view, in which there is strength enough to crush one's bones and squeeze their inmost marrow to nothing, causing such terror as to melt the heart; and in fact this strength is actually in it.
Elliott(1983-1999) 878
878. 'He put out his hand' means his own power. 'And he took hold of it, and brought it in to himself into the ark' means that self was the source of the good he did and of the truth he thought. This is clear from the meaning of 'the hand' as power. Here therefore his own power from which he acts is meant. Indeed 'putting out his hand and taking hold of the dove and bringing it in to himself' is attaching and attributing to himself the truth meant by the dove. That 'the hand' means power, and also the exercise of power, and resulting self-confidence, is clear from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,
I will visit upon the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Asshur, for he has said, By the power of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding. Isa 10:12, 13.
Here 'hand' clearly stands for his own power to which he attributed what he had done, on account of which visitation was made on him.
[2] In the same prophet,
Moab will stretch out his hands in the midst of him as swimmer does to swim, but He will lay low his pride together with the powerfulnessa of his hands. Isa 15:11.
'Hands' stands for his own power resulting from projection of self above others, and so from pride. In the same prophet,
Their inhabitants were shorn of power,b they were dismayed and filled with shame. Isa 37:27.
'Shorn of power'b stands for having no power. In the same prophet, Will the clay say to its potter, What are you making? or your work [say], He has no hands? Isa 45:9.
'He has no hands' stands for no power to it. In Ezekiel,
The king will mourn, and the prince will be wrapped in stupidity, and the hands of the people of the land will be all atremble. Ezek 7:17.
Here 'the hands' stands for power. In Micah,
Woe to those devising iniquity and working out evil upon their beds, which they carry out at morning light, and because they make their own hand their god! Micah 2:1.
'Hand' stands for their own power which they trust in as their god. In Zechariah,
Woe to the worthless shepherd deserting the flock! The sword will fall upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm will be wholly withered, and his right eye utterly darkened. Zech 11:17.
[3] Since 'hands' means powers, men's evils and falsities are throughout the Word therefore called 'the works of their hands'. Evils come from the will side of man's proprium, falsities from the understanding side. The fact that this is the source of evils and falsities becomes quite clear from the nature of the human proprium, that it is nothing but evil and falsity. That this is the nature of the proprium see what has been stated already in 39, 41, 141, 150, 154, 210, 215. Because 'the hands' in general means power, the Word therefore frequently attributes hands to Jehovah, or the Lord. And in those contexts 'hands' in the internal sense means omnipotence, as in Isaiah, Jehovah, Your hand has been lifted up. Isa 26:11. 'Hand' stands for Divine power. In the same prophet,
Jehovah stretches outc His hand, they are all destroyed. Isa 31:3.
'Hand' stands for Divine power. In the same prophet,
Over the work of My hands command Me. My hands stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. Isa 45:11, 12.
'Hands' stands for Divine power. In the Word regenerate people are often called 'the work of Jehovah's hands'. In the same prophet,
My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured out the heavens. Isa 48:13.
'Hand' and 'right hand' stand for omnipotence.
[4] In the same prophet,
Has My hand been shortened, that it cannot redeem? Is there no power in Me to deliver? Isa 50:2.
'Hand' and 'power' stand for Divine power. In Jeremiah,
You did bring Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. Jer. 32. 17, 21.
'Power' in verse 17 and 'hand' in verse 21 stand for Divine power. It is quite often stated that 'they were brought out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm': in Ezekiel,
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, On the day I chose Israel and lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I lifted up My hand to them, to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Ezek 20:5, 6, 23.
In Moses,
Israel saw the great workd which Jehovah did on the Egyptians. Exod 14:31.
[5] All these quotations plainly show that 'the hand' means power. Indeed so much was the hand the symbol of power that it also became its representative, as is clear from the miracles performed in Egypt, when Moses was commanded to stretch out his rod or his hand and they were accomplished -
Moses stretched out his hand and there was hail all over Egypt. Exod 9:22, 23.Moses stretched out his hand and there was darkness. Exod 10:21, 22. Moses stretched out his hand and rod over the Sea Suph and it was dried up, and he stretched out his hand and it returned. Exod 14:11, 27.e No mentally normal person can believe that any power resided in Moses' hand or rod. Rather, because the lifting up and stretching out of the hand symbolized Divine power, that action also became its representative in the Jewish Church.
[6] The same applies to Joshua's stretching out his javelin, described as follows,
Jehovah said, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai, for I will give it into your hand. When Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand, they entered the city and took it. And Joshua did not draw back the hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Josh 8:18, 19, 26.
This also makes clear the nature of the representatives which comprised the external features of the Jewish Church. Consequently the Word is such that details recorded in its external sense do not give the appearance of being representatives of the Lord and His kingdom, such as the reference in these quotations to Moses or Joshua stretching out his hand, and all other details recorded there. In these it is never evident that such things are being represented as long as the mind is fixed solely on the historical details of the letter. From this it is also evident how far the Jews had receded from a true understanding of the Word and of the religious practices of their Church by focusing the whole of their worship purely on things of an external nature, even to the extent of attributing power to Moses' rod and to Joshua's javelin, when in fact these had no more power in them than a piece of wood. Yet because they did symbolize the Lord's omnipotence, which was at the time understood in heaven, signs and miracles were accomplished when by command they stretched out their hand or rod. Something similar happened when Moses on the hilltop held up his hands. When he did so Joshua was winning, but when he dropped them he was losing. So they held his hands up for him. Exod 17:9-13.
[7] It was similar with the laying on of hands when men were being consecrated, as the people did to the Levites, Num 8:9, 10, 12, and as Moses did to Joshua when the latter was to succeed him, Num 27:18, 23 - the purpose being to confer power. And this is why in our own times the ceremonies of ordination and of blessing are accompanied by the laying on of hands. To what extent the hand meant and represented power becomes clear from the following references in the Word to Uzzah and Jeroboam,
Of Uzzah it says that he reached out (his hand) to the Ark of God and took hold of it, and as a consequence died. 2 Sam 6:6, 7.
'The Ark' represented the Lord, and so everything holy and heavenly. 'Uzzah reached out to the Ark' represented man's own power, which is his proprium. And because the proprium is unholy the word 'hand' is left out but nevertheless understood. It is left out to prevent angels perceiving anything so profane as his touching with his hand that which was holy. And because he 'reached out' he died.
[8] In reference to Jeroboam,
It happened, when he heard the saying of the man of God which he cried out against the altar, that Jeroboam reached out his hand from above the altar saying, Lay hold of him. And his hand which he reached out against him dried up, and he could not draw it back to himself. He said to the man of God, Entreat now the facef of Jehovah your God, that my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God entreated the facef of Jehovah and his hand was restored to him, and became as it was before. 1 Kings 13:4-6.
Here similarly 'reaching out his hand' mean's mans own power, or proprium, which is unholy. He was willing to violate what was holy by stretching out his hand against the man of God, as a consequence of which his hand was dried up. Yet because he was an idolater and therefore not able to profane, as stated already, his hand was restored. The fact that 'the hand' means and represents power becomes clear from representatives in the world of spirits. In that world a bare arm sometimes comes into sight possessing so much strength that it can break bones to bits and crush their inner marrow to nothing at all. It consequently strikes so much terror as to cause heart-failure. It really does possess such strength.
Latin(1748-1756) 878
878. Quod 'emiserit manum suam significet potentiam ejus propriam et quod 'acceperit illam, et induxerit illam ad se in arcam' significet quod ex semet bonum faceret et verum cogitaret, constat a significatione 'manus' quod sit potentia, ita hic quod sit potentia propria ex qua; 'emittere enim manum, et accipere columbam, et inducere ad se' est sibi applicare et tribuere verum per columbam intellectum. Quod per manum significetur potentia {1}, tum potestas, et inde confidentia, constat a multis in Verbo; ut apud Esaiam, Visitabo super fructum magnitudinis cordis regis Asshuris,... quia dixit, In potentia manus meae feci, et in sapientia mea, quia intelligens sum, x [12,] 13;ubi manifeste 'manus' pro potentia propria cui tribuerit, quare visitatio super eum: [2] apud eundem, Moabus expandet manus in medio sui, quemadmodum expandit natans ad natandum, et humiliabit superbiam ejus, cum cataractis {2} manuum ejus, xxv 11;
'manus' pro potentia propria, ex praeeminentia sui prae aliis, ita ex superbia: apud eundem, Habitatores eorum breves manu, consternati sunt, et pudore affecti, xxxvii 27;
'breves manu' pro quod nullius potentiae: apud eundem, Num dicet lutum figulo suo, Quod facis? et opus tuum, Non manus ei? xlv 9;
'non manus ei' pro quod ei nulla potentia: apud Ezechielem, Rex lugebit, et princeps induetur stupore, et manus populi terrae perturbabuntur, vii 27;
'manus' pro potentiis: apud Micham, Vae cogitantibus iniquitatem, et operantibus malum super cubilibus suis, quod in luce mane faciunt id, et quoniam est pro deo manus eorum, ii 1;
'manus' pro potentia propria cui sicut suo deo confidunt: apud Zachariam {3}, Vae pastori nihili, deserenti gregem; gladius super brachium ejus, et super oculum dextrae ejus; brachium ejus arescendo arescet, et oculus dextrae ejus caligando caligabit, xi 17. [3] Quia 'manus' significant potentias, ideo mala et falsa hominis in Verbo passim vocantur 'opera manuum eorum'; mala sunt ex proprio ejus voluntatis, falsa ex proprio ejus intellectus; quod mala et falsa inde, constare satis potest ex natura proprii hominis, quod non sit nisi malum et falsum: de natura proprii quod talis, videantur quae prius, n. 39, 41, 141, 150, 154, 210, 215. Quia 'manus' significant in genere potentiam, ideo Jehovae seu Domino in Verbo multoties tribuuntur manus, et ibi per manus in sensu interno intelligitur Omnipotentia; ut apud Esaiam, Jehovah, exaltata est manus Tua, xxvi 11;
pro Potentia Divina: apud eundem, Jehovah extendit manum Suam,... omnes consumuntur, xxxi 3;
pro Potentia Divina: apud eundem, Super opus manuum Mearum praecipite Mihi,... Manus Meae expanderunt caelos, et omni exercitui eorum praecepi, xlv 11, 12;
pro Potentia Divina; regenerati vocantur saepe in Verbo 'opus manuum Jehovae': apud eundem, Manus Mea fundavit terram, et dextra Mea palmo mensa est caelos, xlviii 13;
'manus et dextra' pro Omnipotentia: [4] apud eundem, Num abbreviata est manus Mea, ut non sit redemptio? et num non in Me potentia ad eripiendum? l 2;
pro Potentia Divina: apud Jeremiam, Eduxisti populum Tuum Israelem e terra Aegypti per signa et portenta, et per manum fortem et per brachium extensum, xxxii 17, 21;
pro Potentia Divina; ubi in vers. 17, 'potentia'; in vers. 21, 'manus.' Quod 'per manum fortem et per brachium extensum educti sint ex Aegypto' saepius dicitur: apud Ezechielem, Sic dixit Dominus Jehovih, In die quo elegi Israelem, et sustuli manum Meam semini domus Jacobi, et notus factus sum iis in terra Aegypti:... sustuli manum Meam illis, ad educendum eos e terra Aegypti, xx 5, 6, 23:
apud Mosen, Vidit Israel manum magnam quam fecit Jehovah in Aegyptios, Exod. xiv 31. [5] Quod per 'manum' significetur potentia, ex his nunc manifeste patet; immo in tantum manus significavit potentiam, ut quoque repraesentativum factum, ut constat a miraculis quae facta sunt in Aegypto, quod Mosi mandatum ut extenderet baculum aut manum et sic fierent; ut, Moses extendit manum et facta est grando super Aegyptum, Exod. ix 22, 23; Moses extendit manum et factae tenebrae, Exod. x 21, 22; Moses extendit manum et baculum super mare Suph et exsiccabatur; et extendit manum et reducebatur, Exod. xiv 21 {4}, 27;
nemo cui aliqua mens vere cogitandi, potest credere quod aliquid potentiae fuerit in manu aut in baculo Mosis; sed quia sublatio et extensio manus significavit Potentiam Divinam, etiam repraesentativum factum est in Ecclesia Judaica; [6] similiter cum Josua extenderet lanceam, de qua ita, Jehovah dixit, Extende lanceam quae in manu tua ad Ajam, quia in manum tuam dabo illam; cum extendit Josua lanceam quae in manu,... venerunt in urbem, ceperunt eam,... et Josua non reduxit manum qua extendit lanceam, usque dum devoverit omnes habitatores Ajae, Jos. viii 18, [19,] 26;
exinde quoque constat quomodo se habent repraesentativa quae fuerant externa Ecclesiae Judaicae; inde quoque quale est Verbum, ut illa quae in externo ejus sensu sunt, non appareant sicut forent repraesentativa Domini et regni Ipsius, ut hic quod 'extenderent manum,' et similiter omnia reliqua, quae nusquam patent quod talia sint dum mens tenetur solum in historicis litterae: patet inde quoque quantum Judaei a vero intellectu Verbi et rituum Ecclesiae recesserint, dum modo in externis omnem cultum posuerint, immo eousque ut tribuerint baculo Mosis et lanceae Josuae potentiam, cum tamen in illis non plus potentiae fuit quam in ligno, sed quia significabant Omnipotentiam Domini, et haec in caelo tunc intellecta cum extenderent ex mandato manum aut baculum, inde signa et miracula; similiter quod, Cum Moses super vertice collis elevaret manus, quod Josua victor esset; et cum remitteret, quod victus; et quod ideo sustentarent manus ejus, Exod. xvii 9-13:
[7] similiter quod imponerentur manus cum consecrabantur, ut a populo Levitis, Num. viii 9, 10, 12; Josuae a Mose, cum loco ejus substitueretur, Num. xxvii 18, 23; ut sic daretur potentia: inde ritus hodie quoque inaugurandi et benedicendi per impositionem manuum. In quantum manus significabat et repraesentabat potentiam, constare potest ex Uzzah et Jeroboamo, de quibus haec in Verbo;
'De Uzzah, quod emiserit in arcam Dei (manum) et prehenderit illam; quare mortuus,' ii Sam. vi 6, 7;
'arca' repraesentabat Dominum, ita omne sanctum et caeleste; quod 'Uzzah emiserit in arcam' repraesentabat potentiam propriam, seu proprium hominis, quod quia profanum, non legitur manus sed usque intelligitur, ex causa ne perciperetur ab angelis tale profanum quod tetigisset sanctum, et 'quia emisit, mortuus est.' [8] De Jeroboamo, Factum, cum audivit verbum viri Dei, quod clamavit contra altare,... et emisit Jeroboam manum suam de super altari, dicendo, Prehendite illum; et arefacta est manus ejus quam emisit contra illum et non potuit reducere eam ad se,... dixit ad virum Dei, Precare quaeso facies Jehovae Dei tui,... ut revertatur manus mea ad me; et precatus est vir Dei facies Jehovae, et reversa est manus ejus ad eum, et facta sicut prius, 1 Reg. xiii 4-6;
hic similiter per 'emittere manum' significatur potentia propria, seu proprium, quod profanum, quod violare vellet sanctum per emissionem manus ad virum Dei, quare manus arefacta; sed quia idololatra erat nec profanare potuit, ut prius dictam, reversa est manus ejus. Quod 'manus' significet et repraesentet potentiam, constare potest a repraesentativis in mundo spirituum; ibi brachium quoddam nudum quandoque in conspectum venit, in quo tantum robur ut confringere possit ossa et intimas medullas quasi in nihilum contundere, et inde tantus terror ut corde liquefiant; immo actualiter ei est tale robur. @1 A general study of S's use of potentia and potestas suggests that potentia ='ability' and potestas ='the exercise of ability'; to borrow a comparison from physics the former is 'potential,' the latter 'kinetic.'$ @2 Heb. is [ ] ('arvoth) ='ambushes' which occurs only in this text. Sch. has obicibus. Sw. seems to have accepted the rendering of Tremellius, which may have arisen from confusion with [ ] ('aruboth) = windows, i.e., floodgates of heaven.$ @3 This ref. seems to be inserted accidentally, though we find later that brachium also signifies potentiam, while the Heb. for 'arm' is used to mean power,' as in Gen. xlix 24.$ @4 Ref. to baculus below suggests that vv. 15, 16 should have been inserted here. Possibly the printer omitted them.$