{"id":12323,"date":"2016-09-25T12:57:21","date_gmt":"2016-09-25T16:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordstudy.newchurch.org\/?page_id=12323"},"modified":"2016-09-25T12:57:21","modified_gmt":"2016-09-25T16:57:21","slug":"scatter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societies.newchurch.org\/wordstudy\/bible-keywords\/scatter\/","title":{"rendered":"Scatter"},"content":{"rendered":"

The meaning of \u201cscatter\u201d in the Bible<\/a> is, according to Swedenborg<\/a>, relatively literal, but it is used in regard to spiritual<\/a> things, not natural<\/a> ones. So to \u201cscatter\u201d a group of people represents breaking up a system of ideas <\/a>represented by that group, and thus to weaken and ultimately destroy it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Passages from Swedenborg<\/b><\/p>\n

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 1309<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ‘Lest perhaps we are\u00a0scattered\u00a0over the face* of the whole earth’ means that otherwise they would not receive recognition. This follows from what is said above, for ‘being\u00a0scattered\u00a0over the face* of the whole earth’ is disappearing from their sight, and so not being accepted and acknowledged.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 1328<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. ‘And from there Jehovah\u00a0scattered\u00a0them over the face* of the whole Earth’ means that internal worship ceased to exist. This becomes clear from the meaning of ‘scattering’ as being dispersed. In the proximate sense those who wanted to build the city of Babel are meant by ‘being\u00a0scattered\u00a0over the face* of the whole earth’. But because they are people who deprive others of all knowledge of truth, as has been stated, these words at the same time mean the loss of internal worship; for one is the consequence of the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2547<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. ‘That you have brought great sin on me and on my kingdom’ means that thereby the doctrine of faith and all matters of doctrine would be at risk. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Abimelech’, to whom the pronoun ‘me’ refers here, as the doctrine of faith, and from the meaning of ‘kingdom’ as the truth of doctrine or that which is a matter of doctrine. That ‘a kingdom’ in the internal sense means truths of doctrine, and in the contrary sense falsities of doctrine, is clear from the Word, as in Jeremiah,<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>He is the One who formed all things and the sceptre of His inheritance; Jehovah Zebaoth is His name. You are to me a hammer, weapons of war, and in You I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the nations, and in You I will destroy the kingdoms. Jer. 51:19, 20.<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>This refers to the Lord who, it is clear, is not going to\u00a0scatter\u00a0nations or destroy kingdoms but to do so to things meant by nations and kingdoms, namely evils and falsities of doctrine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6361<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. ‘And will\u00a0scatter\u00a0them in Israel’ means that they are to be banished from the spiritual man. This is clear from the meaning of ‘scattering’ too as a banishment; but ‘scattering’ is distinguished from ‘dividing’ by the fact that the latter is used in reference to the external man and to truth, whereas the former is used in reference to the internal man and to good – ‘Jacob’ represents the natural or external man, and ‘Israel’ the spiritual or internal man, see 4286, 4291, 4570.<\/span>
          \n<\/span>
          \n<\/span>These things that Israel stated regarding Simeon and Levi, and also those regarding Reuben, do not mean such things as would happen, as verse 1 says, to their descendants at the end of days. This can be recognized from the fact that those descended from Simeon and from Levi were not cursed; nor were they divided in Jacob and\u00a0scattered\u00a0in Israel. The tribe of Simeon existed among the rest of the tribes as one of their number, while the tribe of Levi became the priesthood and so was blessed rather than cursed. Nor likewise was the tribe of Reuben inferior to any other tribe. From this it is quite evident that the things stated in this chapter about what would happen to the sons of Jacob at the end of days refer to what would happen not to those actual descendants but to people who are meant by them in the internal sense. At this point what would happen to those with faith separated from charity is meant, for they are the ones who are meant at this point in the internal sense by Reuben, Simeon, and Levi.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7130<\/b><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. ‘And the people\u00a0scattered\u00a0themselves into all the land of Egypt’ means that they spread their natural mind in all directions. This is clear from the meaning of ‘scattering\u00a0themselves’ as spreading; and from the meaning of ‘the land of Egypt’ as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7520<\/b><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. ‘And let Moses\u00a0scatter\u00a0them in the direction of heaven’ means that those falsities were to be demonstrated to the inhabitants of heaven. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the ashes’ as falsities, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘scattering\u00a0in the direction of heaven’ as demonstrating them to the inhabitants of heaven. The meaning of ‘scattering’ as demonstrating is self-evident, for by that action something is made visible; and ‘heaven’ is used to mean in the internal sense the angelic heaven.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8226<\/b><\/p>\n

              [2] 2 Something similar to what is stated here in reference to the Egyptians is said of Babel in Jeremiah,<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0He is the One who formed all things, especially the rod of His inheritance; Jehovah Zebaoth is His name. You are to me a hammer, weapons of war, and through You I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the nations, and through You I will destroy the kingdoms, and through You I will scatter\u00a0the horse and its chariot, and through you I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the chariot and him who rides in it. I will repay Babel and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil which they have done in Zion before your eyes. Jer. 51:19-21, 24.<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Babel’ here means those who belonged to the Church and rendered good profane, and ‘Chaldea’ those who belonged to the Church and rendered truth so. Their understanding of things, and consequently their doctrinal teachings and reasonings, are meant in these verses also by ‘horse, chariot, and him who rides in it’, and being laid waste by their being ‘scattered’. The Lord in respect of His Divine Human, at whose presence they are\u00a0scattered, is meant by the words ‘He is the One who formed all things, especially the rod of His inheritance; Jehovah Zebaoth is His name. You are to me a hammer, weapons of war; through You I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the nations, and through You I will destroy the kingdoms’, ‘the nations’ meaning evils and ‘the kingdoms’ falsities. From all this too it is evident that the evils which they do to others flow back or recoil on themselves; for it says that they will be repaid their evil, and also in various other places that on the day of visitation vengeance will be taken and retribution exacted.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead) n. 863<\/b><\/h4>\n

              [8] In Jeremiah:<\/span>
              \n<\/span>By thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0nations, and by thee I will destroy kingdoms; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the horse and his rider; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the chariot and him that is carried therein; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the old man and the boy; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the youth and the virgin; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the shepherd and his flock; by thee I will\u00a0scatterthe husbandman and his team; by thee I will\u00a0scatter\u00a0the governors and the leaders (51:20-23).<\/span>
              \n<\/span>This is said of Jacob and Israel, by whom is meant in the highest sense the Lord, who was to destroy the evils and falsities that bore rule in the church about the time of His coming; the “nations” and “kingdoms” that He will\u00a0scatter\u00a0signify evils and falsities in general; “the horse and his rider” signify reasonings from falsities against truths; “the chariot and him who is carried therein” signify falsities of doctrine; “the old man and the boy” signify falsities confirmed and not confirmed; “the youth and the virgin” signify the understanding of falsity and the affection of it; “the shepherd and his flock” signify those who teach and those who learn; “the husbandman and his team” have a like signification; “governors and leaders” signify the principles of falsity and evil.<\/span><\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              The meaning of \u201cscatter\u201d in the Bible is, according to Swedenborg, relatively literal, but it is used in regard to spiritual things, not natural ones. So to \u201cscatter\u201d a group of people represents breaking up a system of ideas represented by that group, and thus to weaken and ultimately destroy it. Passages from Swedenborg Arcana […]<\/p>\n

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