Abraham
Abraham (or Abram, as he is named in the beginning of his story) was the ancestor of all the Children of Israel, through his son...
weggetrek
'To journey' signifies the institutes and order of life.
woon
Many people were nomadic in Biblical times, especially the times of the Old Testament, and lived in tents that could be struck, moved and re-raised...
Kades
'Kadesh' denotes truths, and contention about truths.
Sur
'Shur,' or 'Assyria,' signifies the Lord's state when He first received instruction in matters of doctrine regarding charity and faith.
Gerar
Gerar, as in Genesis 10:19, signifies those things which are revealed concerning faith.
sara
'Sarah' denotes truth joined to good. Sarai was called 'Sarah' so she would represent the divine intellectual principle by adding the 'H' from the name...
vrou
The Hebrew of the Old Testament has six different common words which are generally translated as "wife," which largely overlap but have different nuances. Swedenborg...
gesê
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...
suster
The Lord calls people who are in truth from the good of charity from Him 'sisters,' as in Matthew 12:50. 'Sister' denotes intellectual truth, when...
Abiméleg
Abimelech, his companion Ahusath, and Phicol, the chief captain of his army (Genesis 26:26), represent the doctrinals of faith as grounded in the literal sense...
koning
The human mind is composed of two parts, a will and an understanding, a seat of loves and affections, and a seat of wisdom and...
God
The Lord is called "Jehovah" in the Bible when the text is referring to his essence, which is love itself. He is called "God" when...
nag
The sun in the Bible represents the Lord, with its heat representing His love and its light representing His wisdom. “Daytime,” then, represents a state...
droom
A dream, as in Genesis 20:3,signifies being somewhat obscure.
sterwe
Dead (Gen. 23:8) signifies night, in respect to the goodnesses and truths of faith.
laat
As with common verbs in general, the meaning of “bring” is highly dependent on context, but in general it represents an introduction to a new...
naby
'Near,' in the Word, signifies presence and conjunction. 'To be near' signifies being on internal levels. Near,' as in Genesis 19:20, signifies truth bordering upon...
regverdige
He is said to be 'just' in a spiritual sense, who lives according to divine laws. They on the right hand being called 'just,' as...
nasie
'A nation,' as in Genesis 21:18, signifies the spiritual church which should receive the good of faith. Nation from afar,' as in Jeremiah 5:17, signifies...
broer
There are two ways "brother" is used in the Bible, ways that are still reflected in modern language. One denotes an actual blood relationship; the...
weet
Like so many common verbs, the meaning of "know" in the Bible is varied and dependent on context. And in some cases – when it...
raak
Imagine having your mother touch your cheek. Then imagine having your spouse or someone you love romantically touch your cheek. Then imagine having a baby...
man
In general, men are driven by intellect and women by affections, and because of this men in the Bible generally represent knowledge and truth and...
terug
Everyone knows the phrase "the natural order of things." It means that everything is in its proper place, occupying the niche it is meant to...
profeet
The idea of a "prophet" is very closely tied to the idea of the Bible itself, since the Bible was largely written by prophets. At...
môre
Morning comes with the rising of the sun, and the sun – which gives life to the earth with its warmth and light – represents...
vroeg
Morning comes with the rising of the sun, and the sun – which gives life to the earth with its warmth and light – represents...
dienaars
“Servant” literally means “a person who serves another,"" and its meaning is similar in reference to the spiritual meaninngs of the Bible. Our lives in...
bang
Fear of the unknown and fear of change are both common ideas, and together cover a broad spectrum of the fears we tend to have...
roep
To call someone or summon someone in the Bible represents a desire for conjunction between higher and lower states of life. For instance, imagine someone...
ons
Angels do give us guidance, but they are mere helpers; the Lord alone governs us, through angels and spirits. Since angels have their assisting role,...
groot
The word "great" is used in the Bible to represent a state with a strong degree of love and affection, of the desire for good;...
sê
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...
plek
'A dry place,' as in Luke 11:24, signifies states of evil and falsity which are in the life of someone who does the work of...
doodmaak
'To slay a man to his wounding,' means extinguishing faith, and 'to slay a young man to his hurt,' signifies extinguishing charity, as in Genesis...
dogter
"Behold I have two daughters,” etc. (Gen. 19:8), signifies the affections of good and truth, and the blessedness perceivable from the enjoyment thereof, by those...
moeder
In general, mothers in the Bible represent the Lord's church on earth, or the church among those who know and follow the Lord. In some...
huis
A "house" is essentially a container - for a person, for a family, for several families or even for a large group with shared interests...
kom
Coming (Gen. 41:14) denotes communication by influx.
kleinvee
A flock, as in Genesis 26, denotes interior or rational good. A flock signifies those who are in spiritual good. A flock signifies natural interior...
slavinne
'A handmaid' signifies the affection of rational and scientific things. 'A handmaid,' as mentioned in Genesis 30:3, signifies the affirming medium of conjoining inner truths...
gee
Like other common verbs, the meaning of "give" in the Bible is affected by context: who is giving what to whom? In general, though, giving...
land
'Lands' of different nations are used in the Word to signify the different kinds of love prevalent in the inhabitants.
voor
In most cases, the meaning of "before" is pretty straightforward, both as a way of assessing relative time, and in its use meaning "in someone's...
oë
It’s common to say “I see” when we understand something. And indeed, “seeing” in the Bible represents grasping and understanding spiritual things. So it makes...
duisend
As children, most of us at some point frustrated our mothers into using the phrase “if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand...
silwer
'Money' relates to truth.
Here
The Lord, in the simplest terms, is love itself expressed as wisdom itself. In philosophic terms, love is the Lord's substance and wisdom is His...
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