Bible

 

Genesis 21:25

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25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

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People (nation)

  

The Bible generally uses two different terms for large groups: “people” and “nations.” When it uses “nation,” it is talking about a group with the desire for good as its ultimate underlying motivation; when it uses the term “people” it is talking about a group whose deep motivation is to seek true ideas and concepts. As with all symbolism in the Bible, this can be also used in a negative sense, to describe groups with the lust for evil or those driven by false concepts. It can also be used in the abstract, with “nation” representing desires for good themselves and “people” representing true ideas themselves. In a way, these meanings make sense if we look at the two words themselves. “People” brings to mind a collection of individuals, and that is somewhat how it is with ideas -- you can have many of them that inter-relate, but also stand somewhat on their own, individually. “Nation” is a more unified term, reflecting the way that a desire for good tends to unify other feelings.

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Arcana Coelestia # 2705

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2705. Verse 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and was an archer.

'God was with the boy' means the Lord's presence with those who are spiritual. 'And he grew' means increases. 'And dwelt in the wilderness' means that which is obscure comparatively. 'And was an archer' means the member of the spiritual Church.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.