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Postanak 9

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1 Tada Bog blagoslovi Nou i njegove sinove i reče im: "Plodite se i množite i zemlju napunite.

2 Neka vas se boje i od vas strahuju sve životinje na zemlji, sve ptice u zraku, sve što se po zemlji kreće i sve ribe u moru: u vaše su ruke predane.

3 Sve što se kreće i živi neka vam bude za hranu: sve vam dajem, kao što vam dadoh zeleno bilje.

4 Samo ne smijete jesti mesa u kojem je još duša, to jest njegova krv.

5 A za vašu krv, za vaš život, tražit ću obračun: tražit ću ga od svake životinje; i od čovjeka za njegova druga tražit ću obračun za ljudski život.

6 Tko prolije krv čovjekovu, njegovu će krv čovjek proliti! Jer na sliku Božju stvoren je čovjek!

7 A vi, plodite se, i množite i zemlju napunite, i podložite je sebi!"

8 Još reče Bog Noi i njegovim sinovima s njim:

9 "A ja, evo, sklapam svoj Savez s vama i s vašim potomstvom poslije vas

10 i sa svim živim stvorovima što su s vama: s pticama, sa stokom, sa zvijerima - sa svime što je s vama izišlo iz korablje - sa svim živim stvorovima na zemlji.

11 Držat ću se ja svog Saveza s vama te nikada više vode potopne neće uništiti živa bića niti će ikad više potop zemlju opustošiti."

12 I reče Bog: "A ovo znamen je Saveza koji stavljam između sebe i vas i svih živih bića što su s vama, za naraštaje buduće:

13 Dugu svoju u oblak stavljam, da zalogom bude Savezu između mene i zemlje.

14 Kad oblake nad zemlju navučem i duga se u oblaku pokaže,

15 spomenut ću se Saveza svoga, Saveza između mene i vas i stvorenja svakoga živog: potopa više neće biti da uništi svako biće.

16 U oblaku kad se pojavi duga, ja ću je vidjeti i vjekovnog ću se sjećati Saveza između Boga i svake žive duše, svakog tijela na zemlji."

17 I reče Bog Noi: "To neka je znak Saveza koji sam postavio između sebe i svih živih bića što su na zemlji."

18 Sinovi Noini, koji su iz korablje izišli, bijahu: Šem, Ham i Jafet. Ham je praotac Kanaanaca.

19 Ovo su trojica Noinih sinova i od njih se sav svijet razgranao.

20 Noa, zemljoradnik, zasadio vinograd.

21 Napio se vina i opio, pa se otkrio nasred šatora.

22 Ham, praotac Kanaanaca, opazi oca gola pa to kaza dvojici svoje braće vani.

23 Šem i Jafet uzmu ogrtač, obojica ga prebace sebi preko ramena pa njime, idući natraške, pokriju očevu golotinju. Lica im bijahu okrenuta na drugu stranu, tako te ne vidješe oca gola.

24 Kad se Noa otrijeznio od vina i saznao što mu je učinio najmlađi sin, reče:

25 "Neka je proklet Kanaanac, braći svojoj najniži sluga nek' bude!"

26 Onda nastavi: "Blagoslovljen Jahve, Šemov Bog, Kanaanac nek' mu je sluga!

27 Nek Bog raširi Jafeta da prebiva pod šatorima Šemovim, Kanaanac nek' mu je sluga!"

28 Poslije Potopa Noa poživje trista pedeset godina.

29 U svemu poživje Noa devet stotina pedeset godina; potom umrije.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 1093

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1093. That 'cursed be Canaan' means that external worship separated from internal turned itself away from the Lord is clear from the meaning of 'Canaan' and from the meaning of 'being cursed'. That 'Canaan' is external worship separated from internal is clear from what has been stated already about Canaan, also from his being called 'cursed'; and from what follows about his being 'a slave of slaves'. And being a slave both to Shem and to Japheth cannot mean anything other than something separated from the Church itself, such as worship that is wholly external. This is clear from the meaning of 'being cursed' as turning oneself away, for the Lord in no way curses anybody, or is even angry. Instead it is man who brings the curse upon himself by turning himself away from the Lord. On these points see what has been shown already in 223, 245, 592. The Lord is as far from cursing or being angry with anyone as the sky is from the earth. Who can believe that the Lord, who is all-knowing and all-powerful, who with wisdom rules the universe, and so who is infinitely superior to all [human] weaknesses, is angry with such pitifully worthless dust, that is, with human beings who scarcely know anything of what they do and who of themselves are incapable of anything other than evil? With the Lord therefore anger is never present, only mercy.

[2] That arcana are contained here can be seen merely from the consideration that even though it was Ham who saw his father's nakedness and pointed it out to his brothers, he was not cursed but his son Canaan, who was not his only son nor even the firstborn but the fourth in line, as is clear from Chapter 10, verse 6 later on, where the sons of Ham are mentioned as being Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. It can in addition be seen from the Divine Law that no son was to bear his father's iniquity, as is clear in Ezekiel,

The soul that has sinned will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son. Ezekiel 18:20; Deuteronomy 14:16; 2 Kings 14:6.

And the same can also be seen from the consideration that this iniquity of merely seeing his father's nakedness and pointing it out to his brothers seems too slight for all of his descendants ever to have been cursed on that account. From these considerations it is clear that arcana are contained here.

[3] The reason Ham is not mentioned here but Canaan is that Ham means faith separated from charity in the spiritual Church, which cannot be cursed because in that Church faith has holiness present within it because truth is present there. And although there is no faith when there is no charity, it is still possible - since it is by means of the cognitions of faith that a person is regenerated - for separated faith to be allied to charity, and in this way to be in some sense 'a brother' or may become one. This was why Canaan was cursed and not Ham. Furthermore the inhabitants of the land of Canaan were for the most part people such as made all worship consist in external things, the Jews there as much as the gentiles. These are the arcana contained here, but for which Canaan would never have been substituted for Ham. That external worship separated from internal turns itself away and so brings a curse on itself is quite clear from the fact that people whose worship is external have no regard for anything other than worldly, bodily, and earthly things. Thus they look downwards, and immerse their minds (animus) and life in those things; such will be dealt with a little further on.

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