Bible

 

Genesis 12

Studie

   

1 Ja Issand ütles Aabramile: 'Mine omalt maalt, omast sugukonnast ja isakojast maale, mille ma sulle näitan!

2 Ma teen sind suureks rahvaks ja õnnistan sind, ma teen su nime suureks, et sa oleksid õnnistuseks!

3 Siis ma õnnistan neid, kes sind õnnistavad, panen vande alla selle, kes sind neab, ja sinu nimel õnnistavad endid kõik suguvõsad maa peal!'

4 Ja Aabram läks, nagu Issand teda käskis, ja Lott läks koos temaga; Aabram oli seitsekümmend viis aastat vana, kui ta Haaranist lahkus.

5 Ja Aabram võttis oma naise Saarai ja oma vennapoja Loti ja kogu nende varanduse, mis nad olid soetanud, ja Haaranis hangitud hingelised, ja nad läksid teele Kaananimaa poole. Ja nad jõudsid Kaananimaale.

6 Ja Aabram käis maa läbi Sekemi püha paigani, Moore tammeni; kaananlased olid siis veel sellel maal.

7 Ja Issand ilmutas ennast Aabramile ning ütles: 'Sinu soole ma annan selle maa!' Siis ta ehitas sinna altari Issandale, kes oli ennast temale ilmutanud.

8 Sealt ta liikus edasi mäestikku Peetelist hommiku poole ja lõi oma telgi üles, nõnda et Peetel jäi õhtu ja Ai hommiku poole; ja ta ehitas sinna altari Issandale ning hüüdis appi Issanda nime.

9 Ja Aabram läks teele, rändas üha ja siirdus Lõunamaale.

10 Aga maal oli nälg. Siis Aabram läks alla Egiptusesse, et seal võõrana elada, sest maal oli suur nälg.

11 Ja kui ta minnes Egiptusele ligines, ütles ta oma naisele Saaraile: 'Vaata, ma tean, et sa oled ilusa välimusega naine.

12 Aga kui egiptlased sind näevad, ütlevad nad: 'See on tema naine!' Siis nad tapavad minu, aga sinu jätavad elama.

13 Ütle siis, et oled minu õde, et mu käsi sinu tõttu võiks hästi käia ja mu hing sinu pärast ellu jääks!'

14 Kui Aabram jõudis Egiptusesse, siis nägid egiptlased, et naine oli väga ilus.

15 Ja kui vaarao vürstid teda nägid, siis nad ülistasid teda vaaraole ja naine võeti vaarao kotta.

16 Vaarao tegi Aabramile tema pärast head: ta sai lambaid ja kitsi, veiseid ja eesleid, sulaseid ja teenijaid, emaeesleid ja kaameleid.

17 Aga Issand nuhtles vaaraod ja tema koda suurte nuhtlustega Saarai, Aabrami naise pärast.

18 Siis vaarao kutsus Aabrami ning ütles: 'Miks sa mulle seda tegid? Miks sa ei teatanud mulle, et ta on sinu naine?

19 Miks sa ütlesid: Ta on mu õde, nõnda et ma tema enesele naiseks võtsin? Aga nüüd, vaata, seal on su naine, võta tema ja mine!'

20 Ja vaarao andis tema pärast meestele käsu, et nad saadaksid minema tema ja ta naise ja kõik, mis tal oli.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 921

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

921. And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah. That this signifies a representative of the Lord, is evident from what has just been said. All the rites of the Ancient Church were representative of the Lord, as also the rites of the Jewish Church. But the principal representative in later times was the altar, and also the burnt-offering, which being made of clean beasts and clean birds, had its representation according to their signification, clean beasts signifying the goods of charity, and clean birds the truths of faith. When men of the Ancient Church offered these, they signified that they offered gifts of these goods and truths to the Lord. Nothing else can be offered to the Lord that will be grateful to Him. But their posterity, as the Gentiles and also the Jews, perverted these things, not even knowing that they had such a signification, and making their worship consist in the externals only.

[2] That the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, is evident from the fact that there were altars, even among Gentiles, before other rites were instituted, and before the ark was constructed, and before the temple was built. This is evident from Abram, as that when he came upon the mountain on the east of Bethel he raised an altar and called upon the name of Jehovah (Genesis 12:8); and afterwards he was commanded to offer Isaac for a burnt-offering on an altar (Genesis 22:2, 9). So Jacob built an altar at Luz, or Bethel (Genesis 35:6-7); and Moses built an altar under Mount Sinai, and sacrificed (Exodus 24:4-6). All this was before the [Jewish] sacrifices were instituted, and before the ark was constructed at which worship was afterwards performed in the wilderness. That there were altars likewise among the Gentiles, is evident from Balaam, who said to Balak that he should build seven altars and prepare seven bullocks and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-7, 14-18, 29-30); and also from its being commanded that the altars of the nations should be destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 2:2). Thus Divine worship by altars and sacrifices was not a new thing instituted with the Jews. Indeed altars were built before men had any idea of slaying oxen and sheep upon them, but as memorials.

[3] That altars signify a representative of the Lord, and burnt-offerings the worship of Him thereby, is plainly evident in the Prophets, as also in Moses when it is said of Levi, to whom the priesthood belonged:

They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deuteronomy 33:10),

meaning all worship; for “to teach Jacob judgments, and Israel the law” denotes internal worship; and “to put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering on Thine altar” denotes corresponding external worship.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall a man look unto his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel; and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hand (Isaiah 17:7-8),

where “looking to the altars” plainly signifies representative worship in general, which was to be abolished. Again:

In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah (Isaiah 19:19),

where also “an altar” stands for external worship.

[4] In Jeremiah:

The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7);

“altar” denoting representative worship which had become idolatrous.

In Hosea:

Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, altars have been unto him to sin (Hosea 8:11);

“altars” denote here all representative worship separate from internal, thus what is idolatrous. Again:

The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars (Hosea 10:8), where “altars” denote idolatrous worship.

In Amos:

In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off (Amos 3:14),

where again “altars” denote representative worship become idolatrous.

[5] In David:

Let them bring me unto the mountain of Thy holiness, and to Thy tabernacles. And I will go unto the altar of God, unto God the gladness of my joy (Psalms 43:3-4), where “altar” manifestly denotes the Lord.

Thus the building of an altar in the Ancient and in the Jewish Church was for a representative of the Lord. As the worship of the Lord was performed principally by burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and thus these things signified principally representative worship, it is evident that the altar itself signifies this representative worship itself.

  
/ 10837  
  

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