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1 Mose 9

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1 Und Gott segnete Noah und seine Söhne und sprach zu ihnen: Seid fruchtbar und mehret euch und füllet die Erde;

2 und die Furcht und der Schrecken vor euch sei auf allem Getier der Erde und auf allem Gevögel des Himmels! Alles, was sich auf dem Erdboden regt, und alle Fische des Meeres, in eure Hände sind sie gegeben:

3 alles, was sich regt, was da lebt, soll euch zur Speise sein; wie das grüne Kraut gebe ich es euch alles.

4 Nur das Fleisch mit seiner Seele, seinem Blute, sollt ihr nicht essen;

5 und wahrlich, euer Blut, nach euren Seelen, werde ich fordern; von jedem Tiere werde ich es fordern, und von der Hand des Menschen, von der Hand eines jeden, seines Bruders, werde ich die Seele des Menschen fordern.

6 Wer Menschenblut vergießt, durch den Menschen soll sein Blut vergossen werden; denn im Bilde Gottes hat er den Menschen gemacht.

7 Ihr nun, seid fruchtbar und mehret euch, wimmelt auf der Erde und mehret euch auf ihr!

8 Und Gott sprach zu Noah und zu seinen Söhnen mit ihm und sagte:

9 Und ich, siehe, ich errichte meinen Bund mit euch und mit eurem Samen nach euch;

10 und mit jedem lebendigen Wesen, das bei euch ist, an Gevögel, an Vieh und an allem Getier der Erde bei euch, was irgend von allem Getier der Erde aus der Arche gegangen ist.

11 Und ich errichte meinen Bund mit euch; und nicht mehr soll alles Fleisch ausgerottet werden durch die Wasser der Flut, und keine Flut soll mehr sein, die Erde zu verderben.

12 Und Gott sprach: Dies ist das Zeichen des Bundes, den ich stifte zwischen mir und euch und jeder lebendigen Seele, die bei euch ist, auf ewige Geschlechter hin:

13 Meinen Bogen setze ich in die Wolken, und er soll das Zeichen des Bundes sein zwischen mir und der Erde.

14 Und es wird geschehen, wenn ich Wolken über die Erde führe, so soll der Bogen in den Wolken erscheinen,

15 und ich werde meines Bundes gedenken, der zwischen mir und euch ist und jedem lebendigen Wesen, von allem Fleische; und nicht mehr sollen die Wasser zu einer Flut werden, alles Fleisch zu verderben.

16 Und der Bogen wird in den Wolken sein; und ich werde ihn ansehen, um zu gedenken des ewigen Bundes zwischen Gott und jedem lebendigen Wesen von allem Fleische, das auf Erden ist.

17 Und Gott sprach zu Noah: Das ist das Zeichen des Bundes, den ich errichtet habe zwischen mir und allem Fleische, das auf Erden ist.

18 Und die Söhne Noahs, die aus der Arche gingen, waren Sem und Ham und Japhet; und Ham ist der Vater Kanaans.

19 Diese drei sind die Söhne Noahs und von diesen aus ist die ganze Erde bevölkert worden.

20 Und Noah fing an ein Ackersmann zu werden und pflanzte einen Weinberg.

21 Und er trank von dem Weine und ward trunken, und er entblößte sich in seinem Zelte.

22 Und Ham, der Vater Kanaans, sah die Blöße seines Vaters und berichtete es seinen beiden Brüdern draußen.

23 Da nahmen Sem und Japhet das Obergewand und legten es beide auf ihre Schultern und gingen rücklings und bedeckten die Blöße ihres Vaters; und ihre Angesichter waren abgewandt, und sie sahen die Blöße ihres Vaters nicht.

24 Und Noah erwachte von seinem Weine und erfuhr, was sein jüngster Sohn ihm getan hatte.

25 Und er sprach: Verflucht sei Kanaan! Ein Knecht der Knechte sei er seinen Brüdern!

26 Und er sprach: Gepriesen sei Jehova, der Gott Sems; und Kanaan sei sein Knecht!

27 Weit mache es Gott dem Japhet, und er wohne in den Zelten Sems; und Kanaan sei sein Knecht!

28 Und Noah lebte nach der Flut dreihundertfünfzig Jahre;

29 und alle Tage Noahs waren neunhundertfünfzig Jahre, und er starb.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 270

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270. Verse 4. And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, signifies all truths from good in the higher heavens, arranged by the Lord before judgment. This is evident from the signification of "throne" on which was "One sitting," as being the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment (on which see just above, n. 267; and that "throne" signifies judgment, see n. 253. Also from the signification of "the four and twenty thrones around it, and four and twenty elders on them," as being all the truths of heaven in the complex, arranged before judgment. "Four and twenty" signifies all, "thrones" judgment, and "elders" those who are in truths from good, and abstractly truths from good. The higher heavens are here meant, because all who are in them are in truths from the good of love, and because the lower heavens are treated of in what immediately follows. ("Twenty-four" signifies all, because that number signifies the like with the number "twelve," and "twelve" signifies all, and is predicated of truths, see Arcana Coelestia 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. The number "twenty-four" signifies the like with the number "twelve," because it is the double thereof, and the double of a number signifies something similar as the number from which it arises by multiplication, as may be seen, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.)

[2] The like is signified by "the thrones upon which the twelve apostles were to sit," of which in Matthew:

Ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30);

the "twelve apostles" signifying all truths in the complex. Likewise in the following words in Revelation:

I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them (Revelation 20:4).

"Judgment was given to those who sat upon thrones" signifies that judgment belongs to the Lord alone, for "elders" in the Word signify all who are in truths from good, and abstractly, truths from good by which is judgment. He who supposes that "elders" and "apostles" in the Word mean elders and apostles is much mistaken; in the spiritual sense of the Word no persons are perceived, but things abstractly from persons, for what is spiritual has nothing in common with persons. It is otherwise in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural; in that sense not only are persons mentioned, but the idea of person is implied in many expressions, in order that the Word in its ultimates may be natural, and thus be a basis for the spiritual sense. It is the same with the signification of "elders" as with that of "infants," "children," "young men," "old men," "virgins," "women," and many words of that kind; in the natural sense these are all thought of simply as persons; but in the spiritual sense "infants" mean innocence, "children" charity, "young men" intelligence, "old men" wisdom, "virgins" the affection of truth and good, and "women" the goods of the church; and so in other cases.

The same is true of the natural and spiritual senses of "neighbor;" in the natural sense "neighbor" means any man whatever; but in the spiritual sense the good, truth, sincerity, and justice itself that are in the person. Everyone who reflects can see that this is the neighbor in the spiritual sense; for who loves a person for any other reason? For good and truth make the man, and cause him to be loved, and not the countenance and body.

[3] But to return to the signification of "elders." That "elders" signify truths from good can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. In Isaiah:

Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed, and Jehovah of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem; and before His elders shall be glory (Isaiah 24:23).

The "moon" and "sun" mean their idolatrous worship and the falsity of faith and the evil of love; "Mount Zion" and "Jerusalem" mean heaven and the church; "the elders" mean truths from good; it is therefore said, "before them shall be glory," for "glory" signifies Divine truth in heaven (See above n. 33).

[4] In Lamentations:

My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. I have cried to my lovers, they have deceived me; and mine elders expired in the city (Lamentations 1:18-19).

Here the vastation of the church is treated of, over which there is lamentation; there is such vastation when there is no longer any spiritual affection of truth, and thence no intelligence in such things as pertain to the church, and when there is then no truth. The "virgins," that are gone into captivity, mean the spiritual affection of truth, "the young men" intelligence; "captivity" is removal from this affection and intelligence; the "elders," who expired, mean the truths of the church.

[5] In Ezekiel:

Slay to destruction the old man, the young man, and the virgin, and the infant and the women; begin from My sanctuary; therefore they began from the elders who were before the house (Ezekiel 9:6).

Here too, the vastation of the church is treated of; an "old man" and "young man" mean wisdom and intelligence; "virgin" means the affection of truth and good; "infant" innocence; "women" the goods of the church; "to slay to destruction" signifies devastation; the "sanctuary," from which they should begin, is the church in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which are "the elders who are before the house."

[6] In Lamentations:

The faces of the old men were not honored. The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music (Lamentations 5:12, 14).

"Old men" signify the wisdom that is of good; "elders," the truths that are from good; "young men," intelligence. That the God of Israel was seen:

Under His feet as a work of sapphire, by Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy elders, and not by the rest (Exodus 24:1, 9-12);

signified that the Lord is seen solely by those who are in good and in truths from good (See the explanation of the passage in The Arcana Coelestia 9403-9411). This is what the seventy elders of Israel represented, and what the "four and twenty elders" sitting upon as many thrones signified; this also is what the "twelve apostles" signify, of whom it is said that "they are to sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

(That the "twelve apostles" signify all truths from good, Arcana Coelestia 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397;

that the "twelve tribes of Israel" have a like signification, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335;

likewise the "elders of Israel," n. 6524, 6525, 6890, 7912, 8578, 8585, 9376, 9404)

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