4118. Verses 22-25 And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. And he took his brothers with him and pursued him for seven days; ¹ and he caught up with him on mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care not to speak to Jacob either good or evil. And Laban overtook Jacob, and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban pitched with his brothers in mount Gilead.

'It was told to Laban on the third day' means an ending. 'That Jacob had fled' means a separation. 'And he took his brothers with him' means forms of good replacing those which it had lost. 'And pursued him' means a continuing intense desire to be joined. 'For seven days' means the holiness of truth. 'And he caught up with him on mount Gilead' means a kind of joining together was thereby effected. 'And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night' means the obscure perception of that good when left to itself. 'And said to him, Take care not to speak to Jacob either good or evil' means that no communication existed any longer. 'And Laban overtook Jacob' means a kind of joining together. 'And Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain' means a state of love, the state in which the good now meant by 'Jacob' dwelt. 'And Laban pitched with his brothers in mount Gilead' means the state of the good existing to some extent in that joining together.

Poznámky pod čarou:

According to Swedenborg, a person's name in the Bible represents his or her entire spiritual nature, their whole state of love (good or evil) and thought (from heavenly wisdom to infernal insanity). This is why the name of the Lord is so important; it represents and embodies His perfect love and perfect wisdom, which is everything that we should worship and follow. It's easy to see that names are important in the Bible. Jehovah changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, changed Jacob to Israel and included in the Ten Commandments the order that believers "shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." In the New Testament, Zacharias was told to name John the Baptist "John," and both Joseph (Matthew 1:21) and Mary (Luke 1:31) were told to name Jesus "Jesus." Jesus himself renamed Simon as Peter, and included the phrase "hallowed be thy name" in the Lord's prayer.

(Odkazy: Luke 1)