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1 Mose 49

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1 Und Jakob berief seine Söhne und sprach: Versammelt euch, daß ich euch verkündige, was euch begegnen wird in künftigen Zeiten.

2 Kommt zuhauf und höret zu, ihr Kinder Jakobs, und höret euren Vater Israel!

3 Ruben, mein erster Sohn, du bist meine Kraft und meine erste Macht, der Oberste im Opfer und der Oberste im Reich.

4 Er fuhr leichtfertig dahin wie Wasser. Du sollst nicht der Oberste sein; denn du bist auf deines Vaters Lager gestiegen, daselbst hast du mein Bett besudelt mit dem Aufsteigen.

5 Die Brüder Simeon und Levi ihre Schwerter sind mörderische Waffen.

6 Meine Seele komme nicht in ihren Rat, und meine Ehre sei nicht in ihrer Kirche; denn in ihrem Zorn haben sie den Mann erwürget und in ihrem Mutwillen haben sie den Ochsen verderbet.

7 Verflucht sei ihr Zorn, daß er so heftig ist, und ihr Grimm, daß er so störrig ist! Ich will sie zerteilen in Jakob und zerstreuen in Israel.

8 Juda, du bist's, dich werden deine Brüder loben. Deine Hand wird deinen Feinden auf dem Halse sein; vor dir werden deines Vaters Kinder sich neigen.

9 Juda ist ein junger Löwe. Du bist hoch kommen, mein Sohn, durch große Siege. Er hat niedergekniet und sich gelagert wie ein Löwe und wie eine Löwin; wer will sich wider ihn auflehnen?

10 Es wird das Zepter von Juda nicht entwendet werden, noch ein Meister von seinen Füßen, bis daß der Held komme; und demselben werden die Völker anhangen.

11 Er wird sein Füllen an den Weinstock binden und seiner Eselin Sohn an den edlen Reben. Er wird sein Kleid in Wein waschen und seinen Mantel in Weinbeerblut.

12 Seine Augen sind rötlicher denn Wein und seine Zähne weißer denn Milch.

13 Sebulon wird an der Anfurt des Meers wohnen und an der Anfurt der Schiffe und reichen an Sidon.

14 Isaschar wird ein beinerner Esel sein und sich lagern zwischen die Grenzen.

15 Und er sah die Ruhe, daß sie gut ist, und das Land, daß es lustig ist; er hat aber seine Schultern geneiget zu tragen, und ist ein zinsbarer Knecht worden.

16 Dan wird Richter sein in seinem Volk, wie ein ander Geschlecht in Israel.

17 Dan wird eine Schlange werden auf dem Wege und eine Otter auf dem Steige und das Pferd in die Ferse beißen, daß sein Reiter zurückfalle.

18 HERR, ich warte auf dein Heil!

19 Gad, gerüstet, wird das Heer führen und wieder herumführen.

20 Von Asser kommt sein fett Brot, und er wird den Königen zu Gefallen tun.

21 Naphthali ist ein schneller Hirsch und gibt schöne Rede.

22 Joseph wird wachsen, er wird wachsen wie an einer Quelle. Die Töchter treten einher im Regiment.

23 Und wiewohl ihn die Schützen erzürnen und wider ihn kriegen und ihn verfolgen,

24 so bleibt doch sein Bogen fest und die Arme seiner Hände stark durch die Hände des Mächtigen in Jakob. Aus ihnen sind kommen Hirten und Steine in Israel.

25 Von deines Vaters Gott ist dir geholfen, und von dem Allmächtigen bist du gesegnet mit Segen oben vom Himmel herab, mit Segen von der Tiefe, die unten liegt, mit Segen an Brüsten und Bäuchen.

26 Die Segen deines Vaters gehen stärker denn die Segen meiner Voreltern, nach Wunsch der Hohen in der Welt; und sollen kommen auf das Haupt Josephs und auf die Scheitel des Nasir unter seinen Brüdern.

27 Benjamin ist ein reißender Wolf; des Morgens wird er Raub fressen, aber des Abends wird er den Raub austeilen.

28 Das sind die zwölf Stämme Israels alle, und das ist's, das ihr Vater mit ihnen geredet hat, da er sie segnete, einen jeglichen mit einem sondern Segen.

29 Und er gebot ihnen und sprach zu ihnen: Ich werde versammelt zu meinem Volk; begrabet mich bei meine Väter in der Höhle auf dem Acker Ephrons, des Hethiters,

30 in der zwiefachen Höhle, die gegen Mamre liegt, im Lande Kanaan, die Abraham kaufte, samt dem Acker, von Ephron, dem Hethiter, zum Erbbegräbnis.

31 Daselbst haben sie Abraham begraben und Sara, sein Weib. Daselbst haben sie auch Isaak begraben und Rebekka, sein Weib. Daselbst habe ich auch Lea begraben,

32 in dem Acker und der Höhle, die von den Kindern Heths gekauft ist.

33 Und da Jakob vollendet hatte die Gebote an seine Kinder, tat er seine Füße zusammen aufs Bett und verschied und ward versammelt zu seinem Volk.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 438

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438. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies charity towards the neighbour, and that all who are in it are in heaven, and come into heaven, is evident from the signification of the tribe of Asher, which denotes that spiritual affection, which is charity, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of twelve thousand sealed, as denoting those who are in heaven, and who come into heaven, as above (n. 433). That the tribe of Asher signifies love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, will be evident from what follows, and is also clear from this fact, that the twelve tribes taken together represented heaven and the church, and therefore signify these in the Word, and that each tribe represented, and therefore signifies, some universal essential which makes heaven and the church. There are in general three universal essentials which make these, that is, love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbour, and the obedience of faith. Love to the Lord is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad, as shown above; charity towards the neighbour is signified by the following three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; but the obedience of faith is signified by the three following, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; the conjunction of all these with the Lord is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. This is the signification in brief of all the tribes named in the above order; for their significations are governed by the order in which they are named, as shown above (n. 431:12, 435, 436).

[2] Moreover the sealed mean those who are separated from the evil and are received into heaven. The first three tribes mean those who are received into the highest or third heaven, where all are in love to the Lord. The next three tribes, which are now the subject, mean those who are received into the middle or second heaven, where all are in charity towards the neighbour; but the three tribes which follow these mean those who are received into the ultimate or first heaven, where those are who are in obedience, which is called the obedience of faith. The last three tribes mean the reception of all these into the three heavens by the Lord. For there are three heavens which are distinguished one from another according to the degrees of the good of love. From these considerations, it is evident in the first place, that this second class of the tribes, that is, the three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, mean those who are in charity towards the neighbour. The tribe of Asher denotes charity towards the neighbour; Naphtali, the regeneration of these; and Manasseh, their good of life.

[3] But it shall first be explained, what Asher signifies in the kingdom of the Lord, or in the church. Asher signifies the blessedness of spiritual affections, and thence spiritual affection itself. And because spiritual affection is that which is called love towards the neighbour or charity, therefore Asher here signifies charity, consequently, the twelve thousand of that tribe here signify all who are in charity, and therefore in the second or middle heaven.

[4] That Asher was named from what is blessed, or blessedness, is evident not only from the signification of that expression in the Hebrew, but also from these words spoken respecting him by Leah, the wife of Jacob, when he was born.

"Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, In my blessedness, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher" (Genesis 30:12, 13).

Here, the daughters who should call her blessed, signify those spiritual affections of truth which make the church from which all that internal blessedness, which is celestial, arises. In this blessedness are those who are in charity towards the neighbour, for charity towards the neighbour is the spiritual affection of truth, as said just above. To love truth in its essence, that is, to love truth because it is truth, is the spiritual affection of truth. The neighbour also, in the spiritual sense, is nothing else but good and truth, and charity is the love thereof. This may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where the nature of love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, is shown (n. 84-107). The rest of the above passage may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3936-3940). That Asher signifies the blessedness of love and charity, is further evident from the blessing of Asher by Israel his father:

"From Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall give the delights of a king" (Genesis 49:20).

"From Asher" signifies from celestial and spiritual affections, which are those of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. His bread shall be fat, signifies delight from good. And he shall give the delights of a king, signifies pleasantness from truth. For a further explanation of these things see Arcana Coelestia 6408-6410).

[5] The signification of Asher is similar in the blessing pronounced upon him by Moses, namely, the delight of the affection of truth from the Word. The blessing is as follows:

"And of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe shall be iron and brass; and as the days thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses there are contained interior facts concerning the Word. Asher, who is there named last, signifies the spiritual affection of truth from the Word, wherefore it is said, "Blessed above sons be Asher, let him be acceptable to his brethren," sons signifying, truths, and brethren, the church thence, while blessed and acceptable are used in reference to the affection of these. The good of love, from which are the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by dipping his foot in oil; the foot denotes truth in the ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, and oil signifies the good of love. That the ultimate of the Word is natural truth and good, is signified by, thy shoe shall be iron and brass; natural truth is signified by iron and natural good, by brass, and the ultimate, by the shoe. And as thy days thy fame, signifies that the Word shall endure to eternity. That iron signifies natural truth, may be seen above (n. 176) that brass signifies natural good, also above (n. 70); and that shoe signifies the ultimate of the natural, which is the sensual, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1748, 2162, 6844).

[6] Because Asher signifies the delight of affections, such as those have who are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, therefore that tribe, together with the tribe of Dan, and the tribe of Naphtali, encamped to the north (Num. 2:25-31). The encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, represented the arrangement of the angelic societies in the heavens (see above, n. 431:12-13), and those dwell in the heavens to the north who, from the good of charity, are in the affection of spiritual knowledges.

[7] That Asher signifies spiritual blessedness, which is blessedness from love and charity, is also evident in Ezekiel, where a new earth and a new city are treated of, and the land said to be distributed as an inheritance among all the tribes of Israel. The city is also stated to have twelve gates, one for each tribe. The inheritance of Asher is there treated of, chapter 48:1-3; and concerning the gates in these words:

"The corner towards the sea four thousand and five hundred; the gates of the city three; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. The circuit eighteen thousand; and the name of the city from that day, Jehovah Shammah" (chap. 48:34, 35).

The land distributed among the tribes for an inheritance, signifies the church; the sons of Israel, amongst whom it was to be distributed, signify all the truths of the church which are from good collectively. The city signifies the doctrine of truth from the good of love, therefore it was called, Jehovah Shammah, Jehovah is there; the gates signify introductory truths, which are doctrinals; the number four thousand and five hundred also signify all truths from good, and eighteen thousand, all the truths of doctrine encompassing and defending. From these things it is evident, that not only all the particulars there mentioned, even to the numbers, signify things of the church, but also that not any tribe of Israel is there meant, but instead of the tribe named, some universal essential of the church. It is also evident there that Asher signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which makes one with charity towards the neighbour. That Asher, in the highest sense, signifies eternity, in the internal sense, felicity of life from the blessedness of the affections of love and charity, and in the external sense, natural delight therefrom, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.