Here are some excerpts from Swedenborg's "Arcana Coelestia" that help explain the inner meaning of this chapter:

AC 554. The subject here treated of is the state of the people before the flood.

AC 555. That with man, where the church was, cupidities, which are the "daughters"-began to reign. Also that they conjoined the doctrinal things of faith with their cupidities, and thus confirmed themselves in evils and falses, which is signified by "the sons of God taking to themselves wives of the daughters of man" (verses 1, 2).

AC 556. And whereas there were thus no remains of good and truth left, it is foretold that man should be differently formed, in order that he might have remains, which are "a hundred and twenty years" (verse 3).

AC 557. Those who immersed the doctrinal things of faith in their cupidities, and in consequence of this as well as of the love of self conceived dreadful persuasions of their own greatness in comparison with others, are signified by the "Nephilim" (verse 4).

AC 558. In consequence of this there no longer remained any will or perception of good and truth (verse 5).

AC 559. The mercy of the Lord is described by "repenting and grieving at heart" (verse 6). That they became such that their cupidities and persuasions must needs prove fatal to them (verse 7). Therefore in order that the human race might be saved, a new church should arise, which is "Noah" (verse 8).

AC 599. The subject here treated of is the state of the church called "Noah," before its regeneration.

AC 600. The man of that church is described, that he was such that he could be regenerated (verse 9); but that there arose thence three kinds of doctrine, which are "Shem, Ham, and Japheth" (verse 10).

AC 601. That the man who was left from the Most Ancient Church could not be regenerated, on account of his direful persuasions and foul cupidities (verses 11, 12); whereby he would utterly destroy himself (verse 13).

AC 602. But the man of the church called "Noah," who is described by the "ark," was not so (verse 14); and the remains with him are described by the measures (verse 15); the things of his understanding, by the "window," "door," and "mansions" (verse 16).

AC 603. That he would be preserved when the rest would perish by an inundation of evil and falsity (verse 17).

AC 604. And that the truths and goods which were with him would be saved (verse 18); and thus whatever was of the understanding and whatever was of the will, by regeneration (verses 19, 20); for receiving which he was to be prepared (verse 21); and that it was so done (verse 22).

832. Genesis 8

1. And God remembered Noah, and every wild animal, and every beast that was with him in the ark. And God made a wind pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

2. And the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were stopped up, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

3. And the waters receded from off the earth, going back and forth, and the waters abated at the end of a hundred and fifty days.

4. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

5. And the waters were going down and abating until the tenth month; and in the tenth [month], on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

6. And it happened at the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

7. And he sent out a raven, and it went out going back and forth until the waters dried up from over the earth.

8. And he sent out a dove from himself to see whether the waters had abated from over the face ¹ of the ground.

9. And the dove found no rest for the sole of its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were over the face ¹ of the whole earth. And he put out his hand, and took hold of it, and brought it in to himself into the ark.

10. And he waited yet another seven days, and then proceeded to send out the dove from the ark.

11. And the dove came back to him at evening time; and behold, in its mouth an olive leaf plucked off. And Noah knew that the waters had abated from over the earth.

12. And he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, and it did not come back to him any more.

13. And it happened in the six hundred and first year, at the beginning, on the first of the month, that the waters dried up from over the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and saw out, and behold, the face ¹ of the ground was dry.

14. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

15. And God spoke to Noah, saying,

16. Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons wives with you.

17. Every wild animal of all flesh that is with you - birds, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creeps over the earth - bring out with you, and let them spread out into the earth and be fruitful, and multiply over the earth.

18. And Noah went out, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

19. Every wild animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything creeping over the earth - according to their families they went out of the ark.

20. And Noah built an altar to Jehovah, and took from every clean beast, and from every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21. And Jehovah smelled the odour of rest, and Jehovah said in His heart, I will curse the ground no more on account of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his childhood. And I will no more strike every living thing, as I have done.

22. During all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.

CONTENTS

Next in the line of subjects concerns the member of the new Church who is called Noah, and in fact his state following temptation up to the point of his regeneration, and beyond.

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