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Genesi 46

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1 Israele dunque si partì con tutto quello che aveva; e, giunto a Beer-Sceba, offrì sacrifizi all’Iddio d’Isacco suo padre.

2 E Dio parlò a Israele in visioni notturne, e disse: "Giacobbe, Giacobbe!" Ed egli rispose: "Eccomi".

3 E Dio disse: "Io sono Iddio, l’Iddio di tuo padre; non temere di scendere in Egitto, perché là ti farò diventare una grande nazione.

4 Io scenderò con te in Egitto, e te ne farò anche sicuramente risalire; e Giuseppe ti chiuderà gli occhi".

5 Allora Giacobbe partì da Beer-Sceba; e i figliuoli d’Israele fecero salire Giacobbe loro padre, i loro piccini e le loro mogli sui carri che Faraone avea mandato per trasportarli.

6 Ed essi presero il loro bestiame e i beni che aveano acquistato nel paese di Canaan, e vennero in Egitto: Giacobbe, e tutta la sua famiglia con lui.

7 Egli condusse seco in Egitto i suoi figliuoli, le sue figliuole, le figliuole de’ suoi figliuoli, e tutta la sua famiglia.

8 Questi sono i nomi de’ figliuoli d’Israele che vennero in Egitto: Giacobbe e i suoi figliuoli. Il primogenito di Giacobbe: Ruben.

9 I figliuoli di Ruben: Henoc, Pallu, Hetsron e Carmi.

10 I figliuoli di Simeone: Iemuel, Iamin, Ohad, Iakin, Tsohar e Saul, figliuolo di una Cananea.

11 I figliuoli di Levi: Gherson, Kehath e Merari.

12 I figliuoli di Giuda: Er, Onan, Scela, Perets e Zerach; ma Er e Onan morirono nel paese di Canaan; e i figliuoli di Perets furono: Hetsron e Hamul.

13 I figliuoli d’Issacar: Tola, Puva, Iob e Scimron.

14 I figliuoli di Zabulon: Sered, Elon e Iahleel.

15 Cotesti sono i figliuoli che Lea partorì a Giacobbe a Paddan-Aram, oltre Dina figliuola di lui. I suoi figliuoli e le sue figliuole erano in tutto trentatre persone.

16 I figliuoli di Gad: Tsifion, Haggi, Shuni, Etsbon, Eri, Arodi e Areli.

17 I figliuoli di Ascer: Imna, Tishva, Tishvi, Beria e Serah loro sorella. E i figliuoli di Beria: Heber e Malkiel.

18 Cotesti furono i figliuoli di Zilpa che Labano avea dato a Lea sua figliuola; ed essa li partorì a Giacobbe: in tutto sedici persone.

19 I figliuoli di Rachele, moglie di Giacobbe: Giuseppe e Beniamino.

20 E a Giuseppe, nel paese d’Egitto, nacquero Manasse ed Efraim, i quali Asenath, figliuola di Potifera, sacerdote di On, gli partorì.

21 I figliuoli di Beniamino: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Ghera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim e Ard.

22 Cotesti sono i figliuoli di Rachele che nacquero a Giacobbe: in tutto, quattordici persone.

23 I figliuoli di Dan: Huscim.

24 I figliuoli di Neftali: Iahtseel, Guni, Ietser e Scillem.

25 Cotesti sono i figliuoli di Bilha che Labano avea dato a Rachele sua figliuola, ed essa li partorì a Giacobbe: in tutto, sette persone.

26 Le persone che vennero con Giacobbe in Egitto, discendenti da lui, senza contare le mogli de’ figliuoli di Giacobbe, erano in tutto sessantasei.

27 E i figliuoli di Giuseppe, natigli in Egitto, erano due. Il totale delle persone della famiglia di Giacobbe che vennero in Egitto, era di settanta.

28 Or Giacobbe mandò avanti a sé Giuda a Giuseppe, perché questi lo introducesse nel paese di Goscen. E giunsero nel paese di Goscen.

29 Giuseppe fece attaccare il suo carro, e salì in Goscen a incontrare Israele, suo padre; e gli si presentò, gli si gettò al collo, e pianse lungamente sul collo di lui.

30 E Israele disse a Giuseppe: "Ora, ch’io muoia pure, giacché ho veduto la tua faccia, e tu vivi ancora!"

31 E Giuseppe disse ai suoi fratelli e alla famiglia di suo padre: "Io salirò a informare Faraone, e gli dirò: I miei fratelli e la famiglia di mio padre che erano nel paese di Canaan, sono venuti da me.

32 Questi uomini sono pastori, poiché son sempre stati allevatori di bestiame; e hanno menato seco i loro greggi, i loro armenti, e tutto quello che posseggono.

33 E quando Faraone vi farà chiamare e vi dirà: Qual è la vostra occupazione? risponderete:

34 I tuoi servitori sono stati allevatori di bestiame dalla loro infanzia fino a quest’ora: così noi come i nostri padri. Direte così, perché possiate abitare nel paese di Goscen. Poiché gli Egiziani hanno in abominio tutti i pastori".

   

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Deuteronomio 26:5

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5 e tu pronunzierai queste parole davanti all’Eterno, ch’è il tuo Dio: "Mio padre era un Arameo errante; scese in Egitto, vi stette come straniero con poca gente, e vi diventò una nazione grande, potente e numerosa.

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Arcana Coelestia # 4292

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4292. In the internal historical sense 'he said, Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel' means that they could not as [the descendants of] Jacob play the representative part, except by virtue of the new nature that was imparted to them. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'Jacob' in the Word as his descendants, dealt with above in 4281, and from the meaning of 'name' as the essential nature, dealt with immediately above in 4291. The new nature itself is meant by 'Israel' in the internal sense, for 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man and consequently the internal man, 4286. And since 'Israel' means the celestial-spiritual man, and so the internal man, 'Israel' also means the internal spiritual Church. For whether you use the expression spiritual man or spiritual Church, it amounts to the same thing because any spiritual person in particular is the Church, even as many are in general. If the individual person in particular were not the Church, no Church in general could exist. The expression Church is used in everyday language to describe a congregation in general; but each member of the congregation must be a Church if that greater Church is to exist. Every general whole incorporates parts that are like that whole.

[2] The implications of this particular matter - the inability of [the descendants on Jacob to play the representative part, except by virtue of the new nature imparted to them, meant by 'Israel' - are as follows: It was specifically Jacob's descendants who were to represent the Church but not specifically Isaac's since Isaac's descended not only through Jacob but also through Esau. Still less was it specifically Abraham's, for Abraham's descended not only through Jacob but also through Esau, and likewise through Ishmael, as well as through his sons by his second wife Keturah, who were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah, and the sons of these, see Genesis 25:1-4. Now because Jacob's descendants insisted that they should be representative, as shown just above in 4290, they could not represent as Jacob, or as Isaac, or as Abraham. The reason why they could not do so as Jacob was that 'Jacob' represented the external aspect of the Church, but not the internal. And they could not do so as Isaac at the same time or as Abraham at the same time for the reason advanced immediately above.

[3] So that they could represent the Church therefore, a new name had inevitably to be given to Jacob, and through that name a new nature, which new nature was to be a sign of the internal spiritual man, or what amounts to the same, of the internal spiritual Church. That new nature is meant by 'Israel'. Every Church of the Lord is internal and external, as has been shown several times already, the internal Church being that which is represented, the external that which represents. The internal Church is also either spiritual or else celestial, the internal spiritual Church being represented by 'Israel', but the internal celestial Church at a later time by 'Judah'. Therefore a division also took place, and the Israelites became a kingdom on their own and the Jews another on their own. But these matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on. From this it is evident that 'Jacob', that is, Jacob's descendants, could not represent the Church as Jacob, for that would have been to represent solely the external aspect of the Church. They had to do so as Israel as well because 'Israel' is the internal aspect.

[4] It has been shown in various places already that it is the internal which is represented and the external which represents, as may also be seen in the human being. A person's speech represents his thought, and a person's action represents his will. Speech and action are the external aspects of the person, thought and will the internal. In addition the various looks seen on a person's face represent both, that is to say, both his thought and his will. It is well known to everyone that the looks on a person's face are representative, for the looks on the faces of people who are sincere enable their interior states to be seen. In short, every part of the body represents some facet of a person's inclination (animus) and mind (mens).

[5] It is similar with the external aspects of the Church, for these are like the body, while its internal aspects are like the soul. There were, for example, the altars and the sacrifices on them, which, as is well known, were external things. There was likewise the bread of the presence, also the lampstand with its lamps, as well as the fire that was kept burning all the time. Anyone can recognize that these external things represented internal ones, as likewise did everything else of a ritual nature. The fact that these external things could not represent anything external, only what was internal, becomes clear from the considerations introduced already. So 'Jacob' could not represent as Jacob, because 'Jacob' means the external aspect of the Church, but he could do so as Israel because 'Israel' means its internal aspect. This is what is meant by a new nature being imparted to enable the descendants of Jacob to play the representative part.

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