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Genesis 31

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1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father’s; and from that which was our father’s has he made all this glory.

2 And Jacob saw the faces of Laban, and behold he was not at all with him as yesterday and the day before*.

3 And Jehovah said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy fathers, and to thy birth place, and I will be with thee.

4 And Jacob sent, and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock.

5 And he said to them, I see your father’s faces, that he is not at all toward me as yesterday and the day before; and the God of my father has been with·​·me.

6 And you know that with all my power I have served your father.

7 And your father has deluded me, and has changed my wages ten ways, and God has not given him to do·​·evil with·​·me.

8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wage, then all the flock gave·​·birth·​·to speckled; and if he said thus, The mottled shall be thy wage, then all the flock gave·​·birth mottled.

9 And God has rescued the livestock of your father, and has given it to me.

10 And it was at the time that the flock grew·​·warm, that I lifted my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold the he-goats which went·​·up upon the flock were mottled, speckled, and dappled.

11 And the angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob; and I said, Behold me!

12 And he said, Lift, I pray, thine eyes, and see all the he-goats going·​·up upon the flock, mottled, speckled, and dappled; for I have seen all that Laban does to thee.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow to me; now arise, go·​·out from this land, and return to the land of thy birth.

14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Have we any·​·more a part and inheritance in our father’s house?

15 Are we not reckoned as foreigners to him? For he has sold us, and eating·​·up he has even eaten·​·up our silver.

16 For all the riches which God has rescued from our father, they are for us and for our sons; and now all that God has said to thee, do.

17 And Jacob arose, and lifted his sons and his women upon the camels.

18 And he drove all his livestock, and all his acquisition which he had acquired, the livestock which he had bought, which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to come to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

19 And Laban went to shear his flock; and Rachel stole the teraphim which her father had.

20 And Jacob stole the heart of Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was running·​·away.

21 And he ran·​·away, he and all that he had; and he arose and crossed·​·over the river, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

22 And it was·​·told Laban on the third day, that Jacob had run·​·away.

23 And he took his brothers with him, and pursued after him a way of seven days, and joined him in the mountain of Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Take·​·heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good even·​·to evil.

25 And Laban overtook Jacob, and Jacob pitched his tent on the mountain; and Laban pitched with his brothers on the mountain of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen my heart, and hast driven my daughters as captives of the sword?

27 Why didst thou hide·​·thyself to run·​·away, and didst steal me,* and hast· not ·told me? And I would have sent· thee ·away with gladness, and with songs, with timbrel, and with harp.

28 And thou hast not allowed me to kiss my sons and my daughters; now thou hast been·​·senseless in so doing.

29 Let my hand be to God to do you evil! And the God of your father said to me last·​·night, saying, Take·​·heed to thyself that thou speak not with Jacob from good even·​·to evil.

30 And now going thou hast gone, for being·​·eager thou wast·​·eager for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was fearful, for I said, Perhaps thou wilt take· thy daughters ·by·​·robbery from me.

32 With whomever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live in·​·front·​·of our brothers; recognize thou what is with·​·me, and take it to thee. And Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

33 And Laban came·​·into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants, and found them not; and he went·​·out of Leah’s tent, and came·​·into Rachel’s tent.

34 And Rachel had taken the teraphim, and set them in the straw of the camel, and sat upon them; and Laban felt· all ·around the tent, and found them not.

35 And she said to her father, Let there not be fierceness in the eyes of my lord, that I am· not ·able rise·​·up before thee, for the way of women is upon me. And he searched and found not the teraphim.

36 And Jacob was·​·incensed, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my transgression? What is my sin, that thou hast chased after me?

37 Whereas thou hast felt·​·around all my vessels, what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? Set it thus in·​·front·​·of my brothers and thy brothers, and let them judge between the two of us.

38 These twenty years have I been with thee, thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten.

39 The torn I brought not to thee, I bear·​·the·​·loss of it, from my hand didst thou seek it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40 Thus I was; in the day the heat devoured me, and the frost in the night, and my sleep has fled·​·away from my eyes.

41 These twenty years I have served thee in thy house, fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock, and thou hast changed my wages ten ways.

42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread* of Isaac, had been with me, surely now thou would have sent· me ·away empty. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and reproved thee last·​·night.

43 And Laban answered, and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that thou seest, it is mine; and what will I do today for these my daughters, or for their sons whom they have brought·​·forth?

44 And now go, let us cut a covenant, I and thou, and let it be for a witness between me and thee.

45 And Jacob took a stone, and made· it ·high for a pillar.

46 And Jacob said to his brothers, Collect stones; and they took stones, and made a heap, and they did eat there upon the heap.

47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.

48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee today; therefore he called the name of it Galeed;

49 and Mizpah; for he said, Jehovah watch between me and thee, for we shall be hidden a man from his companion.

50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take women over my daughters, there is no man with us; see God is witness between me and thee.

51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set up* between me and thee.

52 This heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that· I ·should not pass·​·by this heap to thee, and that· thou ·shouldst not pass·​·by this heap to me, and this pillar, for evil.

53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor judge between us, the God of their father; and Jacob promised by the Dread of his father Isaac.

54 And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and passed·​·the·​·night in the mountain.

55 32:1 And in the morning Laban got·​·up·​·early, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban went and returned to his place.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Apocalypse Explained # 827

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827. Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things. This is evident from the signification of "them that dwell on the earth," as being all who belong to the church (See just above, n. 826; also from the signification of "the image of the beast," as being the doctrine of faith separated from good works, and worship therefrom confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word by means of reasonings from the natural man; consequently "to make that image" signifies to make a decree or to determine that they should teach and believe only in this way; also that this has been done in the churches where the doctrine of faith separate has been accepted. This is the signification of the "image," because in the spiritual world all spiritual things may be exhibited by means of images, also by means of idols; and by these the particulars of doctrine may be portrayed, which I have also seen done. This is why images and idols have this signification in the Word. That idols signify the falsities of doctrine may be seen above (n. 587, 650, 654, 780). So here "saying to them that dwell upon the earth that they should make an image to the beast" signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things. With those who belonged to the ancient churches images were made representative of their doctrine and the worship therefrom; but the sons of Israel, on account of the proclivity of their mind to idolatrous worship, were forbidden to make them, as is evident from the Word.

[2] That it may be known that images have this signification I will cite in confirmation the following passages from the Word. In Moses:

Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any image of that which is in the heavens above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the waters under the earth; thou shalt not bow thyself down to them nor worship them (Exodus 20:4, 5).

Ye shall make no idols to you, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image or a pillar, neither shall ye place the stone of an image in your land to bow yourselves down to it (Leviticus 26:1).

Lest ye make to you a graven image, the image of any likeness, the figure of male or female, the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (Deuteronomy 4:16-18).

The sons of Israel were forbidden to make idols, graven images, and forms or figures of anything in the heavens, on the earth, or in the waters, because the ancient churches which were before the Israelitish Church were representative churches, also because the sons of Jacob were wholly external men, and external men at that time, when all worship was representative, were prone to idolatries, thus to the worship of such things as appeared before their eyes. But as the ancient churches were representative churches, the men of those churches made to themselves graven images and forms of various things which represented and thence signified things heavenly; and the ancients took delight in these on account of their signification, for when they looked upon them they were reminded of the heavenly things they represented; and as these belonged to their religion, therefore they worshiped the images. This is why they had groves and high places, and also sculptured, molten, and painted figures, which were set up either in groves or upon mountains, or in temples, or in their houses. So in Egypt, where the science of representations, which is the same as the science of correspondences, flourished, there were images, idols, and graven images, as also hieroglyphics; and other nations had the like. But when the men of those churches from being internal became external, then the celestial and spiritual things which were represented and thence signified remained as traditions with their priests and wise men, who were called magi and diviners; consequently the common people, because of the religious principle which their fathers saw in these things, began to worship them and to call them their gods. Now as the sons of Jacob were more external men than the others, and thence more prone to idolatries and also to magic, they were strictly forbidden to make to themselves graven images, images and figures of the likeness of anything existing in the heavens, on the earth, or in the sea, because all things that are in the world are representative, as flying things, beasts, fishes, and creeping things, for so far as they worshiped these idolatrously, so far they did not acknowledge Jehovah. And yet, since the church was representative with them also, the tabernacle was built, in which were placed the chief representatives of heavenly things, as the table on which were the loaves, the golden altar on which incense was offered, the lampstand with the lamps, the ark with the mercy-seat. and the cherubim above it, and the altar not far from the door of the tabernacle, on which was the sacred fire; and afterwards the temple was built, in which also all things were representative, as the painting therein, the lavers outside of it, the brazen sea under which were the oxen supporting it, likewise the pillars and porticos, with the vessels of gold, all of which they were permitted to worship as holy, provided they acknowledged the tabernacle, and afterwards the temple, as the dwelling-place of Jehovah. This was granted them to prevent their turning aside to idolatry and magic, which then existed with various nations in Asia; as Egypt, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Tyre and Sidon, Arabia, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, and especially in and about the land of Canaan.

[3] From this it is clear why "idols" signify in the Word the falsities of religion, and "images" doctrinals. That such things existed with various nations in the countries of Asia is made evident by the gods of Laban the Syrian that Rachel the wife of Jacob carried off (Genesis 31:19, 20); by the calves and other idols in Egypt; by the hieroglyphics there engraved and painted in temples, and upon obelisks and walls; by Dagon the idol of the Philistines in Ekron; by the idols made by Solomon, and afterwards by the kings in the temple of Jerusalem and in Samaria; and by the altars, pillars, images, and groves, among the nations of the land, which the sons of Israel were commanded to destroy, as is evident from various passages in the Word.

[4] Moreover, it was from the science of correspondences and representations:

That the priests and diviners of the Philistines persuaded them to make golden images of the emerods and mice that had laid waste the land, and to place them beside the ark, which they sent back upon a new cart drawn by kine, and that they should thus give glory to the God of Israel (1 Samuel 6 seq.).

For at that time their priests and diviners knew what all these things represented; and that the images of the emerods and mice signified the falsities of their religion, which might be atoned for by these as gifts made of gold.

[5] Doctrinals are also signified by "images" in the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be an abomination, in that they have turned the gracefulness of their adornment into pride, and have made thereof images of their abominations and their detestable things; therefore I have made it unto them for an abomination (Ezekiel 7:19, 20).

This treats of the devastation of the church by falsities and evils, which is here meant by "the sword, pestilence, and famine" (verse 15), that were to consume them. The "silver that they shall cast into the streets," and the "gold that shall be for an abomination," signify the truth of the church and its good turned into falsity and evil; "to cast these into the streets" signifies to scatter them, and "to be for an abomination" signifies to be turned into infernal evil, for this is to be for an abomination. "They have turned the gracefulness of their adornment into pride, and have made thereof images of their abominations and their detestable things," signifies that they filled the whole church and its doctrine, and all things that are contained in it, with things profane; "the gracefulness of the adornment" signifying the church and its doctrine; and "images of abominations and of detestable things" signifying all things of it, thus doctrinals, the goods and truths of which have been profaned; "abominations" are goods profaned, and "detestable things" truths profaned.

[6] In the same:

Thou didst take the vessels of thy adornment, of my gold and of my silver which I had given to thee, and madest for thee the images of a male, with which thou couldst commit whoredom (Ezekiel 16:17).

This is said of "the abominations of Jerusalem," which mean the adulterations of the truth and good of doctrine from the Word; "vessels of adornment of gold and silver" signifying the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; "to make of them images of a male" signifying to make doctrinals from falsities to appear as if from truths; and "to commit whoredom with them" signifying the falsification of them.

[7] In the same:

Oholibah committed whoredom in Egypt, she loved the sons of Assyria; she added to her whoredoms; when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, at the sight of her eyes she loved them (Ezekiel 23:3, 12, 14, 16).

"Oholibah" means Jerusalem, which signifies the church in respect to doctrine, therefore the doctrine of the church; "to commit whoredom" signifies the falsification and adulteration of the Word; and as "Egypt" signifies natural truths, which are called knowledges [scientifica], and "Assyria" rational truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, it is clear what is signified by "committing whoredom with them." As "the Chaldeans" signify the truths of the Word profaned by being applied to the loves of self and the world, so the "images of the Chaldeans" signify doctrinals that are pleasing to those loves; "portrayed with vermilion" signifies these appearing outwardly as if truths, although inwardly they are profane; "men portrayed upon the wall" have a similar signification, "a painted wall" meaning the appearance of doctrinals in externals. "Images" have a like signification in Isaiah (Isaiah 2:16; in David (Psalms 73:20; also in the following passages in Revelation (Revelation 14:9-11, 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). (See also what has been said above about "idols" and "graven images," n. 587, 650, 654, 780, where other passages from the Word have been cited and explained.)

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