2584. ‘Et pepererunt’: quod significet fertilitatem, constat a significatione ‘parere et partus’; in sensu interno Verbi non sunt nisi quam spiritualia et caelestia quae significantur, quare ubi nominatur conceptio seu concipere, partus seu parere, nativitas seu nasci, generatio seu generare, tum qui gignunt ut pater et mater, et qui gignuntur ut filii et filiae, non nisi quam in spirituali sensu intelliguntur, nam Verbum in se est spirituale et caeleste; ita hic quoque ‘parere’, quo significatur fertilitas quoad illa quae sunt doctrinae.

[2] Quod per ‘partus’ in Verbo non alii partus intelligantur, constare potest ab his locis:

apud Samuelem,

Saturi pane conducti sunt, et famelici cessarunt, usque dum sterilis peperit septem, multiprolis defecit; Jehovah occidit et vivificat, descendere facit in infernum, et ascendere facit, 1 Samuelis 11:5, 6:

apud Jeremiam,

Languet pariens septem, exspirat animam suam; occidit sol ejus, dum adhuc dies, 15:9:

apud Esaiam,

Canta sterilis, non peperit, persona cantu et jubila, non parturivit, quia multi filii desolatae, prae filiis maritatae, dixit Jehovah, 54:1:

apud Davidem,

Vox Jehovae parturire facit cervas, et denudat silvas; et in templo Ipsius omnis Ipsius dicit gloriam, Ps. 29:9:

apud Esaiam,

Erubesce Zidon, quia dixit mare, munimentum maris dicendo, Non parturivi, non peperi, nec educavi juvenes, et adolescere feci puellas, sicut cum fama Aegypto, parturient, secundum famam Tyri, 23:4, 5:

apud eundem,

Antequam parturit, parit; et antequam venit dolor ei, enixa est masculum. Quis audivit sicut hoc? quis vidit sicut illa? num parturit terra die uno, ... et num [Ego frangam et non] parere faciam? dixit Jehovah. An Ego parere faciens, et occludam? dixit Deus tuus, 66:7-9:

apud Jeremiam,

Interrogate quaeso, et videte, si pariens mas; quare vidi omnem virum manus ejus super lumbis suis, sicut parientis? 30:6:

apud Ezechielem,

Dabo ignem in Aegypto, et parturiendo parturiet Sin, et No erit ¹ [ad perrumpendum] 30:16:

apud Hoscheam,

Ephraim, sicut avis avolabit gloria eorum, a partu, et ab utero et a conceptione, 9:11:

apud eundem,

Dolores parturientis venerunt Ephraimo, is filius non sapiens, quia tempore non stabit in fractura matricis filiorum, 13:13:

apud Johannem, Mulier circumdata sole, et luna sub pedibus ejus, et super capite ejus corona stellarum duodecim; in utero gerens, clamavit parturiens, et cruciata ad pariendum:... Draco stetit coram muliere, quae paritura erat, ut quando peperisset filium suum devoraret; peperit itaque filium masculum, qui pasturus erat omnes gentes virga ferrea; sed raptus est puer ² ad Deum, et thronum Ipsius, Apoc. 12:1, 2, 4, 5.

[3] Ex his omnibus locis quisque videre potest quod non alii conceptus et partus significentur quam qui sunt Ecclesiae; similiter ex his quae de Abimelecho dicuntur quod ‘sanaret Deus Abimelechum, uxorem ejus, et ancillas ejus, et pepererunt’; et quod ‘claudendo clauserit Jehovah omnem uterum domus Abimelechi, propter verbum Sarae, uxoris Abrahami’. Quid in sensu interno per haec significatur, constare potest ab explicatione eorum, nempe quod status doctrinae fidei, qualis est dum spectatur a veris Divinis, et qualis est dum spectatur a rationali; quod nempe, cum a veris Divinis, hoc est, a Verbo, tunc omnia et singula tam rationalia quam scientifica confirment; aliter cum ab humanis, hoc est, a ratione et scientia, quod tunc nihil boni et nihil veri concipiatur; nam spectare a Verbo est a Domino, at spectare a ratione et scientia est ab homine, ex illo est omnis intelligentia et sapientia, ex his est omnis insania et stultitia.

Poznámky pod čarou:

Ephraim was the second son born to Joseph in Egypt and was, along with his older brother Manasseh, elevated by Jacob to the same status as Joseph’s brothers. Thus when the tribes of Israel are named, Ephraim and Manasseh are named as patriarchs along with their uncles – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin -- but Joseph is not. According to Swedenborg, Ephraim represents the intellectual aspect of the church, the part that explores and understands what is true – especially the true ideas that can be drawn from the Bible. Manasseh, meanwhile, represents the affectional aspect of the church, the part that feels and loves and cares. This plays into the best-known story of Ephraim’s life. When Jacob was old and nearing death, Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed. He presented Manasseh to Jacob’s right hand as the elder, and Ephraim to Jacob’s left hand. But Jacob crossed his hands and gave Ephraim the primary blessing. According to Swedenborg, Manasseh was the elder son because ultimately, what we love makes us who we are; our loves form our lives. So our loves are the most central, leading aspect of our human existence, with our intellect playing a secondary role. But as we develop, we need to reverse those. We can use our intellect to understand what is good and right and force ourselves to do it, even when our desires are for what’s selfish. If we stick to that out of a determination to follow the Lord and be good people, the Lord will eventually remove the selfishness from our hearts so we can truly love what is good. By having Jacob bless Ephraim above Manasseh, the Lord is telling us that we have to put our intellect first to pursue our spiritual journey.