Bible

 

1 Mosebok 45

Studie

   

1 Da kunde ikke Josef lenger legge bånd på sig for alle dem som stod hos ham; han ropte: La hver mann gå ut fra mig! Og det var ingen tilstede da Josef gav sig til kjenne for sine brødre.

2 Og han brast i gråt og gråt så høit at egypterne hørte det, og de hørte det i Faraos hus.

3 Og Josef sa til sine brødre: Jeg er Josef, lever min far ennu? Men hans brødre kunde ikke svare ham, så forferdet stod de der foran ham.

4 Da sa Josef til sine brødre: Kjære, kom hit til mig! Så gikk de bort til ham; og han sa: Jeg er Josef, eders bror, som I solgte til Egypten.

5 Men vær nu ikke bekymret og sørg ikke over at I solgte mig hit! For å holde eder i live har Gud sendt mig hit i forveien for eder;

6 for nu har det vært hungersnød i landet i to år, og ennu kommer det fem år da der hverken skal pløies eller høstes.

7 Men Gud har sendt mig i forveien for eder fordi han vilde levne eder en rest på jorden, og fordi han vilde holde eder i live, så det blev en stor frelse.

8 Så er det da ikke I som har sendt mig hit, men Gud; og han har satt mig til far for Farao og til herre over hele hans hus og til hersker i hele Egyptens land.

9 Skynd eder og dra op til min far og si til ham: Så sier din sønn Josef: Gud har satt mig til herre over hele Egypten; kom ned til mig, dryg ikke!

10 Du skal få bo i landet Gosen og være mig nær, både du og dine barn og dine barnebarn med ditt småfe og storfe og alt det du har.

11 Og jeg vil sørge for dig der - for ennu kommer det fem hungersår - forat du ikke skal utarmes, du og ditt hus og alle de som hører dig til.

12 Og nu ser både I og min bror Benjamin med egne øine at det er jeg som taler med eder.

13 Fortell da min far om all min herlighet i Egypten og om alt det I har sett; og skynd eder å føre min far her ned!

14 falt han sin bror Benjamin om halsen og gråt, og Benjamin gråt i hans armer.

15 Og han kysset alle sine brødre og gråt ved deres bryst; og siden talte hans brødre med ham.

16 Og da det spurtes i Faraos hus at Josefs brødre var kommet, blev Farao og hans tjenere glade.

17 Og Farao sa til Josef: Si til dine brødre: Så skal I gjøre: I skal lesse på eders dyr og fare hjem til Kana'ans land,

18 og ta så eders far og eders husfolk og kom til mig, og jeg vil gi eder det beste i Egyptens land, og I skal ete av landets fedme.

19 Dette byder jeg dig nu å si til dem: Så skal I gjøre: I skal ta med eder vogner fra Egypten til eders barn og hustruer og hente eders far og komme hit,

20 og I skal ikke kvie eder for å reise fra eders eiendeler; for det beste i hele Egyptens land skal være eders.

21 Og Israels sønner gjorde så; og Josef gav dem vogner efter Faraos befaling og gav dem niste med på veien.

22 Og han gav dem alle hver sin høitidsklædning, men Benjamin gav han tre hundre sekel sølv og fem høitidsklædninger. .

23 Likeledes sendte han til sin far ti asener som bar av det beste Egypten hadde, og ti aseninner som bar korn og brød og fødevarer for hans far. på reisen.

24 Så lot han sine brødre fare, og de reiste; og han sa til dem: Trett ikke med hverandre på veien!

25 Så drog de op fra Egypten og kom til Kana'ans land, til Jakob, sin far.

26 Og de fortalte ham at Josef ennu var i live, og at han var hersker over hele Egyptens land. Men hans hjerte var og blev koldt, for han trodde dem ikke.

27 Så fortalte de ham alt det Josef hadde sagt til dem, og han så vognene som Josef hadde sendt til å hente ham i; da oplivedes Jakobs deres fars ånd.

28 Og Israel sa: Det er nok; Josef, min sønn, lever ennu; jeg vil dra avsted og se ham før jeg dør.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5886

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

5886. 'Whom you sold into Egypt' means the internal which they had alienated. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, the one whom they had 'sold', as the internal, dealt with in 5805, 5826, 5827; from the meaning of 'selling' as alienating, dealt with in 4752, 4758, while 'Egypt' here means the lowest parts, as it does below in 5889. For placing some subject among the facts one knows without any acknowledgement of it is casting it to the sides, thus to the last or lowest parts of the mind. This is also how it is at the present day with the subject of the internal in the human being. The subject exists, it is true, among known facts because religious teaching provides knowledge of the existence of the internal man. Yet it is cast away to the lowest parts of the mind because there is no acknowledgement of it or belief in its existence, as a result of which it is alienated, not, it is true, from the memory but from faith. In the internal sense 'selling' is alienating matters of faith and charity, consequently the things that make a person a member of the internal Church, as may be recognized from the fact that in the spiritual world no buying or selling like that on earth takes place. Instead there is the making one's own of goodness and truth, meant by 'buying', and the alienation of them, meant by 'selling'. 'Buying' also means a communication of cognitions of goodness and truth, for the reason that 'trade' means the acquisition and communication of such cognitions, 2967, 4453; but in this case selling is said to be done 'not by silver'.

[2] The meaning of 'selling' as alienating is also evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah, Where is your mother's bill of divorce, whom I have put away? Or who of My usurers is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, because of your sins you have been sold, and because of your transgressions your mother has been put away. Isaiah 50:1.

'Mother' stands for the Church, 'selling' for alienating. In Ezekiel,

The time has come, the day has arrived. Do not let the buyer rejoice, and do not let the seller mourn, because wrath is on the whole multitude of it. For the seller will not return to the thing that has been sold, though his life may still be among the living ones. Ezekiel 7:12-13.

This refers to the land of Israel, which is the spiritual Church. 'The seller stands for one who has alienated truths and subtly introduced falsities.

[3] In Joel,

You have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, so that you might remove them far away from their borders. Behold, I will raise them up out of the place to which you have sold them. And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, who will sell them to the Sabeans, 1 a people far off. Joel 3:6-8.

In this reference to Tyre and Sidon 'selling' again stands for alienating. In Moses,

Their rock sold them, and Jehovah shut them up. Deuteronomy 32:30.

'Selling' plainly stands for alienating. In the highest sense 'rock' is the Lord as regards truth, and in the representative sense faith, while 'Jehovah' is the Lord as regards good.

[4] Since 'buying' in the spiritual sense is acquiring to oneself and 'selling' is alienating, the Lord compares the kingdom of heaven to one selling and buying, in Matthew,

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man (homo) finds and hides, and in his joy he goes and sells whatever he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader seeking fine pearls, who, when he has found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.

'The kingdom of heaven' stands for the good and truth present with a person, and so for heaven present with him. 'Field' stands for good and 'pearl' for truth, while 'buying' stands for acquiring these and making them one's own. 'Selling all that one has' stands for alienating that which previously was properly one's own, thus alienating evil desires and false ideas, for these are properly one's own.

[5] In Luke,

Jesus said to the young ruler, You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. Luke 18:22.

In the internal sense these words mean that everything completely a person's own, which consists of nothing but evil desires and false ideas, ought to be alienated from him, for such desires and ideas are meant by 'all that he has', and then he will receive from the Lord good desires and true ideas, which are 'treasure in heaven'.

[6] This is similar to what is said elsewhere in the same gospel,

Sell your resources and give alms; make for yourselves money bags that do not grow old, a treasure that does not fail in heaven. Luke 12:33.

Anyone can see that this verse holds a meaning other than the literal one. For at the present day 'selling one's resources' would be making oneself a beggar, and depriving oneself of any further opportunity to exercise charity, quite apart from the fact that one would inevitably regard such a course of action as being meritorious. Also it is an invariable truth that there are rich people in heaven as well as poor ones. The meaning other than the literal one contained in this verse is what was stated just above.

[7] Since 'selling' meant alienating what belonged to the Church the following law was therefore laid down,

If a man was not pleased with a wife he had taken from among women captives, she was to be set apart from him. She should certainly not however be sold for silver; no gain was to be made out of her, because he had caused her distress. Deuteronomy 21:14.

'A wife taken from among women captives' stands for truth that is foreign, not from a genuine stock, yet can be linked in some way to the good of the Church present in a person. If however that truth proves to, be in many respects incompatible it can be separated; but it cannot be alienated since it has been joined in some way to that good. This is the spiritual meaning of that law.

[8] There was also this law,

If there is found a man who has stolen a soul from his brothers, from the children of Israel, and has made profit on him, and has sold him, that thief shall be killed, so that you remove evil from the midst of you. Deuteronomy 24:7.

'Those who steal the children of Israel' stands for those who acquire the truths of the Church, not with the intention of living according to them and thus teaching them from their hearts, but with the intention of using those truths for personal profit. The damnation of such a person is meant by 'he shall be killed'.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, the Sebaites

  
/ 10837  
  

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