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Génesis 32

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1 Y JACOB se fué su camino, y saliéronle al encuentro ángeles de Dios.

2 Y dijo Jacob cuando los vió: El campo de Dios es este: y llamó el nombre de aquel lugar Mahanaim.

3 Y envió Jacob mensajeros delante de sí á Esaú su hermano, á la tierra de Seir, campo de Edom.

4 Y mandóles diciendo: Así diréis á mí señor Esaú: Así dice tu siervo Jacob: Con Labán he morado, y detenídome hasta ahora;

5 Y tengo vacas, y asnos, y ovejas, y siervos y siervas; y envío á decirlo á mi señor, por hallar gracia en tus ojos.

6 Y los mensajeros volvieron á Jacob, diciendo: Vinimos á tu hermano Esaú, y él también vino á recibirte, y cuatrocientos hombres con él.

7 Entonces Jacob tuvo gran temor, y angustióse; y partió el pueblo que tenía consigo, y las ovejas y las vacas y los camellos, en dos cuadrillas;

8 Y dijo: Si viniere Esaú á la una cuadrilla y la hiriere, la otra cuadrilla escapará.

9 Y dijo Jacob: Dios de mi padre Abraham, y Dios de mi padre Isaac, Jehová, que me dijiste: Vuélvete á tu tierra y á tu parentela, y yo te haré bien.

10 Menor soy que todas las misericordias, y que toda la verdad que has usado para con tu siervo; que con mi bordón pasé este Jordán, y ahora estoy sobre dos cuadrillas.

11 Líbrame ahora de la mano de mi hermano, de la mano de Esaú, porque le temo; no venga quizá, y me hiera la madre con los hijos.

12 Y tú has dicho: Yo te haré bien, y pondré tu simiente como la arena del mar, que no se puede contar por la multitud.

13 Y durmió allí aquella noche, y tomó de lo que le vino á la mano un presente para su hermano Esaú.

14 Doscientas cabras y veinte machos de cabrío, doscientas ovejas y veinte carneros,

15 Treinta camellas paridas, con sus hijos, cuarenta vacas y diez novillos, veinte asnas y diez borricos.

16 Y entrególo en mano de sus siervos, cada manada de por sí; y dijo á sus siervos: Pasad delante de mí, y poned espacio entre manada y manada.

17 Y mandó al primero, diciendo: Si Esaú mi hermano te encontrare, y te preguntare, diciendo ¿De quién eres? ¿y adónde vas? ¿y para quién es esto que llevas delante de ti?

18 Entonces dirás: Presente es de tu siervo Jacob, que envía á mi señor Esaú; y he aquí también él viene tras nosotros.

19 Y mandó también al segundo, y al tercero, y á todos los que iban tras aquellas manadas, diciendo: Conforme á esto hablaréis á Esaú, cuando le hallareis.

20 Y diréis también: He aquí tu siervo Jacob viene tras nosotros. Porque dijo: Apaciguaré su ira con el presente que va delante de mí, y después veré su rostro: quizá le seré acepto.

21 Y pasó el presente delante de él; y él durmió aquella noche en el campamento.

22 Y levantóse aquella noche, y tomó sus dos mujeres, y sus dos siervas, y sus once hijos, y pasó el vado de Jaboc.

23 Tomólos pues, y pasólos el arroyo, é hizo pasar lo que tenía.

24 Y quedóse Jacob solo, y luchó con él un varón hasta que rayaba el alba.

25 Y como vió que no podía con él, tocó en el sitio del encaje de su muslo, y descoyuntóse el muslo de Jacob mientras con él luchaba.

26 Y dijo: Déjame, que raya el alba. Y él dijo: No te dejaré, si no me bendices.

27 Y él le dijo: ¿Cuál es tu nombre? Y él respondió: Jacob.

28 Y él dijo: No se dirá más tu nombre Jacob, sino Israel: porque has peleado con Dios y con los hombres, y has vencido.

29 Entonces Jacob le preguntó, y dijo: Declárame ahora tu nombre. Y él respondió: ¿Por qué preguntas por mi nombre? Y bendíjolo allí.

30 Y llamó Jacob el nombre de aquel lugar Peniel: porque vi á Dios cara á cara, y fué librada mi alma.

31 Y salióle el sol pasado que hubo á Peniel; y cojeaba de su anca.

32 Por esto no comen los hijos de Israel, hasta hoy día, del tendón que se contrajo, el cual está en el encaje del muslo: porque tocó á Jacob este sitio de su muslo en el tendón que se contrajo.

   

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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.