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Genesis 11

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1 And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,

2 and it cometh to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they find a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwell there;

3 and they say each one to his neighbour, `Give help, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them for mortar.

4 And they say, `Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.'

5 And Jehovah cometh down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men have builded;

6 and Jehovah saith, `Lo, the people [is] one, and one pronunciation [is] to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.

7 Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

8 And Jehovah doth scatter them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they cease to build the city;

9 therefore hath [one] called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.

10 These [are] births of Shem: Shem [is] a son of an hundred years, and begetteth Arphaxad two years after the deluge.

11 And Shem liveth after his begetting Arphaxad five hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

12 And Arphaxad hath lived five and thirty years, and begetteth Salah.

13 And Arphaxad liveth after his begetting Salah four hundred and three years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

14 And Salah hath lived thirty years, and begetteth Eber.

15 And Salah liveth after his begetting Eber four hundred and three years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

16 And Eber liveth four and thirty years, and begetteth Peleg.

17 And Eber liveth after his begetting Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

18 And Peleg liveth thirty years, and begetteth Reu.

19 And Peleg liveth after his begetting Reu two hundred and nine years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

20 And Reu liveth two and thirty years, and begetteth Serug.

21 And Reu liveth after his begetting Serug two hundred and seven years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

22 And Serug liveth thirty years, and begetteth Nahor.

23 And Serug liveth after his begetting Nahor two hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

24 And Nahor liveth nine and twenty years, and begetteth Terah.

25 And Nahor liveth after his begetting Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

26 And Terah liveth seventy years, and begetteth Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 And these [are] births of Terah: Terah hath begotten Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran hath begotten Lot;

28 and Haran dieth in the presence of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 And Abram and Nahor take to themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife [is] Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife [is] Milcah, daughter of Haran, father of Milcah, and father of Iscah.

30 And Sarai is barren -- she hath no child.

31 And Terah taketh Abram his son, and Lot, son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, wife of Abram his son, and they go out with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go towards the land of Canaan; and they come unto Charan, and dwell there.

32 And the days of Terah are two hundred and five years, and Terah dieth in Charan.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 1158

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1158. From these were dispersed the isles 1 of the nations in their lands. That this signifies that the worships of many nations originated from these, that “isles” are particular regions and thus particular worships which were still more remote, and that “lands” are their generals, is evident from the signification of “isles” in the Word. Thus far they have been treated of who had external worship corresponding to internal. By the seven sons of Japheth were signified those who approached nearer to true internal worship; by the seven sons of Gomer and at the same time of Javan, those who were more remote from true internal worship. By “the isles of the nations” are signified those who are still more remote, and properly those who lived in mutual charity with one another, but yet in ignorance, knowing nothing about the Lord, about the doctrinals of faith of the church, and about internal worship; but who yet had a certain external worship which they religiously observed. Such are called “isles” in the Word, and therefore by “isles,” in the internal sense, there is signified worship which is more remote from internal worship.

[2] They who are in the internal sense of the Word, as the angels are, have no knowledge of isles, for they no longer have any idea of such things; 2 but instead of them they perceive a remoter worship, such as is that of the nations out of the church. And in like manner by “isles” they perceive those things within the church itself which are somewhat remote from charity, as are friendships and civilities. Friendship is not charity, and still less is politeness charity-these are degrees below charity; and the more they derive from charity the more sincere they are.

[3] That such things are signified by “islands” may be seen from the following passages from the Word.

In Isaiah:

Keep silence before Me, O Islands; and let the peoples renew their strength, let them come near. The isles saw, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled; they drew near, and came (Isaiah 41:1, 5).

Here “islands” denote upright nations out of the church who have religiously observed their external worship. The furthest limits of the region where the church is are called “the ends of the earth.” In the same:

He shall not be dark, and shall not break in pieces till He has set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and the fullness thereof, the isles and the inhabitants thereof. Let them give glory to Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isaiah 42:4, 10, 12).

Here also “islands” denote nations out of the church, who have lived in ignorance, simplicity, and uprightness.

[4] In the same:

Listen, O Isles, unto Me, and hearken, ye peoples from far (Isaiah 49:1),

likewise denoting those nations which are more remote from the worship of the Lord, and from the knowledges of faith; wherefore it is said “from far.” Again:

The Isles shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they wait (Isaiah 51:5),

denoting the same. Because they are such as live in uprightness, it is said, “they shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they wait.”

In Jeremiah:

Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the Isles afar off (Jeremiah 31:10),

Jehovah will be terrible unto them, for with leanness He will consume all the gods of the earth and they shall bow themselves down to Him, everyone from his place, even all the isles of the nations (Jeremiah 2:11).

“The isles of the nations” denote nations more remote from the knowledges of faith.

[5] In David:

Jehovah reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about Him (Psalms 97:1-2). denoting the same. Their ignorance is here representatively expressed by “clouds and darkness;” but because they are in simplicity and uprightness it is said “round about Him.” Because by “islands” are signified those things which are more remote, Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal, and Javan also-by whom were signified external worships-are called “islands” (Isaiah 66:19). So also Kittim (Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:6). When contrasted with “lands,” or with “mountains,” “islands” signify also the truths of faith, from being in the sea; thus they signify doctrinals which are rituals.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. In Scripture language every country is called an “isle,” or “island,” that is approached from Canaan by crossing the sea. [REVISER.]

2. That is, of course, in this connection. [REVISER.]

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