Die Bibel

 

Postanak 3

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1 Zmija bijaše lukavija od sve zvjeradi što je stvori Jahve, Bog. Ona reče ženi: "Zar vam je Bog rekao da ne smijete jesti ni s jednog drveta u vrtu?"

2 Žena odgovori zmiji: "Plodove sa stabala u vrtu smijemo jesti.

3 Samo za plod stabla što je nasred vrta rekao je Bog: 'Da ga niste jeli! I ne dirajte u nj, da ne umrete!'"

4 Nato će zmija ženi: "Ne, nećete umrijeti!

5 Nego, zna Bog: onog dana kad budete s njega jeli, otvorit će vam se oči, i vi ćete biti kao bogovi koji razlučuju dobro i zlo."

6 Vidje žena da je stablo dobro za jelo, za oči zamamljivo, a za mudrost poželjno: ubere ploda njegova i pojede. Dade i svom mužu, koji bijaše s njom, pa je i on jeo.

7 Tada se obadvoma otvore oči i upoznaju da su goli. Spletu smokova lišća i naprave sebi pregače.

8 Uto čuju korak Jahve, Boga, koji je šetao vrtom za dnevnog povjetarca. I sakriju se - čovjek i njegova žena - pred Jahvom, Bogom, među stabla u vrtu.

9 Jahve, Bog, zovne čovjeka: "Gdje si?" - reče mu.

10 On odgovori: "Čuo sam tvoj korak po vrtu; pobojah se jer sam go, pa se sakrih."

11 Nato mu reče: "Tko ti kaza da si go? Ti si, dakle, jeo sa stabla s kojega sam ti zabranio jesti?"

12 Čovjek odgovori: "Žena koju si stavio uza me - ona mi je dala sa stabla pa sam jeo."

13 Jahve, Bog, reče ženi: "Što si to učinila?" "Zmija me prevarila pa sam jela", odgovori žena.

14 Nato Jahve, Bog, reče zmiji: "Kad si to učinila, prokleta bila među svim životinjama i svom zvjeradi divljom! Po trbuhu svome puzat ćeš i zemlju jesti sveg života svog!

15 Neprijateljstvo ja zamećem između tebe i žene, između roda tvojeg i roda njezina: on će ti glavu satirati, a ti ćeš mu vrebati petu."

16 A ženi reče: "Trudnoći tvojoj muke ću umnožit, u mukama djecu ćeš rađati. Žudnja će te mužu tjerati, a on će gospodariti nad tobom."

17 A čovjeku reče: "Jer si poslušao glas svoje žene te jeo sa stabla s kojega sam ti zabranio jesti rekavši: S njega da nisi jeo! - evo: Zemlja neka je zbog tebe prokleta: s trudom ćeš se od nje hraniti svega vijeka svog!

18 Rađat će ti trnjem i korovom, a hranit ćeš se poljskim raslinjem.

19 U znoju lica svoga kruh svoj ćeš jesti dokle se u zemlju ne vratiš: tÓa iz zemlje uzet si bio - prah si, u prah ćeš se i vratiti."

20 Svojoj ženi čovjek nadjene ime Eva, jer je majka svima živima.

21 I načini Jahve, Bog, čovjeku i njegovoj ženi odjeću od krzna pa ih odjenu.

22 Zatim reče Bog: "Evo, čovjek postade kao jedan od nas - znajući dobro i zlo! Da ne bi sada pružio ruku, ubrao sa stabla života pa pojeo i živio navijeke!"

23 Zato ga Jahve, Bog, istjera iz vrta edenskoga da obrađuje zemlju iz koje je i uzet.

24 Istjera, dakle, čovjeka i nastani ga istočno od vrta edenskog, pa postavi kerubine i plameni mač koji se svjetlucao - da straže nad stazom koja vodi k stablu života.

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #9509

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9509. 'And you shall make two cherubs' means that there is no admission or access to the Lord except through the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'cherubs' as watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord except through the good of love. Since this was meant by the cherubs, they were placed over the mercy-seat that was over the ark; and they were for the same reason made from solid gold. For 'the ark' means heaven where the Lord is, 9485, and 'gold' means the good of love, 9490. The reason why there is no access to the Lord except through the good of love is that love is spiritual togetherness, and all good belongs to love. Those therefore who are governed by the good of love to the Lord are brought to Him in heaven, because they have been joined together with Him. So too are those who are governed by the good of love towards the neighbour; for the neighbour is the good of a fellow-citizen, the good of one's country, the good of the Church, the good of the whole of the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself since He is the source of that good present with a person.

[2] There are two states that a person passes through while being regenerated, one of which follows the other. The first is a state during which he is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of love; the other is one in which he is governed by the good of love, and when governed by it he is in heaven with the Lord. From this it is evident that this good is heaven itself present with the person, that good being the Lord present with him because its source is the Lord. Regarding these two states that a person who is being regenerated passes through, one of which follows the other, see 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 9224, 9227, 9230, 9274; and the fact that a person comes into heaven when governed by good, that is, when led by the Lord by means of good, 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139.

[3] It is clear from places in the Word where 'cherubs' are mentioned that they mean watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord or to heaven except through the good of love, that is, except by those governed by the good of love, and also guarding against any harm being done to the good from the Lord which is present in heaven and with a person, as for instance in Genesis,

And He expelled the man, and away from the east towards the garden of Eden He caused the cherubs to dwell, and the flame of a sword turning itself this way and that to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24.

Here it is self-evident that things which serve as guards are meant by 'the cherubs', since it says 'to guard the way to the tree of life'. 'The tree of life' is the good of love, which comes from the Lord and for that reason is the Lord; and it is guarded by the prevention of any access except through the good of love.

[4] It is thought that the Lord is accessible through the truths of faith. But there can be no access to Him, nor even to heaven, through those truths if they have been separated from the good of love. As soon as separated truths wish to enter, heaven, which is the way to the Lord, is closed. And since truth cannot enter by itself unless it has good within it, and by virtue of this has come to consist of good, neither can understanding do so, still less factual knowledge, if separated from good desired by the will.

[5] Because watchfulness and providence guarding against access to the Lord, or for that reason to heaven, except through the good of love is meant by 'the cherubs', the Word says that Jehovah is seated on the cherubs, also rides and dwells upon the cherubs, as in David,

Turn Your ears, O Shepherd of Israel; You who are seated upon the cherubs, shine forth. Psalms 80:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah will reign, the peoples will be shaken. He is seated on the cherubs. Psalms 99:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah rode on a cherub, and flew. Psalms 18:10.

And in Isaiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth is dwelling on the cherubs. Isaiah 37:16.

For the same reasons there were cherubs upon the curtains of the dwelling-place, and upon the veil, Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:35; they were also upon the walls of the temple round about and upon the doors there, 1 Kings 6:23-29, 31-35, and similarly in the new temple, as described in Ezekiel 41:18-20. The presence of the cherubs on the curtains of the dwelling-place, on the veil, on the walls of the temple, and on the doors there, was a sign of the Lord's watchfulness, guarding against access to Divine Holiness except through the good of love; and the presence of the cherubs over the ark was a sign that no one should gain access to the Lord Himself except through that good. This also explains why the cherubs were made from solid gold, and in the Jerusalem temple from olive wood; for 'gold' and 'olive oil' mean the good of love.

[6] That watchfulness and providence of the Lord is described in Ezekiel by 'the four living creatures', each of which had four faces, under the throne where the Lord was, Ezekiel 1:1-end; 10:1-end, and also in John by 'four living creatures' around the throne where the Lord was, 10:Revelation 4:6-10; 5:6, 8-9, 14. By 'the four living creatures' is meant the good, varying in appearance, which emanates from the Lord, and which watches and guards against the letting in of anything other than the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbour. By 'the throne' on which the Lord was seated heaven is meant, 5313.

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