Die Bibel

 

Genesis 33:15

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15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee [some] of the people that are with me. And he said, What need? Let me find favour in the eyes of my lord.

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Arcana Coelestia #4389

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4389. 'Jacob travelled on to Succoth' means the state of life of the good from truth at that time. This is clear from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of truth, dealt with above - at this point the good from truth at that time, a product of the truths referred to above which were linked to that good by the good meant by 'Esau'; from the meaning of 'travelling' as the order and established patterns of life, dealt with in 1293, and so the state of life; and from the meaning of 'Succoth' as the nature of that state, dealt with below in 4391, 4392.

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

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People (nation)

  

The Bible generally uses two different terms for large groups: “people” and “nations.” When it uses “nation,” it is talking about a group with the desire for good as its ultimate underlying motivation; when it uses the term “people” it is talking about a group whose deep motivation is to seek true ideas and concepts. As with all symbolism in the Bible, this can be also used in a negative sense, to describe groups with the lust for evil or those driven by false concepts. It can also be used in the abstract, with “nation” representing desires for good themselves and “people” representing true ideas themselves. In a way, these meanings make sense if we look at the two words themselves. “People” brings to mind a collection of individuals, and that is somewhat how it is with ideas -- you can have many of them that inter-relate, but also stand somewhat on their own, individually. “Nation” is a more unified term, reflecting the way that a desire for good tends to unify other feelings.