Die Bibel

 

Genezo 17

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1 Kiam Abram havis la agxon de nauxdek naux jaroj, aperis la Eternulo al Abram, kaj diris al li: Mi estas Dio la Plejpotenca; iradu antaux Mi kaj estu senpeka.

2 Kaj Mi faros Mian interligon inter Mi kaj vi, kaj Mi multigos vin tre forte.

3 Kaj Abram jxetis sin vizagxaltere, kaj Dio parolis al li, dirante:

4 Jen estas Mia interligo kun vi: vi estos patro de multe da popoloj.

5 Kaj via nomo ne estos plu Abram, sed via nomo estos Abraham, cxar Mi faris vin patro de multe da popoloj.

6 Kaj Mi fruktigos vin tre multe, kaj Mi devenigos de vi popolojn, kaj regxoj devenos de vi.

7 Kaj Mi starigos Mian interligon inter Mi kaj vi kaj via idaro post vi en iliaj generacioj, eternan interligon, ke Mi estos Dio por vi kaj por via idaro post vi.

8 Kaj Mi donos al vi kaj al via idaro post vi la landon, en kiu vi logxas kiel fremdulo, la tutan landon Kanaanan, por eterna posedajxo, kaj Mi estos Dio por ili.

9 Kaj Dio diris al Abraham: Kaj vi gardu Mian interligon, vi kaj via idaro post vi en iliaj generacioj.

10 Jen estas Mia interligo, kiun vi devas gardi inter Mi kaj vi kaj via idaro post vi: cxiu virseksulo cxe vi estu cirkumcidata.

11 Kaj cirkumcidu la karnon de via prepucio, kaj tio estu signo de interligo inter Mi kaj vi.

12 Kaj en la agxo de ok tagoj estu cirkumcidata cxe vi en viaj generacioj cxiu virseksulo naskita en la domo aux acxetita per mono cxe iu aligentulo, kiu ne estas el via idaro.

13 Cirkumcidata estu cxiu naskita en via domo aux acxetita per via mono, kaj Mia interligo estu sur via karno kiel interligo eterna.

14 Kaj se estos prepucihava virseksulo, kiu ne cirkumcidos la karnon de sia prepucio, tiu animo ekstermigxos el sia popolo: Mian interligon gxi rompis.

15 Kaj Dio diris al Abraham: Vian edzinon Saraj ne nomu Saraj, sed sxia nomo estu Sara.

16 Kaj Mi benos sxin, kaj Mi donos de sxi al vi filon; kaj Mi benos sxin, kaj de sxi devenos popoloj, regxoj de popoloj devenos de sxi.

17 Kaj Abraham jxetis sin vizagxaltere, kaj ekridis, kaj diris en sia koro: CXu de homo centjara farigxos nasko, kaj cxu Sara la nauxdekjara naskos?

18 Kaj Abraham diris al Dio: Ho, ke Isxmael vivu antaux Vi!

19 Kaj Dio diris: Efektive Sara, via edzino, naskos al vi filon, kaj vi donos al li la nomon Isaak; kaj Mi starigos Mian interligon kun li kiel interligon eternan por lia idaro post li.

20 Ankaux pri Isxmael Mi auxdis vin: jen Mi benis lin, kaj Mi fruktigos lin kaj Mi multigos lin tre forte; dek du princoj naskigxos de li, kaj Mi devenigos de li grandan popolon.

21 Sed Mian interligon Mi starigos kun Isaak, kiun naskos al vi Sara en cxi tiu tempo en la venonta jaro.

22 Kaj Li cxesis paroli kun li, kaj Dio levigxis for de Abraham.

23 Kaj Abraham prenis sian filon Isxmael kaj cxiujn naskitajn en lia domo kaj cxiujn acxetitajn per lia mono, cxiun virseksulon el la homoj de la domo de Abraham, kaj li cirkumcidis la karnon de ilia prepucio en tiu sama tago, kiel diris al li Dio.

24 Kaj Abraham havis la agxon de nauxdek naux jaroj, kiam li cirkumcidis la karnon de sia prepucio.

25 Kaj lia filo Isxmael havis la agxon de dek tri jaroj, kiam la karno de lia prepucio estis cirkumcidita.

26 En tiu sama tago estis cirkumciditaj Abraham kaj lia filo Isxmael;

27 kaj cxiuj liaj domanoj, kiuj naskigxis en la domo aux estis acxetitaj per mono cxe aligentulo, estis cirkumciditaj kune kun li.

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #2039

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2039. 'Every male [among you] is to be circumcised' means purity. This is clear from the representation and consequently the meaning of 'circumcising' in the internal sense. Circumcision or cutting off the foreskin meant nothing else than the removal and rejection of those elements which stand in the way of and defile heavenly love, namely evil desires, especially those of self-love, and falsities resulting from those desires. The reason why this is the meaning is that the genital organs of both sexes represent heavenly love. There are three kinds of love which constitute the heavenly things of the Lord's kingdom - conjugial love, the love of infants, and social or mutual love. Conjugial love is the chief love of all because it has within it the end of serving the greatest use, namely the propagating of the human race, and therefore of the Lord's kingdom for which it is the seminary. Next to conjugial love, and deriving from it, comes the love of infants, and after that social or mutual love. Whatever covers over, obstructs, and defiles those loves is meant by the foreskin, the cutting away of which, or circumcision, therefore became representative. Indeed to the extent evil desires and resulting falsities are removed, a person is purified and heavenly love can show itself. How contrary self-love is to heavenly love, and how filthy, has been stated and shown in 760, 1307, 1308, 1321, 1594, 2045, 2057. From these considerations it is plain that circumcision in the internal sense means purity.

[2] That circumcision is no more than the sign of a covenant or of conjunction becomes quite clear from the fact that circumcising the foreskin counts for absolutely nothing if unaccompanied by circumcision of the heart; and that purification from those filthy loves is what circumcision of the heart means is quite evident from the following places in the Word: In Moses,

Jehovah God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, so that you will love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. Deuteronomy 30:6.

From these words it is clear that 'circumcising the heart' means being purified from filthy loves in order that Jehovah God or the Lord may be loved with all the heart and all the soul.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and remove the foreskin of your heart, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 4:3-4.

'Circumcising oneself to Jehovah and removing the foreskin of the heart' is nothing other than removing such things as stand in the way of heavenly love. From this it is also clear that circumcision of the heart is something more interior that is meant by circumcision of the foreskin. In Moses,

You shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and you shall be stiff-necked no longer. [Jehovah] executes judgement for the orphan and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him bread and clothing. Deuteronomy 10:16, 18.

Here also it is plain that 'circumcising the foreskin of the heart' means being purified from the evils that accompany filthy loves and from resulting falsities. The heavenly things of love are described as charitable works, namely 'executing judgement for the orphan and widow', and 'loving the sojourner to give him bread and clothing'.

[4] In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming in which I will visit every one circumcised in the foreskin - Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners [of their hair] cut and who dwell in the wilderness, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. Jeremiah 9:25-26.

This too shows that circumcision was a sign meaning purification. Although they are called 'circumcised in the foreskin', these nations - the Jews included along with the rest - are considered to be 'uncircumcised nations', and Israel to be 'uncircumcised in heart'. In Moses,

If at that time their uncircumcised heart is humbled. Leviticus 26:41.

Here the meaning is similar.

[5] That the foreskin and being uncircumcised means that which is unclean is clear in Isaiah,

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion, put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for there will no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Isaiah 52:1.

'Zion' is used to mean the celestial Church and 'Jerusalem' the spiritual Church into which the uncircumcised, which means the unclean, will not enter.

[6] That circumcision is 'a sign of the covenant' or token of conjunction is quite clear from the fact that the same was represented by the requirement to circumcise the fruits of trees also, spoken of in Moses as follows,

When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food you shall circumcise its foreskin, its fruit. For three years it shall be to you uncircumcised; it shall not be eaten. And in the fourth all its fruit shall be holy. to the praises of Jehovah. Leviticus 19:23-24.

'Fruit' similarly represents and means charity, as becomes clear from many places in the Word. Their 'foreskin' accordingly means the uncleanness that obstructs and pollutes charity.

[7] Here is a marvel: When angels in heaven conceive the idea of purification from natural things that are filthy, something akin to circumcision is represented very speedily in the world of spirits, for in the world of spirits angelic ideas come over as representatives. In the Jewish Church there were some representative religious ceremonies which had those same origins and there were others which did not. The spirits with whom that swift circumcision was represented in the world of spirits were people who wished to be allowed into heaven, but before they were allowed in this representation took place. This explains why Joshua was commanded to circumcise the people after they had crossed the Jordan and were about to enter the land of Canaan. The people's entry into the land of Canaan represented nothing else than the admission into heaven of those who have had faith.

[8] This is why circumcision was commanded a second time, described in Joshua as follows,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Make swords of flint for yourself; circumcise the children of Israel a second time. And Joshua made swords of flint for himself, and circumcised the children of Israel on the hill of foreskins. And Jehovah said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. And he called the name of that place Gilgal (rolling away). Joshua 5:2-3, 9.

'Swords of flint' means the truths which they were to be provided with to enable them to correct and cut back filthy loves, for without cognitions of truth no purification is possible. That 'stone' or 'flirt' means truths has been shown already, in 643, 1298, and that 'a sword' has reference to truths by which evils may be corrected is clear from the Word.

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