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1 Mosebok 20

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1 Så drog Abraham derfra til sydlandet og bodde mellem Kades og Sur, og siden opholdt han sig en tid i Gerar.

2 Og Abraham sa om Sara, sin hustru: Hun er min søster. Da sendte Abimelek, kongen i Gerar, folk avsted og tok Sara.

3 Men Gud kom til Abimelek i en drøm om natten og sa til ham: Nu skal du for den kvinnes skyld som du har tatt; for hun er en annen manns hustru.

4 Men Abimelek hadde ikke kommet henne nær, og han sa: Herre, vil du da også slå rettferdige folk ihjel?

5 Har han ikke selv sagt til mig: Hun er min søster? Og hun har også sagt: Han er min bror. I mitt hjertes uskyldighet og med rene hender har jeg gjort dette.

6 Og Gud sa til ham i drømmen: Ja, jeg vet at du har gjort dette i ditt hjertes uskyldighet, og jeg har også hindret dig fra å synde mot mig; derfor har jeg ikke latt dig få røre henne.

7 Men la nu mannen få sin hustru tilbake! For han er en profet. Og han skal bede for dig, så du får leve. Men dersom du ikke gir henne tilbake, da vit at du visselig skal , du og alle dine.

8 Da stod Abimelek tidlig op om i morgenen og kalte på alle sine tjenere og fortalte dem alt dette, og mennene blev meget redde.

9 Og Abimelek kalte Abraham til sig og sa til ham: Hvad er det du har gjort mot oss! Hvad har jeg syndet mot dig, siden du har ført så stor en synd over mig og mitt rike? Du har båret dig slik at mot mig som ingen skulde gjøre.

10 Og Abimelek sa videre til Abraham: Hvad mente du med å gjøre dette?

11 Da sa Abraham: Jeg tenkte: Det er visst ingen gudsfrykt på dette sted, og de vil slå mig ihjel for min hustrus skyld.

12 Hun er også virkelig min søster, min fars datter, men ikke min mors datter; og hun blev min hustru.

13 Og da Gud bød mig å vandre om borte fra min fars hus, sa jeg til henne: Således må du vise din kjærlighet mot mig: Hvor vi så kommer, må du si om mig: Han er min bror.

14 Så tok Abimelek småfe og storfe og træler og trælkvinner og gav Abraham og lot ham få Sara, sin hustru, tilbake.

15 Og Abimelek sa: Se, mitt land ligger åpent for dig; bo hvor du selv vil!

16 Og til Sara sa han: Se, her gir jeg din bror tusen sekel sølv; det skal være en sonegave for dig i alles øine som er sammen med dig, og for alle har du nu fått opreisning.

17 Og Abraham bad til Gud, og Gud helbredet Abimelek og hans hustru og hans tjenestekvinner, så de fikk barn.

18 For Herren hadde aldeles lukket for hvert morsliv i Abimeleks hus for Abrahams hustru Saras skyld.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #2520

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2520. And he said, Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? That this signifies whether would the good and truth be extinguished, is evident from the signification of “nation,” as being good (see n. 1259, 1260, 1416); and as it is predicated of the nation of Abimelech, by whom is signified the doctrine of faith, by a “righteous nation” is here signified both good and truth; for both are of doctrine.

[2] That this was said from the zeal of affection or of love toward the whole human race, is manifest. This love directed the Lord’s thoughts while He was still in the maternal human; and although He perceived from the Divine that the doctrine of faith was from a celestial origin only, nevertheless in order that the human race might be provided for, which does not receive anything of which it cannot have some idea from its rational, it is therefore said, “Wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation?” by which is signified whether would the good and truth of doctrine be extinguished. That man does not receive anything of which he cannot have some idea from his rational, is evident from the ideas which man cherishes respecting Divine arcana. Some idea from worldly things or from things analogous to these always adheres to them, by which they are retained in the memory, and by which they are reproduced in the thought; for without an idea from worldly things man can think nothing at all. If therefore truths from a Divine origin were set forth naked, they would never be received, but would completely transcend man’s comprehension, and therefore his belief, and most especially with those who are in external worship.

[3] To illustrate this take the following examples: The Divine Itself can be in nothing but the Divine, thus in nothing but the Lord’s Divine Human, and with man through this. If the rational were consulted it would say that the Divine Itself can be in the human of everyone. Again: Nothing is holy which does not proceed from the Lord, thus from the Divine, which is one. If the rational were consulted it would say that there may be what is holy from other sources also.

[4] Again: Man does not live, nor do good, nor believe truth, from himself, nay, does not even think from himself; but the good and truth are from the Lord, while the evil and falsity are from hell; and what is more, hell, that is, they who are in hell, do not think from themselves, but receive the Lord’s good and truth in the manner indicated. If the rational were consulted it would reject this, because it does not comprehend it. In like manner it would reject the truth that no one is rewarded on account of doing what is good and teaching what is true; and that the external contributes nothing, but only the internal insofar as there is the affection of good in doing what is good, and insofar as there is from that the affection of truth in teaching what is true, and this not from self. And so in a thousand other instances.

[5] It is because the human rational is of such a character that the Word has spoken in accordance with man’s apprehension, and also in accordance with his genius. This therefore is the reason why the internal sense of the Word is different from its literal sense; which is very evident in the Word of the Old Testament, where most things have been written in accordance with the apprehension and genius of the people who then lived. On this account almost nothing is said concerning the life after death, salvation, and the internal man. For the Jewish and Israelitish people with whom the church then was, were of such a character that if these things had been disclosed they would not only not have understood them, but would also have derided them. And it would have been the same if it had been disclosed to them that the Messiah or Christ was to come to eternally save their souls: this also they would have rejected as a matter of no moment; as is also evident from the same nation at the present day; for if what is internal or spiritual is mentioned in their presence even now, and it is said that the Messiah will not be the greatest king on the earth, they deride it.

[6] This is why the Lord sometimes spoke like the Prophets, and taught the rest of what He had to say by parables, as He Himself has declared in Matthew:

Jesus said, I speak unto them by parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

By “those who see and hear” are meant those within the church who although they see and hear, still do not understand.

Also in John:

He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (John 12:40).

Their being “converted” and “healed” implies that nevertheless they would afterwards reject, and so would profane, which involves eternal condemnation (see n. 301-303vvv2, 582, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426). Nevertheless the Lord has disclosed the interior things of the Word in many places, but only for the wise.

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

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Arcana Coelestia #1416

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1416. I will make thee into a great nation. That this signifies the kingdom in the heavens and on the earth, is evident from the signification of a “nation,” as being in the internal sense the celestial of love and the derivative good, thus all in the universe in whom is the celestial of love and of charity; and as in the internal sense the Lord is here treated of, there is meant all the celestial and all the derivative good, thus His kingdom, which is with those who are in love and charity. In the supreme sense the Lord is Himself the “great nation,” because He is the celestial itself, and good itself; for all the good of love and of charity is from Him alone; and therefore the Lord is His kingdom itself, that is, He is the all in all of His kingdom, as is also acknowledged by all the angels in heaven. Hence now it is evident that “I will make thee into a great nation,” signifies the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth.

[2] That in the internal sense, where the Lord and the celestial things of love are treated of, a “nation” signifies the Lord and all celestial things, is evident from the things adduced above concerning the signification of a “nation,” and of “nations” n. 1258,1259). This may also be further confirmed by the following passages. Concerning Abraham it is said:

Thy name shall not any more be called Abram, and thy name shall be Abraham, for the father of a multitude of nations have I given thee (Genesis 17:5).

The letter h in “Abraham” was taken from the name Jehovah, on account of his representation of Jehovah or the Lord. In like manner it is said of Sarai:

Thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and also give thee a son of her; thus I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall be of her (Genesis 17:15-16); where “nations” denote the celestial things of love, and “kings of peoples” the spiritual things of faith thence derived, which belong to the Lord alone.

[3] Concerning Jacob in like manner:

Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name, and He called his name Israel: and God said, I am God the thunderer; increase and multiply; a nation and a congregation of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall go forth out of thy loins (Genesis 35:10-11); where “Israel” denotes the Lord, and that He Himself is “Israel” in the supreme sense, is well known to some; and when He is “Israel,” it is evident that “a nation” and “an assemblage of nations,” and “kings out of His loins,” are the celestial and the spiritual things of love, and therefore all who are in the celestial and the spiritual things of love. Concerning Ishmael, Abram’s son by Hagar, it is said:

The son of the handmaid I will make him into a nation, because he is thy seed (Genesis 21:13, 18).

What is represented by Ishmael will be seen in its place; the “seed” of Abram is love itself, and from this the term “nation” is used for those begotten of Ishmael.

[4] That a “nation” signifies the celestial things of love, is evident in Moses:

If hearing ye will hear My voice, and will keep My covenant, ye shall also be a peculiar treasure unto Me out of all peoples, and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6); where “a kingdom of priests,” which is the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth, being so named from the celestial things of love, is manifestly called “a holy nation;” whereas the Lord’s kingdom from His kingly function was named from the spiritual things of love, and is called “a holy people;” and for this reason “kings out of the loins,” in the passage quoted above, are spiritual things.

In Jeremiah:

If these statutes have departed from before Me, saith Jehovah, the seed of Israel also shall cease, that it be not a nation before Me all the days (Jeremiah 31:36);

“the seed of Israel” denotes the celestial of charity; and when this ceases, there is no longer a nation before the Lord.

[5] In Isaiah:

The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; Thou hast multiplied the nation (Isaiah 9:2-3).

This is said of the church of the nations specifically; but in general of all who are in ignorance and live in charity; these are a “nation,” because they are of the Lord’s kingdom.

In David:

That I may see the good of Thy chosen; that I may be glad in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory in Thine inheritance (Psalms 106:5).

Here “nation” plainly denotes the Lord’s kingdom. As the signification of “nation” is the celestial of love and the derivative good, there originated, from a perception of this signification, the fact that the men of the Most Ancient Church were distinguished into households, families, and nations; and thereby they perceived the Lord’s kingdom, and consequently the celestial itself. From this Perceptive arose the Significative, and from this the Representative.

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