Arcana Coelestia #2868
2868. 'His concubine, whose name was Reumah' means gentiles whose worship was idolatrous but in whom good was present. This becomes clear from what has gone before, for in the former place come those gentiles meant by the sons born to Nahor from his wife, in the latter those born from his concubine. As has been shown, those born from his wife were people outside the Church who dwelt in a brotherly relationship by virtue of good, 2863, whereas these latter sons are people outside the Church whose worship was idolatrous but in whom good was present. Thus the latter were born from a less legitimate union than the former, though the union was nevertheless legitimate, for in those times children born from servant-girls were accepted as legitimate, as becomes clear from Jacob's sons born from the servant-girls Bilhah and Zilpah, Genesis 30:4-12, from whom tribes descended no less than from the sons born from Leah and Rachel, and who in this respect were no different from the latter. Yet that a difference did exist is clear from Genesis 33:1-2, 6-7.
[2] Servant-girls whom in those times a wife gave to her husband for the sake of producing children were called concubines, as is evident from Bilhah, Rachel's servant-girl, who is also called Jacob's concubine in Genesis 35:22. The practice of producing children by means of servant-girls or concubines was allowed in those times so that those outside the Church might be represented, as well as those of lower degree within the Church. The statement that the concubine's name was Reumah embodies the essential nature of that group of people, 1896, 2009, which in this case is exaltation, this being what Reumah means. Regarding the state and condition of nations and peoples outside the Church, see 593, 932, 1032, 1059, 1327, 1328, 1366, 2049, 2051, 2284, 2589-2604.
Genesis 11
1
The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
2
It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.
3
They said one to another, "Come, let's make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
4
They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."
5
Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
6
Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.
7
Come, let's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8
So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
9
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
10
This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.
11
Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of sons and daughters.
12
Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah.
13
Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of sons and daughters.
14
Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber:
15
and Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of sons and daughters.
16
Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.
17
Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of sons and daughters.
18
Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.
19
Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of sons and daughters.
20
Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.
21
Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of sons and daughters.
22
Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.
23
Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of sons and daughters.
24
Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.
25
Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of sons and daughters.
26
Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27
Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
28
Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.
29
Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.
30
Sarai was barren. She had no child.
31
Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.
32
The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.
