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1 Mosebok 34

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1 Dina, Jakobs datter med Lea, gikk engang ut for å se på landets døtre.

2 Og Sikem, som var sønn av hevitten Hemor, høvdingen i landet, så henne; og han tok henne og lå hos henne og krenket henne.

3 Men hans hjerte hang ved Dina, Jakobs datter, og han elsket piken og talte kjærlig til henne.

4 sa Sikem til Hemor, sin far: La mig få denne pike til hustru!

5 Og Jakob fikk høre at han hadde vanæret Dina, hans datter; men hans sønner var med buskapen ute på marken, og Jakob tidde med det til de kom hjem.

6 Men Hemor, Sikems far, gikk ut til Jakob for å tale med ham.

7 Jakobs sønner kom hjem fra marken da de fikk høre om dette; og mennene gremmet sig og var harmfulle; for han* hadde gjort en skammelig gjerning mot Israel ved å ligge hos Jakobs datter. Slikt burde ikke skje. / {* Sikem.}

8 Da talte Hemor med dem og sa: Min sønn Sikems hjerte henger ved eders datter; kjære, la ham få henne til hustru,

9 og inngå svogerskap med oss, gi oss eders døtre og ta I våre døtre!

10 Bli boende hos oss! Landet skal stå åpent for eder; bo her og dra omkring og få eder eiendommer her!

11 Og Sikem sa til hennes far og hennes brødre: La mig finne nåde for eders øine! Det I krever av mig, vil jeg gi eder.

12 Krev så meget I vil av mig i morgengave og andre gaver! Jeg skal gi det I vil ha; la mig bare få piken til hustru!

13 Da svarte Jakobs sønner Sikem og Hemor, hans far, med svikefulle ord, fordi han hadde vanæret deres søster Dina,

14 og sa til dem: Det kan vi ikke gjøre, å gi vår søster til en mann som har forhud; det vilde være en skam for oss.

15 Bare på det vilkår vil vi være eder til vilje, at I blir som vi, og alt mannkjønn hos eder lar sig omskjære.

16 Da vil vi gi eder våre døtre og gifte oss med eders døtre og bo hos eder, så vi blir ett folk.

17 Men dersom I ikke vil høreoss og la eder omskjære, da tar vi vår søster og drar bort.

18 Og de syntes godt om deres ord, både Hemor og Sikem, Hemors sønn.

19 Og den unge mann drygde ikke med å gjøre dette, for han var glad i Jakobs datter, og han var den som hadde mest å si i sin fars hus.

20 Så gikk Hemor og hans sønn Sikem til porten i sin by, og de talte til mennene i byen og sa:

21 Disse menn vil gjerne være venner med oss og vil bo her i landet og dra omkring her, og landet er jo vidt nok for dem; vi vil gifte oss med deres døtre og gi dem våre døtre.

22 Men bare på det vilkår vil mennene være oss til vilje og bo hos oss og bli til ett folk med oss, at alt mannkjønn iblandt oss lar sig omskjære, likesom de selv er omskåret.

23 Deres buskap og deres gods og alle deres kløvdyr, blir ikke alt det vårt når vi bare er dem til vilje, så de blir boende hos oss?

24 Og de gjorde som Hemor og hans sønn Sikem vilde, alle som hørte hjemme i hans by; og alt mannkjønn, alle som hørte hjemme i hans by, blev omskåret.

25 Men på den tredje dag, da de var syke av sine sår, da tok Jakobs to sønner, Simeon og Levi, Dinas brødre, hver sitt sverd, og de kom uforvarende over byen og slo alt mannkjønn ihjel.

26 Også Hemor og Sikem, hans sønn, slo de ihjel med sverdets egg, og de tok Dina ut av Sikems hus og drog bort.

27 Jakobs sønner kom over de drepte og plyndret byen, fordi deres søster var blitt vanæret.

28 De tok deres småfe og storfe og deres asener, både det som var i byen, og det som var på marken.

29 Og alt deres gods og alle deres barn og deres kvinner førte de bort som bytte, og alt annet som var i husene.

30 Da sa Jakob til Simeon og Levi: I har gjort mig en stor sorg! I har ført mig i vanrykte hos landets innbyggere, Kana'anittene og ferisittene; jeg råder jo bare over en liten flokk, og samler de sig imot mig, kommer de til å slå mig ihjel, sa både jeg og mitt hus går til grunne.

31 Men de svarte: Skulde han da få gjøre med vår søster som med en skjøge?

   

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Arcana Coelestia #4670

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4670. 'A son of seventeen years' means His state. This is clear from the ages measured in years of people mentioned in the Word - spiritual realities and states are meant by them, as these are by all other numbers. For all numbers in the Word have spiritual realities and states as their meaning, see 575, 647, 648, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, as also do years, 487, 488, 493, 893.

[2] It does indeed seem as though numbers of years, or ages measured in years, mean nothing else than numbers of years. This is because these numbers more than any others have so to speak a more specific historical application. But these numbers too include spiritual realities and states within them, as is clear from the applications given at Genesis 5 and from what has been stated at Genesis 17:1 and Genesis 25:7 about Abraham's age and at Genesis 35:28 about Isaac's. The same is clear in addition from the fact that no historical detail exists anywhere in the Word which does not include within it something heavenly into which it is also changed when it passes from the thought of the reader to the angels present with him, and through those angels into heaven where the spiritual sense rises up out of every historical reference in the Word.

[3] But what is meant by Joseph's being seventeen years old may be seen from the meaning which this number has elsewhere, namely a beginning, in this case the beginning of the representation through Joseph. As to its meaning a beginning and that which is new, see 755, 853. What is more, this number includes within itself in a general way, and so to speak potentially, all the things that are represented by 'Joseph' - 'seven' meaning that which is holy and 'ten' remnants. For 'seven' when used in the Word adds holiness to any meaning, see 881, while 'ten' means remnants, 576, 1906, 2284. The remnants present in the Lord were Divine and His own, and by means of them He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, 1906.

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

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Arcana Coelestia #755

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755. That 'the six hundredth year, the second month, and the seventeenth day' means the second state of temptation follows from what has been stated so far, for verse 6 down to this present verse 11 has dealt with the first state of temptation, which was temptation involving things of his understanding. Now however the second state is dealt with, namely temptation involving things of the will. This is the reason why his age is repeated. Previously it was said that 'he was a son of six hundred years', here that the Flood took place in 'the six hundredth year of his life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day'. No one would ever imagine that Noah's age, worked out to the exact year, month, and day, is used to mean a state of temptation involving things of the will. Yet, as has been stated, this was how the most ancient people spoke and wrote. And they found their chief delight in being able to work out periods of time and names and then to organize them into a semblance of history. It was in this that their wisdom consisted.

[2] It was shown at verse 6 above however that 'six hundred years' means nothing other than an initial state of temptation. Here similarly 'six hundred years' is mentioned. But so that it might mean a second state of temptation, months and days have been added - two months in fact, or rather 'in the second month', which means conflict itself, as becomes clear from the meaning of the number two given already at verse 6 of this chapter. As has been shown and may be seen there, two has the same meaning as six, that is, labour and conflict and also dispersion. The number seventeen however means not only the onset of temptation but also the end of temptation, the reason being that it is the sum of the numbers seven and ten. When this number means the onset of temptation it then entails 'seven days' or a week, which means the onset of temptation, as shown already at verse 4 of this chapter. But when it means the end of temptation, as it does later on in 8:4, seven is then a holy number to which ten, meaning remnants, has been added; for without remnants nobody is able to be regenerated.

[3] That seventeen means the onset of temptation is clear in Jeremiah's being commanded to buy the field from Hanamel his cousin who was in Anathoth, and to weigh out seventeen shekels of silver, Jeremiah 32:9. What comes after that in this chapter of the prophet shows that this number also means their captivity in Babylon, which represents the temptation of people who have faith and the devastation of those who have not. Indeed it represents the onset of temptation and at the same time the end of temptation, which is liberation. That captivity is mentioned in Jeremiah 32:36, and the liberation in Verse 37 onwards. Such a number, like every other word that is used, would never have appeared in this prophet if it did not embody arcana.

[4] That seventeen means the onset of temptation becomes clear also from the age of Joseph, who was seventeen years old when he was sent off to his brothers and was sold into Egypt, Genesis 37:2. His being sold into Egypt represents the same kinds of things, as will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown in that chapter. There the representative historical events did take place as described; here however they are made-up historical events carrying a spiritual meaning, which did not actually take place as described in the sense of the letter. Nevertheless the former embody arcana of heaven, right down to every word, as is the case here. This is bound to seem strange, for when any historical event occurs, true or made-up, the mind (animus) is confined to the letter from which it cannot extricate itself. Hence the conviction that nothing else is meant or represented.

[5] Yet it may become clear to anyone who is intelligent that some internal sense exists which has the life of the Word in it, but not in the letter, which devoid of the internal sense is dead. Without the internal sense what would any historical description be but history as found in any secular author? And so what would be the use of knowing Noah's exact age, or the month and day when the Flood took place, if it did not embody a heavenly arcanum? And who cannot see that 'all the fountains of the great deep were split open, and the floodgates of heaven were opened' is a prophetic utterance, as is much else besides?

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