Bibliorum

 

Genesis 17

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1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him, and said, I am God, Ruler of all; go in my ways and be upright in all things,

2 And I will make an agreement between you and me, and your offspring will be greatly increased.

3 And Abram went down on his face on the earth, and the Lord God went on talking with him, and said,

4 As for me, my agreement is made with you, and you will be the father of nations without end.

5 No longer will your name be Abram, but Abraham, for I have made you the father of a number of nations.

6 I will make you very fertile, so that nations will come from you and kings will be your offspring.

7 And I will make between me and you and your seed after you through all generations, an eternal agreement to be a God to you and to your seed after you.

8 And to you and to your seed after you, I will give the land in which you are living, all the land of Canaan for an eternal heritage; and I will be their God.

9 And God said to Abraham, On your side, you are to keep the agreement, you and your seed after you through all generations.

10 And this is the agreement which you are to keep with me, you and your seed after you: every male among you is to undergo circumcision.

11 In the flesh of your private parts you are to undergo it, as a mark of the agreement between me and you.

12 Every male among you, from one generation to another, is to undergo circumcision when he is eight days old, with every servant whose birth takes place in your house, or for whom you gave money to someone of another country, and not of your seed.

13 He who comes to birth in your house and he who is made yours for a price, all are to undergo circumcision; so that my agreement may be marked in your flesh, an agreement for all time.

14 And any male who does not undergo circumcision will be cut off from his people: my agreement has been broken by him.

15 And God said, As for Sarai, your wife, from now her name will be not Sarai, but Sarah.

16 And I will give her a blessing so that you will have a son by her: truly my blessing will be on her, and she will be the mother of nations: kings of peoples will be her offspring.

17 Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth?

18 And Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care!

19 And God said, Not so; but Sarah, your wife, will have a son, and you will give him the name Isaac, and I will make my agreement with him for ever and with his seed after him.

20 As for Ishmael, I have given ear to your prayer: truly I have given him my blessing and I will make him fertile and give him great increase; he will be the father of twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.

22 And having said these words, God went up from Abraham.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all whose birth had taken place in his house, and all his servants whom he had made his for a price, every male of his house, and on that very day he gave them circumcision in the flesh of their private parts as God had said to him.

24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he underwent circumcision.

25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he underwent circumcision.

26 Abraham and Ishmael, his son, underwent circumcision on that very day.

27 And all the men of his house, those whose birth had taken place in the house and those whom he had got for money from men of other lands, underwent circumcision with him.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #1985

Studere hoc loco

  
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1985. Genesis 17

1. And Abram was a son of ninety-nine years, and Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Shaddai; walk before Me and be blameless.

2. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you more and more.

3. And Abram fell on his face, 1 and God spoke to him, saying,

4. As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5. And no longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6. And I will make you more and more fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come out of you.

7. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an eternal covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you.

8. And I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an eternal possession; and I will be their God.

9. And God said to Abraham, And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

10. This is My covenant which you shall keep between Me and you, and your seed after you: Every male among you is to be circumcised.

11. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12. And a son eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, and he who is the purchase of silver, from every son who is a foreigner and not of your seed.

13. He must be circumcised 2 who is born in your house or who is the purchase of your silver; and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

14. And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul will be cut off from his peoples; he has broken My covenant.

15. And God said to Abraham, Sarai your wife you will not call by her name Sarai, for Sarah will be her name.

16. And I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her. And I will bless him, and he will become nations; kings of peoples will be from her.

17. And Abraham fell on his face 1 and laughed, and said in his heart, Will one be born to a son of a hundred years? And will Sarah, a daughter of ninety years, give birth?

18. And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live before You!

19. And God said, Truly Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac. And I will establish My covenant with him as an eternal covenant, for his seed after him.

20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful and I will multiply him more and more Twelve princes will he beget, and I will make him into a great nation.

21. And I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at the set time next year.

22. And He finished speaking to him, and God went up from over Abraham.

23. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all born in his house, and every one purchased with his silver, every male among the men (vir) of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that same day, just as God had spoken to him.

24. And Abraham was a son of ninety-nine years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25. And Ishmael his son was a son of thirteen years when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26. On that very day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27. And all the men of his house, he that was born in the house and he who was the purchase of silver, from the son who is a foreigner, were circumcised together with him.

CONTENTS

The subject here is the union of the Lord's Divine Essence with His Human Essence, and of His Human Essence with His Divine Essence, and also the conjunction of the Lord with the human race by means of His Human Essence.

V:

1. literally, faces

2. literally, By being circumcised he shall be circumcised

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

Bibliorum

 

Genesis 16

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1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

2 Sarai said to Abram, "See now, Yahweh has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

3 Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.

4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5 Sarai said to Abram, "This wrong is your fault. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you."

6 But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes." Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.

7 The angel of Yahweh found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

8 He said, "Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, where did you come from? where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai."

9 The angel of Yahweh said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands."

10 The angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude."

11 The angel of Yahweh said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction.

12 He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. He will live opposite all of his brothers."

13 She called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees," for she said, "Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?"

14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.