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Genesis 30

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1 Kui Raahel nägi, et ta ei toonud Jaakobile lapsi ilmale, siis Raahel kadestas oma õde ja ütles Jaakobile: 'Muretse mulle lapsi, muidu ma suren!'

2 Aga Jaakobi viha süttis põlema Raaheli vastu ja ta küsis: 'Kas mina olen Jumala asemik, kes sulle ihuvilja keelab?'

3 Ja Raahel vastas: 'Vaata, seal on mu orjatar Billa. Heida tema juurde, et ta sünnitaks lapsi mu põlvede peale ja minagi saaksin nõnda temalt järglasi!'

4 Ja ta andis temale naiseks oma teenija Billa ning Jaakob heitis selle juurde.

5 Ja Billa jäi lapseootele ning tõi Jaakobile poja ilmale.

6 Siis ütles Raahel: 'Jumal tegi mulle õigust. Ta kuulis ka mu häält ja andis mulle poja.' Seepärast ta pani temale nimeks Daan.

7 Ja Billa, Raaheli teenija, jäi taas lapseootele ning tõi Jaakobile teise poja ilmale.

8 Siis ütles Raahel: 'Ma olen oma õega võidelnud Jumala võitlust ja olen võitnud.' Ja ta pani temale nimeks Naftali.

9 Kui Lea nägi, et ta oli lakanud sünnitamast, siis ta võttis oma teenija Silpa ja andis selle Jaakobile naiseks.

10 Ja Silpa, Lea teenija, tõi Jaakobile poja ilmale

11 ning Lea ütles: 'Õnneks!' Ja ta pani temale nimeks Gaad.

12 Ja Silpa, Lea teenija, tõi Jaakobile teise poja ilmale

13 ning Lea ütles: 'Ma olen õnnelik. Tõesti, naised kiidavad mind õnnelikuks.' Ja ta pani temale nimeks Aaser.

14 Kord läks Ruuben nisulõikuse ajal ja leidis väljalt lemmemarju ja tõi neid oma emale Leale. Ja Raahel ütles Leale: 'Anna ka minule oma poja lemmemarju!'

15 Aga ta vastas temale: 'Kas on veel vähe, et sa võtsid mu mehe? Nüüd tahad sa ka mu poja lemmemarjad ära võtta!' Siis ütles Raahel: 'Vastutasuks magagu ta täna öösel sinu juures su poja lemmemarjade eest!'

16 Kui Jaakob tuli õhtul väljalt, siis läks Lea temale vastu ja ütles: 'Sa pead minu juurde heitma, sest ma olen sind tinginud tasu eest, oma poja lemmemarjade eest!' Ja tema magas sel ööl ta juures.

17 Ja Jumal kuulis Lead, ja Lea jäi lapseootele ja tõi Jaakobile viienda poja ilmale.

18 Ja Lea ütles: 'Jumal tasus mulle, et ma andsin oma teenija oma mehele.' Ja ta pani temale nimeks Issaskar.

19 Ja Lea jäi taas lapseootele ja tõi Jaakobile kuuenda poja ilmale.

20 Ja Lea ütles: 'Jumal valmistas mulle ilusa kingituse. Nüüd mu mees hakkab mind sallima, sest ma olen temale kuus poega ilmale toonud!' Ja ta pani temale nimeks Sebulon.

21 Ja pärastpoole ta tõi tütre ilmale ning pani temale nimeks Diina.

22 Aga Jumal mõtles Raahelile, ja Jumal kuulis teda ning avas tema üsa.

23 Ja ta jäi lapseootele ja tõi poja ilmale ning ütles: 'Jumal võttis ära mu teotuse!'

24 Ja ta pani temale nimeks Joosep, öeldes: 'Annaks Issand mulle lisaks veel teisegi poja!'

25 Ja kui Raahel oli Joosepi ilmale toonud, siis Jaakob ütles Laabanile: 'Lase mind, et saaksin minna koju ja oma kodumaale!

26 Anna mu naised ja lapsed, kelle pärast ma sind olen teeninud, ja ma lähen, sest sa tead ju ise, kuidas ma sind olen teeninud!'

27 Ja Laaban vastas temale: 'Kui ma nüüd sinu silmis armu leiaksin! Märgid näitavad mulle, et Issand on mind sinu pärast õnnistanud.'

28 Ja ta ütles: 'Nimeta mulle oma palk ja ma annan selle!'

29 Siis ta vastas temale: 'Sina tead ise, kuidas ma sind olen teeninud ja mis on saanud su karjast minu juures.

30 Sest pisut oli seda, mis sul oli enne mind. See on aga ohtrasti kasvanud ja Issand on sind õnnistanud minu sammude läbi. Millal ma siis nüüd saan hoolitseda ka oma pere eest?'

31 Siis ta küsis: 'Mis ma sulle pean andma?' Ja Jaakob vastas: 'Ära anna mulle midagi. Kui sa lubad mulle seda, siis ma karjatan ja hoian veelgi su lambaid ja kitsi:

32 ma käisin täna läbi kõik su lamba- ja kitsekarjad, lahutades kõik tähnilised ja kirjud uted ja kõik mustad uted su tallede seast, samuti kirjud ja tähnilised kitsede hulgast. Need olgu mulle palgaks

33 ja mu õigus kostku minu eest tulevikus, kui sa tuled mu palka vaatama: kõik, kes ei ole tähnilised ja kirjud kitsede hulgas ja mustad tallede seas, loetagu minu poolt varastatuiks!'

34 Ja Laaban vastas: 'Hästi, sündigu tõesti su sõna järgi!'

35 Ja ta lahutas selsamal päeval vöödilised ja kirjud sikud ja kõik tähnilised ja kirjud kitsed, kellel oli valget küljes, ja kõik mustad tallede seas, andis need oma poegade hooleks

36 ning jättis kolme päeva tee enese ja Jaakobi vahele; Jaakob aga jäi karjatama Laabani ülejäänud lambaid ja kitsi.

37 Ja Jaakob võttis enesele papli-, mandli- ja plataanipuu tooreid keppe ja kooris neile valged vöödid, paljastades keppide valge puu.

38 Siis ta pani kooritud kepid lammaste ja kitsede ette rennidesse ja veekünadesse, kuhu loomad tulid jooma; ja joomas olles nad paaritusid.

39 Ja kui lambad ja kitsed keppide juures paaritusid, siis nad sünnitasid tallesid: vöödilisi, tähnilisi ja kirjusid.

40 Ja Jaakob eraldas noored jäärad: ta pööras isaloomade pead vöödiliste poole ja kõigi mustade poole Laabani karja hulgas. Nõnda tegi ta enesele eraldi karjad ega pannud neid Laabani lammaste ja kitsede sekka.

41 Ja iga kord, kui tugevamad loomad paaritusid, pani Jaakob kepid künadesse nende silme ette, et nad paarituksid keppide juures.

42 Aga kui loomad olid nõrgemad, siis ta ei pannud. Nõnda said nõrgad Laabanile ja tugevamad Jaakobile.

43 Ja mees kosus väga ja tal oli palju lambaid ja kitsi, teenijaid ja sulaseid, kaameleid ja eesleid.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #3941

Studere hoc loco

  
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3941. 'Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest' means faith in regard to its state of love and charity. This is clear from the representation of 'Reuben' as faith, which is the first stage of regeneration, dealt with in 3862, 3866; from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785; and from the meaning of 'wheat' as love and charity, dealt with below - 'wheat harvest' therefore meaning a developing state of love and charity. Jacob's four sons by the servant-girls have portrayed the various means by which the external man is joined to the internal man. Now his remaining four sons portray the actual joining together of good and truth, on account of which reference is made first of all to 'dudaim', by which that joining together or conjugial relationship is meant. The reason why 'wheat harvest' means a developing state of love and charity is that 'the field' means the Church and so the things that constitute the Church, while the seeds sown in it mean the germs of good and truth. And what springs up from those seeds, such as wheat, barley, and many other crops, are the fruits of love and charity, and also of faith. The states of the Church so far as those things are concerned are therefore compared to seedtime and harvest, and are also actually called seedtime and harvest, as in Genesis 8:22 - see 932.

[2] That 'wheat' means the things which constitute love and charity may also be seen from the following places: In Moses,

Jehovah causes him to ride over the heights of the land and He feeds [him] with the produce of the fields, causes him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the stony rock - butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed 1 of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:13-14.

This refers in the internal sense to the Ancient Church and its state when it was established, every aspect of love and charity, and every aspect of faith there, being described by means of things that have spiritual meanings. 'The kidney-fat of wheat' means the celestial side of love and charity. And because 'fat' or 'fatness' means that which is celestial, 353, and 'wheat' means love, the two words are therefore linked together in various places in the Word, as also in David,

O that My people were obedient to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! He would feed them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I will satisfy you. Psalms 81:13, 16.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Jehovah is the one who makes peace your border; with the fat of wheat He satisfies you. Psalms 147:14.

[3] That 'wheat' means love and charity is evident in Jeremiah,

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trampled down the portion of My field, they have rendered the portion of My field into a lonely wilderness. On all the hills in the wilderness those who cause devastation have come, for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. There is no peace for any flesh. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns. Jeremiah 12:10, 12-13.

'Vineyard' and 'the field' stand for the Church, 'a lonely wilderness' for the vastation of it, 'a devouring sword' for the vastation of truth, 'no peace' for the absence of good stirring the affections, 'sowing wheat' for forms of good which are the product of love and charity, 'sowing thorns' for evils and falsities which are the result of self-love and love of the world. For 'vineyard' means the spiritual Church, 1069; 'the field' the Church as regards good, 2971; 'wilderness' vastation, 1927, 2708; 'a devouring sword' vastation of truth, 2799; 'peace' good that stirs the affections, 3780.

[4] In Joel,

The field has been laid waste, the ground has been mourning because the grain has been laid waste, the new wine has failed, the oil languishes. Farmers have been put to shame, vinedressers have wailed over the wheat and over the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. Gird yourselves and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Joel 1:10-11, 13.

It is evident to anyone that here the state of the Church when it has been vastated is what is described, and this being so, that 'the field' and 'the ground' mean the Church, 'the grain' its good, and 'the new wine' its truth, 3580, while 'wheat' means celestial love, 'barley' spiritual love. And since the state of the Church is the subject, the call to 'gird yourselves and lament, O priests, and wail, O ministers of the altar' is used.

[5] In Ezekiel,

The Spirit of Jehovah addressing the prophet, Take for yourself wheat and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them into a single vessel, and make them for yourself into bread. With human excrement you shall make a cake before their eyes. Thus shall the children of Israel eat their unclean bread. Ezekiel 4:9, 12-13.

This refers to the defilement of good and truth. 'Wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, spelt' stands for different kinds of good and of truth derived from good. 'Bread' or a cake made from these together with human excrement stands for the defilement of them all.

[6] In John,

I saw, and behold, a black horse, and the one seated on it held a balance in his hand I heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures saying, A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenices of barley for a denarius; but do no harm to oil and wine. Revelation 6:5-6.

This too refers to the vastation of good and truth. 'A choenix of wheat for a denarius' stands for a scarcity of love, 'three choenices of wheat for a denarius' for a scarcity of charity.

[7] In Ezekiel,

Judah and the land of Israel, they were your merchants. Wheat of minnith and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm, they exchanged for your tracings. Ezekiel 27:17.

This refers to Tyre, which means the cognitions of good and truth. The goods of love and charity, and the happiness they bring, are meant by 'wheat of minnith and pannag, and honey, oil, and balm'. 'Judah' means the celestial Church, 'the land of Israel' the spiritual, which are the source of those goods. 'Tracings' means acquisitions.

[8] In Moses,

A land of wheat and barley, and of the vine and of the fig and of the pomegranate, a land of olive oil and honey. Deuteronomy 8:8.

This is a description of the land of Canaan, which in the internal sense means the Lord's kingdom, 1413, 1437, 1585, 1607, 3038, 3705. Forms of good which are the product of love and charity in that kingdom are meant by 'wheat and barley', forms of good which are the product of faith by 'the vine and the fig'.

[9] In Matthew,

Whose fan is in His hand, and He will purge His threshing-floor and gather His wheat into the granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17.

John the Baptist referred in this way to the Lord. 'Wheat' stands for the goods of love and charity, 'chaff' for those things which do not have any good at all within them. In the same gospel,

Let both grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:30.

'Weeds' stands for evils and falsities, 'wheat' for goods. These are comparisons, but all comparisons in the Word are made through the use of things that carry a spiritual meaning.

V:

1. literally, sons

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