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创世记 32

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1 雅各仍旧行的使者遇见他。

2 雅各见他们就:这是的军兵,於是给那地方起名玛哈念(就是二军兵的意思)。

3 雅各打发人先往西珥去,就是以东,见他哥哥以扫

4 吩咐他们:你们对我以扫:你的仆人雅各这样:我在拉班那里寄居,直到如今。

5 我有牛、羊群、仆婢,现在打发人来报告我,为要在你眼前蒙恩。

6 所打发的回到雅各那里,:我们到了你哥哥以扫那里,他带着,正迎着你

7 雅各就甚惧,而且愁烦,便把那与他同在的人口和羊群牛群骆驼分做两队,

8 以扫击杀这队,剩下的那队还可以逃避。

9 雅各耶和华─我祖亚伯拉罕的,我父亲以撒的阿,你曾对我:回你本本族去,我要厚待你。

10 你向仆人所施的一切慈爱和诚实,我一点也不配得;我先前只拿着我的杖过这约但河,如今我却成了两队了。

11 求你我脱离我哥哥以扫;因为我怕他杀我,连妻子带儿女一同杀了。

12 你曾:我必定厚待你,使你的後裔如同边的沙,多得不可胜

13 当夜,雅各在那里住宿,就从他所有的物中拿礼物要送给他哥哥以扫

14 山羊只,公山羊二十只,母绵只,公绵二十只,

15 奶崽子的骆驼三十只─各带着崽子,母四十只,公只,母二十匹,匹;

16 每样各分一群,交在仆人下,就对仆人:你们要在我前头过去,使群群相离,有空间的地方;

17 又吩咐尽先走的:我哥哥以扫遇见你的时候,问你:你是那家的人?要往那里去?你前头?这些是谁的?

18 你就:是你仆人雅各的,是送给我以扫礼物;他自己也在我们边?。

19 又吩咐第二、第三,和一切赶群畜的人:你们遇见以扫的时候也要这样对他

20 并且你们要:你仆人雅各我们边。因雅各心里:我藉着在我前头去的礼物解他的恨,然再见他的面,或者他容纳我。

21 於是礼物先过去了;那夜,雅各在队中住宿。

22 他夜间起来,带着两个妻子,两个使女,并十一个儿子,过了雅博渡口,

23 先打发他们过,又打发所有的都过去,

24 雅各。有一个来和他摔跤,直到黎明。

25 那人见自己胜不过他,就将他的大腿窝摸了一把,雅各大腿窝正在摔跤的时候就扭了。

26 那人:天黎明了,容我去罢!雅各:你不给我祝福,我就不容你去。

27 那人:你名叫甚麽?他:我名叫雅各

28 那人:你的名不要再叫雅各,要叫以色列;因为你与与人较力,都得了胜。

29 雅各问他:请将你的名告诉我。那人:何必问我的名?於是在那里给雅各祝福

30 雅各便给那地方起名毗努伊勒(就是之面的意思),意思:我面对面见了,我的性命仍得保全。

31 日头刚出来的时候,雅各经过毗努伊勒,他的大腿就瘸了。

32 故此,以色列人大腿窝的,直到今日,因为那人摸了雅各大腿窝的

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4307

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4307. In the internal historical sense 'Jacob asked and said, Tell me, I pray, your name' means evil spirits. This becomes clear from many connections in this sense, in which these words and those that follow have reference to the descendants of Jacob; for the meaning in the internal sense depends on the specific subject under discussion. For not good spirits but evil ones are meant by him who wrestled with Jacob, as becomes clear from the consideration that 'wrestling' means temptation, 3927, 3928, 4274; and no temptation is ever carried out by good spirits, only by evil ones. For temptation consists in the activation of the evil and falsity residing with a person, 741, 751, 761, 1820, 4249, 4299. Good spirits and angels never activate evils and falsities but defend a person against them and turn them to good; for good spirits are led by the Lord, and from the Lord nothing except holy good and holy truth ever proceeds. The Lord does not tempt anyone, as is well known from teaching accepted in the Church; see also 1875, 2768. From this and also from the fact that the descendants of Jacob gave in to every temptation not only in the desert but also after that, it is evident that they were not good spirits but evil ones who are meant by him who wrestled with Jacob. What is more, the nation meant by 'Jacob' here was not governed by any spiritual or celestial love, only by bodily and worldly love, 4281, 4288-4290, 4293. The spirits present with any people depend on the loves governing those people, good spirits and angels being present with those who are governed by spiritual or celestial love, evil spirits with those who are governed solely by bodily or worldly love. So true is this that anyone can know which kind of spirits are present with him merely by noting the nature of his own loves, or what amounts to the same, the nature of his ends in view, since everyone has that which he loves as his end in view.

[2] The reason the one who wrestled with him called himself 'God' is Jacob's own belief that he was. In this he was like his descendants who believed unceasingly that Jehovah was present in their holy external observances, when in fact Jehovah was present solely in what these represented, as will be clear from what follows below. They also believed that Jehovah led them into temptations, was the author of all evil, and was full of anger and fury whenever they were punished. It is because they believed He was like this that such descriptions of Him appear in the Word, when in actual fact Jehovah never leads anyone into temptations, is never the author of anything evil, and is never full of anger, still less of fury, see 223, 245, 592, 696, 1093, 1683, 1874, 1875, 2395, 3605, 3607, 3614. This also explains why the one who wrestled with Jacob was unwilling to reveal his name. The reason why in the internal spiritual sense the one who wrestled with Jacob is used to mean the angelic heaven, 4295, is that the Lord, who in the highest sense is there represented by 'Jacob', allowed even angels to enter in and tempt Him, and that the angels were in that case left alone to their proprium, as has been shown in the paragraph just referred to.

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