The Bible

 

創世記 9

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1 賜福給挪亞和他的兒子,對他們:你們要生養眾多,遍滿了

2 上的走獸和空中的飛都必驚恐,懼怕你們,連上一切的昆蟲並裡一切的魚都交付你們的

3 凡活著的動物都可以作你們的食物。這一切我都賜你們,如同菜蔬一樣。

4 惟獨帶著血,那就是他的生命,你們不可

5 流你們血、害你們命的,無論是獸是,我必討他的罪,就是向各的弟兄也是如此。

6 凡流人血的,他的血也必被人所流,因為造人是照自己的形像造的。

7 你們要生養眾多,在上昌盛繁茂。

8 曉諭挪亞和他的兒子

9 我與你們和你們的裔立約,

10 並與你們這裡的一切活物─就是飛牲畜、走,凡從方舟裡出來的活物─立約。

11 我與你們立約,凡有血的,不再被洪水滅絕,也不再有洪水毀壞了。

12 :我與你們並你們這裡的各樣活物所立的永約是有記號的。

13 我把虹放在彩中,這就可作我與立約的記號了。

14 我使彩蓋的時候,必有虹現在彩中,

15 我便記念我與你們和各樣有血的活物所立的約,水就再不氾濫、毀壞一切有血的物了。

16 虹必現在彩中,我見,就要記念我與上各樣有血的活物所立的永約。

17 對挪亞:這就是我與上一切有血之物立約的記號了。

18 出方舟挪亞的兒子就是、含、雅弗。含是迦南父親

19 這是挪亞的個兒子,他們的後裔分散在全

20 挪亞作起農夫來,栽了一個葡萄園

21 了園中的酒便了,在帳棚裡赤著身子。

22 迦南父親見他父親赤身,就到外邊告訴他兩個弟兄。

23 於是和雅弗拿件衣服搭在肩上,倒退著進去,給他父親蓋上;他們背著臉就不見父親的赤身。

24 挪亞醒了酒,知道兒子向他所作的事,

25 迦南當受咒詛,必給他弟兄作奴僕的奴僕;

26 耶和華是應當稱頌的!願迦南的奴僕。

27 使雅弗擴張,使他住在的帳棚裡;又願迦南作他的奴僕。

28 洪水以,挪亞又活了五十年。

29 挪亞共活了五十歲就死了

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #781

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781. "And merchandise of horses, and wagons, and the bodies and souls of people." This symbolically means that all of these things depend on an understanding of the Word and on doctrine drawn from it, and on the goods and truths in the Word's literal sense, which these Roman Catholics do not possess, because they have falsified and adulterated the Word by using the things in it contrary to their real meaning in order to gain dominion over heaven and the world.

The valuables here follow the preposition "of," because they involve all of the things that go before. That horses symbolize an understanding of the Word may be seen in no. 298. Chariots symbolize doctrine from the Word (no. 437); consequently so do wagons. The bodies and souls of people symbolize goods and truths in the literal sense of the Word, because they have the same symbolism as the body and blood in the Holy Supper. The body in that supper symbolizes the Lord's Divine goodness, and the blood the Lord's Divine truth; and because of this symbolism they also symbolize the Divine good and truth in the Word, because the Lord embodies the Word.

Instead of blood, however, the text here says souls. That is because the soul likewise symbolizes truth (see no. 681 above), and because blood in the Word is called the life or soul (Genesis 9:4-5). "Human lives" in Ezekiel 27:13 has a similar symbolic meaning. So does the "seed of men" in Daniel 2:43.

[2] Horses and wagons have a similar symbolic meaning in Isaiah:

Then they shall bring all your brethren... on horses and in chariots and in wagons, and on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem... (Isaiah 66:20)

This is said of the Lord's New Church, which Jerusalem is, regarding people in it who have an understanding of the Word and doctrine derived from it, which are the horses, chariots, and wagons.

Now because these people of the Roman Catholic religion falsify and adulterate the Word by using it to gain dominion over heaven and the world, the symbolic meaning here is that they do not possess any goods and truths from the Word, and so do not have any in their doctrine either.

Regarding this Jeremiah says the following:

...the king of Babylon has devoured me, has thrown me into confusion; He has made me an empty vessel; He has swallowed me up like a whale; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies... (Jeremiah 51:34-35)

A sword is against the horses (of Babylon), against her chariots, and... against her treasures, so that they are plundered. A drought is upon her waters, so that they are dried up. For the land is one of carved images, and they boast of their dreadful deeds. (Jeremiah 50:37-38)

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.