The Bible

 

Postanak 1

Study

1 U početku stvori Bog nebo i zemlju.

2 Zemlja bijaše pusta i prazna; tama se prostirala nad bezdanom i Duh Božji lebdio je nad vodama.

3 I reče Bog: "Neka bude svjetlost!" I bi svjetlost.

4 I vidje Bog da je svjetlost dobra; i rastavi Bog svjetlost od tame.

5 Svjetlost prozva Bog dan, a tamu prozva noć. Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan prvi.

6 I reče Bog: "Neka bude svod posred voda da dijeli vode od voda!" I bi tako.

7 Bog načini svod i vode pod svodom odijeli od voda nad svodom.

8 A svod prozva Bog nebo. Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan drugi.

9 I reče Bog: "Vode pod nebom neka se skupe na jedno mjesto i neka se pokaže kopno!" I bi tako.

10 Kopno prozva Bog zemlja, a skupljene vode mora. I vidje Bog da je dobro.

11 I reče Bog: "Neka proklija zemlja zelenilom - travom sjemenitom, stablima plodonosnim, koja, svako prema svojoj vrsti, na zemlji donose plod što u sebi nosi svoje sjeme. I bi tako.

12 I nikne iz zemlje zelena trava što se sjemeni, svaka prema svojoj vrsti, i stabla koja rode plodovima što u sebi nose svoje sjeme, svako prema svojoj vrsti. I vidje Bog da je dobro.

13 Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan treći.

14 I reče Bog: "Neka budu svjetlila na svodu nebeskom da luče dan od noći, da budu znaci blagdanima, danima i godinama,

15 i neka svijetle na svodu nebeskom i rasvjetljuju zemlju!" I bi tako.

16 I načini Bog dva velika svjetlila - veće da vlada danom, manje da vlada noću - i zvijezde.

17 I Bog ih postavi na svod nebeski da rasvjetljuju zemlju,

18 da vladaju danom i noću i da rastavljaju svjetlost od tame. I vidje Bog da je dobro.

19 Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan četvrti.

20 I reče Bog: "Nek' povrvi vodom vreva živih stvorova, i ptice nek' polete nad zemljom, svodom nebeskim!" I bi tako.

21 Stvori Bog morske grdosije i svakovrsne žive stvorove što mile i vrve vodom i ptice krilate svake vrste. I vidje Bog da je dobro.

22 I blagoslovi ih govoreći: "Plodite se i množite i napunite vode morske! I ptice neka se namnože na zemlji!"

23 Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan peti.

24 I reče Bog: "Neka zemlja izvede živa bića, svako prema svojoj vrsti: stoku, gmizavce i zvjerad svake vrste!" I bi tako.

25 I stvori Bog svakovrsnu zvjerad, stoku i gmizavce svake vrste. I vidje Bog da je dobro.

26 I reče Bog: "Načinimo čovjeka na svoju sliku, sebi slična, da bude gospodar ribama morskim, pticama nebeskim i stoci - svoj zemlji - i svim gmizavcima što puze po zemlji!"

27 Na svoju sliku stvori Bog čovjeka, na sliku Božju on ga stvori, muško i žensko stvori ih.

28 I blagoslovi ih Bog i reče im: "Plodite se, i množite, i napunite zemlju, i sebi je podložite! Vladajte ribama u moru i pticama u zraku i svim živim stvorovima što puze po zemlji!"

29 I doda Bog: "Evo, dajem vam sve bilje što se sjemeni, po svoj zemlji, i sva stabla plodonosna što u sebi nose svoje sjeme: neka vam budu za hranu!

30 A zvijerima na zemlji i pticama u zraku i gmizavcima što puze po zemlji u kojima je dah života - neka je za hranu sve zeleno bilje!" I bi tako.

31 I vidje Bog sve što je učinio, i bijaše veoma dobro. Tako bude večer, pa jutro - dan šesti.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #55

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

55. Verse 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, 1 and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth.

Because the most ancient people applied the term Marriage to understanding and will, or faith and love, when joined together, they gave the name Fruitfulness to any good resulting from that marriage, and Multiplication to any truth. For this reason similar expressions occur in the Prophets, as in Ezekiel,

I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will multiply and be fruitful, and I will resettle you 2 to be as in your ancient times, and I will bless you more than in your former times, and you will know that I am Jehovah, and I will cause man to walk upon you, even My people Israel. Ezekiel 36:8-11.

Here 'man' is used to mean the spiritual man, who is also called Israel, 'ancient times' the Most Ancient Church, 'former times' the Ancient Church which came after the Flood. The reason why 'multiplying', which relates to truth, comes first and why 'being fruitful', which relates to good, follows is that the subject is the person who is to be regenerated, not one who has been regenerated.

[2] When the understanding is coupled to the will, or faith to love, the individual is called by the Lord in Isaiah 'a married land',

Your land will no more be called Desolate, but you will be named My-good-pleasure-is-in-her, and your land, Married; for Jehovah will take His pleasure in you, and your land will be married. Isaiah 62:4.

The resulting fruits which are matters of truth are called 'sons', and the fruits which are matters of good are called 'daughters'. This recurs very frequently in the Word.

[3] The earth is 'being filled' when there are many goods and truths, for when the Lord is 'blessing' and 'saying' - that is, when He is at work - the increase of good and truth is limitless, as the Lord says,

The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is indeed the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of all plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air 3 come and nest in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32.

'A grain of mustard seed' is the good a person has before he becomes spiritual. It is 'the smallest of all seeds' because he imagines that he himself is the source of the good he does. In reality what he does of himself is nothing but evil, yet because he is in a state of being regenerated there is some element of good, though it is quite 'the smallest of all'. Later on when faith is being joined to love it grows larger and becomes 'a plant'. Once it has finally been joined to love it develops into a tree, and at that point 'the birds of the air, 3 which here are truths or intellectual concepts, 'nest in its branches', which are facts.

[4] A person is involved in conflict not only when becoming spiritual, but also when he is spiritual. Hence the statement, 'Subdue the earth, and have dominion over it'.

Footnotes:

1. literally, bird of the heavens (of the skies)

2. literally, I will cause you to inhabit

3. literally, birds of heaven (or the sky)

  
/ 10837  
  

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