The Bible

 

Postanak 15

Study

   

1 Poslije tih događaja Jahve uputi Abramu riječ u ukazanju: "Ne boj se, Abrame, ja sam ti zaštita; a nagrada tvoja bit će vrlo velika!"

2 Abram odgovori: "Gospodine moj, Jahve, čemu mi tvoji darovi kad ostajem bez poroda; kad je mojoj kući nasljednik Eliezer Damaščanin?

3 Kako mi nisi dao potomstva - nastavi Abram - jedan će, eto, od mojih ukućana postati moj baštinik."

4 Ali mu Jahve opet uputi riječ: "Taj neće biti tvoj baštinik, nego će ti baštinik biti tvoj potomak."

5 Izvede ga van i reče: "Pogledaj na nebo i zvijezde prebroj ako ih možeš prebrojiti." A onda doda: "Toliko će biti tvoje potomstvo."

6 Abram povjerova Jahvi, i on mu to uračuna u pravednost.

7 Tada mu on reče: "Ja sam Jahve koji sam te odveo iz Ura Kaldejskoga da ti predam ovu zemlju u posjed."

8 A on odvrati: "Gospodine moj, Jahve, kako ću ja doznati da ću je zaposjesti?"

9 Odgovori mu: "Prinesi mi junicu od tri godine, kozu od tri godine, ovna od tri godine, jednu grlicu i jednog golubića."

10 Sve mu to donese, rasiječe na pole i metnu sve pole jednu prema drugoj; ptica nije rasijecao.

11 Ptice grabežljivice obarale se na leševe, ali ih je Abram rastjerivao.

12 Kad je sunce bilo pri zalazu, dubok san obuzme Abrama, a onda se na nj spusti gust mrak pun jeze.

13 Tada Bog reče Abramu: "Dobro znaj da će tvoji potomci biti stranci u tuđoj zemlji; robovat će i biti tlačeni četiri stotine godina,

14 ali narodu kojem budu služili ja ću suditi; i konačno će izići s velikim blagom.

15 A ti ćeš k ocima svojim u miru poći, u sretnoj starosti bit ćeš sahranjen.

16 Oni će se ovamo vratiti za četvrtog naraštaja, jer mjera se zlodjela amorejskih još nije navršila."

17 Kad je sunce zašlo i pao gust mrak, pojavi se zadimljen žeravnjak i goruća zublja te prođu između onih dijelova.

18 Toga je dana Jahve sklopio Savez s Abramom rekavši: "Potomstvu tvojemu dajem zemlju ovu od Rijeke u Egiptu do Velike rijeke, rijeke Eufrata:

19 Kenijce, Kenižane, Kadmonce,

20 Hetite, Perižane, Refaimce,

21 Amorejce, Kanaance, Girgašane, Jebusejce."

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1862

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

1862. 'Which passed between the pieces' means that it divided off those who belonged to the Church from the Lord. This becomes clear from what has been stated above at verse 10 about the separation of the animals down the middle meaning parallelism and correspondence as regards celestial things, and about each part being laid opposite the other meaning the Church and the Lord, and about the space or interval in between meaning that which lies between the Lord and the Church, or the Lord and the member of the Church, namely a conscience in which goods and truths have been implanted by means of charity. When hatred has taken the place of charity, and evils and falsities the place of goods and truths, no conscience for what is good and true exists. Instead this space or interval in between appears as something filled up with a smoking furnace and a burning torch, that is, filled up with persuasions of falsity and with hatred, which are what separate the Lord completely from the Church. These are the things meant by 'it passed between those pieces', especially the flaming torch which is self-love, or what amounts to the same, the evil that is the product of hatred. This becomes clear also in Jeremiah where almost the same words occur,

I will make the men (vir) who transgressed My covenant and who did not keep the terms of the covenant which they made before Me like the calf which they cut in two and passed between its parts. The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf, and I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their souls, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the air 1 and the beasts of the earth. Jeremiah 34:14, 2 18-20.

Footnotes:

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

214 is omitted from the printed text, but is present in the Latin

  
/ 10837  
  

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