The Bible

 

Postanak 8

Study

   

1 Onda se Bog sjeti Noe, svih zvijeri i sve stoke što bijaše s njim u korablji, pa pokrenu vjetar nad zemljom da uzbije vodu.

2 Zatvoriše se izvori bezdanu i ustave nebeske, i dažd s neba prestade.

3 Polako se povlačile vode sa zemlje. Nakon stotinu pedeset dana vode su jenjale,

4 a sedmoga mjeseca, sedamnaestog dana u mjesecu korablja se zaustavi na brdima Ararata.

5 Vode su neprestano opadale do desetog mjeseca, a prvoga dana desetog mjeseca pokažu se brdski vrhunci.

6 Kad je izminulo četrdeset dana, Noa otvori prozor što ga je načinio na korablji;

7 ispusti gavrana, a gavran svejednako odlijetaše i dolijetaše dok se vode sa zemlje nisu isušile.

8 Zatim ispusti golubicu da vidi je li voda nestala sa zemlje.

9 Ali golubica ne nađe uporišta nogama te se vrati k njemu u korablju, jer voda još pokrivaše svu površinu; on pruži ruku, uhvati golubicu te je unese k sebi u korablju.

10 Počeka još sedam dana pa opet pusti golubicu iz korablje.

11 Prema večeri golubica se vrati k njemu, i gle! u kljunu joj svjež maslinov list; tako je Noa doznao da su opale vode sa zemlje.

12 Još počeka sedam dana pa opet pusti golubicu: više mu se nije vratila.

13 Šest stotina prve godine Noina života, prvoga mjeseca, prvog dana u mjesecu uzmakoše vode sa zemlje. Noa skine pokrov s korablje i pogleda: površina okopnjela.

14 A drugoga mjeseca, sedamnaestog dana u mjesecu, zemlja bijaše suha.

15 Tada Bog reče Noi:

16 "Iziđi iz korablje, ti, tvoja žena, tvoji sinovi i žene tvojih sinova s tobom.

17 Sa sobom izvedi sva živa bića, sva stvorenja što su s tobom: ptice, stoku i sve gmizavce što zemljom puze; neka zemljom vrve, plode se i na zemlji množe!"

18 I Noa iziđe, a s njime sinovi njegovi, žena njegova i žene sinova njegovih.

19 Sve životinje, svi gmizavci, sve ptice - svi stvorovi što se zemljom miču - iziđu iz korablje, vrsta za vrstom.

20 I podiže Noa žrtvenik Jahvi; uze od svih čistih životinja i od svih čistih ptica i prinese na žrtveniku žrtve paljenice.

21 Jahve omirisa miris ugodni pa reče u sebi: "Nikad više neću zemlju u propast strovaliti zbog čovjeka, tÓa čovječje su misli opake od njegova početka; niti ću ikad više uništiti sva živa stvorenja, kako sam učinio.

22 Sve dok zemlje bude, sjetve, žetve, studeni, vrućine, ljeta, zime, dani, noći nikada prestati neće."

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #897

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

897. The subject here being the regenerate member of the Ancient Church, 'seeing means acknowledging and possessing faith. That 'seeing' has this meaning becomes clear from the Word, as in Isaiah,

You did not look to the Maker of it, and Him who fashioned it long ago you did not set. Isaiah 21:11.

This refers to the city of Zion. 'Not seeing Him who fashioned it long ago' means not even acknowledging, let alone possessing faith. In the same prophet,

Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and plaster over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their heart understands and they turn again and are healed. Isaiah 6:10.

'Seeing with the eyes' stands for acknowledging and possessing faith. In the same prophet,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2.

This refers to gentiles who received faith, as does the present verse which says that 'he removed the covering, and saw out'. In the same prophet,

On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see Isaiah 19:18.

This refers to the conversion of gentiles to faith. 'Seeing' stands for receiving faith. In the same prophet,

Hear, you deaf, look and see, you blind. Isaiah 41:18.

Here the meaning is similar. In Ezekiel,

They have eyes to see but they see not; they have ears to hear but they hear not because they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 12:2.

This stands for people who are capable of understanding, acknowledging, and possessing faith but who do not wish to. That 'seeing' means possessing faith is quite clear from the representation of the Lord by the bronze serpent in the wilderness when everyone who beheld it would be healed, and of which it is said in Moses,

Set a serpent on a standard, and it will happen that everyone who has been bitten, when he sees it, will live So it happened, if a serpent had bitten a man, when he saw the serpent of bronze, that he lived. Numbers 21:8-9.

Anyone may see from this that 'seeing' means faith, for what else can 'seeing' be in this instance than something representative of faith in the Lord? This point is clear also from the fact that Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, who was given that name from the word 'seeing', in the internal sense means faith. See what has been stated already about the firstborn of the Church in 352, 367.

  
/ 10837  
  

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