The Bible

 

Genesis 34

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1 Vyšla pak Dína, dcera Líe, kterouž porodila Jákobovi, aby se dívala na dceryzemě.

2 Kteroužto uzřev Sichem, syn Emora Hevejského, knížete v krajině té, vzal ji, i ležel s ní, a ponížil jí.

3 I připojila se duše jeho k Díně, dceři Jákobově; a zamilovav děvečku, mluvil k srdci jejímu.

4 Mluvil potom Sichem k Emorovi, otci svému, těmito slovy: Vezmi mi děvečku tuto za manželku.

5 Uslyšev pak Jákob, že poškvrnil Díny dcery jeho, (a synové jeho byli s stádem na poli), mlčel, až oni přišli.

6 Tedy vyšel Emor, otec Sichemův, k Jákobovi, aby mluvil s ním o to.

7 A v tom synové Jákobovi přišli s pole; a uslyšavše o tom, bolestí naplněni jsou muži ti, a rozhněvali se velmi, proto že hanebnou věc učinil v Izraeli, ležav se dcerou Jákobovou, čehož činiti nenáleželo.

8 I mluvil Emor s nimi na tento způsob: Sichem, syn můj, hoří milostí k vaší dceři; prosím, dejte mu ji za manželku.

9 A spřízněte se s námi: Dcery své dávejte nám, a naše Dcery pojímejte sobě.

10 A bydlete s námi, nebo všecka země bude před vámi; osaďte se a obchod veďte v ní, a vládněte jí.

11 Mluvil i Sichem otci jejímu, a bratřím jejím: Nechť naleznu milost před očima vašima, dám, co mi koli díte.

12 Jmenujte mi věno i dary jak chcete veliké, dám, jak mi koli řeknete; jen mi tu děvečku dejte za manželku.

13 Odpovídajíce pak synové Jákobovi Sichemovi a Emorovi, otci jeho, lstivě mluvili, proto že poškvrnil Díny sestry jich.

14 A řekli jim: Nemůžeme učiniti toho, abychom dali sestru svou za muže neobřezaného; nebo to ohavnost jest u nás.

15 Než na tento způsob vám povolíme: Jestliže se chcete srovnati s námi, aby obřezán byl každý z vás pohlaví mužského:

16 Tedy budeme dávati dcery své vám, a dcery vaše bráti sobě; a budeme bydliti s vámi, a budeme lid jeden.

17 Pakli neuposlechnete nás, abyste se obřezali, vezmeme zase dceru svou a odejdeme.

18 Tedy líbila se řeč jejich Emorovi i Sichemovi, synu Emorovu.

19 A nemeškal mládenec učiniti toho; nebo se mu zalíbila dcera Jákobova. A on byl nejvzácnější ze všech v domě otce svého.

20 I přišel Emor a Sichem, syn jeho, k bráně města svého; a mluvili mužům města svého, řkouce:

21 Muži tito pokojně se mají k nám, nechť tedy bydlí v zemi této, a obchod vedou v ní, (nebo země jest dosti široká a prostranná před nimi;) dcery jejich budeme sobě bráti za manželky, a dcery své budeme dávati jim.

22 Než na tento způsob přivolí nám ti muži k tomu, aby bydlili s námi, a abychom byli jeden lid: Jestliže obřezán bude každý pohlaví mužského mezi námi, tak jako oni jsou obřezáni.

23 Dobytek jejich a statek jejich, i všecka hovada jejich, zdaliž nebudou naše? Toliko v tom jim povolme, a budou bydliti s námi.

24 I uposlechli Emora a Sichema, syna jeho, všickni vycházející branou města jeho; a obřezali se všickni pohlaví mužského, což jich koli vycházelo z brány města jeho.

25 A toť dne třetího, když oni největší bolest měli, dva synové Jákobovi, Simeon a Léví, bratří Díny, vzav každý z nich meč svůj, vpadli do města směle, a pomordovali všecky pohlaví mužského.

26 Emora také a Sichema, syna jeho, zamordovali mečem, a vzavše Dínu z domu Sichemova, odešli.

27 Potom synové Jákobovi přišedše na zbité, vzebrali město, proto že poškvrnili sestry jejich.

28 Stáda jejich, a voly i osly jejich, a což bylo v městě i po poli, pobrali.

29 K tomu i všecko jmění jejich, a všecky malé dítky jejich, a ženy jejich zajali, a vybrali, co kde v domích bylo.

30 Řekl pak Jákob Simeonovi a Léví: Zkormoutili jste mne, a zošklivili jste mne u obyvatelů krajiny této, u Kananejských a Ferezejských, a já jsem s malým počtem lidí. Seberou-li se na mne, zbijí mne, a tak vyhlazen budu já i dům můj.

31 A oni odpověděli: A což měli jako nevěstky zle užívati sestry naší?

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4392

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4392. 'Therefore he called the name of the place Succoth' means the nature of that state. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421, and from the meaning of 'place' as state, dealt with in 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321. It is the nature of this state that is embodied in the name 'Succoth', that is to say, the nature of the state of the holiness present within truth from good at that time. For 'Succoth' means tents, and 'tents' means the holiness of truth, as shown immediately above in 4391. 'Succoth' carries a similar meaning in David,

I will divide Shechem and portion out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is the strength of My head, Judah is My lawgiver. Psalms 60:6-7, and Psalms 108:7-8.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3387

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3387. 'For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah' means that it was impossible for Divine Truths themselves to be disclosed, and so for Divine Good to be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid to say' as an inability to disclose; from the meaning of 'wife', who is Rebekah here, as the Lord's Divine Rational in respect to Divine Truth, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077; from the meaning of 'killing me' as good not being received, for 'Isaac', to whom 'me' refers here, represents the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210 - good being said 'to be killed' or to perish when it is not received, for it ceases to exist with that person; and from the meaning of 'the men of the place' as people who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith, dealt with just above in 3385. From these meanings it is now evident what the internal sense of these words is, namely: If Divine truths themselves were disclosed they would not be received by those who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith because those truths go beyond the whole range of their rational grasp of things, and so go beyond the whole of their faith, and as a consequence of this no good at all could flow in from the Lord. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, cannot flow in except into truths, for truths are the vessels for good, as shown many times.

[2] Truths or appearances of truth are given to a person to enable Divine Good to develop the understanding part of his mind, and so the person himself, for truths exist to the end that good may flow in. Indeed without vessels or receptacles good has nowhere to go, for it can find no condition answering to itself. Where no truths exist therefore, that is, where they have not been received, neither does any rational or human good exist; and as a consequence the person does not possess any spiritual life. Therefore, so that a person may nevertheless possess truths, and from these receive spiritual life, appearances of truth are given, to everyone according to his ability to grasp them; and these appearances are acknowledged as truths because they have the capacity to hold Divine things within them.

[3] So that it may be known what appearances are and that they are what serve a person as Divine truths, let the following be used by way of illustration: If man were told that in heaven angels have no concept of place, and so no concept of distance, but that instead they have concepts of state, he could not possibly grasp it, for he would suppose from this that nothing distinct and separate existed but that everything was fused together, that is to say, all the angels were together in a single place. Yet everything there is so distinct and separate that nothing could ever be more so. Places, distances, and intervals of space which exist in the natural order exist in heaven as states, see 3356. From this it is evident that all the things that are stated in the Word about places and intervals of space between objects, also ideas that are formed from these and expressed through them, are appearances of truth; and unless everything were stated by means of those appearances it would in no way be received and would as a consequence be scarcely anything; for the concept of space and time is present in almost every single detail of a person's thought as long as he is in the world, that is, living within space and time.

[4] The fact that the Word speaks according to appearances involving space is clear from almost every single part of it, as in Matthew,

Jesus said, How is it that David says, The Lord [said] to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matthew 22:43-44.

Here the expression 'sitting at the right hand' is derived from the concept of place and so according to the appearance - when in fact it is a state of the Lord's Divine power which is described by that expression. In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matthew 26:64.

Here similarly 'sitting at the right hand' and also 'coming on clouds' are expressions derived from men's concept of place, whereas the concept angels have is one of the state of the Lord's power. In Mark,

The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus replied, To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:37, 40.

From this it is evident what kind of concept the disciples had of the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, one that involved sitting on the right hand and on the left. Such being the concept they had of it the Lord also replied to them in a way they could understand and so by an appearance that could be seen by them.

[5] In David,

Like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoices as a mighty man to run the course. From the end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit to the ends of them. Psalms 19:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, the state of whose Divine power is described by means of such things as belong to space. In Isaiah,

How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of God 1 I will raise my throne. I will go up above the heights of the clouds. Isaiah 14:12-14.

'Falling from heaven', 'going up the heavens', 'raising a throne above the stars of God', 'going up above the heights of the clouds' are all expressions derived from the concept and appearance of space or a place, and are used to describe self-love profaning holy things. Since celestial and spiritual things are presented to man by means of and according to visual objects like these, heaven too is therefore described as being on high when in fact it is not on high but in that which is internal, 450, 1380, 2148.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin means heaven; but the Hebrew means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

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