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Genesis 20

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1 Der På brød Abraham op derfra til Sydlandet og slog sig ned mellem Kadesj og Sjur og boede som fremmed i Gerar.

2 Da nu Abraham sagde om sin Hustru Sara, at hun var hans Søster, sendte Kong Abimelek af Gerar Bud og lod Sara hente til sig.

3 Men Gud kom til Abimelek i en Drøm om Natten og sagde til ham: "Se, du skal for den Kvindes Skyld, som du har taget, thi hun er en anden Mands Hustru!"

4 Abimelek var imidlertid ikke kommet hende nær; og han sagde: "Herre, vil du virkelig.slå retfærdige Folk ihjel?

5 Har han ikke sagt mig, at hun er hans Søster? Og hun selv har også sagt, at han er hendes Broder; i mit Hjertes Troskyldighed og med rene Hænder har jeg gjort dette."

6 Da sagde Gud til ham i Drømmen: "Jeg ved, at du har gjort det i dit Hjertes Troskyldighed, og jeg har også hindret dig i at synde imod mig; derfor tilstedte jeg dig ikke at røre hende.

7 Men send nu Mandens Hustru tilbage, thi han er en Profet, så han kan gå i Forbøn for dig, og du kan blive i Live; men sender du hende ikke tilbage, så vid, at du og alle dine er dødsens!"

8 Tidligt næste Morgen lod Abimelek alle sine Tjenere kalde og fortalte dem det hele, og Mændene blev såre forfærdede.

9 Men Abimelek lod Abraham kalde og sagde til ham: "Hvad har du dog gjort imod os? Og hvad har jeg forbrudt imod dig, at du bragte denne store Synd over mig og mit ige? Du har gjort imod mig, hvad man ikke bør gøre!"

10 Og Abimelek sagde til Abraham: "Hvad bragte dig til at handle således?"

11 Abraham svarede: "Jo, jeg tænkte: Her er sikkert ingen Gudsfrygt på dette Sted, så de vil slå mig ihjel for min Hustrus Skyld.

12 Desuden er hun virkelig min Søster, min Faders Datter, kun ikke min Moders; men hun blev min Hustru.

13 Og da nu Gud lod mig flakke om fjernt fra min Faders Hus, sagde jeg til hende: Den Godhed må du vise mig, at du overalt, hvor vi kommer hen, siger, at jeg er din Broder."

14 Derpå tog Abimelelk Småkvæg og Hornkvæg, Trælle og Trælkvinder og gav Abraham dem og sendte hans Hustru Sara tilbage til ham;

15 og Abimelek sagde til ham: "Se, mit Land ligger åbent for dig; slå dig ned, hvor du lyster!"

16 Men til Sara sagde han: "Jeg har givet din Broder 1000 Sekel Sølv, det skal være dig Godtgørelse for alt, hvad der er tilstødt dig. Hermed har du fået fuld Oprejsning."

17 Men Abraham gik i Forbøn hos Gud, og Gud helbredte Abimelek og hans Hustru og Medhustruer, så at de atter fik Børn.

18 HE EN havde nemlig lukket for ethvert Moderliv i Abimeleks Hus for Abrahams Hustru Saras Skyld.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2540

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2540. That 'in the morning Abimelech rose up early' means a clear perception and confirmatory light flowing from celestial good is clear from the meaning of 'rising in the morning', also of 'Abimelech', as well as of 'early'. What 'the morning' means has been shown in 2333, 2405. From these meanings - and also from the whole train of thought, which is that at first the Lord's perception was obscure, 2513, 2514, and after that less obscure, 2528 - it is evident that here a clear perception is meant. As for 'Abimelech' - that he means the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational things - see above 2509, 2510. And what 'in the early morning' means is evident from the meaning of 'the morning'. Here, since it is said that 'he rose up in the morning - in the early morning', not only a clear perception is meant but also confirmatory light flowing from celestial good; for celestial good is the source from which the confirmatory light of truth is derived. These considerations now show that such things are meant.

[2] The reason why the perception which the Lord had when He was in the Human, and why His thought concerning that which was rational with the doctrine of faith, are dealt with so extensively in the internal sense is that stated above. A further reason is that it is angel-like to think in a distinct manner about the various aspects of the Lord's life in the world, and about how He cast off the human rational and by His own power made it Divine, and at the same time to think about the nature of the doctrine of charity and faith when the rational mixes with it, besides many more things dependent on these, which are interior features of the Church and of man. To anyone whose heart and mind are set on worldly and bodily interests, such matters seem of little importance, and perhaps of no advantage to him; whereas to angels whose hearts and minds are set on celestial and spiritual interests, those same matters are precious. Their ideas and perceptions regarding them are beyond description. From this it is evident that very many matters which to man are of little importance because they are above and beyond his grasp of things are to angels of the highest worth since those matters come within the light of their wisdom; and conversely, the matters of highest worth to man, because they are worldly and so come within his grasp of things, are to angels of little importance since those matters go on away from the light of angels' wisdom. This difference between angels and men with regard to the internal sense of the Word occurs in many places.

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