The Bible

 

Genesis 26

Study

   

1 Da der opstod Hungersnød i Landet - en anden end den forrige på Abrahams Tid - begav Isak sig til Filisterkongen Abimelek i Gerar.

2 Og HE EN åbenbarede sig for ham og sagde: "Drag ikke ned til Ægypten, men bliv i det Land, jeg siger dig;

3 bo som fremmed i det Land, så vil jeg være med dig og velsigne dig; thi dig og dit Afkom vil jeg give alle disse Lande og stadfæste den Ed, jeg tilsvor din Fader Abraham;

4 og jeg vil gøre dit Afkom talrigt som Himmelens Stjerner og give dit Afkom alle disse Lande, og i din Sæd skal alle Jordens Folk velsignes,

5 fordi Abraham adlød mine Ord og holdt sig mine Forskrifter efterrettelig, mine Bud, Anordninger og Love."

6 Så blev Isak boende i Gerar.

7 Da nu Mændene der på Stedet forhørte sig om hans Hustru, sagde han: "Det er min Søster!" Thi han turde ikke sige, at hun var hans Hustru, af Frygt for at Mændene der på Stedet skulde slå ham ihjel for ebekkas Skyld; thi hun var meget smuk.

8 Men da han havde boet der en Tid lang, hændte det, at Filisterkongen Abimelek lænede sig ud af Vinduet og så Isak kærtegne sin Hustru ebekka.

9 Så lod Abimelek Isak kalde og sagde: "Hun er jo din Hustru; hvor kunde du da sige, at hun er din Søster" Isak svarede: "Jo, jeg tænkte: Jeg vil ikke udsætte mig for at miste Livet for hendes Skyld."

10 Men Abimelek sagde: "Hvad er det dog, du har gjort imod os! Hvor let kunde det ikke være sket, at en af Folket havde ligget hos din Hustru, og så havde du bragt Skyld over os!"

11 Så bød Abimelek alt Folket: "Hver den, der rører denne Mand eller hans Hustru, skal lide Døden."

12 Isak såede der i Landet og fik samme År 100 Fold; og HE EN velsignede ham,

13 så han blev en mægtig Mand og stadig gik frem, indtil han blev såre mægtig,

14 og han havde Småkvæg og Hornkvæg og Trælle i Mængde. Derover blev Filisterne skinsyge på ham.

15 Alle de Brønde, hans Faders Trælle havde gravet i hans Fader Abrahams Dage, kastede Filisterne til.og fyldte dem med Jord;

16 og Abimelek sagde til Isak: "Drag bort fra os, thi du er blevet os for stærk!"

17 Så drog Isak bort og slog Lejr i Gerars Dal og bosatte sig der.

18 Men Isak lod atter de Brønde udgrave, som hans Fader Abrahams Trælle havde gravet, og som Filisterne havde tilkastet efter Abrahams Død, og gav dem de samme Navne, som hans Fader havde givet dem.

19 Da nu Isaks Trælle gravede i Dalen, stødte de på en Brønd med rindende Vand;

20 men Gerars Hyrder yppede Kiv med Isaks og sagde: "Dette Vand tilhører os!" Derfor kaldte han Brønden Esek, thi der stredes de med ham.

21 Så flyttede han derfra og lod grave en ny Brønd; og da de også yppede Kiv om den, kaldte han den Sitna.

22 Så flyttede han derfra og lod grave en ny Brønd; og da de ikke yppede Kiv om den, kaldte han den ehobot, idet han sagde: "Nu har HE EN skaffet os Plads, så vi kan blive talrige i Landet"

23 Så drog han derfra til Be'ersjeba.

24 Samme Nat åbenbarede HE EN sig for ham og sagde: "Jeg er din Fader Abrahams Gud; frygt ikke, thi jeg er med dig, og jeg vil velsigne dig og gøre dit Afkom talrigt for min Tjener Abrahams, Skyld!"

25 Da byggede Isak et Alter der og påkaldte HE ENs Navn; og der opslog han sit Telt, og hans Trælle gravede der en Brønd.

26 Imidlertid kom Abimelek til ham fra Gerar med sin Ven Ahuzzat og sin Hærfører Pikol.

27 Isak sagde til dem: "Hvorfor kommer I til mig, når I dog hader mig og har jaget mig bort fra eder?"

28 Men de svarede: "Vi ser tydeligt, at HE EN er med dig, derfor har vi tænkt: Lad der blive et Edsforbund mellem os og dig, og lad os slutte en Pagt med dig,

29 at du ikke vil gøre os noget ondt, ligesom vi ikke har voldet dig Men, men kun handlet vel imod dig og ladet dig fare i Fred; du er og bliver jo HE ENs velsignede!"

30 Så gjorde han et Gæstebud for dem, og de spiste og drak.

31 Næste Morgen svor de hinanden Eder, og derefter tog Isak Afsked med dem, og de drog bort i Fred.

32 Samme Dag kom Isaks Trælle og bragte ham Melding om den Brønd, de havde gravet, og sagde: "Vi har fundet Vand!"

33 Så kaldte han den Sjib'a; og derfor hedder Byen den Dag i Dag Be'ersjeba.

34 Da Esau var fyrretyve År gammel, tog han Judit, en Datter af Hetiten Be'eri, og Basemat, en Datter af Hetiten Elon, til Ægte.

35 Det var Isak og ebekka en Hjertesorg.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3368

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

3368. Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land of which I tell thee. That this signifies that He should not go down to memory-knowledges, but to rational things which being enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth, is evident from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledge (n. 1164-1165, 1186, 1462); and from the signification of “land,” as being here rational things which when enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth; for the land which is here meant is Gerar, where Abimelech king of the Philistines was, and by “Gerar” is signified faith; by “Abimelech,” the doctrine of faith that looks to rational things; and by the “king of the Philistines,” doctrinal things (n. 3363, 3365); so that the “land,” namely, Gerar where Abimelech was, has the above signification in the internal sense.

[2] For the signification of “land” is various (n. 620, 636, 1066), denoting the quality of the nation of which it is predicated (n. 1262). But in the proper sense “land” signifies the church (n. 3355); and because it signifies the church, it signifies also those things which are of the church, consequently the doctrinal things of charity and faith; thus also rational things which being enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth; for that these appearances are the truths of the church, thus its doctrinal things, may be seen above (n. 3364, 3365). Whether you say rational things enlightened by the Divine, or appearances of truth, or celestial and spiritual truths such as are in the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens, or in heaven, and such as are in His kingdom on the earths, or in the church, comes to the same thing; and the same are also called doctrinal things, but this from the truths that are in them. The angelic and human rational is and is called rational from appearances of truth that are enlightened by the Divine, and without these it is not rational; thus rational things are these appearances of truth.

[3] The reason why it is here said that He should not go down into Egypt, that is, not to memory-knowledges, is that memory-knowledges have already been treated of; for Abraham’s sojourning in Egypt represented the Lord’s instruction in His childhood in memory-knowledges (n. 1502). As regards the arcanum that He should not go down into Egypt, but should sojourn in the land of Gerar, that is, that He should not look to memory-knowledges, but to rational things, the case is this: All appearances of truth that have what is Divine in them belong to the rational, insomuch that rational truths and appearances of truth are the same; whereas memory-knowledges belong to the natural, insomuch that natural truths and memory-truths are the same. Rational truths, or appearances of truth, cannot possibly be and come forth except from the influx of the Divine into the rational, and through rational things into the memory-knowledges which are of the natural. The things which then take place in the rational appear in the natural; just as an image of many things appears all together in a mirror; and thereby they are presented before the man, and also before an angel; before an angel however they are not presented so evidently in the natural as they are with those who are in the world of spirits and are in the spiritual natural, and hence these have representatives of truth.

[4] The case is similar with every man, for as before said the man who is in good is a little heaven, or what is the same is an image of the Grand Heaven; and because Divine truth cannot inflow immediately into memory-knowledges, which are of the natural man, but only through rational things, as before said, therefore it is here said that Isaac should not go down into Egypt, but should reside in the land of Gerar. But a clear idea cannot be had concerning these things unless the nature of influx is known, and also the nature of ideas; and therefore of the Lord’s Divine mercy these things will be treated of at the close of the chapters, where experiences are related.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1186

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

1186. That “Asshur” is reasoning, is evident from the signification of Asshur or Assyria in the Word, where it is constantly taken for the things which pertain to reason, in both senses; namely, for what is of reason, and for reasonings. By reason and rational things are properly meant things that are true; and by reasoning and reasonings, those which are false. Because “Asshur” signifies reason and reasoning, it is very frequently connected with “Egypt,” which signifies memory-knowledges; for reason and reasoning are from such knowledges. That “Asshur” signifies reasoning is evident in Isaiah:

Woe unto Asshur, the rod of Mine anger, he thinketh not right, neither doth his heart meditate right, he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, because I am intelligent (Isaiah 10:5, 7, 13), where “Asshur” denotes reasoning, of whom it is therefore predicated that he neither thinketh nor doth meditate right; and it is said, “by his own wisdom, because he is intelligent.”

[2] In Ezekiel:

Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth. The one committed whoredom, and doted on her lovers, on Asshur (the Assyrians) her neighbors, who were clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. The sons of Babel came to her, and they defiled her with their whoredom (Ezekiel 23:2-3, 5-6, 17).

Here “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges; “Asshur,” reasoning; and “the sons of Babel,” falsities from cupidities.

[3] In the same:

O Jerusalem, thou hast also committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, thou hast committed whoredom also with the sons of Asshur, and thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even into the land of Canaan unto Chaldea (Ezekiel 16:26, 28-29), where “Egypt” in like manner denotes memory-knowledges; “Asshur,” reasoning. Reasoning from memory-knowledges concerning spiritual and celestial things is called “whoredom,” both here and elsewhere in the Word. That whoredom with the Egyptians and the Assyrians is not meant, anyone can see.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Israel, what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? and what hast thou to do with the way of Asshur, to drink the waters of the river [Euphrates]? (Jeremiah 2:18, 36).

Here likewise “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges; and “Asshur,” reasoning. In the same:

Israel is a scattered sheep, the lions have driven him away, first the king of Asshur hath devoured him, and after that this king of Babel hath broken his bones (Jeremiah 50:17-18).

“Asshur” here is reasoning concerning spiritual things.

[5] In Micah:

This shall be the peace, when Asshur shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, we will even set over him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men, and they shall feed down the land of Asshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod, In the gates thereof, and he shall deliver from Asshur, when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread upon our border (Micah 5:5-6).

The subject here is Israel, or the spiritual church, of which it is said that “Asshur shall not enter in,” that is, that reasoning shall not; “the land of Nimrod” denotes such worship as is signified by Nimrod, in which the interiors are evil and false.

[6] That “Asshur” in the Word is also reason, which is in the man of the church, whereby he discerns truth and good, is evident in Hosea:

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Asshur (Hosea 11:11).

“Egypt” here denotes the memory-knowledge of the man of the church; and “Asshur,” his reason. That a “bird” is the intellectual of the memory [scientificum intellectuale], and “a dove” rational good, has been shown before.

[7] In Isaiah:

In that day shall there be a path from Egypt to Asshur, and Asshur shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Asshur, and the Egyptians shall serve Asshur. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the land, which Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).

The subject here is the spiritual church, which is “Israel,” whose reason is “Asshur,” and memory-knowledge “Egypt.” These three constitute the intellectual things of the man of the spiritual church, which follow one another in this order. In other places also where Asshur is named, it signifies the rational, either true or false, as in:

Isaiah 20:1, 3; 23:13; 27:13; 30:31; 31:8, 36, 37; 52:4,

Ezekiel 27:23-24; 31:3-18; 32:22;

Micah 7:12;

Zephaniah 2:13;

Zechariah 10:11;

Psalms 83:8.

“Asshur” denotes reasoning in Hosea 5:13; 7:11; 10:6; 11:5; 12:1; 14:3; and in Zechariah 10:10, where Ephraim is spoken of, by whom is signified the intellectual, but here, perverted.

  
/ 10837  
  

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