The Bible

 

Genesis 3

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1 Men Slangen var træskere end alle Markens andre Dyr, som Gud HE EN havde gjort og den sagde til Kvinden: "Mon Gud virkelig ham sagt: I må ikke spise af noget Træ i Haven?"

2 Kvinden svarede: "Vi har Lov at spise af Frugten på Havens Træer;

3 kun af Frugten fra Træet midt i Haven, sagde Gud, må I ikke spise, ja, I må ikke røre derved, thi så skal I !"

4 Da sagde Slangen til Kvinden: "I skal ingenlunde ;

5 men Gud ved, at når I spiser deraf, åbnes eders Øjne, så I blive som Gud til at kende godt og ondt!"

6 Kvinden blev nu var, at Træet var godt at spise af, en Lyst for Øjnene og godt at få Forstand af; og hun tog af dets Frugt og spiste og gav også sin Mand, der stod hos hende, og han spiste.

7 Da åbnedes begges Øjne, og de kendte, at de var nøgne. Derfor syede de Figenblade sammen og bandt dem om sig.

8 Da Dagen blev sval, hørte de Gud HE EN vandre i Haven, og Adam og hans Hustru skjulte sig for ham inde mellem Havens Træer.

9 Da kaldte Gud HE EN på Adam og råbte: "Hvor er du?"

10 Han svarede: "Jeg hørte dig i Haven og blev angst, fordi jeg var nøgen, og så skjulte jeg mig!"

11 Da sagde han: "Hvem fortalte dig, at du var nøgen. Mon du har spist af det Træ, jeg sagde, du ikke måtte spise af?"

12 Adam svarede: "Kvinden, som du satte ved min Side, gav mig af Træet, og så spiste jeg."

13 Da sagde Gud HE EN til Kvinde: "Hvad har du gjort!" Kvinden svarede: "Slangen forførte mig, og så spiste jeg."

14 Da sagde Gud HE EN til Slangen: "Fordi du har gjort dette, være du forbandet blandt al Kvæget og blandt alle Markens Dyr! På din Bug skal du krybe, og Støv skal du æde alle dit Livs Dage!

15 Jeg sætter Fjendskab mellem dig og Kvinden, mellem din Sæd og hendes Sæd; den skal knuse dit Hoved, og du skal hugge den i Hælen!"

16 Til Kvinden sagde han: "Jeg vil meget mangfoldiggøre dit Svangerskabs Møje; med Smerte skal du føde Børn; men til din Mand skal din Attrå være, og han skal herske over dig!"

17 Og til Adam sagde han: "Fordi du lyttede til din Hustrus Tale og spiste af Træet, som jeg sagde, du ikke måtte spise af, skal Jorden være forbandet for din Skyld; med Møje skal du skaffe dig Føde af den alle dit Livs Dage;

18 Torn og Tidsel skal den bære dig, og Markens Urter skal være din Føde;

19 i dit Ansigts Sved skal du spise dit Brød, indtil du vender tilbage til Jorden; thi af den er du taget; ja, Støv er du, og til Støv skal du vende tilbage!"

20 Men Adam kaldte sin Hustru Eva, thi hun blev Moder til alt levende.

21 Derpå gjorde Gud HE EN Skindkjortlet til Adam og hans Hustru og klædte dem dermed.

22 Men Gud HE EN sagde: "Se, Mennesket er blevet som EN af os til at kende godt og ondt. Nu skal han ikke række Hånden ud og tage også af Livets Træ og spise og leve evindelig!"

23 Så forviste Gud HE EN ham fra Edens Have, for at han skulde dyrke Jorden, som han var taget af;

24 og han drev Mennesket ud, og østen for Edens Have satte han Keruberne med det glimtende Flammesværd til at vogte Vejen til Livets Træ.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #936

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936. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. This symbolizes the resulting rational truths by which people caught up in evils and the accompanying falsities are brought to think sanely and to live decently.

The leaves of the tree symbolize rational truths, as will be seen below. Nations symbolize people governed by goods and the accompanying truths, and in an opposite sense people caught up in evils and the accompanying falsities (no. 483). Here they symbolize people caught up in evils and the accompanying falsities, because we are told that the leaves were for healing them, and people caught up in evils and the accompanying falsities cannot be healed by the Word, because they do not read it. However, if they have the judgment, they can be healed by rational truths.

The same symbolic meanings found in this verse are found in the following verses in Ezekiel:

Behold, there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple (which turned into a river), along (whose) bank... were very many trees (good for food) on one side and the other..., (whose) leaves do not fall, and whose fruit is not consumed. They bear fruit again every month..., (on which account) their fruit is good for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:1, 7, 12)

The subject there is also a new church.

Leaves symbolize rational truths because a tree symbolizes a person (nos. 89, 400), and every part of the tree - its branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds - then symbolizes accordant elements in the person. The branches symbolizes a person's sensory and natural truths, the leaves his rational truths, the flowers the first spiritual truths in his rational mind, the fruits the goods of love and charity, and seeds the final elements in the person and also the first.

[2] That leaves symbolize rational truths is clearly apparent from things seen in the spiritual world. For trees are also seen there, with leaves and fruits. Gardens and parks are found there that consist of trees. In the case of people possessing goods of love and at the same time truths of wisdom, fruit trees are seen with an abundance of beautiful leaves. But in the case of people who possess the truths of some wisdom, and who speak in accordance with reason, but lack goods of love, the trees appear full of leaves, but without any fruits. And in the case of people without any goods or truths of wisdom, the only trees seen are bare of any leaves, like trees in winter in the world. An irrational person is just such a tree.

[3] Rational truths are truths which most readily welcome spiritual truths, for a person's rational mind is the first receptacle of spiritual truths. Indeed, seated in a person's rational mind is his perception of truth in a form that the person does not himself see by deliberation, as he does the ideas that reside beneath his rational mind in a lower level of thought that is connected with his outer sight.

Leaves also symbolize rational truths in Genesis 3:7; 8:11; Isaiah 34:4; Jeremiah 8:13; 17:8; Ezekiel 47:12; Daniel 4:12, 14; Psalm 1:3; Leviticus 26:36; Matthew 21:19, 24:32; Mark 13:28. However, their symbolic meanings vary according to the kinds of trees. The leaves of the olive tree and grape vine symbolize rational truths seen as a result of celestial and spiritual light; the leaves of the fig tree symbolize rational truths seen as a result of a natural sight, and the leaves of the fir tree, poplar, oak, and pine symbolize rational truths seen a a result of a sensual sight. The leaves of the latter strike terror in the spiritual world when blown to and fro by a strong wind. These are the leaves meant in Leviticus 26:36 and Job 13:25. However, not so the leaves of the former.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.