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Genesis 32

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1 men Jakob fortsatte sin ejse. Og Guds Engle mødte ham;

2 og da Jakob så dem, sagde han: "Her er Guds Lejr!" derfor kaldte han Stedet Mahanajim.

3 Derpå sendte Jakob Sendebud i Forvejen til sin Broder Esau i Se'irs LandEdoms Højslette,

4 og han bød dem: "Sig til min Herre Esau: Din Træl Jakob lader dig vide, at jeg har levet som Gæst hos Laban og boet der indtil nu;

5 jeg har samlet mig Okser,Æsler og Småkvæg, Trælle og Trælkvinder; og nu sender jeg Bud til min Herre med Efterretning herom i Håb om at finde Nåde for dine Øjne!"

6 Men Sendebudene kom tilbage til Jakob og meldte: "Vi kom til din Broder Esau, og nu drager han dig i Møde med 400 Mand!"

7 Da blev Jakob såre forfærdet, og i sin Angst delte han sine Folk, Småkvæget, Hornkvæget og Kamelerne i to Lejre,

8 idet han tænkte: "Hvis Esau møder den ene Lejr og slår den, kan dog den anden slippe bort."

9 Derpå bad Jakob: "Min Fader Abrahams og min Fader Isaks Gud, HE E, du, som sagde til mig: Vend tilbage til dit Land og din Hjemstavn, så vil jeg gøre vel imod dig!

10 Jeg er for ringe til al den Miskundhed og Trofasthed, du har udvist mod din Tjener; thi med min Stav gik jeg over Jordan der, og nu er jeg blevet til to Lejre;

11 frels mig fra min Broder Esaus Hånd, thi jeg frygter for, at han skal komme og slå mig, både Moder og Børn!

12 Du har jo selv sagt, at du vil gøre vel imod mig og gøre mit Afkom som Havets Sand, der ikke kan tælles for Mængde!"

13 Og han blev der om Natten. Af hvad han havde, udtog han så en Gave til sin Broder Esau,

14 200 Geder og 20 Bukke, 200 Får og 20 Vædre,

15 34 diegivende Kamelhopper med deres Føl, 40 Køer og 10 Tyre, 20 Aseninder og 10 Æselhingste;

16 han delte dem i flere Hjorde og overlod sine Trælle dem, idet han sagde til dem: "Gå i Forvejen og lad en Plads åben mellem Hjordene!"

17 Og han bød den første: "Når min Broder Esau møder dig og spørger, hvem du tilhører, hvor du skal hen, og hvem din Drift tilhører,

18 skal du svare: Den tilhører din Træl Jakob; det er en Gave. han sender min Herre Esau; selv kommer han bagefter!"

19 Og han bød den anden og den tredje og alle de andre, der fulgte med Hjordene, at sige det samme til Esau, når de traf ham:

20 "Din Træl Jakob kommer selv bagefter!" Thi han tænkte: "Jeg vil søge at forsone ham ved den Gave. der drager foran, og først bagefter vil jeg træde frem for ham; måske han da tager venligt imod mig!"

21 Så drog Gaven i Forvejen, medens han selv blev i Lejren om Natten.

22 Samme Nat tog han sine to Hustruer, sine to Trælkvinder og sine elleve Børn og gik over Jakobs Vadested;

23 han tog dem og bragte dem over Bækken; ligeledes bragte han alt. hvad han ejede, over.

24 Men selv blev Jakob alene tilbage. Da var der en, som brødes, med ham til Morgengry;

25 og da han så, at han ikke kunde få Bugt med ham, gav han ham et Slag på Hofteskålen; og Jakobs Hofteskål gik af Led, da han brødes med ham.

26 Da sagde han: "Slip mig, thi Morgenen gryr!" Men han svarede: "Jeg slipper dig ikke, uden du velsigner mig!"

27 Så spurgte han: "Hvad er dit Navn?" Han svarede: "Jakob!"

28 Men han sagde: "Dit Navn skal ikke mere være Jakob, men Israel; thi du har kæmpet med Gud og Mennesker og sejret!"

29 Da sagde Jakob:"Sig mig dit Navn!" Men han svarede: "Hvorfor spørger du om mit Navn?" Og han velsignede ham der.

30 Og Jakob kaldte Stedet Peniel, idet han sagde: "Jeg har skuet Gud Ansigt til Ansigt og har mit Liv frelst."

31 Og Solen stod op, da han drog forbi Penuel, og da haltede han på Hoften.

32 Derfor undlader Israeliterne endnu den Dag i Dag at spise Hoftenerven, der ligger over Hofteskålen, thi han gav Jakob et Slag på Hofteskålen, på Hoftenerven.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

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Arcana Coelestia #4364

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4364. 'He said, What do you mean by all this camp which I met?' means the specific things which came from the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'camp' here as things that are specific, for these are meant by the animals mentioned in verses 14, 15 of the previous chapter - two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty young cows and ten young bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. By these are meant the goods and truths together with the things that are subservient, by means of which the instillation was to be effected, see 4263, 4264, and so mean those that are specific. The specific ones meant here are nothing other than those which serve to prove that truths really are truths and forms of good really are forms of good. They support a person's thoughts and affections - that is, the things he knows and the things he loves - which lead him to favour an idea and maintain that it is true. The gifts which in the Church of old were made to kings and to priests also held the same meaning It is well known that another is led to one's own way of thinking - that is, to the things which one says are good and true - both by the use of rational arguments and by the appeal to affections. It is the actual supporting proofs to which the term 'specific' applies and that are meant at this point by 'this camp'. This is the reason why the words 'to find favour in the eyes of my lord' appear, explaining why 'the camp' was sent, and after that, 'If now I have found favour in your eyes, then take my gift from my hand'.

[2] It is similar with spiritual things or matters of faith, when these are being joined to the good of charity. People believe that goods and truths flow in immediately from heaven, and so without any intermediate agents in man; but in this they are much mistaken. The Lord leads everyone through the agency of his affections and in so doing bends him by means of a Providence working silently; for He leads people by means of their freedom, 1937, 1947. All freedom entails a person's affection or love, see 2870, 2873. Consequently every joining together of good and truth takes place in freedom and not under compulsion, 2875-2878, 2881, 3145, 3146, 3158, 4031. When therefore a person has been brought in freedom to good, truths find acceptance and are implanted. That person also starts to be stirred by an affection for them and is in this manner introduced little by little into heavenly freedom. One who is regenerate, that is, who loves the neighbour - more so one who loves the Lord - will discover, if he reflects on his life before then, that he has been led to that point by many ideas present in his thought and many impulses of his affection.

[3] What exactly is meant here by the things which came from the good of truth may be seen more easily from examples. Let truth which has to be introduced into good be exemplified by the truth that man has life after death. Unless this is supported by specific truths, it does not find acceptance, that is, not unless it is supported by the following: Man is able to think not only about the things he sees and perceives with the senses but also about those which he does not see or perceive with the senses. Also his affection can be stirred by them; and through his affection he can become linked to them and therefore to heaven, indeed to the Lord Himself. And those who are able to be linked to the Divine can never die. These and many more like them are the specific truths which present themselves before that truth is instilled into good, that is, before it is believed fully. That truth does indeed submit itself first, yet these specific truths nevertheless cause it to find acceptance.

[4] Take as another example the truth that man is a spirit and that he is clothed with a body while he lives in the world. This also is a truth that has to be instilled into good, for if it is not instilled he has no concern for heaven, in which case he looks on himself in the same way as he does on animals. But this truth cannot be instilled except by means of specific ones such as the following: The body which a person carries around ministers to uses in the world; that is to say, it enables him by means of material eyes to see things that are in the world, and to perform actions by means of material muscles, which give him power that is sufficient to lift heavy objects. Nevertheless some more interior part of him exists which thinks and wills, and for which the body is the instrumental or material organ. Also his spirit is his true self, or the person himself, who performs actions and has sensory perception through these organic forms. And there are many other personal experiences by which he can prove that truth to be so once he believes it. All of these are specific truths which are put forward first and which cause that truth itself to be instilled into good and also to come from it. It is these and other things like them that are meant here by 'a camp'.

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