The Bible

 

Genesis 13

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1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, towards the south.

2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

3 And he went on his journeys from the south as far as Bethel; as far as the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai;

4 to the place of the altar that he had made there at the first. And there Abram called on the name of Jehovah.

5 And Lot also who went with Abram had flocks, and herds, and tents.

6 And the land could not support them, that they might dwell together, for their property was great; and they could not dwell together.

7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

8 And Abram said to Lot, I pray thee let there be no contention between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we are brethren.

9 Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if to the left, then I will take the right; and if to the right, then I will take the left.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan that it was thoroughly watered, before Jehovah had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; as the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as one goes to Zoar.

11 And Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot went toward the east. And they separated the one from the other:

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan; and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched tents as far as Sodom.

13 And the people of Sodom were wicked, and great sinners before Jehovah.

14 And Jehovah said to Abram, after that Lot had separated himself from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

15 for all the land that thou seest will I give to thee, and to thy seed for ever.

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if any one can number the dust of the earth, thy seed also will be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land according to the length of it and according to the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.

18 Then Abram moved [his] tents, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron. And he built there an altar to Jehovah.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #635

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635. Lastly I will reveal this secret. Seven chapters of Revelation describe the termination of the present church, in terms similar to the devastation of Egypt. In both cases this was by similar plagues, each of which stands in the spiritual sense for some falsity advancing its devastation to the point of destruction. This church, therefore, which is at the present time lost, is also called Egypt as spiritually understood (Revelation 11:8). The plagues in Egypt were as follows.

The waters were turned to blood, so that all the fish died and the river stank (Exodus 7; similar language in Revelation 8:8; 16:3). Blood means Divine truth falsified (see Apocalypse Revealed 379, 404, 681, 687-688). The fish that died mean likewise truths in the natural man (Apocalypse Revealed 290, 405).

Frogs came forth upon the land of Egypt (Exodus 8). There is also a mention of frogs in Revelation 16:13. Frogs mean reasonings as a result of a longing for the falsification of truth (see Apocalypse Revealed 702).

In Egypt foul ulcers appeared upon men and beasts (Exodus 9); similar language in Revelation 16:2. Ulcers mean inward evils and falsities which can destroy the good and truth in the church (see Apocalypse Revealed 678).

In Egypt hail fell mixed with fire (Exodus 9); similar language in Revelation 8:7; 16:21. Hail means hellish falsity (see Apocalypse Revealed 399, 714).

Locusts were sent upon Egypt (Exodus 10); similar language in Revelation 9:1-11. Locusts mean falsities in outermost things (see Apocalypse Revealed 424, 430).

Oppressive darkness was brought upon Egypt (Exodus 10:21); similar language in Revelation 8:12. Darkness means falsities arising from ignorance, or from false ideas of religion, or from evil living (see Apocalypse Revealed 110, 413, 695).

The Egyptians finally perished in the sea of Suph 1 (Exodus 14). In Revelation the dragon and the false prophet perished in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20; 20:10). Both the sea of Suph and that lake have the same meaning, hell.

The reason why similar language is used of Egypt and of the church, the termination and end of which is described in Revelation, is that Egypt stands for the church, which in its beginnings was outstanding. So before its church was devastated, Egypt is equated with the Garden of Eden and the garden of Jehovah (Genesis 13:10; Ezekiel 31:8). It is also called 'the corner-stone of the tribes', and 'the sons of wise men and of the kings of ancient time' (Isaiah 19:11, 13). More about Egypt in its earliest state and in its devastation will be found in Apocalypse Revealed 503.

Footnotes:

1. Generally taken as 'the Red Sea', but the author keeps the Hebrew form.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #714

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714. 16:21 And great hail from heaven about the weight of a talent fell upon people. This symbolizes dreadful and atrocious falsities, by which every truth in the Word and so in the church was destroyed.

Hail symbolizes falsity destroying truth and goodness, as may be seen in no. 399 above. And because the hail here is called great hail about the weight of a talent, it symbolizes dreadful and atrocious falsities, by which every truth and good in the Word and so in the church was destroyed.

It is said to be the weight of a talent because a talent was the largest weight of both silver and gold, and silver symbolizes truth, and gold goodness, and the two in an opposite sense, falsity and evil (no. 211).

That the hail is said to have fallen from heaven upon people is said in accordance with appearances, in terms of which and their correspondences the literal sense of the Word was written. The case here is similar to that in what we were told before regarding the plagues, that angels from heaven poured out the plagues upon men, when in fact truths and goods descended from the Lord which in people below were turned into falsities and evils (no. 673).

In the case of such people in the spiritual world, too, when they are engaged in reasoning on the basis of falsities against the Word's truths, hail sometimes appears to fall, and in some cases, brimstone and fire; and because these things appear in the atmosphere above them, as though coming from heaven, therefore we are told in accordance with the appearance that the hail described fell from heaven.

  
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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.