The Bible

 

Genesis 5

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1 This is the book of Adam's generations. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot [a son] in his likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.

4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

5 And all the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

6 And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.

7 And Seth lived after he had begotten Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.

9 And Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.

10 And Enosh lived after he had begotten Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

11 And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.

12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalaleel.

13 And Cainan lived after he had begotten Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters.

14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.

15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared.

16 And Mahalaleel lived after he had begotten Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.

18 And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.

19 And Jared lived after he had begotten Enoch eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.

21 And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methushelah.

22 And Enoch walked with God after he had begotten Methushelah three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

25 And Methushelah lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lemech.

26 And Methushelah lived after he had begotten Lemech seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.

27 And all the days of Methushelah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.

28 And Lemech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.

29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This [one] shall comfort us concerning our work and concerning the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Jehovah has cursed.

30 And Lemech lived after he had begotten Noah five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters.

31 And all the days of Lemech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.

32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #489

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489. 'Sons and daughters' means the truths and goods which they perceived, 'sons to be exact meaning the truths and 'daughters' the goods. This becomes clear from very many places in the Prophets. For in the Word, as happened in earliest times, conceptions and births of the Church are called 'sons and daughters', as in Isaiah,

Nations will walk to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather and they come towards you. Your sons will come from far, and your daughters will be nursed at your side. Then you will see and abound, and your heart will be astounded and enlarged. Isaiah 60:3-5.

Here 'sons' stands for truths and 'daughters' for goods.

In David,

Rescue me and snatch me from the hand of sons of the foreigner, whose mouths speak lies. Our sons are like plants made large in their youth, our daughters like corner-pillars cut in the form of the temple. Psalms 144:11-12.

'Sons of the foreigner' stands for spurious truths, which are falsities, 'our sons' for matters of doctrine concerning truth, and 'daughters' for matters of doctrine concerning good.

In Isaiah,

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not withhold. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth. Bring forth the blind people, and they will have eyes, and the deaf, who will have ears. Isaiah 43:6, 8.

Here 'sons' stands for truths, 'daughters' for goods, 'the blind' for people who will see truths, and 'the deaf' for those who comply with them.

In Jeremiah,

From our youth shame is devouring the work of our fathers - their flocks, their herds, their sons, and their daughters. Jeremiah 3:24.

Here 'sons and daughters' stands for truths and goods.

[2] 'Male children' and 'sons' stand for truths in the following in Isaiah,

Jacob will no more be ashamed, and no more will his face grow pale. For when he sees his male children, the work of My hands, in his midst they will sanctify My name, and they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit will know understanding Isaiah 29:12-24.

'The Holy One of Jacob, the God of Israel' stands for the Lord, 'male children' for regenerate people who have an understanding of good and truth, as is also explicitly stated.

In the same prophet,

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear, for the sons of her that is desolate are more than the sons of her that is married. Isaiah 54:1

'The sons of her that is desolate' stands for truths of the Primitive Church, or Church among gentiles, while 'the sons of her that is married' stands for truths of the Jewish Church.

In Jeremiah,

My tent has been laid waste, and all My cords torn away; My sons have gone away from Me, and they are not. Jeremiah 10:20.

'Sons' stands for truths.

In the same prophet,

Their sons will be as they were of old, and their congregation will be established before Me. Jeremiah 30:10

Here 'sons' stands for the truths of the Ancient Church.

In Zechariah,

I will rouse your sons, O Zion, together with your sons, O Jehovah, and I will set you as the sword of one who is powerful. Zechariah 9:13.

Here 'sons' stands for truths of faith inherent in love.

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