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Genesis 2

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1 Alzo zijn volbracht de hemel en de aarde, en al hun heir.

2 Als nu God op de zevende dag volbracht had Zijn werk, dat Hij gemaakt had, heeft Hij gerust op den zevende dag van al Zijn werk, dat Hij gemaakt had.

3 En God heeft den zevende dag gezegend, en die geheiligd; omdat Hij op denzelven gerust heeft van al Zijn werk, hetwelk God geschapen had, om te volmaken.

4 Dit zijn de geboorten des hemels en der aarde, als zij geschapen werden; ten dage als de HEERE God de aarde en den hemel maakte.

5 En allen struik des velds, eer hij in de aarde was, en al het kruid des velds, eer het uitsproot; want de HEERE God had niet doen regenen op de aarde, en er was geen mens geweest, om den aardbodem te bouwen.

6 Maar een damp was opgegaan uit de aarde, en bevochtigde den ganse aardbodem.

7 En de HEERE God had den mens geformeerd uit het stof der aarde, en in zijn neusgaten geblazen de adem des levens; alzo werd de mens tot een levende ziel.

8 Ook had de HEERE God een hof geplant in Eden, tegen het oosten, en Hij stelde aldaar den mens, die Hij geformeerd had.

9 En de HEERE God had alle geboomte uit het aardrijk doen spruiten, begeerlijk voor het gezicht, en goed tot spijze; en den boom des levens in het midden van den hof, en de boom der kennis des goeds en des kwaads.

10 En een rivier was voortgaande uit Eden, om deze hof te bewateren; en werd van daar verdeeld, en werd tot vier hoofden.

11 De naam der eerste rivier is Pison; deze is het, die het ganse land van Havila omloopt, waar het goud is.

12 En het goud van dit land is goed; daar is ook bedolah, en de steen sardonix.

13 En de naam der tweede rivier is Gihon; deze is het, die het ganse land Cusch omloopt.

14 En de naam der derde rivier is Hiddekel; deze is gaande naar het oosten van Assur. En de vierde rivier is Frath.

15 Zo nam de HEERE God den mens, en zette hem in den hof van Eden, om dien te bouwen, en dien te bewaren.

16 En de HEERE God gebood den mens, zeggende: Van allen boom dezes hofs zult gij vrijelijk eten;

17 Maar van den boom der kennis des goeds en des kwaads, daarvan zult gij niet eten; want ten dage, als gij daarvan eet, zult gij den dood sterven.

18 Ook had de HEERE God gesproken: Het is niet goed, dat de mens alleen zij; Ik zal hem een hulpe maken, die als tegen hem over zij.

19 Want als de HEERE God uit de aarde al het gedierte des velds, en al het gevogelte des hemels gemaakt had, zo bracht Hij die tot Adam, om te zien, hoe hij ze noemen zou; en zoals Adam alle levende ziel noemen zoude, dat zou haar naam zijn.

20 Zo had Adam genoemd de namen van al het vee, en van het gevogelte des hemels, en van al het gedierte des velds; maar voor de mens vond hij geen hulpe, die als tegen hem over ware.

21 Toen deed de HEERE God een diepen slaap op Adam vallen, en hij sliep; en Hij nam een van zijn ribben, en sloot derzelver plaats toe met vlees.

22 En de HEERE God bouwde de ribbe, die Hij van Adam genomen had, tot een vrouw, en Hij bracht haar tot Adam.

23 Toen zeide Adam: Deze is ditmaal been van mijn benen, en vlees van mijn vlees! Men zal haar Manninne heten, omdat zij uit den man genomen is.

24 Daarom zal de man zijn vader en zijn moeder verlaten, en zijn vrouw aankleven; en zij zullen tot een vlees zijn.

25 En zij waren beiden naakt, Adam en zijn vrouw; en zij schaamden zich niet.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8495

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8495. A Sabbath holy to Jehovah is the morrow. That this signifies the conjunction of good and truth to eternity, is evident from the signification of “the Sabbath,” as being the conjunction of good and truth (of which below); and from the signification of “the morrow,” as being to eternity (see n. 3998). He who does not know what the Sabbath represented, and thus what it signified, cannot know why it was accounted the most holy of all things. But the reason why it was accounted most holy was that in the supreme sense it represented the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord; and in the relative sense the conjunction of the Divine Human of the Lord with the human race. Consequently the Sabbath was most holy. And because it represented these things, it also represented heaven in respect to the conjunction of good and truth, which conjunction is called “the heavenly marriage.” And as the conjunction of good and truth is effected by the Lord alone, and nothing of it by man, and as it is effected in a state of peace, therefore it was most severely forbidden that man should then do any work, insomuch that the soul which did this was to be cut off, as we read in Moses:

Ye shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy to you; he that profaneth it, dying shall die; for whosoever doeth work therein, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of his people (Exodus 31:14).

Therefore one was stoned who merely picked up sticks on that day (Numbers 15:32-36). Therefore also the commandment concerning the Sabbath is the third commandment in the Decalogue, immediately following the two concerning the holy worship of Jehovah (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). And therefore the Sabbath is called “an eternal covenant” (Exodus 31:16), for by “covenant” is signified conjunction (n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804).

[2] From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by the things said in the following passages about the Sabbath; as in Isaiah:

Blessed is the man who keepeth the Sabbath, that he profane it not; thus said Jehovah to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose that in which I delight, and take hold of My covenant, I will give them in My house and within My walls a place and a name, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name, that shall not be cut off; whosoever keepeth the Sabbath that he profane it not, and whoso taketh hold of My covenant, them will I bring in upon the mountain of My holiness, and I will cheer them in My house of prayer (56:2-7);

from all this it is evident that by “those who keep the Sabbath holy” are meant those who are in conjunction with the Lord. That they shall be in heaven is signified by “a place and a name better than sons and daughters being given them in the house of Jehovah, an eternal name that shall not be cut off,” and by their being “brought in upon the mountain of holiness.”

[3] In the same:

If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, not doing thy wills on the day of My holiness, but shalt call the Sabbath delights, holy to Jehovah, honorable; and shalt honor it, so that thou do not then thy ways, nor find thy desire, or speak a word, then shalt thou be delighted upon Jehovah, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (58:13-14);

here it is very plain what was represented by “not doing any work on the Sabbath day,” namely, that they should not do anything from their own, but from the Lord; for the angelic state in heaven is that they will and do nothing from themselves, or from their own, and do not even think and speak therefrom: their conjunction with the Lord consists in this. Their own from which they are not to act, is signified by their “not doing their own wills, nor doing their own ways, nor finding their own desire, nor speaking a word.” This state with the angels is the heavenly state itself; and when they are in it, they have peace and rest, and the Lord also has rest; for when they have been conjoined with Him, they labor no more, because they are then in the Lord. These things are signified by the words, thus shalt thou call the Sabbath the holy delights of Jehovah, and they shall be delighted upon Jehovah.” The Lord’s rest is signified by His resting on the seventh day after the six days’ creation (Genesis 2:2).

[4] Like things are understood by these words in Jeremiah:

If hearing ye shall hear Me, that ye bring not in a burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and that ye hallow the Sabbath day, so that ye do not any work therein, then shall there enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses, they and their princes, the man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (17:24-25);

by “work on the Sabbath” is signified everything that is from our own; the state of those who are not led by their own, but by the Lord, is described by there “entering through the gates of the city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses;” by “kings” are signified the truths of faith; by “princes,” the primary things thereof; by “sitting upon the throne of David,” that these are from the Lord; by “the chariot and horses,” the doctrinal and intellectual things of faith. Be it known that all things which come from the man’s own are evil, and that all things which come from the Lord are good. (That with those who are led by the Lord all things flow in, down to the least thing of life both of intellect and of will, thus down to each and all things of faith and of charity, see what has been abundantly shown from experience, n. 2886-2888, 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7147, 7270)

[5] That the Sabbath was representative of the conjunction of the Lord with the human race, is evident in Ezekiel:

I gave them My Sabbaths that they might be for a sign between Me and them, to acknowledge that I Jehovah do sanctify them (20:12; also Exodus 31:13).

Therefore also it was forbidden to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), because by “fire” was signified everything that is of life; and by “kindling a fire,” that which is of life from man’s own. From all that has been said it is plain that the Lord is “the Lord of the Sabbath,” according to His words in Matthew 12:1-8; and it may be seen why many cures were performed by the Lord on the Sabbath days (Matthew 12:10-13; Mark 3:1-8; Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14, 16); for the diseases of which they were healed by the Lord involved spiritual diseases, which are from evil (see n. 7337, 8364).

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