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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.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #8891

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8891. For in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth and the sea. That this signifies the regeneration and vivification of those things which are in the internal and in the external man, is evident from the signification of “six days,” as being states of combat (of which (8888) just above, n. 8888), and when predicated of Jehovah, that is, the Lord, they signify His labor with man before he is regenerated (n. 8510); and from the signification of “heaven and earth,” as being the church or kingdom of the Lord in man, “heaven” in the internal man, and “earth” in the external man (n. 82, 1411, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535), thus the regenerate man, that is, one who has found the new life and has thus been made alive; and from the signification of “the sea,” as being the sensuous of man adhering to the corporeal (n. 8872).

[2] In this verse the subject treated of is the hallowing of the seventh day, or the institution of the Sabbath, and it is described by the words, “In six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested in the seventh day; wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” They who do not think beyond the sense of the letter cannot believe otherwise than that the creation which is described in the first and second chapters of Genesis, is the creation of the universe, and that there were six days within which were created the heaven, the earth, the sea and all things which are therein, and finally man in the likeness of God. But who that takes into consideration the particulars of the description cannot see that the creation of the universe is not there meant; for such things are there described as may be known from common sense not to have been so; as that there were days before the sun and the moon, as well as light and darkness, and that herbage and trees sprang up; and yet that the light was furnished by these luminaries, and a distinction was made between the light and the darkness, and thus days were made.

[3] In what follows in the history there are also like things, which are hardly acknowledged to be possible by anyone who thinks interiorly, as that the woman was built from the rib of the man; also that two trees were set in paradise, of the fruit of one of which it was forbidden to eat; and that a serpent from one of them spoke with the wife of the man who had been the wisest of mortal creatures, and by his speech, which was from the mouth of the serpent, deceived them both; and that the whole human race, composed of so many millions, was in consequence condemned to hell. The moment that these and other such things in that history are thought of, they must needs appear paradoxical to those who entertain any doubt concerning the holiness of the Word, and must afterward lead them to deny the Divine therein. Nevertheless be it known that each and all things in that history, down to the smallest iota, are Divine, and contain within them arcana which before the angels in the heavens are plain as in clear day. The reason of this is that the angels do not see the sense of the Word according to the letter, but according to what is within, namely, what is spiritual and celestial, and within these, things Divine. When the first chapter of Genesis is read, the angels do not perceive any other creation than the new creation of man, which is called regeneration. This regeneration is described in that history; by paradise the wisdom of the man who has been created anew; by the two trees in the midst thereof, the two faculties of that man, namely, the will of good by the tree of life, and the understanding of truth by the tree of knowledge. And that it was forbidden to eat of this latter tree, was because the man who is regenerated, or created anew, must no longer be led by the understanding of truth, but by the will of good, and if otherwise, the new life within him perishes (see n. 202, 337, 2454, 2715, 3246, 3652, 4448, 5895, 5897, 7877, 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8690, 8701, 8722). Consequently by Adam, or man, and by Eve his wife, was there meant a new church, and by the eating of the tree of knowledge, the fall of that church from good to truth, consequently from love to the Lord and toward the neighbor to faith without these loves, and this by reasoning from their own intellectual, which reasoning is the serpent (see n. 195-197, 6398, 6399, 6949, 7293).

[4] From all this it is evident that the historic narrative of the creation and the first man, and of paradise, is a history so framed as to contain within it heavenly and Divine things, and this according to the received method in the Ancient Churches. This method of writing extended thence also to many who were outside of that Church, who in like manner devised histories and wrapped up arcana within them, as is plain from the writers of the most ancient times. For in the Ancient Churches it was known what such things as are in the world signified in heaven, nor to those people were events of so much importance as to be described; but the things which were of heaven. These latter things occupied their minds, for the reason that they thought more interiorly than men at this day, and thus had communication with angels, and therefore it was delightful to them to connect such things together. But they were led by the Lord to those things which should be held sacred in the churches, consequently such things were composed as were in full correspondence.

[5] From all this it can be seen what is meant by “heaven and earth” in the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis, namely, the church internal and external. That these are signified by “heaven and earth” is evident also from passages in the prophets, where mention is made of “a new heaven and a new earth,” by which a new church is meant (see n. 82, 1411, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535). From all this it is now plain that by, “In six days Jehovah made heaven and earth and the sea,” is signified the regeneration and vivification of those things which are in the internal and in the external man.

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