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Genesis 26

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1 En er was honger in dat land, behalve den eerste honger, die in de dagen van Abraham geweest was; daarom toog Izak tot Abimelech, de koning der Filistijnen, naar Gerar.

2 En de HEERE verscheen hem en zeide: Trek niet af naar Egypte; woon in het land, dat Ik u aanzeggen zal;

3 Woon als vreemdeling in dat land, en Ik zal met u zijn, en zal u zegenen; want aan u en uw zaad zal Ik al deze landen geven, en Ik zal den eed bevestigen, dien Ik Abraham uw vader gezworen heb.

4 En Ik zal uw zaad vermenigvuldigen, als de sterren des hemels, en zal aan uw zaad al deze landen geven; en in uw zaad zullen gezegend worden alle volken der aarde,

5 Daarom dat Abraham Mijn stem gehoorzaam geweest is, en heeft onderhouden Mijn bevel, Mijn geboden, Mijn inzettingen en Mijn wetten.

6 Alzo woonde Izak te Gerar.

7 En als de mannen van die plaats hem vraagden van zijn huisvrouw, zeide hij: Zij is mijn zuster; want hij vreesde te zeggen, mijn huisvrouw; opdat mij misschien, zeide hij, de mannen dezer plaats niet doden, om Rebekka; want zij was schoon van aangezicht.

8 En het geschiedde, als hij een langen tijd daar geweest was, dat Abimelech, de koning der Filistijnen, ten venster uitkeek, en hij zag, dat, ziet, Izak was jokkende met Rebekka zijn huisvrouw.

9 Toen riep Abimelech Izak, en zeide: Voorwaar, zie, zij is uw huisvrouw! hoe hebt gij dan gezegd: Zij is mijn zuster? En Izak zeide tot hem: Want ik zeide: Dat ik niet misschien om harentwil sterve.

10 En Abimelech zeide: Wat is dit, dat gij ons gedaan hebt? Lichtelijk had een van dit volk bij uw huisvrouw gelegen, zodat gij een schuld over ons zoudt gebracht hebben.

11 En Abimelech gebood het ganse volk, zeggende: Zo wie deze man of zijn huisvrouw aanroert, zal voorzeker gedood worden!

12 En Izak zaaide in datzelve land, en hij vond in datzelve jaar honderd maten; want de HEERE zegende hem.

13 En die man werd groot, ja, hij werd doorgaans groter, totdat hij zeer groot geworden was.

14 En hij had bezitting van schapen, en bezitting van runderen, en groot gezin; zodat hem de Filistijnen benijdden.

15 En al de putten, die de knechten van zijn vader, in de dagen van zijn vader Abraham, gegraven hadden, die stopten de Filistijnen, en vulden dezelve met aarde.

16 Ook zeide Abimelech tot Izak: Trek van ons; want gij zijt veel machtiger geworden, dan wij.

17 Toen toog Izak van daar, en hij legerde zich in het dal van Gerar, en woonde aldaar.

18 Als nu Izak wedergekeerd was, groef hij die waterputten op, die zij ten tijde van Abraham, zijn vader, gegraven, en die de Filistijnen na Abrahams dood toegestopt hadden; en hij noemde derzelver namen naar de namen, waarmede zijn vader die genoemd had.

19 De knechten van Izak dan groeven in dat dal, en zij vonden aldaar een put van levend water.

20 En de herders van Gerar twistten met Izaks herders, zeggende: Dit water hoort ons toe! Daarom noemde hij de naam van die put Esek, omdat zij met hem gekeven hadden.

21 Toen groeven zij een andere put, en daar twistten zij ook over; daarom noemde hij deszelfs naam Sitna.

22 En hij brak op van daar, en groef een andere put, en zij twistten over dien niet; daarom noemde hij deszelfs naam Rehoboth, en zeide: Want nu heeft ons de HEERE ruimte gemaakt, en wij zijn gewassen in dit land.

23 Daarna toog hij van daar op naar Ber-seba.

24 En de HEERE verscheen hem in denzelven nacht, en zeide: Ik ben de God van Abraham, uw vader; vrees niet; want Ik ben met u; en Ik zal u zegenen, en uw zaad vermenigvuldigen, om Abrahams, Mijns knechts, wil.

25 Toen bouwde hij daar een altaar, en riep den Naam des HEEREN aan. En hij sloeg aldaar zijn tent op; en Izaks knechten groeven daar een put.

26 En Abimelech trok tot hem van Gerar, met Ahuzzat, zijn vriend, en Pichol, zijn krijgsoverste.

27 En Izak zeide tot hen: Waarom zijt gij tot mij gekomen, daar gij mij haat, en hebt mij van u weggezonden?

28 En zij zeiden: Wij hebben merkelijk gezien, dat de HEERE met u is; daarom hebben wij gezegd: Laat toch een eed tussen ons zijn, tussen ons en tussen u, en laat ons een verbond met u maken:

29 Zo gij bij ons kwaad doet, gelijk als wij u niet aangeroerd hebben, en gelijk als wij bij u alleenlijk goed gedaan hebben, en hebben u in vrede laten trekken! Gij zijt nu de gezegende des HEEREN!

30 Toen maakte hij hun een maaltijd, en zij aten en dronken.

31 En zij stonden des morgens vroeg op, en zwoeren de een den ander; daarna liet Izak hen gaan, en zij togen van hem in vrede.

32 En het geschiedde ten zelfde dage, dat Izaks knechten kwamen, en boodschapten hem van de zaak des puts, dien zij gegraven hadden, en zij zeiden hem: Wij hebben water gevonden.

33 En hij noemde denzelven Seba; daarom is de naam dier stad Ber-Seba, tot op dezen dag.

34 Als nu Ezau veertig jaren oud was, nam hij tot een vrouw Judith, de dochter van Beeri, den Hethiet, en Basmath, de dochter van Elon, den Hethiet.

35 En deze waren voor Izak en Rebekka een bitterheid des geestes.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3412

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3412. 'All the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up' means that people who possessed knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them. This is clear from the meaning of 'wells' as truths, dealt with in 2702, 3096, here interior truths coming from the Divine since the wells, which mean truths, are said to have been dug by 'his father's servants in the days of Abraham his father' - 'Abraham' representing the Lord's Divine itself, 2011, 2833, 2836, 3251, 3305 (end); from the meaning of 'stopping up' as not wishing to know and so effacing; and from the representation of 'the Philistines' as people who possess no more than a knowledge of cognitions, dealt with in 1197, 1198.

[2] The subject at this point is the appearances of truth that belong to the lower degree, which are able to exist with those who possess a knowledge of cognitions and whom 'the Philistines' are used to mean here. With regard to the interior truths that come from the Divine and are effaced by those called the Philistines, the position is that in the Ancient Church and after it the name Philistines was used for those who gave little thought to life and very much to doctrine, and who in course of time even rejected matters of life and acknowledged matters of faith - which faith was separated from life - as being the essential element of the Church. As a consequence they attached no importance at all to matters of doctrine concerning charity which in the Ancient Church constituted the all of doctrine, and so they effaced it. Instead they proclaimed matters of doctrine concerning faith and centred the whole of their religion in these. And since in this way they departed from the life of charity, that is, from charity as the sum and substance of life, they more than all others were called 'the uncircumcised'. For by 'the uncircumcised' were meant all in whom charity was not present, no matter how much doctrine they knew, 2049 (end).

[3] Because such people departed from charity they also removed themselves from wisdom and intelligence, for no one can have a wise and intelligent discernment of what truth is unless good, that is, charity, reigns in him. Indeed all truth originates in good and has regard to good, so that anyone who is devoid of good is unable to have an intelligent discernment of truth, and does not even wish to know it. When such people in the next life are far away from heaven, light bright as snow is sometimes seen to be with them. But that light is like the light in wintertime which, being devoid of warmth, is unproductive. This also explains why, when such persons draw near to heaven, their light is converted into utter darkness, and their minds into something akin to that darkness, which is stupidity. From these considerations it may now be seen what is meant by the statement that people who possessed no more than a knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2049

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2049. 'From every son who is a foreigner and not of your seed' means those outside the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'son who is a foreigner' as those who are not born inside the Church and so are not governed by goods and truths of faith because they have no knowledge of them. 'Sons who are foreigners' also means people whose worship is external, dealt with in 1097, though in that context people inside the Church are the subject. Here however, the subject being the Lord's Church in its widest extent, 'sons who are foreigners' means those who, like gentiles, are not born inside the Church. Gentiles outside the Church can possess truths, but not the truths of faith. Their truths, like the Ten Commandments, are that parents should be honoured; that people should not murder, steal, commit adultery, or covet the things that belong to others; and also that they should worship God. Truths of faith consist however of all doctrinal teachings concerning eternal life, the Lord's kingdom, and the Lord. Such teachings cannot be known by gentiles because they do not possess the Word.

[2] These are the people who are meant by 'sons who are foreigners and not of your seed' but who are to be circumcised, that is to be purified. From this it is evident that they are just as much capable of being purified as those inside the Church, which purification was represented by being circumcised. They are purified when they cast aside filthy loves and live among one another in charity, for in their case truths have a part to play in their lives because charity and all truths go together, though such truths belong to the first of the two types mentioned above. When these truths play a part in their lives they then absorb the truths of faith with ease, if not during this life then in the next, because truths of faith are the interior truths of charity. Indeed at that point there is nothing they desire more than to be introduced into the interior truths of charity. Interior truths of charity are what constitute the Lord's kingdom. Regarding these, see 932, 1032, 1059, 1327, 1328, 1366.

[3] In the next life mere knowledge of the cognitions of faith is of no value at all, for the worst people, even those in hell, can have such knowledge, sometimes a better knowledge than others have. Leading a life in accordance with those cognitions is what matters, for all cognitions have life as their end in view. If life was not the reason for learning them they would have no use, apart from enabling people to discuss them and as a result to be considered learned in the world, to be raised to positions of importance, and to enhance reputation and wealth. From this it is clear that a life in keeping with the cognitions of faith is nothing other than the life of charity. Indeed love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour constitute the Law and the Prophets, that is, the doctrine of faith in its entirety together with all the cognitions of it, as is plain to anyone from the Lord's words in Matthew 22:35-40, and Mark 12:28-35.

[4] Matters of doctrine, or cognitions of faith, are nevertheless absolutely vital for the formation of the life of charity; it cannot be formed without them. This is the life which saves a person after death. The life of faith never exists without the life of charity, for without charity the life of faith is impossible. People in whom the life of love and charity dwells have the Lord's life within them. Nobody can be joined to Him by means of any other life. From this it is also clear that the truths of faith cannot possibly be acknowledged as truths - that is, no acknowledgement of what they are saying is possible - other than outwardly or with the lips, if they are not implanted within charity, since inwardly or at heart they are denied. For as has been stated, all truths of faith have charity as their end in view, and if charity is not present within them then inwardly they are rejected. The nature of the things that are interior is plain to see when those that are exterior are taken away, as is done in the next life, namely that they are utterly contrary to all the truths of faith. No people can possibly receive the life of charity, or mutual love, in the next life, when they have had none in this life; but their life as it has been with them in the world remains with them after death. Indeed they are averse to and hate mutual love. When merely approaching a community where the life that belongs to mutual love exists they quiver and shake, and experience torment.

[5] Although people such as these are born inside the Church, they are called 'sons who are foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in the flesh' who are not to be allowed into the sanctuary, that is, into the Lord's kingdom. They are also meant in Ezekiel,

No son who is a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter the sanctuary. Ezekiel 44:7, 9.

And in the same prophet,

Whom have you thus become like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You will be made to go down with the trees of Eden into the nether world; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. Ezekiel 31:18.

This refers to Pharaoh who means types of knowledge in general, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. 'The trees of Eden' with which they were to go down into the nether world also means types of knowledge, but knowledge of the cognitions of faith. From this it is now evident what 'one uncircumcised' means in the internal sense, namely one in whom filthy loves and the life belonging to these are present.

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