The Bible

 

Genesis 7:18

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18 En de wateren namen de overhand, en vermeerderden zeer op de aarde; en de ark ging op de wateren.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #772

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772. Verses 14-15 They, and every wild animal according to its kind, and every beast according to its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps over the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every flying thing, and every winged thing. And they went in to Noah into the ark, two and two from all flesh in which there was the spirit of life. 1

'They' means in general the member of the Church. 'Every wild animal according to its kind' means all spiritual good. '[Every] beast according to its kind' means natural good. 'Every creeping thing that creeps over the earth according to its kind' means all sensory and bodily good. 'Every bird according to its kind' means all spiritual truth. 'Flying thing' means natural truth. 'Winged thing' means sensory truth. 'They went in to Noah into the ark' means, as previously, that they were saved. 'Two and two' means, as previously, pairs. 'Of all flesh in which there is the spirit of life' 1 means a new creature, or the fact that they received new life from the Lord.

Footnotes:

1. literally, of lives

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 6

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1 It happened, when men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

2 that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.

3 Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years."

4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God's sons came in to men's daughters. They bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

7 Yahweh said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh's eyes.

9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship will be three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.

17 I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.

18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive.

21 Take with you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them."

22 Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.