The Bible

 

Genesis 8

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1 Siis Jumal mõtles Noale ja kõigile metsloomadele ja kõigile kariloomadele, kes temaga laevas olid; ja Jumal laskis tuult puhuda üle maa ja vesi alanes.

2 Ja sügavuse allikad ja taevaluugid suleti, ja sadu taevast keelati.

3 Ja vesi taganes maa pealt, taganes üha, ja saja viiekümne päeva pärast oli vesi vähenenud.

4 Ja seitsmenda kuu seitsmeteistkümnendal päeval peatus laev Ararati mägede kohal.

5 Ja vesi vähenes üha kümnenda kuuni; kümnenda kuu esimesel päeval paistsid mägede tipud.

6 Ja kui nelikümmend päeva oli möödunud, siis Noa avas laeva akna, mille ta oli teinud,

7 ja laskis välja ühe kaarna; see lendas sinna ja tänna, kuni vesi maa pealt oli kuivanud.

8 Siis ta laskis enese juurest välja ühe tuvi, et näha, kas vesi on maa pealt kahanenud.

9 Aga tuvi ei leidnud oma jalavarvastele puhkepaika ja tuli tagasi tema juurde laeva, sest vesi oli veel kogu maa peal; siis ta pistis oma käe välja ja võttis tema ning pani enese juurde laeva.

10 Ja ta ootas veel teist seitse päeva ning laskis taas ühe tuvi laevast välja.

11 Ja õhtul tuli tuvi tema juurde, ja vaata, tal oli nokas õlipuu haljas leht. Siis Noa mõistis, et vesi oli maa pealt kahanenud.

12 Ja ta ootas veel teist seitse päeva ning laskis ühe tuvi välja, aga see ei tulnud enam tagasi tema juurde.

13 Ja kuuesaja esimesel Noa eluaastal, esimese kuu esimesel päeval, oli vesi maa pealt kuivanud. Ja Noa võttis ära laeva katuse ja vaatas, ja ennäe, maapind oli tahenenud.

14 Ja teise kuu kahekümne seitsmendal päeval oli maa täiesti kuiv.

15 Ja Jumal kõneles Noaga ning ütles:

16 'Mine laevast välja, sina ja su naine ja su pojad ja su poegade naised koos sinuga!

17 Kõik loomad, kes su juures on, kõik liha, niihästi linnud kui loomad, ja kõik roomajad, kes maa peal roomavad, vii enesega koos välja, et nad sigineksid maa peal, oleksid viljakad ja et neid maa peale saaks palju!'

18 Ja Noa läks välja ja ta pojad ja ta naine ja ta poegade naised koos temaga.

19 Kõik loomad, kõik linnud ja kõik roomajad, kes liiguvad maa peal, läksid laevast välja sugukondade kaupa.

20 Ja Noa ehitas Issandale altari ja võttis kõigist puhtaist loomadest ja kõigist puhtaist lindudest ning ohverdas altaril põletusohvreid.

21 Ja Issand tundis meeldivat lõhna ja Issand mõtles oma südames: 'Ma ei nea enam maad inimese pärast, sest inimese südame mõtlemised on kurjad ta lapsepõlvest peale; ma ei hävita ka enam kõike, mis elab, nõnda nagu ma olen teinud.

22 Niikaua kui püsib maa, ei lõpe külv ega lõikus, külm ega kuum, suvi ega talv, päev ega öö.'

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #921

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921. And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah. That this signifies a representative of the Lord, is evident from what has just been said. All the rites of the Ancient Church were representative of the Lord, as also the rites of the Jewish Church. But the principal representative in later times was the altar, and also the burnt-offering, which being made of clean beasts and clean birds, had its representation according to their signification, clean beasts signifying the goods of charity, and clean birds the truths of faith. When men of the Ancient Church offered these, they signified that they offered gifts of these goods and truths to the Lord. Nothing else can be offered to the Lord that will be grateful to Him. But their posterity, as the Gentiles and also the Jews, perverted these things, not even knowing that they had such a signification, and making their worship consist in the externals only.

[2] That the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, is evident from the fact that there were altars, even among Gentiles, before other rites were instituted, and before the ark was constructed, and before the temple was built. This is evident from Abram, as that when he came upon the mountain on the east of Bethel he raised an altar and called upon the name of Jehovah (Genesis 12:8); and afterwards he was commanded to offer Isaac for a burnt-offering on an altar (Genesis 22:2, 9). So Jacob built an altar at Luz, or Bethel (Genesis 35:6-7); and Moses built an altar under Mount Sinai, and sacrificed (Exodus 24:4-6). All this was before the [Jewish] sacrifices were instituted, and before the ark was constructed at which worship was afterwards performed in the wilderness. That there were altars likewise among the Gentiles, is evident from Balaam, who said to Balak that he should build seven altars and prepare seven bullocks and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-7, 14-18, 29-30); and also from its being commanded that the altars of the nations should be destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 2:2). Thus Divine worship by altars and sacrifices was not a new thing instituted with the Jews. Indeed altars were built before men had any idea of slaying oxen and sheep upon them, but as memorials.

[3] That altars signify a representative of the Lord, and burnt-offerings the worship of Him thereby, is plainly evident in the Prophets, as also in Moses when it is said of Levi, to whom the priesthood belonged:

They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deuteronomy 33:10),

meaning all worship; for “to teach Jacob judgments, and Israel the law” denotes internal worship; and “to put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering on Thine altar” denotes corresponding external worship.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall a man look unto his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel; and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hand (Isaiah 17:7-8),

where “looking to the altars” plainly signifies representative worship in general, which was to be abolished. Again:

In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah (Isaiah 19:19),

where also “an altar” stands for external worship.

[4] In Jeremiah:

The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7);

“altar” denoting representative worship which had become idolatrous.

In Hosea:

Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, altars have been unto him to sin (Hosea 8:11);

“altars” denote here all representative worship separate from internal, thus what is idolatrous. Again:

The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars (Hosea 10:8), where “altars” denote idolatrous worship.

In Amos:

In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off (Amos 3:14),

where again “altars” denote representative worship become idolatrous.

[5] In David:

Let them bring me unto the mountain of Thy holiness, and to Thy tabernacles. And I will go unto the altar of God, unto God the gladness of my joy (Psalms 43:3-4), where “altar” manifestly denotes the Lord.

Thus the building of an altar in the Ancient and in the Jewish Church was for a representative of the Lord. As the worship of the Lord was performed principally by burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and thus these things signified principally representative worship, it is evident that the altar itself signifies this representative worship itself.

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