The Bible

 

synty 29

Study

   

1 Ja Jaakob lähti matkaan ja tuli Idän miesten maalle.

2 Ja katso, hän huomasi kedolla kaivon, ja katso, sen ääressä makasi kolme lammaslaumaa, sillä siitä kaivosta oli tapana juottaa laumoja. Ja kaivon suulla oli suuri kivi.

3 Sentähden annettiin kaikkien laumojen kokoontua sinne ja sitten vieritettiin kivi kaivon suulta ja juotettiin lampaat, jonka jälkeen kivi taas pantiin paikoilleen kaivon suulle.

4 Ja Jaakob sanoi heille: "Veljeni, mistä te olette?" He vastasivat: "Harranista olemme".

5 Hän kysyi heiltä: "Tunnetteko Laabanin, Naahorin pojan?" He vastasivat: "Tunnemme".

6 Ja hän kysyi heiltä: "Voiko hän hyvin?" He vastasivat: "Hyvin hän voi; ja katso, Raakel, hänen tyttärensä, tulee tuolla lammasten kanssa".

7 Hän sanoi: "Vielä on täysi päivä ja liian aikaista koota lauma; juottakaa lampaat ja viekää ne takaisin laitumelle".

8 He vastasivat: "Emme voi, ennenkuin kaikki laumat ovat koolla ja kivi on vieritetty kaivon suulta; sitten juotamme lampaat".

9 Hänen vielä puhuessaan heidän kanssaan tuli Raakel isänsä lammasten kanssa, sillä hänen oli tapana olla paimenessa.

10 Kun Jaakob näki Raakelin, enonsa Laabanin tyttären, ja enonsa Laabanin lampaat, astui hän esiin ja vieritti kiven kaivon suulta ja juotti enonsa Laabanin lampaat.

11 Ja Jaakob suuteli Raakelia ja korotti äänensä ja itki.

12 Niin Jaakob ilmoitti Raakelille, että hän oli hänen isänsä sukulainen ja Rebekan poika; ja Raakel riensi pois ja ilmoitti sen isällensä.

13 Kun Laaban kuuli kerrottavan Jaakobista, sisarensa pojasta, riensi hän häntä vastaan, syleili ja suuteli häntä ja toi hänet kotiinsa; ja hän kertoi Laabanille kaikki, mitä oli tapahtunut.

14 Ja Laaban sanoi hänelle: "Niin, sinä olet minun luutani ja lihaani". Ja hän asui hänen luonaan kuukauden päivät.

15 Ja Laaban sanoi Jaakobille: "Olet tosin sukulaiseni, mutta palvelisitko silti minua palkatta? Sano minulle, mikä on palkkasi oleva."

16 Mutta Laabanilla oli kaksi tytärtä; vanhemman nimi oli Leea, nuoremman nimi oli Raakel.

17 Ja Leealla oli sameat silmät, mutta Raakelilla oli kaunis vartalo ja kauniit kasvot.

18 Ja Jaakob rakasti Raakelia; niin hän sanoi: "Minä palvelen sinua seitsemän vuotta saadakseni Raakelin, nuoremman tyttäresi".

19 Laaban vastasi: "Parempi on, että annan hänet sinulle, kuin että antaisin hänet jollekin toiselle; jää luokseni".

20 Jaakob palveli siis seitsemän vuotta saadakseen Raakelin, ja ne tuntuivat hänestä muutamilta päiviltä; niin hän rakasti häntä.

21 Senjälkeen Jaakob sanoi Laabanille: "Anna minulle vaimoni, sillä aikani on nyt kulunut umpeen, mennäkseni hänen tykönsä".

22 Silloin Laaban kutsui kokoon kaikki sen paikkakunnan asukkaat ja laittoi pidot;

23 mutta illalla hän otti tyttärensä Leean ja vei hänet hänen luokseen; ja hän yhtyi häneen.

24 Ja Laaban antoi orjattarensa Silpan tyttärellensä Leealle orjattareksi.

25 Aamulla hän näki, että se oli Leea. Ja hän sanoi Laabanille: "Mitä oletkaan minulle tehnyt? Olenhan palvellut sinua saadakseni Raakelin! Miksi petit minut?"

26 Laaban vastasi: "Ei ole meidän maassamme tapana antaa nuorempaa ennen vanhempaa.

27 Vietä nyt vain tämä hääviikko loppuun, niin annetaan sinulle toinenkin, kunhan olet palveluksessani vielä toiset seitsemän vuotta."

28 Ja Jaakob suostui siihen, ja kun hän oli viettänyt sen viikon loppuun, antoi Laaban myöskin tyttärensä Raakelin hänelle vaimoksi.

29 Ja Laaban antoi orjattarensa Bilhan tyttärellensä Raakelille orjattareksi.

30 Ja hän yhtyi myös Raakeliin, ja Raakel oli hänelle rakkaampi kuin Leea; ja hän palveli Laabanin luona vielä toiset seitsemän vuotta.

31 Ja kun Herra näki, että Leeaa hyljittiin, avasi hän hänen kohtunsa; mutta Raakel oli hedelmätön.

32 Niin Leea tuli raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja antoi hänelle nimen Ruuben, sanoen: "Herra on nähnyt minun kurjuuteni; nyt on mieheni rakastava minua".

33 Ja hän tuli jälleen raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Herra on kuullut, että minua hyljitään, ja on antanut minulle myös tämän". Niin hän antoi hänelle nimen Simeon.

34 Ja hän tuli jälleen raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Nyt kai mieheni vihdoinkin kiintyy minuun, sillä olenhan synnyttänyt hänelle kolme poikaa". Sentähden hän antoi hänelle nimen Leevi.

35 Ja hän tuli vieläkin raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Nyt minä kiitän Herraa". Sentähden hän antoi hänelle nimen Juuda. Sitten hän lakkasi synnyttämästä.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3857

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

3857. 'And Rachel was barren' means that interior truths were not received. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'barren' as not giving rise to doctrines, nor thus Churches. This statement expresses the opposite of what is said in reference to Leah, that is, that 'Jehovah opened her womb', meaning that the affection represented by her gave rise to the doctrines taught by the Churches. The reason interior truths were not received is that interior truths are such as go above the range of man's belief, that is to say, they do not fall into ideas he has and are not conditioned by the outward appearances or the illusions of the senses by which everyone allows himself to be led. He does not believe interior truths unless in some way they coincide with those appearances or illusions.

[2] For example, it is an interior truth that intervals of time and of space do not exist in the next life, but states instead. Man who is within time and space while he lives in the world forms all his ideas from these, so much so that he cannot have any thought without them, 3404. Consequently unless the states which exist in the next life were described by means of the intervals of time and space which man experiences, that is, by means of the kind of things that are moulded by time and space, he would perceive nothing and so believe nothing, and as a consequence would receive nothing. Doctrine would in that case be barren and no Church would arise from it.

[3] Take another example. Unless celestial and spiritual affections were described by means of such things as constitute worldly and bodily affections man would not perceive anything, for these are the affections he experiences, and it is from them that he is able to have notions about celestial and spiritual affections. Yet the two types of affections are as different from each other, or as far apart, as heaven from earth. Take for example the glory of heaven, that is, of the angels in heaven, 3839. Unless man modelled his idea of the glory of heaven on the idea of the glory which exists in the world he would not grasp it at all and so would not acknowledge it. The same applies to all other interior or heavenly things.

[4] For this reason the Lord has spoken in the Word in accordance with man's own ability to grasp things and with the appearances that go with that grasp of them. The literal sense of the Word is such, yet at the same time is of such a nature that it holds within it the internal sense which contains interior truths. This then explains why it is said in reference to Leah that 'Jehovah opened her womb', and that 'Rachel was barren'; for as has been stated, 'Leah' represents the affection for exterior truth, 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth. But because exterior truths are the first truths which a person learns, the Lord has provided that by means of them he can be introduced into interior truths. This provision is meant by the statement in Genesis 30:22 that God at last remembered Rachel, hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

[5] The truth of all this may be seen from the Churches which existed in ancient times, and from their doctrinal teachings, namely that their teachings were formed from external truths. With the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood their doctrinal teachings were for the most part external representatives and meaningful signs which had internal truths stored within them. For the majority of its members holy worship consisted in those external representatives and signs. If anyone had told them that the essential ingredients of Divine worship were not those representatives and meaningful signs but the spiritual and celestial realities represented and meant by these, they would have rejected them altogether, and so the Church would have ceased to exist. This applied even more to the Jewish Church. If anyone had told them that their religious observances received their holiness from the Divine things that were the Lord's within them they would not have acknowledged them at all.

[6] Such also was mankind when the Lord came into the world. They had grown even more bodily-minded, especially so those who were members of the Church. This is quite evident even from the disciples who, though with the Lord constantly and hearing so many things about His kingdom, were as yet unable to perceive interior truths. They were still unable to have any other concept of the Lord than such as exists with the Jews at the present day about the Messiah whom they are still awaiting. They imagined that He would promote that people to a position of dominion and glory over all nations throughout the world. And after hearing so many things from the Lord about the heavenly kingdom the disciples were still unable to think anything else than that the heavenly kingdom would be like an earthly kingdom, where God the Father would be supreme, after Him the Son, and then themselves the twelve, and so would reign in this order. For the same reasons also James and John asked to sit one on His right and the other on the left, Mark 10:35-37; and the rest of the disciples were angry at these two wishing to be greater than the rest, Mark 10:41; Matthew 20:24. For the same reason also, after teaching them what it was to be greatest in heaven, Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45, the Lord still spoke in the way that they themselves thought. That is to say, He spoke of them sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:24, 30; Matthew 19:28.

[7] If they had been told that the word 'disciples' was not used to mean themselves but all people in whom the good of love and faith dwells, 3354, 3488, and also that in the Lord's kingdom there are no thrones, nor positions of government and dominion, as in the world, and that they would not be able to pass judgement on even the smallest aspect of any one person, 2129, 2553, they would have rejected that saying, and each would have left the Lord and gone back to his own employment. The reason why the Lord spoke in the way He did was so that they would receive those things and through them be introduced into internal truths. For within the external truths which the Lord spoke internal truths lay stored away which in course of time are laid bare. And when these are laid bare those external truths are dispelled and serve solely as the objects or the means for thought about internal ones. From these considerations one may recognize what is meant by the fact that Jehovah opened Leah's womb first and she bore sons to Jacob, and that Rachel did so subsequently.

  
/ 10837  
  

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