The Bible

 

synty 35

Study

   

1 Ja Jumala sanoi Jaakobille: "Nouse, mene Beeteliin, asetu sinne ja rakenna sinne alttari Jumalalle, joka ilmestyi sinulle paetessasi veljeäsi Eesauta".

2 Niin Jaakob sanoi perheellensä ja kaikille, jotka olivat hänen kanssaan: "Poistakaa vieraat jumalat, joita teillä on keskuudessanne, puhdistautukaa ja muuttakaa vaatteenne.

3 Ja nouskaamme ja menkäämme Beeteliin, rakentaakseni sinne alttarin Jumalalle, joka kuuli minua ahdistukseni aikana ja oli minun kanssani tiellä, jota vaelsin."

4 Niin he jättivät Jaakobille kaikki vieraat jumalat, jotka olivat heidän hallussansa, sekä renkaat, jotka olivat heidän korvissaan, ja Jaakob kätki ne maahan tammen alle, joka oli Sikemissä.

5 Ja he lähtivät liikkeelle; ja Jumalan kauhu valtasi heidän ympärillään olevat kaupungit, niin etteivät nämä ajaneet takaa Jaakobin poikia.

6 Ja Jaakob saapui Luusiin, joka on Kanaanin maassa, se on Beeteliin, kaiken väen kanssa, joka oli hänen seurassaan.

7 Ja hän rakensi sinne alttarin ja nimitti paikan Eel-Beeteliksi, koska Jumala oli siellä ilmestynyt hänelle, silloin kun hän pakeni veljeään.

8 Mutta Debora, Rebekan imettäjä, kuoli, ja hänet haudattiin Beetelin alapuolelle tammen alle, ja se sai siitä nimen "Itkutammi".

9 Ja Jumala ilmestyi jälleen Jaakobille hänen palattuaan Mesopotamiasta ja siunasi hänet.

10 Ja Jumala sanoi hänelle: "Sinun nimesi on Jaakob; mutta älköön sinua enää kutsuttako Jaakobiksi, vaan nimesi olkoon Israel". -Niin hän sai nimen Israel.

11 Ja Jumala sanoi hänelle: "Minä olen Jumala, Kaikkivaltias; ole hedelmällinen ja lisäänny. Kansa, suuri kansojen joukko on sinusta tuleva, ja kuninkaita lähtee sinun kupeistasi.

12 Ja maan, jonka minä olen antanut Aabrahamille ja Iisakille, minä annan sinulle; myöskin sinun jälkeläisillesi minä annan sen maan."

13 Ja Jumala kohosi ylös hänen luotaan siitä paikasta, jossa hän oli häntä puhutellut.

14 Ja Jaakob pystytti patsaan siihen paikkaan, jossa hän oli häntä puhutellut, kivipatsaan, ja vuodatti juomauhrin sen päälle ja kaatoi öljyä sen päälle.

15 Ja Jaakob nimitti sen paikan, jossa Jumala oli häntä puhutellut, Beeteliksi.

16 Sitten he lähtivät liikkeelle Beetelistä. Ja kun vielä oli jonkun verran matkaa Efrataan, joutui Raakel synnytystuskiin, ja hänen synnytystuskansa olivat hyvin kovat.

17 Ja kun hänen synnytystuskansa olivat kovimmillaan, sanoi kätilövaimo hänelle: "Älä pelkää, sillä tälläkin kertaa sinä saat pojan".

18 Mutta kun hänen henkensä oli lähtemäisillään, sillä hänen oli kuoltava, antoi hän hänelle nimen Benoni, mutta hänen isänsä antoi hänelle nimen Benjamin.

19 Niin Raakel kuoli siellä, ja hänet haudattiin Efratan tien varteen, se on Beetlehemiin.

20 Ja Jaakob pystytti hänen haudalleen patsaan; tämä Raakelin hautapatsas on olemassa vielä tänäkin päivänä.

21 Ja Israel lähti liikkeelle sieltä ja pystytti telttansa tuolle puolen Karjatornia.

22 Ja tapahtui, kun Israel asui siinä maassa, että Ruuben meni ja makasi Bilhan, isänsä sivuvaimon, kanssa. Ja Israel sai sen kuulla.

23 Jaakobilla oli kaksitoista poikaa. Leean pojat olivat Ruuben, Jaakobin esikoinen, Simeon, Leevi, Juuda, Isaskar ja Sebulon.

24 Raakelin pojat olivat Joosef ja Benjamin.

25 Bilhan, Raakelin orjattaren, pojat olivat Daan ja Naftali.

26 Silpan, Leean orjattaren, pojat olivat Gaad ja Asser. Nämä ovat ne Jaakobin pojat, jotka syntyivät hänelle Mesopotamiassa.

27 Ja Jaakob saapui isänsä Iisakin luo Mamreen, Kirjat-Arbaan, se on Hebroniin, jossa Aabraham ja Iisak olivat asuneet muukalaisina.

28 Ja Iisakin elinaika oli sata kahdeksankymmentä vuotta.

29 Ja Iisak vaipui kuolemaan ja tuli otetuksi heimonsa tykö, vanhana ja elämästä kyllänsä saaneena. Ja hänen poikansa Eesau ja Jaakob hautasivat hänet.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4603

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

4603. And the sons of Jacob were twelve. That this signifies the state of all things now in the Divine natural, is evident from the representation of Jacob, as being the Divine natural (of which often above); and from the signification of “twelve” as being all, and when predicated of the sons of Jacob or of the tribes named from them, as being all things of truth and good (see n. 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, 3939). As regards the Lord’s natural it has been shown how He made it Divine in Himself, for this was represented by Jacob. But the subject here treated of is the conjunction of the Divine natural with the Divine rational, which conjunction is represented by Jacob’s coming to Isaac, for Isaac represents the Lord’s Divine rational. It is for this reason that all Jacob’s sons are enumerated anew, for all things of truth and good must be in the natural before this could be fully conjoined with the rational, because the natural serves the rational as a receptacle, and therefore these are enumerated. Be it known, however, that the sons of Jacob are now named in an order different from that in which they were named before; for the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, namely, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, are in the last place, who nevertheless were born before Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The reason of this is that the order of the truths and goods in the natural when this has been made Divine, is here treated of; for the order in which these are mentioned is in accordance with the state of the subject that is being treated of (n. 3862, 3926, 3939).

  
/ 10837  
  

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3913

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

3913. And she said, Behold my maidservant Bilhah. That this signifies the affirming means which there is between natural truth and interior truth, is evident from the signification of a “maidservant” and also of a “handmaid” as being the affection of the knowledges that belong to the exterior man (n. 1895, 2567, 3835, 3849); and because this affection is the means for conjoining interior truths with natural or external truths, by “handmaid” is here signified the affirming means between them: and from the representation of Bilhah, as being the quality of this means. By the handmaids given to Jacob by Rachel and Leah for women to the intent that they might bring forth offspring, nothing else was represented and signified in the internal sense, than such a thing as is of service; here, for a means of the conjunction of interior truth with external truth; for by Rachel is represented interior truth, and by Leah external truth (n. 3793, 3819). For by the twelve sons of Jacob are here described the twelve general or cardinal things by means of which while being regenerated or made a church, man is initiated into what is spiritual and celestial. For when a man is being regenerated, or made a church (that is, when from a dead man he is becoming alive, or from corporeal heavenly), he is led by the Lord through many states. These general states are what are designated by the “twelve sons,” and afterwards by the “twelve tribes;” for which reason the “twelve tribes” signify all things of faith and love, as may be seen above (n. 3858); for generals involve all the particulars and singulars, and these latter bear relation to the former.

[2] When a man is being regenerated, the internal man is to be conjoined with the external, consequently the goods and truths of the internal man with the goods and truths of the external; for from truths and goods man is man. These cannot be conjoined without means. Means are such things as derive something from the one side, and something from the other, and which are attended with the effect that insofar as the man accedes to the one, the other becomes subordinate. These means are what are signified by the “handmaids,” the means on the part of the internal man by the handmaids of Rachel; and the means on the part of the external man by the handmaids of Leah.

[3] That there must be means of conjunction may be seen from the fact that of itself the natural man does not in the least agree with the spiritual man, but disagrees so far as to be altogether opposite. For the natural man regards and loves himself and the world; but the spiritual man does not regard himself and the world, except insofar as is conducive to the promotion of uses in the spiritual world; and thus regards its service and loves it from the use and end. The natural man seems to himself to have life when he is elevated to dignities, and thus to supereminence over others; but the spiritual man seems to himself to have life in humility, and in being the least.

Nor does he disregard dignities, provided that by them as means he can be of service to his neighbor, to the community, and to the church. Yet he does not reflect for the sake of himself upon the dignities to which he is elevated, but for the sake of the uses which he regards as the ends. The natural man is in his bliss when he is richer than others, and possesses the world’s wealth; but the spiritual man is in his bliss when he is in the knowledges of truth and good, which are his riches; and still more when he is in the practice of good according to truths; and yet he does not despise riches, because by means of them he can be in that practice, and in the world.

[4] From these few considerations it is evident that the state of the natural man and that of the spiritual man are opposed to each other by their ends; but that nevertheless they can be conjoined, which takes place when the things of the external man are made subordinate and subservient to the ends of the internal man. In order therefore that a man may become spiritual, it is necessary for the things of the external man to be reduced to compliance; thus that the ends in favor of self and the world be put off; and ends in favor of the neighbor and the Lord’s kingdom be put on. The former can by no means be put off and the latter put on, and thus the two be conjoined, except through means. These means are what are signified by the “handmaids,” and in particular by the “four sons” born of the handmaids.

[5] The first means is one that affirms or is affirmative of internal truth-that it is so. When this affirmative comes, the man is in the beginning of regeneration; good is being worked by the internal, and causes the affirmation. This good cannot inflow into what is negative, nor even into what is full of doubt, until this becomes affirmative. But afterwards it manifests itself by affection, that is, by the man’s being affected with truth, or beginning to be delighted with it; first in knowing it, and then in acting according to it. Take, for example, the truth that the Lord is the salvation for the human race. Unless this is made affirmative by the man, all the things he has learned from the Word or in the church concerning the Lord, and that are in his natural memory among the memory-knowledges, cannot be conjoined with his internal man, that is, with what can be there of faith. Thus neither can affection flow in, not even into the generals of that truth which are conducive to man’s salvation. But when it becomes affirmative, innumerable things are added, and are filled with the good that flows in; for good continually flows in from the Lord, but where there is no affirmative, it is not received. An affirmative is therefore the first means, and is as it were the first abode of the good that flows in from the Lord. The same is the case with all the other truths that are called truths of faith.

  
/ 10837  
  

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