The Bible

 

1 Mose 33

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1 Und Jakob hob seine Augen auf und sah: und siehe, Esau kam und mit ihm vierhundert Mann. Und er verteilte die Kinder zu Lea und zu ahel und zu den beiden Mägden;

2 und er stellte die Mägde und ihre Kinder vornan und Lea und ihre Kinder dahinter und ahel und Joseph zuletzt.

3 Er aber ging vor ihnen her und beugte sich siebenmal zur Erde nieder, bis er nahe zu seinem Bruder kam.

4 Und Esau lief ihm entgegen und umarmte ihn und fiel ihm um den Hals und küßte ihn; und sie weinten.

5 Und er hob seine Augen auf und sah die Weiber und die Kinder und sprach: Wer sind diese bei dir? Und er sprach: Die Kinder, die Gott deinem Knechte beschert hat.

6 Und die Mägde traten herzu, sie und ihre Kinder, und verneigten sich.

7 Und auch Lea trat herzu und ihre Kinder, und sie verneigten sich. Und danach traten Joseph und ahel herzu und verneigten sich.

8 Und er sprach: Was willst du mit diesem ganzen Zug, dem ich begegnet bin? Und er sprach: Um Gnade zu finden in den Augen meines Herrn.

9 Da sprach Esau: Ich habe genug, mein Bruder; es sei dein was du hast.

10 Und Jakob sprach: Nicht doch; wenn ich anders Gnade gefunden habe in deinen Augen, so nimm mein Geschenk von meiner Hand, da ich nun einmal dein Angesicht gesehen habe, (O. denn darum habe ich) als hätte ich Gottes Angesicht gesehen, und du Wohlgefallen an mir gehabt hast.

11 Nimm doch mein Geschenk, (Eig. meinen Segen, wie 1. Sam. 25,27) das dir überbracht worden ist; denn Gott hat es mir beschert, (O. hat mir Gnade erwiesen) und ich habe alles. Und er drang in ihn, und er nahm es.

12 Und Esau (W. er) sprach: Laß uns aufbrechen und weiterziehen, und ich will vor (O. neben) dir herziehen.

13 Und er sprach zu ihm: Mein Herr weiß, daß die Kinder zart sind und daß ich säugende Schafe (Eig. Kleinvieh) und Kühe bei mir habe; wenn man sie nur einen Tag übertriebe, so würde die ganze Herde sterben.

14 Mein Herr ziehe doch vor seinem Knechte hin, und ich will einherziehen nach meiner Gemächlichkeit, nach dem Gange des Viehes, das vor mir ist, und nach dem Gange der Kinder, bis ich zu meinem Herrn komme nach Seir.

15 Und Esau sprach: Ich will doch von dem Volke bei dir zurücklassen, das bei mir ist. Und er sprach: Wozu das? Möchte ich Gnade finden in den Augen meines Herrn!

16 Und Esau kehrte an selbigem Tage seines Weges nach Seir zurück.

17 Und Jakob brach auf nach Sukkoth und baute sich ein Haus, und seinem Vieh machte er Hütten; darum gab er dem Orte den Namen Sukkoth. (Hütten)

18 Und Jakob kam wohlbehalten nach der Stadt Sichem, die im Lande Kanaan ist, als er aus Paddan-Aram kam, und lagerte vor der Stadt.

19 Und er kaufte das Stück Feld, wo er sein Zelt aufgeschlagen hatte, von der Hand der Söhne Hemors, des Vaters Sichems, um hundert Kesita.

20 Und er richtete daselbst einen Altar auf und nannte ihn: Gott, (El) der Gott Israels.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4395

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4395. 'As he was coming from Paddan Aram' means that which happened after the previous state. This is clear from the meaning of 'as he was coming' as that which happened after, and from the meaning of 'Paddan Aram' as cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in 3664, 4107, 4112, though exterior cognitions which serve in the introduction of genuine goods and truths; for Laban dwelt there, and he represents the affection for that kind of good, see 3612, 3665, 3778, 3974, 3982, 3986 (end), 4063, 4189, 4206. Consequently the words 'as he was coming from Paddan Aram' are used because the point was reached when external truths and goods gave way to interior, and so when the previous state gave way to the present one.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3986

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3986. 'And Jehovah has blessed you since I set foot here' means resulting from the Divine endowment which the natural possessed. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah blessing' as being endowed with good, dealt with in 3406, and as a joining together, 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584. 'Jehovah blessing' accordingly means being endowed with Divine good by means of a joining together, at this point a joining to the good of the natural represented by 'Jacob', the natural being meant by 'the foot'. As regards 'the foot' meaning the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761; and this will be clear in addition from the correspondence of the Grand Man with every part of the human being, the subject in the sections at the ends of chapters. From this it is evident that 'Jehovah has blessed you since I set foot here' means originating in the Divine which the natural possessed.

[2] The arcanum which lies concealed in these words and in those immediately before them is known to few, if any, and is therefore to be revealed. The goods present with people both inside the Church and outside it vary in every case. They vary so much that no one person's good is ever exactly like another's. These variations arise out of the truths to which those goods are joined, for the nature of every type of good is received from truths, and truths derive their essential nature from goods. Such variations also arise out of the affections that belong to each person's love, and which become rooted in a person and are made his own through the life he leads. Few genuine truths exist even with someone inside the Church, and fewer still with one outside. Consequently affections for genuine truth seldom exist with anyone.

[3] All the same, people who lead good lives, that is, who live in love to God and in charity towards the neighbour, are saved. The reason they are able to be saved is that the Lord's Divine is present within good that stems from love to God and within good that stems from charity towards the neighbour. And when the Divine is inwardly present everything is being arranged into order so that it can be joined to genuine goods and genuine truths which exist in the heavens. The truth of this may be proven from the communities constituting heaven, which are countless. Every single community varies as regards good and truth, and yet all of them taken together form one complete heaven. They are like the members and organs of the human body which, though varying in every case, still constitute one complete human being. For no complete whole is ever made up of any identical or entirely similar individual parts, but of varying parts harmoniously joined together. Varying parts joined together harmoniously present a single whole. The same applies to goods and truths in the spiritual world. Although these vary so much as never to be exactly similar with one person as with another, nevertheless from the Divine through love and charity they make one since love and charity are spiritual conjunction. Their variation is a heavenly harmony which produces such accord that they are one in the Divine, that is, in the Lord.

[4] Furthermore, however much truths may vary, and however much affections for truth may do so, good that stems from love to God and good that stems from charity towards the neighbour are nevertheless capable of receiving genuine truth and good, as they are not so to speak hard and resistant but soft and yielding. They allow themselves to be led by the Lord and in so doing to be turned towards good, and through good to be turned towards Him. It is different with those in whom self-love and love of the world reign. They do not allow themselves to be led and turned by the Lord towards the Lord but strongly resist, since each wishes to be his own leader, even more so when they have become subject to false and firmly established assumptions. As long as they are such they do not allow the Divine to come in.

[5] These considerations now make clear what is meant in the internal sense by these words which Jacob addressed to Laban, for 'Laban' means the kind of good which is not genuine because it does not have genuine truths planted within it but is nevertheless capable of having these joined to it and of having the Divine present within it. This kind of good is what normally exists with young children before they have received genuine truths. It is also the kind of good present with simple people within the Church who know few truths of faith but who nevertheless lead a charitable life. It is in addition the kind of good present with upright gentiles who offer holy worship to their gods. By means of such good, genuine truths and goods are able to be introduced, as may be seen from what has been stated about young children and simple people inside the Church in 3690, and about upright gentiles outside the Church in 2598-2603.

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