The Bible

 

5 Mose 33

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1 Und dies ist der Segen, womit Mose, der Mann Gottes, die Kinder Israel vor seinem Tode gesegnet hat. Und er sprach:

2 Jehova ist vom Sinai hergekommen und ist ihnen aufgegangen von Seir; er ist hervorgestrahlt von dem Berge Paran und ist gekommen von heiligen Myriaden. Aus seiner Rechten ging Gesetzesfeuer für sie hervor.

3 Ja, er liebt die Völker; alle seine Heiligen sind in deiner Hand; und sie lagern zu deinen Füßen, ein jeder empfängt von deinen Worten.

4 Ein Gesetz hat uns Mose geboten, ein Erbe der Versammlung Jakobs.

5 Und er ward König in Jeschurun, als sich versammelten die Häupter des Volkes, die Stämme Israels allzumal. -

6 Ruben lebe und sterbe nicht, und seiner Männer sei eine Zahl!

7 Und dieses von Juda; und er sprach: Höre, Jehova, die Stimme Judas und bringe ihn zu seinem Volke; seine Hände seien mächtig für ihn, und hilf ihm von seinen Bedrängern!

8 Und von Levi sprach er: Deine Thummim und deine Urim sind für deinen Frommen, den du versucht hast zu Massa, mit dem du hadertest bei dem Wasser von Meriba;

9 der von seinem Vater und von seiner Mutter sprach: Ich sehe ihn nicht; und der seine Brüder nicht kannte und von seinen Söhnen nichts wußte. Denn sie haben dein Wort beobachtet, und deinen Bund bewahrten sie.

10 Sie werden Jakob lehren deine Rechte, und Israel dein Gesetz; sie werden Weihrauch legen vor deine Nase und Ganzopfer auf deinen Altar.

11 Segne, Jehova, sein Vermögen, und das Werk seiner Hände laß dir wohlgefallen; zerschmettere die Lenden derer, die sich wider ihn erheben, und seiner Hasser, daß sie nicht mehr aufstehen!

12 Von Benjamin sprach er: Der Liebling Jehovas! In Sicherheit wird er bei ihm wohnen; er beschirmt ihn den ganzen Tag, und zwischen seinen Schultern wohnt er.

13 Und von Joseph sprach er: Gesegnet von Jehova sei sein Land, vom Köstlichsten des Himmels, vom Tau, und von der Tiefe, die unten lagert;

14 und vom Köstlichsten der Erträge der Sonne und vom Köstlichsten der Triebe der Monde;

15 und vom Vorzüglichsten der Berge der Urzeit und vom Köstlichsten der ewigen Hügel;

16 und vom Köstlichsten der Erde und ihrer Fülle; und das Wohlgefallen dessen, der im Dornbusch wohnte: Es komme auf das Haupt Josephs und auf den Scheitel des Abgesonderten unter seinen Brüdern!

17 Sein ist die Majestät des Erstgeborenen seines Stieres; und Hörner des Wildochsen sind seine Hörner. Mit ihnen wird er die Völker niederstoßen allzumal bis an die Enden der Erde. Und das sind die Zehntausende Ephraims, und das die Tausende Manasses.

18 Und von Sebulon sprach er: Freue dich, Sebulon, deines Auszugs, und du, Issaschar, deiner Zelte!

19 Sie werden Völker zum Berge laden; daselbst werden sie Opfer der Gerechtigkeit opfern; denn sie werden saugen die Fülle der Meere und die verborgenen Schätze des Sandes.

20 Und von Gad sprach er: Gesegnet sei, der Gad Raum schafft! Wie eine Löwin lagert er und zerreißt Arm und Scheitel.

21 Und er hat das Erste des Landes sich ersehen, denn dort war der Anteil des Gesetzgebers aufbewahrt; und er ist an der Spitze des Volkes gezogen, hat ausgeführt die Gerechtigkeit Jehovas und seine Gerichte mit Israel.

22 Und von Dan sprach er: Dan ist ein junger Löwe, der hervorspringt aus Basan.

23 Und von Naphtali sprach er: Naphtali, gesättigt mit Huld und voll des Segens Jehovas! Westen und Süden nimm in Besitz!

24 Und von Aser sprach er: Gesegnet an Söhnen sei Aser; er sei wohlgefällig seinen Brüdern, und er tauche in Öl seinen Fuß!

25 Eisen und Erz seien deine Riegel, und wie deine Tage, so deine Kraft!

26 Keiner ist wie der Gott Jeschuruns, der auf den Himmeln einherfährt zu deiner Hilfe, und in seiner Hoheit auf den Wolken.

27 Deine Wohnung ist der Gott der Urzeit, und unter dir sind ewige Arme; und er vertreibt vor dir den Feind und spricht: Vertilge!

28 Und Israel wohnt sicher, abgesondert der Quell Jakobs, in einem Lande von Korn und Most; und sein Himmel träufelt Tau.

29 Glückselig bist du, Israel! Wer ist wie du, ein Volk, gerettet durch Jehova, den Schild deiner Hilfe, und der das Schwert deiner Hoheit ist? Und es werden dir schmeicheln deine Feinde, und du, du wirst einherschreiten auf ihren Höhen.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #349

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349. Sealed out of every tribe of Israel. This symbolizes the heaven and Lord's church formed from those people.

A tribe symbolizes religion as regards goodness of life, and every tribe symbolizes the church in respect to every good of love and every truth springing from that good, which produces goodness of life. For there are two elements which form the church: the goodness of love and doctrinal truth. The marriage of these two constitutes the church. The twelve tribes of Israel represented and so symbolized the church with respect to that marriage, and each tribe represented and so symbolized some universal truth accompanying goodness or some goodness accompanying truth present in that marriage.

But what each tribe symbolized has not been revealed previously to anyone, nor could it have been revealed, lest an ill-connected exposition profane the holiness that lies within these things when joined together, since their symbolism depends on their conjunction.

[2] They have one symbolism in the order in which they are listed according to their births (Genesis 29, 30, 35:18). The order there is: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin.

They have another symbolism in the order in which they are listed when they went into Egypt, namely, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali (Genesis 46:8-25).

Still another symbolism in the order in which they were blessed by their father Israel, namely, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin (Genesis 49).

Still another symbolism in the order in which they were blessed by Moses, namely, Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher (Deuteronomy 33) - Ephraim and Manasseh being listed there, and not Simeon or Issachar.

[3] Still another symbolism in the order in which they encamped and set out, namely, the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun on the east side, the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Gad on the south side, the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin on the west side, and the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali on the north side, with the tribe of Levi in the middle (Numbers 2:1-34).

And still another symbolism in the order in which they are listed elsewhere, as in Genesis 35:23-26, Numbers 1:5-16; 7:1-89; 13:4-15; 26:5-57; 34:17-28, Deuteronomy 27:12-13, Joshua 15; 16; 17; 18; 19, Ezekiel 48:1-35.

Consequently, when Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, "How good are your tents, O Jacob, and your tabernacles, O Israel" (Numbers 24:1-4ff.).

[4] On the breastpiece of judgment, namely, the Urim and Thummim, containing twelve precious stones according to the names of the children of Israel (Exodus 28:15-21), the symbolism of the tribes in their arrangement depended on the inquiry to which they provided a response.

But what they symbolized in the order in which they are mentioned here in the book of Revelation, which is still another order, will be told in what follows.

Tribes symbolize religion, and the twelve tribes the church and everything pertaining to it, because "tribe" and "scepter" are, in Hebrew, the same word, 1 and a scepter means a kingdom, and the Lord's kingdom is heaven and the church.

Footnotes:

1. Hebrew מַטֶּה or שֵׁבֶט, and also מַשְׁעֵנָה.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Genesis 29

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1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

2 He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

3 There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.

4 Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

5 He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

6 He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

7 He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

8 They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

10 It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

11 Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

13 It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

14 Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

15 Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

18 Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

19 Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

21 Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

22 Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

23 It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

24 Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

25 It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

26 Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27 Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

28 Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

29 Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

30 He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

31 Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

32 Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."

33 She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.

34 She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.

35 She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.