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1 Mose 14

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1 Und es geschah in den Tagen Amraphels, des Königs von Sinear, Ariochs, des Königs von Ellasar, Kedorlaomers, des Königs von Elam, und Thidhals, des Königs von Gojim,

2 daß sie Krieg führten mit Bera, dem Könige von Sodom, und mit Birscha, dem Könige von Gomorra, Schineab, dem Könige von Adama, und Schemeber, dem Könige von Zeboim, und mit dem Könige von Bela, das ist Zoar.

3 Alle diese verbündeten sich und kamen in das Tal Siddim, das ist das Salzmeer.

4 Zwölf Jahre hatten sie Kedorlaomer gedient, und im dreizehnten Jahre empörten sie sich.

5 Und im vierzehnten Jahre kamen Kedorlaomer und die Könige, die mit ihm waren, und schlugen die Rephaim zu Asteroth-Karnaim und die Susim zu Ham und die Emim in der Ebene von Kirjathaim,

6 und die Horiter auf ihrem Gebirge Seir bis El-Paran, das an der Wüste liegt.

7 Und sie wandten sich und kamen nach En-Mischpat, das ist Kades; und sie schlugen das ganze Gefilde der Amalekiter und auch die Amoriter, die zu Hazazon-Tamar wohnten.

8 Und es zogen aus der König von Sodom und der König von Gomorra und der König von Adama und der König von Zeboim und der König von Bela, das ist Zoar; und sie stellten sich gegen sie in Schlachtordnung auf im Tale Siddim:

9 gegen Kedorlaomer, den König von Elam, und Thidhal, den König von Gojim, und Amraphel, den König von Sinear, und Arioch, den König von Ellasar, vier Könige gegen die fünf.

10 Das Tal Siddim war aber voll von Erdharzquellen; und die Könige von Sodom und Gomorra flohen und fielen daselbst, und die übrigen flohen ins Gebirge.

11 Und sie nahmen alle Habe von Sodom und Gomorra und alle ihre Speise und zogen davon.

12 Und sie nahmen Lot, Abrams Bruders Sohn, und seine Habe und zogen davon; denn er wohnte in Sodom.

13 Und es kam ein Entronnener und berichtete es Abram, dem Hebräer; er wohnte aber unter den Terebinthen Mamres, des Amoriters, des Bruders von Eskol und des Bruders von Aner, und diese waren Abrams Bundesgenossen.

14 Und als Abram hörte, daß sein Bruder gefangen weggeführt war, ließ er seine Geübten, seine Hausgeborenen, ausrücken, dreihundertachtzehn Mann, und jagte ihnen nach bis Dan.

15 Und er teilte sich wider sie des Nachts, er und seine Knechte, und schlug sie und jagte ihnen nach bis Hoba, das zur Linken von Damaskus liegt.

16 Und er brachte alle Habe zurück; und auch Lot, seinen Bruder, und dessen Habe brachte er zurück, und auch die Weiber und das Volk.

17 Und als er zurückgekehrt war, nachdem er Kedorlaomer und die Könige, die mit ihm gewesen, geschlagen hatte, zog der König von Sodom aus, ihm entgegen, in das Tal Schawe, das ist das Königstal.

18 Und Melchisedek, König von Salem, brachte Brot und Wein heraus; und er war Priester Gottes, des Höchsten.

19 Und er segnete ihn und sprach: Gesegnet sei Abram von Gott, dem Höchsten, der Himmel und Erde besitzt!

20 Und gepriesen sei Gott, der Höchste, der deine Feinde in deine Hand geliefert hat! Und Abram gab ihm den Zehnten von allem.

21 Und der König von Sodom sprach zu Abram: Gib mir die Seelen, und die Habe nimm für dich.

22 Und Abram sprach zu dem König von Sodom: Ich hebe meine Hand auf zu Jehova, zu Gott, dem Höchsten, der Himmel und Erde besitzt:

23 Wenn vom Faden bis zum Schuhriemen, ja, wenn ich irgend etwas nehme von dem, was dein ist...!Auf daß du nicht sagest: Ich habe Abram reich gemacht.

24 Nichts für mich! Nur was die Knaben verzehrt haben, und das Teil der Männer, die mit mir gezogen sind: Aner, Eskol und Mamre, die mögen ihr Teil nehmen!

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1727

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1727. 'He brought out bread' means celestial things and the refreshment received from them, while 'and wine' means spiritual things and the refreshment received from them. This is clear from the meaning of 'bread' as that which is celestial, dealt with in 276, 680, and from the meaning of 'wine', and also of a vine and a vineyard, as that which is spiritual, dealt with in 1069, 1071. And because 'breed' means celestial things, and 'wine' spiritual, they were also made symbols in the Holy Supper. Here 'Melchizedek brought out bread and wine' has a similar meaning, for in the Ancient Church 'breed' was the representative of all celestial things, and 'wine' the representative of all spiritual things. Thus here they are representatives of the Lord Himself, the source of everything celestial and everything spiritual.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #680

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680. The fact that goods and truths are man's real food may be clear to anyone, for the person who is deprived of them has no life within himself, and is a dead man. The food on which the soul of the person feeds who is dead in this sense consists of the delights arising from evils, and of the pleasures gained from falsities. These are the food of death. These delights and pleasures also derive from bodily, worldly, and natural things, which have no life at all within them. Furthermore such a person does not know what spiritual and celestial food is. Every time 'food' or 'bread' is mentioned in the Word he assumes that food for the body is meant. In the words of the Lord's Prayer, 'Give us our daily bread', for example, he thinks purely of nourishment for the body. There are some whose ideas do extend further and who assert that this petition includes all other physical requirements, such as clothing, money, and so on. Indeed they will argue fiercely that no other kind of food is meant, even though they clearly see that the petitions coming before and after it entail purely celestial and spiritual things, and refer to the Lord's kingdom, and possibly know as well that the Lord's Word is celestial and spiritual.

[2] From this and other similar considerations it becomes sufficiently clear just how bodily-minded the man of today is, and that like the Jews, he is unwilling to accept anything stated in the Word except in a very crude and materialistic way. The Lord Himself clearly teaches what His Word means by 'food' and 'bread': He speaks of food in John as follows,

Jesus said, Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man gives you. John 6:27.

And of bread He says in the same gospel,

Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread he will live for ever. John 6:49-51, 58.

Even today there are people who, like those who first heard these words, declare,

This is a hard saying; who can listen to it? And some drew back and no longer walked with Him. John 6:60, 66.

To those people the Lord said,

The words which I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.

[3] It is similar with water, in that it means the spiritual things of faith: He speaks of water in John as follows,

Jesus said, Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but he who drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life. John 4:13-14.

Even today there are people like the woman to whom the Lord spoke at the spring, who replied,

Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst nor come here to draw. John 4:15.

[4] In the Word 'food' means nothing other than spiritual and celestial food, which is faith in the Lord and love. This is clear from many places in the Word, as in Jeremiah,

The enemy has stretched out his hand over all the desirable things of Jerusalem, because she saw the nations come into her sanctuary, concerning whom You did command, They shall not enter your congregation. All the people groan as they search for bread. They have given their desirable things for food to restore the soul. Lamentations 1:10-11.

Here no other bread or food is meant than spiritual, for the subject is the sanctuary. In the same author,

I called to my lovers, they deceived me. My priests and my elders breathed their last in the city, for they sought food for themselves to refresh their soul. Lamentations 1:19.

Here the meaning is similar. In David,

They all look to You to give them their food in due season. You givest to them - they gather it up. You openest Your hand - they are satisfied with good. Psalms 104:27-28.

This in like manner stands for spiritual and celestial food.

[5] In Isaiah,

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1.

Here 'wine and milk' stands for spiritual and celestial drink. In the same prophet,

A virgin is conceiving and bearing a son, and you will call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey will He eat that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. It will be that because of the abundance of milk they produce he will eat butter, for butter and honey will everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land. Isaiah 7:14-15, 22.

Here 'eating honey and butter' means that which is celestial-spiritual, and 'those who are left' stands for remnants, which are referred to in Malachi as well,

Bring all the tithes 1 to the storehouse that there may be food in My house. Malachi 3:10.

'Tithes' 1 stands for remnants. Further concerning the meaning of 'food', see 56-58, 276.

Footnotes:

1. or tenths

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