The Bible

 

1 Mose 5

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1 Dies ist das Buch von Adams Geschlechtern. An dem Tage, da Gott Adam schuf, machte er ihn im Gleichnis Gottes.

2 Mann und Weib schuf er sie, und er segnete sie und gab ihnen den Namen Mensch, an dem Tage, da sie geschaffen wurden. -

3 Und Adam lebte hundertdreißig Jahre und zeugte einen Sohn in seinem Gleichnis, nach seinem Bilde, und gab ihm den Namen Seth.

4 Und die Tage Adams, nachdem er Seth gezeugt hatte, waren achthundert Jahre, und er zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

5 Und alle Tage Adams, die er lebte, waren neunhundertdreißig Jahre, und er starb. -

6 Und Seth lebte hundertfünf Jahre und zeugte Enos.

7 Und Seth lebte, nachdem er Enos gezeugt hatte, achthundertsieben Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

8 Und alle Tage Seths waren neunhundertzwölf Jahre, und er starb. -

9 Und Enos lebte neunzig Jahre und zeugte Kenan.

10 Und Enos lebte, nachdem er Kenan gezeugt hatte, achthundertfünfzehn Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

11 Und alle Tage Enos' waren neunhundertfünf Jahre, und er starb. -

12 Und Kenan lebte siebzig Jahre und zeugte Mahalalel.

13 Und Kenan lebte, nachdem er Mahalalel gezeugt hatte, achthundertvierzig Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

14 Und alle Tage Kenans waren neunhundertzehn Jahre, und er starb. -

15 Und Mahalalel lebte fünfundsechzig Jahre und zeugte Jered.

16 Und Mahalalel lebte, nachdem er Jered gezeugt hatte, achthundertdreißig Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

17 Und alle Tage Mahalalels waren achthundertfünfundneunzig Jahre, und er starb. -

18 Und Jered lebte hundertzweiundsechzig Jahre und zeugte Henoch.

19 Und Jered lebte, nachdem er Henoch gezeugt hatte, achthundert Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

20 Und alle Tage Jereds waren neunhundertzweiundsechzig Jahre, und er starb. -

21 Und Henoch lebte fünfundsechzig Jahre und zeugte Methusalah.

22 Und Henoch wandelte mit Gott, nachdem er Methusalah gezeugt hatte, dreihundert Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

23 Und alle Tage Henochs waren dreihundertfünfundsechzig Jahre.

24 Und Henoch wandelte mit Gott; und er war nicht mehr, denn Gott nahm ihn hinweg. -

25 Und Methusalah lebte hundertsiebenachtzig Jahre und zeugte Lamech.

26 Und Methusalah lebte, nachdem er Lamech gezeugt hatte, siebenhundertzweiundachtzig Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

27 Und alle Tage Methusalahs waren neunhundertneunundsechzig Jahre, und er starb. -

28 Und Lamech lebte hundertzweiundachtzig Jahre und zeugte einen Sohn.

29 Und er gab ihm den Namen Noah, indem er sprach: Dieser wird uns trösten über unsere Arbeit und über die Mühe unserer Hände wegen des Erdbodens, den Jehova verflucht hat.

30 Und Lamech lebte, nachdem er Noah gezeugt hatte, fünfhundertfünfundneunzig Jahre und zeugte Söhne und Töchter.

31 Und alle Tage Lamechs waren siebenhundertsiebenundsiebzig Jahre, und er starb. -

32 Und Noah war fünfhundert Jahre alt; und Noah zeugte Sem, Ham und Japhet.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #468

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468. THE INTERNAL SENSE

It is clear from what was stated and shown in the previous chapter that names meant heresies and systems of doctrine. From that it becomes clear that the names in this chapter do not mean specific individuals but other things that existed. Here they mean systems of doctrine or Churches which, though they underwent certain changes, were preserved from the time of the Most Ancient Church down to that of Noah. Now it so happens that every Church in the course of time gets smaller until at length it remains among only a few people. The few with whom it remained at the time of the Flood were called Noah.

[2] The fact that the true Church gets smaller and remains among the few becomes clear from other Churches which have in a similar manner got smaller. In the Word those who remain are called 'the Remnant' and 'that which is left', and indeed people 'in the midst (or the middle) of the land'. What applies in general applies in particular also; that is, what is true of the Church is equally true of individuals. If the Lord did not preserve remnants with each individual he would inevitably perish in eternal death, for those remnants contain spiritual and celestial life. The same applies to what is general or universal; were there not always some people among whom the Church, or true faith, existed, the human race would perish. For as is well known, a city, even a whole kingdom, is preserved for the sake of a few. These factors are akin to the heart in man: as long as the heart is sound the surrounding organs can go on living. But when it is weak, deterioration sets into them all and the person dies. Final remnants are meant by Noah, for with the exception of these, as is clear from verse 12 of the next chapter, 'the whole earth was corrupt'.

[3] The remnants residing with the individual or within the Church are frequently the subject in the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

He who remains in Zion, and he who is left in Jerusalem will be called holy to Him, everyone who has been written for life 1 in Jerusalem, when the Lord will have washed the filth of the daughters of Zion and washed away the blood 2 of Jerusalem from its midst. Isaiah 4:3-4.

Here holiness is attributed to the remnants, which mean remnants of the Church, and also of the member of the Church, for those left in Zion and in Jerusalem could not be holy people merely because they had been left there.

Similarly in the same prophet,

On that day, the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob that escaped will no more lean on him that smote them; but they will lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the God of power. (Isaiah 10:20)

In Jeremiah,

In those days and in that time the iniquity of Israel will be sought, but there will be none, and the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon him whom I shall make one that is left. Jeremiah 50:10.

In Micah,

The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from Jehovah, like showers on the grass. Micah 5:7.

[4] That which is left, or the remnant, whether of the individual or of the Church, was also represented by tenths, which were holy. And any number involving ten was consequently holy too. Ten therefore has reference to things that are left over, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah will remove man far away, and there will be many forsaken places in the midst of the land; yet there will be a tenth part in it, and this will return; it will be a wiping out like an oak or a terebinth when the stump is cast away from them. The holy seed is its stump. Isaiah 6:12-13.

Here that which is left is called 'the holy stump'. In Amos,

Thus said the Lord Jehovah, The city that goes forth a thousand will have a hundred that are left, and that which goes forth a hundred will have ten that are left to the house of Israel. Amos 9:3.

In these and many other places the internal sense means remnants, also the subject here. The fact that a city is preserved for the sake of the remnant of the Church is clear from what Abraham was told concerning Sodom, Abraham said, Perhaps ten may be found there; and He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. Genesis 18:32.

Footnotes:

1. literally, lives

2. literally, bloods

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