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1 Mose 17

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1 Als nun Abram neunundneunzig Jahre alt war, erschien ihm der HERR und sprach zu ihm: Ich bin der allmächtige Gott; wandle vor mir und sei fromm!

2 Und ich will meinen Bund zwischen mir und dir machen und will dich fast sehr mehren.

3 Da fiel Abram auf sein Angesicht. Und Gott redete weiter mit ihm und sprach:

4 Siehe, ich bin's und habe meinen Bund mit dir, und du sollst ein Vater vieler Völker werden.

5 Darum sollst du nicht mehr Abram heißen, sondern Abraham soll dein Name sein; denn ich habe dich gemacht vieler Völker Vater.

6 Und will dich fast sehr fruchtbar machen und will von dir Völker machen; und sollen auch Könige von dir kommen.

7 Und ich will aufrichten meinen Bund zwischen mir und dir und deinem Samen nach dir bei ihren Nachkommen, daß es ein ewiger Bund sei, also daß ich dein Gott sei und deines Samens nach dir.

8 Und will dir und deinem Samen nach dir geben das Land, da du ein Fremdling innen bist, nämlich das ganze Land Kanaan, zu ewiger Besitzung; und will ihr Gott sein.

9 Und Gott sprach zu Abraham: So halte nun meinen Bund, du und dein Same nach dir bei ihren Nachkommen.

10 Das ist aber mein Bund, den ihr halten sollt zwischen mir und euch und deinem Samen nach dir: Alles, was männlich ist unter euch, soll beschnitten werden.

11 Ihr sollt aber die Vorhaut an eurem Fleisch beschneiden. Dasselbe soll ein Zeichen sein des Bundes zwischen mir und euch.

12 Ein jegliches Knäblein, wenn es acht Tage alt ist, sollt ihr beschneiden bei euren Nachkommen; desselbengleichen auch alles was Gesindes daheim geboren oder erkauft ist von allerlei Fremden, die nicht eures Samens sind.

13 Also soll mein Bund an eurem Fleisch sein zum ewigen Bunde.

14 Und wo ein Knäblein nicht wird beschnitten an der Vorhaut seines Fleisches, des Seele soll ausgerottet werden aus seinem Volk, darum daß es meinen Bund unterlassen hat.

15 Und Gott sprach abermal zu Abraham: Du sollst dein Weib Sarai nicht mehr Sarai heißen, sondern Sara soll ihr Name sein.

16 Denn ich will sie segnen, und von ihr will ich dir einen Sohn geben; denn ich will sie segnen, und Völker sollen aus ihr werden und Könige über viel Völker.

17 Da fiel Abraham auf sein Angesicht und lachte und sprach in seinem Herzen: Soll mir hundert Jahre alt, ein Kind geboren werden und Sara neunzig Jahre alt gebären?

18 Und Abraham sprach zu Gott: Ach, daß Ismael leben sollte vor dir!

19 Da sprach Gott: Ja, Sara, dein Weib soll dir einen Sohn gebären, den sollst du Isaak heißen; denn mit ihm will ich meinen ewigen Bund aufrichten und mit seinem Samen nach ihm.

20 Dazu um Ismael habe ich dich auch erhöret. Siehe, ich habe ihn gesegnet und will ihn fruchtbar machen und mehren fast sehr. Zwölf Fürsten wird er zeugen, und will ihn zum großen Volk machen.

21 Aber meinen Bund will ich aufrichten mit Isaak, den dir Sara gebären soll um diese Zeit im andern Jahr.

22 Und er hörete auf mit ihm zu reden, Und Gott fuhr auf von Abraham.

23 Da nahm Abraham seinen Sohn Ismael und alle Knechte, die daheim geboren, und alle, die erkauft, und alles, was Mannsnamen war in seinem Hause, und beschnitt die Vorhaut an ihrem Fleisch eben desselben Tages, wie ihm Gott gesagt hatte.

24 Und Abraham war neunundneunzig Jahre alt, da er die Vorhaut an seinem Fleische beschnitt.

25 Ismael aber, sein Sohn, war dreizehn Jahre alt, da seines Fleisches Vorhaut beschnitten ward.

26 Eben auf einen Tag wurden sie alle beschnitten, Abraham, sein Sohn Ismael,

27 und was Mannsnamen in seinem Hause war, daheim geboren und erkauft von Fremden; es ward alles mit ihm beschnitten.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1925

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1925. The Angel of Jehovah found her. That this signifies the thought of the interior man, namely, in the Lord, may be seen from the representation and signification of “the Angel of Jehovah.” “The Angel of Jehovah” is occasionally mentioned in the Word, and everywhere, when in a good sense, represents and signifies some essential in the Lord and from the Lord; but what he represents and signifies may be seen from the connection. They were angels who were sent to men, and who spoke through the prophets; yet what they spoke was not from the angels, but through them, for the state of the latter was then such that they knew not but that they were Jehovah, that is, the Lord; but as soon as they had done speaking, they returned into their former state, and spoke as from themselves.

[2] This was the case with the angels who spoke the Word of the Lord, as has been given me to know from much similar experience in the other life, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter. This is the reason why the angels were sometimes called “Jehovah;” as is very evident from the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush, of whom it is written:

And the Angel of Jehovah appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, and God called unto him out of the midst of the bush. God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:2, 4, 11, 15).

from which it is evident that it was an angel who appeared to Moses as a flame in the bush, and that he spoke as Jehovah because the Lord or Jehovah spoke through him.

[3] For in order that the speaking may come to man by words of articulate sound and in ultimate nature, the Lord makes use of the ministry of angels, filling them with the Divine, and lulling the things which are their own; so that at the time they do not know but that they themselves are Jehovah. In this way the Divine of Jehovah, which is in the highest things, passes down into the lowest of nature, in which lowest is man in respect to sight and hearing. So it was with the angel who spoke to Gideon, of whom it is thus said in the book of Judges:

The Angel of Jehovah appeared unto Gideon, and said unto him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of strength. And Gideon said unto him, In me, my Lord; why then is all this befallen us? And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in thy might; and Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee (Judg. 6:12, 14, 16);

and it is afterwards said:

And Gideon saw that he was the Angel of Jehovah, and Gideon said, Ah, Lord Jehovah, forasmuch as I have seen the Angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said unto him, peace be unto thee; fear not (Judg. 6:22-23).

In this case also it was an angel, but he was then in such a state that he did not know otherwise than that he was Jehovah or the Lord.

[4] So in another place in the book of Judges:

The Angel of Jehovah went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and he said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land which I sware unto your fathers, and I said, I will not make void My covenant with you to eternity (Judg. 2:1); where in like manner an angel speaks in the name of Jehovah, saying that he had led them up out of the land of Egypt, when yet the angel did not lead them out, but Jehovah, as is declared many times elsewhere. From all this we may see how angels spoke through the prophets, namely, that Jehovah Himself spoke, but through angels, and the angels spoke nothing from themselves. That the Word is from the Lord, is evident from many passages, as in Matthew:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son (Matthew 1:22-23),

besides other passages. As when the Lord speaks with men He speaks through angels, therefore sometimes in the Word the Lord is also called an “Angel,” and then by “Angel,” as already said, there is signified some essential thing in the Lord and from the Lord; as, in the present case, the Lord’s interior thought; and therefore also the angel is called in this chapter “Jehovah” and also “God,” as in verse 13: “and Hagar called the name of Jehovah that was speaking unto her, Thou God seest me.”

[5] In other places likewise some special attribute of the Lord is signified by “angels.” As in John:

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20).

There are no angels of churches, but by the “angels” is signified that which is of the church, thus that which is of the Lord in respect to the churches. And again:

I saw the wall of the Holy Jerusalem great and high, having twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names written which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel (Revelation 21:12) where by the “twelve angels” the same is signified as by the “twelve tribes,” namely, all things of faith, and thus the Lord, from whom is faith and all that is of faith. And again:

And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel (Revelation 14:6) where by the “angel” is signified the gospel, which is the Lord’s alone.

[6] In Isaiah:

The Angel of His faces saved them 1 in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them and carried them all the days of eternity (Isaiah 63:9)

where by “the Angel of His faces” is meant the Lord’s mercy toward the whole human race, in redeeming them. So too it was said by Jacob when he blessed the sons of Joseph:

The Angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the lads (Genesis 48:16)

where also redemption, which is the Lord’s, is signified by the “Angel.”

In Malachi:

The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the covenant whom ye desire (Malachi 3:1)

it is here plainly evident that the Lord is signified by the “Angel,” since He is called “the Angel of the covenant” on account of His advent. And even more plainly does it appear that the Lord is signified by an “Angel” in Exodus:

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee to the place which I have prepared. He will not endure your transgression, for My name is in the midst of him (Exodus 23:20-21).

Hence now it is evident that by “Angel” in the Word is meant the Lord; but what of the Lord, appears from the series and connection in the internal sense.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin reads nos, us, which may be a misprint for eos, them. [Rotch ed.]

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

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Judges 6:14

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14 Yahweh looked at him, and said, "Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven't I sent you?"