The Bible

 

1 Mose 9

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1 Und Gott segnete Noah und seine Söhne und sprach: Seid fruchtbar und mehret euch und erfüllet die Erde!

2 Eure Furcht und Schrecken sei über alle Tiere auf Erden, über alle Vögel unter dem Himmel und über alles, was auf dem Erdboden kreucht; und alle Fische im Meer seien in eure Hände gegeben.

3 Alles, was sich reget und lebet, das sei eure Speise; wie das grüne Kraut habe ich's euch alles gegeben.

4 Allein esset das Fleisch nicht, das noch lebet in seinem Blut.

5 Denn ich will auch eures Leibes Blut rächen und will's an allen Tieren rächen; und will des Menschen Leben rächen an einem jeglichen Menschen, als der sein Bruder ist.

6 Wer Menschenblut vergeußt, des Blut soll auch durch Menschen vergossen werden; denn Gott hat den Menschen zu seinem Bilde gemacht.

7 Seid fruchtbar und mehret euch und reget euch auf Erden, daß euer viel drauf werden.

8 Und Gott sagte zu Noah und seinen Söhnen mit ihm:

9 Siehe, ich richte mit euch einen Bund auf und mit eurem Samen nach euch

10 und mit allem lebendigen Tier bei euch, an Vögeln, an Vieh und an allen Tieren auf Erden bei euch, von allem, das aus dem Kasten gegangen ist, was für Tiere es sind auf Erden.

11 Und richte meinen Bund also mit euch auf, daß hinfort nicht mehr alles Fleisch verderbet soll werden mit dem Wasser der Sintflut, und soll hinfort keine Sintflut mehr kommen, die die Erde verderbe.

12 Und Gott sprach: Das ist das Zeichen des Bundes, den ich gemacht habe zwischen mir und euch und allem lebendigen Tier bei euch hinfort ewiglich:

13 Meinen Bogen habe ich gesetzt in die Wolken, der soll das Zeichen sein des Bundes zwischen mir und der Erde.

14 Und wenn es kommt, daß ich Wolken über die Erde führe, so soll man meinen Bogen sehen in den Wolken.

15 Alsdann will ich gedenken an meinen Bund zwischen mir und euch und allem lebendigen Tier in allerlei Fleisch, daß nicht mehr hinfort eine Sintflut komme, die alles Fleisch verderbe.

16 Darum soll mein Bogen in den Wolken sein, daß ich ihn ansehe und gedenke an den ewigen Bund zwischen Gott und allem lebendigen Tier in allem Fleisch, das auf Erden ist.

17 Dasselbe sagte Gott auch zu Noah: Dies sei das Zeichen des Bundes, den ich aufgerichtet habe zwischen mir und allem Fleisch auf Erden.

18 Die Söhne Noahs, die aus dem Kasten gingen, sind diese: Sem, Ham, Japheth. Ham aber ist der Vater Kanaans.

19 Das sind die drei Söhne Noahs, von denen ist alles Land besetzt.

20 Noah aber fing an und ward ein Ackermann und pflanzte Weinberge.

21 Und da er des Weins trank, ward er trunken und lag in der Hütte aufgedeckt.

22 Da nun Ham, Kanaans Vater, sah seines Vaters Scham, sagte er's seinen beiden Brüdern draußen.

23 Da nahm Sem und Japheth ein Kleid und legten es auf ihre beiden Schultern und gingen rücklings hinzu und deckten ihres Vaters Scham zu; und ihr Angesicht war abgewandt, daß sie ihres Vaters Scham nicht sahen.

24 Als nun Noah erwachte von seinem Wein und erfuhr, was ihm sein kleiner Sohn getan hatte,

25 sprach er: Verflucht sei Kanaan und sei ein Knecht aller Knechte unter seinen Brüdern!

26 Und sprach weiter: Gelobet sei Gott, der HERR des Sem; und Kanaan sei sein Knecht.

27 Gott breite Japheth aus und lasse ihn wohnen in den Hütten des Sem: und Kanaan sei sein Knecht.

28 Noah aber lebte nach der Sintflut dreihundertundfünfzig Jahre,

29 daß sein ganzes Alter ward neunhundertundfünfzig Jahre, und starb.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1102

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1102. 'He will dwell in the tents of Shem' means so that the internal features of worship may be present in the external features. This becomes clear from all that has been stated already about Shem, to the effect that 'Shem' is the internal Church or internal worship, and that external worship is something altogether soulless or unclean if it does not have internal worship to give it life and sanctify it. That 'tents' means nothing else than the holiness of love and worship arising out of this becomes clear from the meaning of 'tents' dealt with already in 414. Among the ancients 'wandering about and dwelling in tents' was common expression, and by 'tents' in the internal sense was meant holy worship, for the reason that the most ancient people not only wandered about with tents but also dwelt in tents and used to celebrate holy worship in them. Consequently 'wandering about and dwelling' also meant in the internal sense living.

[2] In addition to the places quoted already in 414, let the following as well serve to confirm that 'tents' means holy worship: In David,

God forsook the dwelling-place at Shiloh, the tent where He dwelt with man. Psalms 78:60.

Here 'tent' has a similar meaning to the Temple, in which God is said 'to dwell' when He is present with someone within love. For this reason the individual in whose life holy worship had a place was called by the ancients 'a tent', and later 'a temple'. In Isaiah,

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out. Isaiah 54:1.

This stands for enlightenment in the things that belong to true worship. In Jeremiah,

The whole land has been laid waste; suddenly My tents have been laid waste, My curtains in a moment. Jeremiah 4:20.

Here it is quite evident that tents are not meant but holy worship. In Zechariah,

Jerusalem will dwell yet again in her own place, in Jerusalem Jehovah will save the tents of Judah. Zechariah 12:6-7.

Here 'the tents of Judah' stands for worship of the Lord arising out of the holiness of love.

[3] From these quotations it now becomes clear what 'dwelling in the tents of Shem' means, namely, so that internal worship may be present in external. But because 'Japheth', the member of the external Church, has little knowledge of what internal things are, a brief description of him will be given. When a person feels or perceives within himself that he has thoughts regarding the Lord which are good and thoughts regarding the neighbor which are good, and he wishes to perform acts of kindness for him, but not for the sake of any gain or for the sake of his own position, and when he feels that he has pity for anyone who suffers misfortune, and more so for him who errs in regard to the doctrine of faith, he may then know that 'he is dwelling in the tents of Shem', that is, that there are with him things of an internal nature by means of which the Lord is working.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 9

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1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.

3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.

4 But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.

5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.

6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.

7 Be fruitful and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."

8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9 "As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.

11 I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth."

12 God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,

15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

17 God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn't see their father's nakedness.

24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.

25 He said, "Canaan is cursed. He will be servant of servants to his brothers."

26 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.

27 May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant."

28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.

29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.