The Bible

 

1 Mose 10

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1 Dies ist das Geschlecht der Kinder Noahs: Sem, Ham, Japheth. Und sie zeugten Kinder nach der Sintflut.

2 Die Kinder Japheths sind diese: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Thubal, Mesech und Thiras.

3 Aber die Kinder von Gomer sind diese: Askenas, Riphath und Thorgama.

4 Die Kinder von Javan sind diese: Elisa, Tharsis, die Chittiter und die Dodaniter.

5 Von diesen sind ausgebreitet die Inseln der Heiden in ihren Ländern, jegliche nach ihren Sprachen, Geschlechtern und Leuten.

6 Die Kinder von Ham sind diese: Chus, Mizraim, Put und Kanaan.

7 Aber die Kinder von Chus sind diese: Seba, Hevila, Sabtha, Ragma und Sabthecha. Aber die Kinder von Ragma sind diese: Saba und Dedan.

8 Chus aber zeugte den Nimrod. Der fing an ein gewaltiger Herr zu sein auf Erden,

9 und war ein gewaltiger Jäger vor dem HERRN. Daher spricht man: Das ist ein gewaltiger Jäger vor dem HERRN wie Nimrod.

10 Und der Anfang seines Reiches war Babel, Erech, Akkad und Chalne im Lande Sinear.

11 Von dem Land ist er gekommen nach Assur und baute Ninive und Rehoboth-Ir und Kalah,

12 dazu Resen zwischen Ninive und Kalah. Dies ist die große Stadt.

13 Mizraim zeugte die Luditer, die Anamiter, die Lehabiter, die Naphthuhiter,

14 die Pathrusiter und die Kasluhiter (von dannen sind gekommen die Philister) und die Kaphthoriter.

15 Kanaan aber zeugte Sidon, seinen ersten Sohn, und Heth,

16 den Jebusiter, den Amoriter, den Girgasiter,

17 den Heviter, den Arkiter, den Siniter,

18 den Arvaditer, den Zemariter und den Hamathiter. Daher sind ausgebreitet die Geschlechter der Kanaaniter.

19 Und ihre Grenzen waren von Sidon an durch Gerar bis gen Gaza, bis man kommt gen Sodom, Gomorra, Adama, Zeboim und bis gen Lasa.

20 Das sind die Kinder Hams in ihren Geschlechtern, Sprachen und Leuten.

21 Sem aber, Japheths, des Ältern, Bruder, zeugte auch Kinder, der ein Vater ist aller Kinder von Eber.

22 Und dies sind seine Kinder: Elam, Assur, Arphachsad, Lud und Aram.

23 Die Kinder von Aram sind diese: Uz, Hul, Gether und Mas.

24 Arphachsad aber zeugte Salah, Salah zeugte Eber.

25 Eber zeugte zwei Söhne. Einer hieß Peleg, darum daß zu seiner Zeit die Welt zerteilt ward; des Bruder hieß Joktan.

26 Und Joktan zeugte Almodad, Saleph, Hazarmaveth, Jarah,

27 Hadoram, Usal, Dikla,

28 Obal, Abimael, Saba,

29 Ophir, Hevila und Jobab. Das sind die Kinder von Joktan.

30 Und ihre Wohnung war von Mesa an, bis man kommt gen Sephar, an den Berg gegen Morgen.

31 Das sind die Kinder von Sem in ihren Geschlechtern, Sprachen, Ländern und Leuten.

32 Das sind die Nachkommen der Kinder Noahs in ihren Geschlechtern und Leuten. Von denen sind ausgebreitet die Leute auf Erden nach der Sintflut.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #737

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737. 'Noah was a son of six hundred years' means his initial state of temptation. This is clear from the fact from here down to Eber in Chapter 11 nothing else is meant by numbers, years of age, or names than real things, as was the case also with the ages and names of all those mentioned in Chapter 5. Here 'six hundred years' means the initial state of temptation. This becomes clear from its prime factors which are ten and six multiplied again by ten. When the same factors are involved it makes no difference whether the number arrived at is large or small. As for ten, this has been shown already at 6:3 to mean remnants, while the meaning of six here as labour and conflict is clear from places throughout the Word. For the situation is this: What has gone before dealt with man's preparation for temptation, that is to say, he was supplied by the Lord with truths of the understanding and with goods of the will. These truths and goods are remnants, but they are not brought forth so as to be acknowledged until man is being regenerated. In the case of those who are being regenerated by means of temptations the remnants existing with any man are for the angels present with him. From these remnants they draw out those things with which they protect him against the evil spirits who activate falsities with him and in this way attack him. It is because remnants are meant by 'ten' and conflict by 'six' that six hundred years are spoken of, a number in which ten and six are the prime factors and which means a state of temptation.

[2] As regards conflict being the particular meaning of 'six', this is clear from Genesis 1, which describes the six days of man's regeneration prior to his becoming celestial. During those six days there was constant conflict, but on the seventh day came rest. Consequently there are six days of labour, and the seventh is the sabbath, a word which means rest. This also is why a Hebrew slave was to serve for six years and in the seventh was to go free, Exodus 21:2; Deuteronomy 15:12; Jeremiah 34:14, and why for six years they were to sow the land and gather in the produce, but in the seventh they were to leave it alone, Exodus 23:10-12. The same applied to a vineyard. It is also the reason why in the seventh year the land was to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to Jehovah, Leviticus 25:3-4. Because 'six' means labour and conflict it also means the dispersion of falsity, as in Ezekiel,

Behold, six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which looks towards the north, every man with a weapon of dispersion in his hand. Ezekiel 9:2.

And in the same prophet, against Gog,

I will cause you to turn about, and I will split you into six, and cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north. Ezekiel 39:2.

Here 'six' and 'splitting into six' stand for dispersion, 'the north' for falsities, and 'Gog' for people who seize on doctrinal matters based on things of an external nature with which they destroy internal worship. From Job,

He will deliver you in six troubles, and in a seventh no evil will touch you. Job 5:19.

This stands for the conflict that constitutes temptations.

[3] 'Six' occurs in other parts of the Word where it does not mean labour, conflict, or the dispersion of falsity, but the holiness of faith. In these instances it is related to twelve, which means faith and all things of faith in their entirety, and to three which means that which is holy. Consequently there is also a genuine derivative meaning to the number six, as in Ezekiel 40:5, where the man's measuring rod with which he measured the holy city of Israel was six cubits long; and in other places. The reason for this derivative is that in the conflict of temptation the holiness of faith is present, and also that six days of labour and conflict look forward to the holy seventh day.

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