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1 Εγεινε δε πεινα εν τη γη, εκτος της προτερας πεινης, της γενομενης επι των ημερων του Αβρααμ. Και υπηγεν ο Ισαακ προς τον Αβιμελεχ, βασιλεα των Φιλισταιων, εις Γεραρα.

2 Εφανη δε εις αυτον ο Κυριος και ειπε, Μη καταβης εις Αιγυπτον· κατοικησον εν τη γη την οποιαν θελω σοι ειπει·

3 παροικει εν τη γη ταυτη, και εγω θελω εισθαι μετα σου, και θελω σε ευλογησει διοτι εις σε και εις το σπερμα σου θελω δωσει παντας τους τοπους τουτους· και θελω εκπληρωσει τον ορκον, τον οποιον ωμοσα προς Αβρααμ τον πατερα σου·

4 και θελω πληθυνει το σπερμα σου ως τα αστρα του ουρανου, και θελω δωσει εις το σπερμα σου παντας τους τοπους τουτους, και θελουσιν ευλογηθη εν τω σπερματι σου παντα τα εθνη της γης·

5 επειδη ο Αβρααμ υπηκουσεν εις την φωνην μου, και εφυλαξε τα προσταγματα μου, τας εντολας μου, τα διαταγματα μου και τους νομους μου.

6 Και κατωκησεν ο Ισαακ εν Γεραροις.

7 Ηρωτησαν δε οι ανδρες του τοπου περι της γυναικος αυτου· και ειπεν, Αδελφη μου ειναι· διοτι εφοβηθη να ειπη, Γυνη μου ειναι· λεγων, Μηπως με φονευσωσιν οι ανδρες του τοπου δια την Ρεβεκκαν· επειδη ητο ωραια την οψιν.

8 Και αφου διετριψεν εκει πολλας ημερας, Αβιμελεχ ο βασιλευς των Φιλισταιων, κυψας απο της θυριδος ειδε, και ιδου, ο Ισαακ επαιζε μετα Ρεβεκκας της γυναικος αυτου.

9 Εκαλεσε δε ο Αβιμελεχ τον Ισαακ και ειπεν, Ιδου, βεβαιως γυνη σου ειναι αυτη· δια τι λοιπον ειπας, Αδελφη μου ειναι; Και ειπε προς αυτον ο Ισαακ, διοτι ειπον, Μηπως αποθανω εξ αιτιας αυτης.

10 Και ειπεν ο Αβιμελεχ, Τι ειναι τουτο, το οποιον εκαμες εις ημας; παρ' ολιγον ηθελε κοιμηθη τις εκ του λαου μετα της γυναικος σου, και ηθελες φερει εφ' ημας ανομιαν.

11 Και προσεταξεν ο Αβιμελεχ εις παντα τον λαον, λεγων, Οστις εγγιση τον ανθρωπον τουτον η την γυναικα αυτου, θελει εξαπαντος θανατωθη.

12 Εσπειρε δε ο Ισαακ εν τη γη εκεινη και εσυναξε κατ' εκεινον τον χρονον εκατονταπλασια· και ευλογησεν αυτον ο Κυριος.

13 Και εμεγαλυνετο ο ανθρωπος και επροχωρει αυξανομενος, εωσου εγεινε μεγας σφοδρα·

14 και απεκτησε προβατα και βοας και δουλους πολλους· εφθονησαν δε αυτον οι Φιλισταιοι.

15 Και παντα τα φρεατα, τα οποια εσκαψαν οι δουλοι του πατρος αυτου επι των ημερων Αβρααμ του πατρος αυτου, ενεφραξαν ταυτα οι Φιλισταιοι και εγεμισαν αυτα χωμα.

16 Και ειπεν ο Αβιμελεχ προς τον Ισαακ, Απελθε αφ' ημων, διοτι εγεινες δυνατωτερος ημων σφοδρα.

17 Και απηλθεν εκειθεν ο Ισαακ και εστησε την σκηνην αυτου εν τη κοιλαδι των Γεραρων και κατωκησεν εκει.

18 Και ηνοιξε παλιν ο Ισαακ τα φρεατα του υδατος, τα οποια εσκαψαν επι των ημερων Αβρααμ του πατρος αυτου, οι δε Φιλισταιοι ενεφραξαν αυτα μετα τον θανατον του Αβρααμ· και ωνομασεν αυτα κατα τα ονοματα, με τα οποια ο πατηρ αυτου ειχεν ονομασει αυτα.

19 Και εσκαψαν οι δουλοι του Ισαακ εν τη κοιλαδι και ευρηκαν εκει φρεαρ υδατος ζωντος.

20 Ελογομαχησαν δε οι ποιμενες των Γεραρων μετα των ποιμενων του Ισαακ, λεγοντες, Ιδικον μας ειναι το υδωρ· και ωνομασε το φρεαρ Εσεκ· διοτι εφιλονεικησαν μετ' αυτου.

21 Και εσκαψαν αλλο φρεαρ και ελογομαχησαν και περι αυτου· δια τουτο ωνομασεν αυτο Σιτνα.

22 Και μετοικησας εκειθεν εσκαψεν αλλο φρεαρ, και περι τουτου δεν ελογομαχησαν· και ωνομασεν αυτο Ρεχωβωθ, λεγων, διοτι τωρα επλατυνεν ημας ο Κυριος και ηυξησεν ημας επι της γης.

23 Και εκειθεν ανεβη εις Βηρ-σαβεε.

24 Και εφανη εις αυτον ο Κυριος την νυκτα εκεινην, και ειπεν, Εγω ειμαι ο Θεος Αβρααμ του πατρος σου· μη φοβου, διοτι εγω ειμαι μετα σου, και θελω σε ευλογησει και θελω πληθυνει το σπερμα σου, δια Αβρααμ τον δουλον μου.

25 Και ωκοδομησεν εκει θυσιαστηριον και επεκαλεσθη το ονομα του Κυριου· και εστησεν εκει την σκηνην αυτου· εσκαψαν δε εκει οι δουλοι του Ισαακ φρεαρ.

26 Τοτε ο Αβιμελεχ υπηγε προς αυτον απο Γεραρων, και Οχοζαθ ο οικειος αυτου, και Φιχολ ο αρχιστρατηγος της δυναμεως αυτου.

27 Και ειπε προς αυτους ο Ισαακ, Δια τι ηλθετε προς εμε, αφου σεις με εμισησατε και με εδιωξατε απο σας;

28 οι δε ειπον, Ειδομεν φανερα, οτι ο Κυριος ειναι μετα σου, και ειπομεν, Ας γεινη τωρα ορκος μεταξυ ημων, μεταξυ ημων και σου, και ας καμωμεν συνθηκην μετα σου,

29 οτι δεν θελεις καμει κακον εις ημας, καθως ημεις δεν σε ηγγισαμεν, και καθως επραξαμεν εις σε μονον καλον, και σε εξαπεστειλαμεν εν ειρηνη· τωρα συ εισαι ευλογημενος του Κυριου.

30 Και εκαμεν εις αυτους συμποσιον· και εφαγον και επιον.

31 Και εσηκωθησαν ενωρις το πρωι, και ωμοσεν ο εις προς τον αλλον· τοτε ο Ισαακ εξαπεστειλεν αυτους, και απηλθον απ' αυτου εν ειρηνη.

32 Και την ημεραν εκεινην ηλθον οι δουλοι του Ισαακ και ανηγγειλαν προς αυτον περι του φρεατος το οποιον εσκαψαν, και ειπαν προς αυτον, Ευρηκαμεν υδωρ.

33 Και ωνομασεν αυτο Σαβεε· δια τουτο ειναι το ονομα της πολεως Βηρ-σαβεε εως της σημερον.

34 Ητο δε ο Ησαυ ετων τεσσαρακοντα, οτε ελαβεν εις γυναικα Ιουδιθ, την θυγατερα Βεηρι του Χετταιου, και Βασεμαθ, την θυγατερα Αιλων του Χετταιου·

35 και αυται ησαν πικρια ψυχης εις τον Ισαακ και την Ρεβεκκαν.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #9340

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9340. 'And I will set your boundary from the Sea Suph even to the Sea of the Philistines' means the full range of truths from factual ones to interior truths of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'setting the boundary from one place to another', when it refers to spiritual truths, as the full range; from the meaning of 'the Sea Suph' as truths on the levels of the senses and of factual knowledge, which are the lowest levels of the human mind (the Sea Suph was the final boundary of the land of Egypt, and 'Egypt' means factual knowledge in both senses, that is, true factual knowledge and false, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004, 6015, 6125, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 6750, 7779 (end), 7926, 8146, 8148; in this instance true factual knowledge is meant since the subject is the full range of spiritual matters of faith among the children of Israel, who represented the spiritual Church, 4286, 4598, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 8805); and from the meaning of 'the Sea of the Philistines' as interior truths of faith. The reason why these truths are meant by 'the Sea of the Philistines' is that the sea where Tyre and Sidon lay was the boundary of the land of Philistia, and 'Tyre and Sidon' means cognitions or knowledge of truth and good, 1201, while 'the land of Philistia' means the knowledge of interior matters of faith, 1197, 2504, 2726, 3463.

[2] Since 'the land of Canaan' represented the Lord's kingdom, which is heaven and the Church, all places in the land therefore meant such things as form part of the Lord's kingdom, or heaven and the Church, which things are called celestial and spiritual, and are connected with the good of love to the Lord and the truths of faith in Him. For this reason the seas and rivers which were boundaries meant the final limits there, and therefore 'from sea to sea' or 'from river to river' meant the full range of those things, as may be seen in 1585, 1866, 4116, 4240, 6516. From all this it becomes clear that 'the boundary from the Sea Suph even to the Sea of the Philistines' means the range of spiritual things, which are matters of truth, from external ones to internal, thus truths ranging from factual ones to interior truths of faith. But the range of celestial things, which are aspects of the good of love, is described next by the words 'from the wilderness even to the River'. The fact that places belonging to the land of Canaan, including seas and rivers, mean such things in the Word, has been shown in explanations everywhere.

[3] What the full range of truths from factual ones to interior truths of faith is must be stated briefly. Truths which exist in the external man are called factual ones, but truths which exist in the internal man are called interior truths of faith. Factual truths reside in a person's memory, and when they are brought out from there they pass into the person's immediate awareness. But interior truths of faith are truths of life itself which are inscribed on the internal man, but few of which show up in the memory. These however are matters which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of more fully elsewhere. Factual truths and interior truths of faith were meant in Genesis 1:6-7 by the waters under the expanse and the waters above the expanse, 24; for the first chapter of Genesis deals in the internal sense with the new creation or the regeneration of a member of the celestial Church.

[4] The reason why 'Philistia', which also bordered on the land of Canaan as far as Tyre and Sidon, meant the interior truths of faith was that there also the representative Ancient Church had existed, as is evident from the remnants of Divine worship among them which are alluded to in historical sections and prophetical parts of the Word in which the Philistines and the land of Philistia are the subject, such as - in the prophetical parts - Jeremiah 25:20; Jeremiah 47:1-end; Ezekiel 16:27, 57; 25:15-16; Amos 1:8; Zephaniah 2:5; Zechariah 9:6; Psalms 56:1; 1 60:8; 83:7; 108:9. The situation with the Philistines was the same as it was with all the nations in the land of Canaan, in that they represented the Church's forms of good and its truths, and also evils and falsities. When the representative Ancient Church existed among them they represented celestial things which were aspects of good and spiritual things which were matters of truth. But when they fell away from true representative worship they began to represent devilish things which were aspects of evil and hellish things which were matters of falsity. This is the reason why 'Philistia', like all the other nations belonging to the land of Canaan in the Word, means either forms of good and truths, or else evils and falsities.

[5] The fact that interior truths of faith are meant by 'the Philistines' is clear in David,

Glorious things are to be spoken in you, O city of God. I will mention Rahab and Babel among those who know Me; also Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia. The latter was born here. 2 Psalms 87:3-4.

'The city of God' means teachings presenting the truth of faith that are drawn from the Word, 402, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493, 5297; 'Tyre' means cognitions or knowledge of truth and good, 1201, and so does 'Ethiopia', 116, 117. From this it is evident that 'Philistia' means knowledge of the truths of faith.

[6] In Amos,

Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to Me, O children of Israel? Did I not cause Israel to come up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Amos 9:7.

This refers to the corruption and destruction of the Church after it had been established. 'The children of the Ethiopians' here are those in possession of cognitions of goodness and truth, which they use to substantiate evils and falsities, 1163, 1164. 'The children of Israel from the land of Egypt' are those who had been brought to spiritual truths and forms of good by means of factual truths, 'the children of Israel' being people in possession of spiritual truths and forms of good, thus in the abstract sense spiritual truths and forms of good, see 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 7957, 8234, and 'the land of Egypt' being factual truth, as shown above. The same is meant by 'the Philistines from Caphtor' and by 'the Syrians from Kir', to whom they are therefore likened. 'The Philistines from Caphtor' are people who had been brought to interior truths by means of exterior ones, but who perverted them and used them to substantiate falsities and evils, 1197, 1198, 3412, 3413, 3762, 8093, 8096, 8099, 8313, whereas 'the Syrians from Kir' are those who were in possession of cognitions of goodness and truth, which they likewise perverted, 1232, 1234, 3051, 3249, 3664, 3680, 4112.

[7] In Jeremiah,

... because of the day that is coming to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that is left, for Jehovah is laying waste the Philistines, the remnants of the island of Caphtor. Jeremiah 47:4.

The subject in Jeremiah 47 is the laying waste of the Church's truths of faith, interior truths of faith being meant by 'the Philistines' and exterior truths by 'the remnants of the island of Caphtor'.

[8] In Joel,

What have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Swiftly I will return your recompense upon your own head, inasmuch as you have taken My silver and My gold, and My good and desirable treasures you have carried into your temples. Joel 3:4-5.

'All the borders of Philistia' stands for all the interior and the exterior truths of faith; 'carrying silver and gold, and good and desirable treasures into their temples' stands for perverting truths and forms of good, and profaning them by putting them together with evils and falsities. For the meaning of 'silver and gold' as truths and forms of good, see 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 8932.

[9] In Obadiah,

At that time those in the south will be the heirs of the mountain of Esau, and of the plain of the Philistines, and they will become the heirs of the field of Ephraim; but Benjamin [will be the heir] of Gilead. Obad. verse 19.

This refers to the establishment of the Church; but spiritual things are implied by the names. 'Those in the south' are people who dwell in the light of truth, 1458, 3195, 3708, 5672, 5962; 'the mountain of Esau' is the good of love, 3300, 3322, 3494, 3504, 3576; 'the plain of the Philistines' is the truth of faith, 'the plain' being also that which constitutes matters of doctrine about faith, 2418; 'Ephraim' is the Church's power of understanding, 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267; 'Benjamin' is the Church's spiritual-celestial truth, 3969, 4592, 5686, 5689, 6440; and 'Gilead' is the corresponding exterior good, 4117, 4124, 4747.

[10] In Isaiah,

He will gather the outcasts of Israel, and will assemble the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. They will fly down onto the shoulder of the Philistines towards the sea, together they will plunder the sons of the east. Isaiah 11:12, 14.

Here 'Israel' and 'Judah' are not used to mean Israel and Judah; rather, 'Israel' means those who are governed by the good of faith, and 'Judah' those who are governed by the good of love. 'Flying down onto the shoulder of the Philistines' stands for receiving and taking into possession interior truths of faith; and 'plundering the sons of the east' stands for receiving and taking into possession interior forms of the good of faith, for 'the sons of the east' are people who are governed by forms of the good of faith and with whom cognitions or knowledge of good exists, 3249. 3762. For the meaning of 'plundering' as receiving and taking into possession, see what has been shown in 6914, 6917, regarding the plundering of the Egyptians by the children of Israel.

[11] Since 'the land of Philistia' meant knowledge of the interior truths of faith, and since Abraham and Isaac represented the Lord, and the sojourning of these two in places meant instruction received by the Lord in the truths and forms of the good of faith and love, which belong to God's wisdom, therefore - to provide a figurative representation of this - Abraham was commanded to sojourn in Philistia, Genesis 20:1-end, and so too was Isaac, Genesis 26:1-24. Therefore also Abimelech king of the Philistines made a covenant with Abraham, Genesis 21:22-end, and also with Isaac, Genesis 26:26-end. Regarding all this, see the explanations to those chapters.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. in the superscription or heading of this Psalm

2. i.e. in the city of God, see 1164:7.

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