The Bible

 

Bereshit 22

Study

   

1 ויהי אחר הדברים האלה והאלהים נסה את־אברהם ויאמר אליו אברהם ויאמר הנני׃

2 ויאמר קח־נא את־בנך את־יחידך אשר־אהבת את־יצחק ולך־לך אל־ארץ המריה והעלהו שם לעלה על אחד ההרים אשר אמר אליך׃

3 וישכם אברהם בבקר ויחבש את־חמרו ויקח את־שני נעריו אתו ואת יצחק בנו ויבקע עצי עלה ויקם וילך אל־המקום אשר־אמר־לו האלהים׃

4 ביום השלישי וישא אברהם את־עיניו וירא את־המקום מרחק׃

5 ויאמר אברהם אל־נעריו שבו־לכם פה עם־החמור ואני והנער נלכה עד־כה ונשתחוה ונשובה אליכם׃

6 ויקח אברהם את־עצי העלה וישם על־יצחק בנו ויקח בידו את־האש ואת־המאכלת וילכו שניהם יחדו׃

7 ויאמר יצחק אל־אברהם אביו ויאמר אבי ויאמר הנני בני ויאמר הנה האש והעצים ואיה השה לעלה׃

8 ויאמר אברהם אלהים יראה־לו השה לעלה בני וילכו שניהם יחדו׃

9 ויבאו אל־המקום אשר אמר־לו האלהים ויבן שם אברהם את־המזבח ויערך את־העצים ויעקד את־יצחק בנו וישם אתו על־המזבח ממעל לעצים׃

10 וישלח אברהם את־ידו ויקח את־המאכלת לשחט את־בנו׃

11 ויקרא אליו מלאך יהוה מן־השמים ויאמר אברהם אברהם ויאמר הנני׃

12 ויאמר אל־תשלח ידך אל־הנער ואל־תעש לו מאומה כי עתה ידעתי כי־ירא אלהים אתה ולא חשכת את־בנך את־יחידך ממני׃

13 וישא אברהם את־עיניו וירא והנה־איל אחר נאחז בסבך בקרניו וילך אברהם ויקח את־האיל ויעלהו לעלה תחת בנו׃

14 ויקרא אברהם שם־המקום ההוא יהוה יראה אשר יאמר היום בהר יהוה יראה׃

15 ויקרא מלאך יהוה אל־אברהם שנית מן־השמים׃

16 ויאמר בי נשבעתי נאם־יהוה כי יען אשר עשית את־הדבר הזה ולא חשכת את־בנך את־יחידך׃

17 כי־ברך אברךך והרבה ארבה את־זרעך ככוכבי השמים וכחול אשר על־שפת הים וירש זרעך את שער איביו׃

18 והתברכו בזרעך כל גויי הארץ עקב אשר שמעת בקלי׃

19 וישב אברהם אל־נעריו ויקמו וילכו יחדו אל־באר שבע וישב אברהם בבאר שבע׃ ף

20 ויהי אחרי הדברים האלה ויגד לאברהם לאמר הנה ילדה מלכה גם־הוא בנים לנחור אחיך׃

21 את־עוץ בכרו ואת־בוז אחיו ואת־קמואל אבי ארם׃

22 ואת־כשד ואת־חזו ואת־פלדש ואת־ידלף ואת בתואל׃

23 ובתואל ילד את־רבקה שמנה אלה ילדה מלכה לנחור אחי אברהם׃

24 ופילגשו ושמה ראומה ותלד גם־הוא את־טבח ואת־גחם ואת־תחש ואת־מעכה׃ ס

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2723

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

2723. As regards Beersheba however, 'Beersheba' means the state and the essential nature of the doctrine, that is to say, it is Divine doctrine to which merely human rational ideas have been allied. This becomes clear from the train of thought in verse 22 to the present verse, 2613, 2614, and also from the meaning of the actual expression in the original language as 'the well of the oath' and 'the well of seven'. 'A well' means the doctrine of faith, see 2702, 2720, 'an oath' means a joining together, 2720, as does 'the covenant established with an oath', 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037; and 'seven' means that which is holy and so that which is Divine, 395, 433, 716, 881. From these meanings it may become clear that 'Beersheba' means doctrine which in itself is Divine together with merely human rational ideas or appearances allied to it.

[2] The fact that this is how the name Beersheba was derived is evident from Abraham's words,

Abraham said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they made a covenant in Beersheba (verses 30-32).

Similarly from Isaac's words recorded in Chapter 26,

So it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug, and they said to him, We have found water. And he called it Shibah ('an oath' and 'seven'); therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day. Genesis 26:32-33.

This too has to do with wells, about which there was disagreement with Abimelech, and with a covenant made with him. 'Beersheba' means merely human rational ideas which were again allied to the doctrine of faith, and because they were allied to it again and the doctrine was in that way made such that the human mind could grasp it, it is called 'a city' - 'a city' being doctrine in its entirety, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451. What is more, the name Beersheba is used with a similar meaning in the internal sense in Genesis 22:19; 26:23; 28:10; 46:1, 5; Joshua 15:28; 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3, and in the contrary sense in Amos 5:5; 8:13-14. The whole range of celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine is meant in the internal sense where the land of Canaan is said to range from 'Dan even to Beersheba'; for the land of Canaan means the Lord's kingdom, also the Church, and therefore means the celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine, as in the Book of Judges.

All the children of Israel came out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan even to Beersheba. Judges 20:1.

In the Book of Samuel,

All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 1 Samuel 3:20.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba, 2 Samuel 3:10.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

Hushai said to Absalom, Let all Israel be assembled together, from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 17:11.

Elsewhere in Samuel, David told Joab to go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 24:2, 7.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

There died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. 2 Samuel 24:15.

In the Book of Kings,

Judah dwelt under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 7

Study

   

1 Yahweh said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

2 You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.

3 Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.

4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."

5 Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.

7 Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.

8 Clean animals, animals that are not Clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground

9 went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

10 It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.

12 The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship;

14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

15 They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.

16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in.

17 The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.

18 The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.

19 The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.

20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.

23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

24 The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.