The Bible

 

Genesi 17

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1 POI, quando Abramo fu d’età di novantanove anni, il Signore gli apparve, e gli disse: Io son l’Iddio Onnipotente; cammina davanti a me, e sii intiero.

2 Ed io stabilirò il mio patto fra me e te; e ti accrescerò grandissimamente.

3 Allora Abramo cadde sopra la sua faccia, e Iddio parlò con lui, dicendo:

4 Quant’è a me, ecco, io fo il mio patto teco: Tu diventerai padre d’una moltitudine di nazioni.

5 E tu non sarai più nominato Abramo; anzi il tuo nome sarà Abrahamo; perciocchè io ti ho costituito padre d’una moltitudine di nazioni.

6 E ti farò moltiplicare grandissimamente, e ti farò divenir nazioni; e re usciranno di te

7 Ed io fermerò il mio patto fra me e te, ed i tuoi discendenti dopo te, per le lor generazioni, per patto perpetuo; per esser l’Iddio tuo, e della tua progenie dopo te.

8 E darò a te, ed a’ tuoi discendenti dopo te, il paese dove tu abiti come forestiere, tutto il paese di Canaan, in possessione perpetua; e sarò loro Dio.

9 Iddio disse ancora ad Abrahamo: Tu altresì, ed i tuoi discendenti dopo te, per le lor generazioni, osservate il mio patto.

10 Questo è il mio patto, che io fo fra me e voi, e la tua progenie dopo te, il quale voi avete ad osservare: Ogni maschio d’infra voi sia circonciso.

11 E voi circonciderete la carne del vostro prepuzio, e ciò sarà per segno del patto fra me a voi.

12 Ed ogni maschio d’infra voi sarà circonciso nell’età di otto giorni per le vostre generazioni; così il servo che sarà nato in casa, come colui che sarà stato comperato con danari d’infra qualunque popolo straniero, che non sarà della tua progenie.

13 Circoncidasi del tutto, così colui che sarà nato in casa tua, come colui che tu avrai comperato co’ tuoi danari; e sia il mio patto nella vostra carne, per patto perpetuo.

14 E quant’è al maschio incirconciso, la carne del cui prepuzio non sarà stata circoncisa, sia una tal persona ricisa dai suoi popoli; ella ha violato il mio patto.

15 Oltre a ciò Iddio disse ad Abraham: Quant’è a Sarai, non chiamar più la tua moglie Sarai; perciocchè il suo nome ha ad esser Sara.

16 Ed io la benedirò, ed anche ti darò d’essa un figliuolo; io la benedirò, ed ella diventerà nazioni; e d’essa usciranno re di popoli.

17 Ed Abrahamo cadde sopra la sua faccia, e rise, e disse nel cuor suo: Nascerà egli pure un figliuolo ad un uomo di cent’anni? e Sara, ch’è d’età di novant’anni partorirà ella pure?

18 Ed Abrahamo disse a Dio: Viva pure Ismaele nel tuo cospetto.

19 E Iddio disse: Anzi Sara tua moglie ti partorirà un figliuolo, e tu gli porrai nome Isacco; ed io fermerò il mio patto con lui, per patto perpetuo per la sua progenie dopo lui.

20 E quant’è ad Ismaele ancora, io ti ho esaudito; ecco, io l’ho benedetto, e lo farò moltiplicare e crescer grandissimamente; egli genererà dodici principi, ed io lo farò divenire una gran nazione.

21 Ma io fermerò il mio patto con Isacco, il qual Sara ti partorirà l’anno vegnente, in quest’istessa stagione.

22 E, quando Iddio ebbe finito di parlare con Abrahamo, egli se ne salì d’appresso a lui.

23 Ed Abrahamo prese Ismaele suo figliuolo, e tutti coloro che gli erano nati in casa, e tutti coloro ch’egli avea comperati co’ suoi danari, tutti i maschi dei suoi famigliari; e circoncise il prepuzio della lor carne, in quell’istesso giorno, come Iddio gliene avea parlato.

24 Or Abrahamo era d’età di novantanove anni, quando egli circoncise la carne del suo prepuzio.

25 Ed Ismaele suo figliuolo era d’età di tredici anni, quando gli fu circoncisa la carne del suo prepuzio.

26 In quell’istesso giorno fu circonciso Abraham, ed Ismaele suo figliuolo.

27 Furono parimente circoncisi con lui tutti gli uomini della sua casa, così quelli ch’erano nati in casa, come quelli ch’erano stati comperati con danari d’infra gli stranieri.

   


To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1416

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1416. I will make thee into a great nation. That this signifies the kingdom in the heavens and on the earth, is evident from the signification of a “nation,” as being in the internal sense the celestial of love and the derivative good, thus all in the universe in whom is the celestial of love and of charity; and as in the internal sense the Lord is here treated of, there is meant all the celestial and all the derivative good, thus His kingdom, which is with those who are in love and charity. In the supreme sense the Lord is Himself the “great nation,” because He is the celestial itself, and good itself; for all the good of love and of charity is from Him alone; and therefore the Lord is His kingdom itself, that is, He is the all in all of His kingdom, as is also acknowledged by all the angels in heaven. Hence now it is evident that “I will make thee into a great nation,” signifies the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth.

[2] That in the internal sense, where the Lord and the celestial things of love are treated of, a “nation” signifies the Lord and all celestial things, is evident from the things adduced above concerning the signification of a “nation,” and of “nations” n. 1258,1259). This may also be further confirmed by the following passages. Concerning Abraham it is said:

Thy name shall not any more be called Abram, and thy name shall be Abraham, for the father of a multitude of nations have I given thee (Genesis 17:5).

The letter h in “Abraham” was taken from the name Jehovah, on account of his representation of Jehovah or the Lord. In like manner it is said of Sarai:

Thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and also give thee a son of her; thus I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall be of her (Genesis 17:15-16); where “nations” denote the celestial things of love, and “kings of peoples” the spiritual things of faith thence derived, which belong to the Lord alone.

[3] Concerning Jacob in like manner:

Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name, and He called his name Israel: and God said, I am God the thunderer; increase and multiply; a nation and a congregation of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall go forth out of thy loins (Genesis 35:10-11); where “Israel” denotes the Lord, and that He Himself is “Israel” in the supreme sense, is well known to some; and when He is “Israel,” it is evident that “a nation” and “an assemblage of nations,” and “kings out of His loins,” are the celestial and the spiritual things of love, and therefore all who are in the celestial and the spiritual things of love. Concerning Ishmael, Abram’s son by Hagar, it is said:

The son of the handmaid I will make him into a nation, because he is thy seed (Genesis 21:13, 18).

What is represented by Ishmael will be seen in its place; the “seed” of Abram is love itself, and from this the term “nation” is used for those begotten of Ishmael.

[4] That a “nation” signifies the celestial things of love, is evident in Moses:

If hearing ye will hear My voice, and will keep My covenant, ye shall also be a peculiar treasure unto Me out of all peoples, and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6); where “a kingdom of priests,” which is the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth, being so named from the celestial things of love, is manifestly called “a holy nation;” whereas the Lord’s kingdom from His kingly function was named from the spiritual things of love, and is called “a holy people;” and for this reason “kings out of the loins,” in the passage quoted above, are spiritual things.

In Jeremiah:

If these statutes have departed from before Me, saith Jehovah, the seed of Israel also shall cease, that it be not a nation before Me all the days (Jeremiah 31:36);

“the seed of Israel” denotes the celestial of charity; and when this ceases, there is no longer a nation before the Lord.

[5] In Isaiah:

The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; Thou hast multiplied the nation (Isaiah 9:2-3).

This is said of the church of the nations specifically; but in general of all who are in ignorance and live in charity; these are a “nation,” because they are of the Lord’s kingdom.

In David:

That I may see the good of Thy chosen; that I may be glad in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory in Thine inheritance (Psalms 106:5).

Here “nation” plainly denotes the Lord’s kingdom. As the signification of “nation” is the celestial of love and the derivative good, there originated, from a perception of this signification, the fact that the men of the Most Ancient Church were distinguished into households, families, and nations; and thereby they perceived the Lord’s kingdom, and consequently the celestial itself. From this Perceptive arose the Significative, and from this the Representative.

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