The Bible

 

Genesi 10

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1 Questa è la posterità dei figliuoli di Noè: Sem, Cam e Jafet; e a loro nacquero de’ figliuoli, dopo il diluvio.

2 I figliuoli di Jafet furono Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mescec e Tiras.

3 I figliuoli di Gomer: Ashkenaz, Rifat e Togarma.

4 I figliuoli di Javan: Elisha, Tarsis, Kittim e Dodanim.

5 Da essi vennero i popoli sparsi nelle isole delle nazioni, nei loro diversi paesi, ciascuno secondo la propria lingua, secondo le loro famiglie, nelle loro nazioni.

6 I figliuoli di Cam furono Cush, Mitsraim, Put e Canaan.

7 I figliuoli di Cush: Seba, Havila, Sabta, Raama e Sabteca; e i figliuoli di Raama: Sceba e Dedan.

8 E Cush generò Nimrod, che cominciò a esser potente sulla terra.

9 Egli fu un potente cacciatore nei cospetto dell’Eterno; perciò si dice: "Come Nimrod, potente cacciatore nel cospetto dell’Eterno".

10 E il principio del suo regno fu Babel, Erec, Accad e Calne nel paese di Scinear.

11 Da quel paese andò in Assiria ed edificò Ninive, Rehoboth-Ir e Calah;

12 e, fra Ninive e Calah, Resen, la gran città.

13 Mitsraim generò i Ludim, gli Anamim, i Lehabim, i Naftuhim,

14 i Pathrusim, i Casluhim (donde uscirono i Filistei) e i Caftorim.

15 Canaan generò Sidon, suo primogenito, e Heth,

16 e i Gebusei, gli Amorei, i Ghirgasei,

17 gli Hivvei, gli Archei, i Sinei,

18 gli Arvadei, i Tsemarei e gli Hamattei. Poi le famiglie dei Cananei si sparsero.

19 E i confini dei Cananei andarono da Sidon, in direzione di Gherar, fino a Gaza; e in direzione di Sodoma, Gomorra, Adma e Tseboim, fino a Lesha.

20 Questi sono i figliuoli di Cam, secondo le loro famiglie, secondo le loro lingue, nei loro paesi, nelle loro nazioni.

21 Anche a Sem, padre di tutti i figliuoli di Eber e fratello maggiore di Jafet, nacquero de’ figliuoli.

22 I figliuoli di Sem furono Elam, Assur, Arpacshad, Lud e Aram.

23 I figliuoli di Aram: Uz, Hul, Gheter e Mash.

24 E Arpacshad generò Scelah, e Scelah generò Eber.

25 E ad Eber nacquero due figliuoli; il nome dell’uno fu Peleg, perché ai suoi giorni la terra fu spartita; e il nome del suo fratello fu Jokthan.

26 E Jokthan generò Almodad, Scelef, Hatsarmaveth,

27 Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal,

28 Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sceba,

29 Ofir, Havila e Jobab. Tutti questi furono figliuoli di Jokthan.

30 E la loro dimora fu la montagna orientale, da Mesha, fin verso Sefar.

31 Questi sono i figliuoli di Sem, secondo le loro famiglie, secondo le loro lingue, nei loro paesi, secondo le loro nazioni.

32 Queste sono le famiglie dei figliuoli di Noè secondo le loro generazioni, nelle loro nazioni; e da essi uscirono le nazioni che si sparsero per la terra dopo il diluvio.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1159

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1159. 'Every one according to his tongue, according to their families, as to their nations' means that they were ranged according to the character of each one, 'according to his tongue' meaning according to each one's individual belief, 'according to their families' meaning according to uprightness, 'as to their nations' meaning as to both belief and uprightness in general. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'tongue', and 'families', and 'nations' in the Word, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on. The reason why in the internal sense 'tongue' means individual belief, and so basic assumptions and persuasions, is that the tongue corresponds to the understanding part of man's mind, that is, to his thought, in the way that an effect corresponds to its cause. Such is the case not only with the influx of a person's thoughts into the movements of the tongue in speaking, but also with the influx of heaven, about which something from personal experience will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated elsewhere.

[2] That 'families' in the internal sense means uprightness, as well as charity and love, arises from the fact that all things belonging to mutual love are in the heavens like blood relatives and relatives by marriage, and so are like families, see 685. This is why in the Word things belonging to love or charity are described as 'houses' and also as 'families', points which there is no need to pause over and confirm here. That 'a house' has this meaning, see 710.

[3] That 'nations' means both belief and uprightness in general is clear from the meaning of 'a nation' or 'nations' in the Word. In the good sense nations mean things of the new will and understanding, and so mean the goods of love and the truths of faith. But in the contrary sense evils and falsities are meant. The same applies to houses, families, and tongues, as may be confirmed from very many places in the Word. The reason is that the Most Ancient Church was distinguished into separate houses, families, and nations. A married couple with their children, together with menservants and maidservants, constituted one house. A number of houses in close proximity in turn constituted one family, while a number of families constituted a nation. Consequently nations meant all families taken together as a whole. The same applies in heaven, but all relationships there are determined by love to and faith in the Lord, 685.

[4] This then is how nations come to mean what they do in the internal sense, namely that which is general embracing things both of the will and of the understanding, or what amounts to the same, both the things of love and those of faith. Their meaning however depends on the families and houses of which they consist. For these points, see also what has been stated already in 470, 471, 483 From these considerations it is clear that 'nations' means both belief and uprightness in general, and that 'everyone according to his tongue, according to their families, and as to their nations' means the disposition of each person, family, and nation whose worship was derived from the Ancient Church.

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