The Bible

 

創世記 12

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1 時にアブラムに言われた、「あなたはを出て、親族に別れ、父のを離れ、わたしが示す地に行きなさい。

2 わたしはあなたを大いなる民とし、あなたを祝福し、あなたの名を大きくしよう。あなたは祝福の基となるであろう。

3 あなたを祝福する者をわたしは祝福し、あなたをのろう者をわたしはのろう。地のすべてのやからは、あなたによって祝福される」。

4 アブラムが言われたようにいで立った。ロトも彼と共に行った。アブラムハランを出たとき七十五歳であった。

5 アブラムサライと、弟のロトと、集めたすべての財産と、ハランで獲た人々とを携えてカナンに行こうとしていで立ち、カナンの地にきた。

6 アブラムはその地を通ってシケムの所、モレのテレビンの木のもとに着いた。そのころカナンびとがその地にいた。

7 時にアブラムに現れて言われた、「わたしはあなたの子孫にこの地を与えます」。アブラムは彼に現れた主のために、そこに祭壇を築いた。

8 彼はそこからベテルの東のに移って天幕を張った。西にはベテル、東にはアイがあった。そこに彼は主のために祭壇を築いて、主の名を呼んだ。

9 アブラムはなお進んでネゲブに移った。

10 さて、その地にききんがあったのでアブラムエジプトに寄留しようと、そこに下った。ききんがその地に激しかったからである。

11 エジプトにはいろうとして、そこに近づいたとき、彼はサライに言った、「わたしはあなたが美しい女であるのを知っています。

12 それでエジプトびとがあなたを見る時、これは彼のであると言ってわたしを殺し、あなたを生かしておくでしょう。

13 どうかあなたは、わたしの妹だと言ってください。そうすればわたしはあなたのおかげで無事であり、わたしの命はあなたによって助かるでしょう」。

14 アブラムエジプトにはいった時エジプトびとはこの女を見て、たいそう美しい人であるとし、

15 またパロの高官たちも彼女を見てパロの前でほめたので、女はパロのに召し入れられた。

16 パロは彼女のゆえにアブラムを厚くもてなしたので、アブラムは多くの、牛、雌雄のろば、男女の奴隷および、らくだを得た。

17 ところでアブラムサライのゆえに、激しい疫病をパロとそのに下された。

18 パロはアブラムを召し寄せて言った、「あなたはわたしになんという事をしたのですか。なぜ彼女がであるのをわたしに告げなかったのですか。

19 あなたはなぜ、彼女はわたしの妹ですと言ったのですか。わたしは彼女をにしようとしていました。さあ、あなたのはここにいます。連れて行ってください」。

20 パロは彼の事について人々に命じ、彼とそのおよびそのすべての持ち物を送り去らせた。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #921

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921. And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah. That this signifies a representative of the Lord, is evident from what has just been said. All the rites of the Ancient Church were representative of the Lord, as also the rites of the Jewish Church. But the principal representative in later times was the altar, and also the burnt-offering, which being made of clean beasts and clean birds, had its representation according to their signification, clean beasts signifying the goods of charity, and clean birds the truths of faith. When men of the Ancient Church offered these, they signified that they offered gifts of these goods and truths to the Lord. Nothing else can be offered to the Lord that will be grateful to Him. But their posterity, as the Gentiles and also the Jews, perverted these things, not even knowing that they had such a signification, and making their worship consist in the externals only.

[2] That the altar was the principal representative of the Lord, is evident from the fact that there were altars, even among Gentiles, before other rites were instituted, and before the ark was constructed, and before the temple was built. This is evident from Abram, as that when he came upon the mountain on the east of Bethel he raised an altar and called upon the name of Jehovah (Genesis 12:8); and afterwards he was commanded to offer Isaac for a burnt-offering on an altar (Genesis 22:2, 9). So Jacob built an altar at Luz, or Bethel (Genesis 35:6-7); and Moses built an altar under Mount Sinai, and sacrificed (Exodus 24:4-6). All this was before the [Jewish] sacrifices were instituted, and before the ark was constructed at which worship was afterwards performed in the wilderness. That there were altars likewise among the Gentiles, is evident from Balaam, who said to Balak that he should build seven altars and prepare seven bullocks and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-7, 14-18, 29-30); and also from its being commanded that the altars of the nations should be destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 2:2). Thus Divine worship by altars and sacrifices was not a new thing instituted with the Jews. Indeed altars were built before men had any idea of slaying oxen and sheep upon them, but as memorials.

[3] That altars signify a representative of the Lord, and burnt-offerings the worship of Him thereby, is plainly evident in the Prophets, as also in Moses when it is said of Levi, to whom the priesthood belonged:

They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deuteronomy 33:10),

meaning all worship; for “to teach Jacob judgments, and Israel the law” denotes internal worship; and “to put incense in Thy nostrils, and whole burnt-offering on Thine altar” denotes corresponding external worship.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall a man look unto his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel; and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hand (Isaiah 17:7-8),

where “looking to the altars” plainly signifies representative worship in general, which was to be abolished. Again:

In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah (Isaiah 19:19),

where also “an altar” stands for external worship.

[4] In Jeremiah:

The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7);

“altar” denoting representative worship which had become idolatrous.

In Hosea:

Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin, altars have been unto him to sin (Hosea 8:11);

“altars” denote here all representative worship separate from internal, thus what is idolatrous. Again:

The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars (Hosea 10:8), where “altars” denote idolatrous worship.

In Amos:

In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off (Amos 3:14),

where again “altars” denote representative worship become idolatrous.

[5] In David:

Let them bring me unto the mountain of Thy holiness, and to Thy tabernacles. And I will go unto the altar of God, unto God the gladness of my joy (Psalms 43:3-4), where “altar” manifestly denotes the Lord.

Thus the building of an altar in the Ancient and in the Jewish Church was for a representative of the Lord. As the worship of the Lord was performed principally by burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and thus these things signified principally representative worship, it is evident that the altar itself signifies this representative worship itself.

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