The Bible

 

Genesis 14

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1 And it was, in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Nations,

2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and with the king of Bela; this is Zoar.

3 All these came·​·together to the valley of Siddim—this is the Salt Sea.

4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they revolted.

5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kirjathaim;

6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, even·​·to El-paran which is by the wilderness.

7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat—this is Kadesh—and smote all the field of the Amalekites, and also the Amorite that dwelt in Ḥazezon-Tamar.

8 And there went·​·out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, this is Zoar; and they set· the battle ·in·​·array with them in the valley of Siddim;

9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

10 And the valley of Siddim had wells, wells of tar`; and the king of Sodom and of Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they who were·​·left fled to the mountain.

11 And they took all the acquisition of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went.

12 And they took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his acquisition, and went; and he was dwelling in Sodom.

13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew*; and he was abiding in the oak·​·groves of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol, and the brother of Aner; and they were masters* of the covenant of Abram.

14 And Abram heard that his brother was taken·​·captive; and he made·​·ready* his dedicated* men that were born of his house, eighteen and three hundred, and pursued them even·​·to Dan.

15 And he parted himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them even·​·to Hobah, which is on the left of Damascus.

16 And he returned all the acquisition, and also returned Lot his brother and his acquisition, and also the women and the people.

17 And the king of Sodom went·​·out to meet him, after his return from smiting Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, to the valley of Shaveh, it is the valley of the king.

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem* brought·​·out bread and wine, and he was priest to God Most·​·High.

19 And he blessed him, and said, blessed be Abram to God Most·​·High, Possessor of the heavens and the earth.

20 And blessed be God Most·​·High, who has delivered thine adversaries into thy hand. And he gave to him tithes of all.

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give to me the soul, and take the acquisition to thyself.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted·​·high my hand to Jehovah God Most·​·high, Possessor of the heavens and the earth;

23 that from a thread and even·​·to the lace of a shoe, I will not take anything that is thine; lest thou shouldest say, I have enriched Abram.

24 Besides only that which the lads have eaten, and the part of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their part.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Commentary

 

Smitten

  

'The smitten' signify people who are oppressed by the falsities of ignorance.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 357)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Teachings #248

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248. The Jewish church and Jews. 1 The statutes, judgments, and laws that were commanded in the Jewish church were somewhat like those of the ancient church: 4449, 4834. How the symbolic rites of the Jewish church differed from the symbolic rites of the ancient church: 4288, 10149. A symbolic church was established for the people of that nation, but there was no real church among them: 4899, 4912, 6304. So they had something that symbolized a church but not an actual church: 4281, 4288, 4311, 4500, 6304, 7048, 9320, 10396, 10526, 10531, 10698. Because of the stubborn insistence of their ancestors and Moses, the Israelite and Jewish people were accepted as a church, not because they actually were a chosen people but rather so that they would symbolize a church: 4290, 4293, 7051, 7439, 10430, 10535, 10632. Their worship was solely external, without any inner worship: 1200, 3147, 3479, 8871. They knew absolutely nothing about inner worship and did not want to know: 301, 302, 303, 3479, 4429, 4433, 4680, 4844, 4847, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10694, 10701, 10707. What they thought of the inner aspects of worship, the church, and the Word: 4865. Their inner natures were foul, full of their love for themselves and the world and of avarice: 3480, 9962, 10454-10457, 10462-10466, 10575. Therefore the inner teachings of the church were not disclosed to them, because otherwise they would have defiled them: 2520, 3398, 3480, 4289. The Word was completely closed to them: 3769. They saw the Word from the outside and not from the inside (10549, 10550, 10551), so their inner self was closed when they were engaged in worship (8788, 8806, 9320, 9377, 9380, 9962, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10575, 10629, 10692). All the same, this people was more capable than any other of being outwardly holy despite the fact that their inner self was closed: 4293, 4311, 4903, 9373, 9377, 9380. Their state at such times: 4311. That is also why they have been preserved to this day: 3479. Their holy outward behavior was miraculously raised up and exhibited to heaven by the Lord, and as a result deeper levels of worship, the church, and the Word were perceived there: 3480, 4307, 4311, 6304, 8588, 10499, 10500, 10602. So that this could happen, they were driven by external pressures to a strict observance of their rituals in outward form: 3147, 4281, 8006. Because they could be outwardly holy without inner holiness, they were able to represent what is truly holy in the church and heaven: 3479, 3881, 4208, 6304, 8588, 9377, 10430, 10500, 10570. Nevertheless, they were not interested in what is truly holy: 3479. It does not matter what a person who symbolizes something is like, because symbolism focuses on the issue and not on the person: 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.

[2] Those people were worse than other peoples; a description of what they were like, including material from the Word of both Testaments: 4314, 4316, 4317, 4444, 4503, 4750, 4751, 4815, 4820, 4832, 5057, 5998, 7248, 8819, 9320, 10454-10457, 10462-10466. The tribe of Judah strayed more than the other tribes: 4815. How they took pleasure in cruelly treating other peoples: 5057, 7248, 9320. That people was idolatrous at heart and worshiped other gods more than other peoples did: 3732, 4208, 4281, 4825, 5998, 6877, 7401, 8301, 8871, 8882. Even their worship, seen in the context of that people, was idolatrous, since it was superficial, with no inner substance: 4281, 4825, 8871, 8882. They worshiped Jehovah in name only (6877, 10559, 10560, 10561, 10566), and only because of the miracles he did (4299). It is incorrect to think that the Jews are going to be converted at the end of the church 2 and brought back into the land of Canaan: 4847, 7051, 8301. A copious selection of passages from the Word on this subject-passages that are, however, to be understood in their inner meaning and therefore not taken literally: 7051. The Word was changed in its outer meaning because of that people, but not in its inner meaning: 10453, 10461, 10603, 10604. The way Jehovah appeared to them on Mount Sinai was shaped by their own nature, so he appeared in devouring fire, thick cloud, and smoke like that of a furnace: 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434. The way the Lord appears to each of us depends on what we ourselves are really like-as a life-giving and creative fire if we are devoted to doing good, but as a devouring fire if we are bent on doing evil: 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551. One lineage of that people was of Canaanite ancestry and two others were the result of fornication with a daughter-in-law: 1167, 4818, 4820, 4874, 4899, 4913. Those stories represent the nature of their relationship with the inner truth of the church, namely, that it was like that of union with a Canaanite or fornication with a daughter-in-law: 4868, 4874, 4899, 4913. Their state in the other life: 939, 940, 5057.

[3] Because despite all this that people symbolized the church, and because the Word was composed among and about them, their names-for example, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Ephraim, Joseph, and the rest-have divine and heavenly meanings. In its inner meaning, "Judah" means the Lord in respect to his heavenly love and his heavenly kingdom: 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 6363. An explanation of Israel's prophecy concerning Judah in Genesis 49:8-12, which is about the Lord: 6362-6381. Both the tribe of Judah and Judea mean the heavenly church: 3654, 6364. The twelve tribes represented and meant all the aspects of love and faith taken together (3858, 3926, 4060, 6335), and therefore heaven and the church as well (6337, 6637, 7836, 7891). Their meanings depend on the order in which they are named: 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603 and following, 6337, 6640. The twelve tribes were divided into two kingdoms so that the Judeans could represent the heavenly kingdom and the Israelites could represent the spiritual kingdom: 3654, 8770. The seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob means the goodness and truth that belong to the church: 3373, 10445.

Footnotes:

1. On problematic material in Swedenborg's works, including his attitude toward Jews, see the discussion in the translator's preface, pages 19-21. [Editors]

2. From early Christian times it has been believed that all Jews will convert to Christianity before the Last Judgment. Augustine refers to this belief as "a very frequent topic in the conversation of the faithful and a very familiar thought in their hearts" ( City of God 20:29 [= Augustine 1952, 557]). The notion is based at least in part on Romans 11:26-27, in which Paul says, "All Israel will be saved," and goes on to quote Isaiah 59:20-21 (from the Septuagint version) and Jeremiah 31:33 (with reference also perhaps to Isaiah 27:9) to the effect that a Deliverer out of Zion will turn away the ungodliness of the descendants of Jacob and thus fulfill God's covenant with them. Malachi 4:5-6 is sometimes also cited in support. This prophecy has been discussed and even promoted by many major Christian theologians over the centuries, and it remains a topic of discussion in Christian circles. [SS]

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