The Bible

 

Genesis 1

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first Day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Commentary

 

Seed

  

'A seed' signifies the ultimate and primary levels in a person. It also signifies good and truth from the Lord. In an opposite sense, it signifies falsity of doctrine and hellish falsity. 'A seed' signifies everyone who constitutes the Lord's spiritual kingdom and faith grounded in charity.

In Genesis 12:7, 8:15, 16, 'a seed' signifies love and everyone who has love.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 1025)


From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1090

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1090. CHAPTER 18.

1.AND after these things, I saw [another] angel coming down out of heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2.And he cried out in strength with a great voice, saying, Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.

3.Because of the wine of the anger of her whoredom all nations have drunk, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her; and the merchants of the earth have waxed rich, through the power of her delicacies.

4.And I heard another voice out of heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, lest ye become partakers of her sins, and lest ye receive of her plagues.

5.For her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her injustices.

6.Render unto her, even as she hath rendered unto you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup with which she hath mixed, mix unto her double.

7.As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived delicately, so much give unto her torment and mourning, because she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and shall not see mourning.

8.For this, in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be burned in the fire; for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her.

9.And the kings of the earth shall weep for her, and wail over her, who have committed whoredom with her and lived delicately, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.

10.Standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that strong city; for in one hour thy judgment is come.

11.And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, because no one buyeth their merchandise any more;

12.Merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and crimson, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyme wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;

13.And cinnamon and incense, and ointment and frankincense, and wine and oil, and fine flour and wheat, and beasts of burden and sheep, and horses and carriages, and slaves and souls of men.

14.And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee, and all things fat and splendid have departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more.

15.The merchants of these, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;

16.And saying, Woe, woe, that great city, clothed in fine linen, and crimson and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stone, and pearls, for in one hour so great riches are devastated.

17.And every pilot, and all that are employed upon ships, and mariners, and as many as do work on the sea, stood afar off,

18.And cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What is like this great city?

19.And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness; because in one hour they are devastated.

20.Exult over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and ye prophets, because God hath judged your judgment concerning her.

21.And one strong angel took up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon be cast down, that great city, and shall be found no more:

22.And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more, and no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found in thee any more, and the voice of the mill shall be heard in thee no more:

23.And the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard in thee no more; because thy merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by thy sorcery have all the nations been seduced.

24.And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.

EXPLANATION.

Verse1. And after these things I saw [another] angel coming down out of heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory.

"After these things," signifies after the Last Judgment was accomplished upon those who are meant by the harlot; "I saw [another] angel coming down out of heaven," signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in heaven and in the world; "having great power," signifies to whom Omnipotence now belongs, both in the heavens and on earth; "and the earth was lightened with his glory," signifies the Church now in light from the influx and reception of Divine Truth.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.