The Bible

 

Genesis 1

Study

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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #246

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

246. 'Beast' and 'wild animal of the field' mean affections. This becomes clear from what has been stated already in 45, 46, about 'beast' and 'wild animal', to which let the following quotation from David be added,

You shake down a shower of blessings, O God; Your heritage which is labouring, You strengthen; Your wild animals will dwell in it. Psalms 68:9-10.

Here also 'wild animal' stands for the affection for good, since it is going 'to dwell in God's heritage'. The reason 'beast' and 'wild animal of the field' are mentioned here, as also in Genesis 2:19, 20, but 'beast' and 'wild animal of the earth' in Genesis 1:24-25, is that the subject is the Church, that is, man when regenerate, whereas in Chapter 1 the subject is the time when the Church does not exist, that is, when man has yet to be regenerated; for 'field' is a term applying to the Church, that is, to man when regenerate.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #117

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

117. And tribulation. That this signifies anxiety from the desire to know truths, is evident from the signification of tribulation, as being such anxiety; for those are here treated of who wish to understand the Word, and do not yet well understand it (as may be seen above, n. 112), and these are in a state of anxiety as to the spirit when they do not understand. That they have such anxiety when they do not understand, none can know but those who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, thus, who are in spiritual affection. Who these are, may be seen above (n. 115). The reason is, that they are conjoined to the angels of heaven, who continually desire truths, because they desire intelligence and wisdom. They desire these as the hungry desire food; therefore, also, intelligence and wisdom are called spiritual food. This desire man has from his infancy, because, when he is an infant, and afterwards when he becomes a boy, he is conjoined to heaven; and this desire is from heaven, but it perishes with those who turn themselves to the world. From these considerations it may be known what the anxiety of mind, or spiritual anxiety, is, which is here signified by tribulation.

[2] The reason why they have such anxiety when they read the Word and do not well understand it, is, that all the truths of heaven and the church are from the Word, and lie concealed in its spiritual sense, but are not opened to any except those who are conjoined with heaven, because that sense of the Word is in heaven. But the spiritual sense itself of the Word - does not flow into man directly from heaven, but it flows into his affection, and by this into the knowledges (cognitiones) which he has, and thus enkindles his desire, and then, so far as he can see from the literal sense of the Word, so far he receives the genuine truths of the church. Every one who is in the spiritual affection of truth perceives that there are few things which he knows, and infinitely numerous things which he does not know. He knows also that to know and acknowledge this, is the first step to wisdom; and that those have not arrived at the first step to wisdom who pride themselves on their knowledge (scientia), and thence believe themselves to be highly intelligent. Such persons also are in the habit of being more proud of falsities than of truths, for they have regard to their own fame, and are influenced by that alone, and not by the truth itself. Such are those who are only in a natural affection, and the desire thence derived (concerning whom also see above, n.115).

  
/ 1232  
  

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