The Bible

 

Genesis 1:12

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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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #58

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58. Verse 30 And to every wild animal of the earth and to every bird of the air, 1 and to everything creeping over the earth in which there is a living soul [I give] every plant for food; and it was so.

The natural food of this same [spiritual man] is being described here. His natural level is here meant by 'wild animal of the earth' and by 'bird of the air, to which 'the edible and green plant 2 has been given for food'. Both kinds of food, natural and spiritual, are referred to in David as follows,

Jehovah causes the grass to grow for the beast, and the plant for man's service, that he may bring forth bread from the earth. Psalms 104:14.

Here 'beast' stands for both wild animals of the earth and birds of the air, 1 both being mentioned in verses 11-12 of that Psalm.

Footnotes:

1. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)

2. See 996[3]

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7240

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7240. 'And so it was on the day Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt' means the state of the Church at that time, when the command was given through the law from God to those who belonged to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, when they were still in close proximity to those in hell. This is clear from the meaning of 'the day' as the state, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 6110, here the state of the Church since that is the subject; from the meaning of 'Jehovah speaking' as the command, here the command given to those who belonged to the Lord's spiritual kingdom; from the representation of 'Moses' as the law from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827; and from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the place where those who belonged to the Lord's spiritual kingdom were molested by falsities. This place was on the lower earth, which is next to the hells, see 7090. 'The land of Egypt' where the children of Israel were, and which was called Goshen, means that lower earth; but the place where the Egyptians were means the surrounding hells, the source of the molestations by falsities.

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