The Bible

 

Genesis 1:14

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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:

Commentary

 

Bring

  
The Offering, by François-Alfred Delobbe

To bring, in Genesis 37:28, signifies consultation.

As with common verbs in general, the meaning of “bring” is highly dependent on context, but in general it represents an introduction to a new spiritual state or to new ideas.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 3943, 5543, 5641, 5645, 8988)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #6441

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6441. 'Is a wolf' means an eagerness to rescue and deliver the good. This is clear from the meaning of 'a wolf' as one who seizes and scatters; and since natural desires are meant in the Word by 'beasts', 'a wolf' means an eagerness to seize, as is also clear from places in the Word where 'a wolf' is mentioned, as in Matthew,

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15.

In John,

The hireling who is not the shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them, and scatters them. John 10:12.

Similar references to the wolf occur in other places, such as Luke 10:3; Jeremiah 5:6; Ezekiel 22:27; Zephaniah 3:3. From all these places it is evident that 'a wolf' means those who seize, but here one who rescues from hell those who have been seized. How it is with the meaning of the wolf is much the same as it is with that of the lion, which is also a rapacious creature. The lion too is said to seize the prey, collect the spoil, and gather the plunder, as the wolf here is said to do; but in the good sense 'lion' means truth when empowered by good, see 6367. Something similar applies also to other ravenous creatures, such as leopards or eagles.

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