The Bible

 

Genesis 1:16

Study

       

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.

Commentary

 

Man (male)

  
by Claude Lefebvre

The relationship between men and women is deep and nuanced, and one entire book of the Writings -- Conjugial Love -- is devoted to the subject. So we can hardly offer a full explanation here. In a very general sense, though, the Writings say that men are creatures of intellect, driven by the love of growing wise; women, meanwhile are creations of affection, driven by the love of wisdom and the good that wisdom can do. They are formed this way to reflect the Lord's Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and so that they can form marriages that reflect the unity of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. Marking differences between men and women can be a touchy thing, but realistically it's easy to see that men tend to love acquiring knowledge whether it has any practical application or not. Many of them can spout out sports statistics or hold court on the workings of the internal combustion engine, even though it is knowledge they are not likely to ever use. They find such knowledge interesting for its own sake. It follows, then, that when the Bible speaks of men, the men represent facts, ideas, knowledge, truth, intellect and wisdom -- or in the negative sense falsity, twisted logic, and reasoning that is devoid of concern for others.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Spiritual Experiences #1973

  
/ 6110  
  

1973. What "evening and morning," "day," Genesis I, are

I discussed with spirits what "day" means, and what "evening and morning," Gen. I. That "day" means time in general one can very readily learn from the Scriptures, where that expression stands for time.

  
/ 6110  
  

Thanks to the Academy of the New Church, and Bryn Athyn College, for the permission to use this translation.