The Bible

 

Genesis 1:20

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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.

Commentary

 

Green

  
by Danielle Schnarr

The color green is almost exclusively used in connection with plants in the Bible, and the meaning is closely connected to the meaning of plants as well. Plants, in general, represent facts, knowledge that we can gather from the world. Green plants are ones that are alive and growing. Since life represents love and goodness, it makes sense that green plants are facts that have the potential for good use. It also indicates that they are the kinds of things we learn through directly through our senses, since to identify green plants we need to actually see the greenness.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 507; Apocalypse Revealed 426; Arcana Coelestia 7691)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2227

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2227. That 'Abraham will certainly become a great and numerous nation' means that from the Lord will come all good, and from this all truth, is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, dealt with often above, and also from the meaning of 'nation' as good, dealt with in 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849 - here 'a great and numerous nation', by which good and truth deriving from it are meant. That 'great' has reference to good and 'numerous' to truth may become clear from other places in the Word, but I must refrain from quoting them here. Truth derived from good is in the genuine sense spiritual good, for there are two kinds of good, quite distinct and separate from each other, namely celestial good and spiritual good. Celestial good is the manifestation of love to the Lord, spiritual good the manifestation of love towards the neighbour. From the former, that is, celestial good, flows the latter, that is, spiritual good; for no one is able to love the Lord unless he also loves the neighbour. Love to the Lord embraces love towards the neighbour, for love to the Lord originates in the Lord, thus in Love itself towards the whole human race. Abiding in love to the Lord is the same as abiding in the Lord, and one who abides in the Lord must inevitably abide in His love which is directed towards the human race, and thus towards the neighbour, so that in him both kinds of good are present - both celestial and spiritual. Celestial good is indeed good itself, but spiritual good is in fact truth that goes with or is derived from that celestial good. This truth, as stated, is spiritual good. It is celestial good that is meant by 'great', but spiritual good by 'numerous'.

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