The Bible

 

Genesis 1:25

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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.

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 #1420

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1420. 'You will be a blessing' means that every single thing comes from the Lord. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'a blessing'. Blessing has reference to every form of good - in the external sense to bodily, worldly, and natural forms, in the internal sense to spiritual and celestial forms. 'Being a blessing' means the Source of every form of good and the Giver of this, an attribution that cannot possibly be made to Abram. From this it is also clear that 'Abram' represents the Lord, who alone is a Blessing. So also with the attributions made to Abraham further on, such as,

Abraham will surely become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 18:18.

Concerning Isaac,

In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed. Genesis 26:4.

And concerning Jacob,

In you all the families of the earth will be blessed, and in your seed. Genesis 28:14.

That nations are not able to be blessed, nor were they blessed, in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and in their seed, but that they were blessed in the Lord, may become clear to anyone. This is clearly stated in David,

His name will be for ever, before the sun His son's name; and all nations will be blessed in Him Psalms 72:17.

This refers to the Lord. In the same author,

You set Him to be blessings for ever. Psalms 21:6.

This also refers to the Lord. In Jeremiah,

In Him the nations will be blessed, and in Him will they glory. Jeremiah 4:2.

From these places it is now clear that 'a blessing' means the Lord, and when He is called a Blessing that it means that from Him come all celestial and spiritual things which alone are goods. And because they alone are goods they alone are truths as well. To the extent therefore that celestial and spiritual forms of good are present in natural, worldly, and bodily forms, the latter are good and are blessed.

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