The Bible

 

Genesis 1:28

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28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Commentary

 

Midst

  

The "midst" of something in the Bible represents the thing that is most central and most important to the spiritual state being described, the motivation that drives everything else. In general this will be something we love or feel, because at the core of things we are what we love; our loves define us.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 44, 90, 268; Arcana Coelestia 2252, 2940, 10153, 10365, 10557, 10635, 10641)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9357

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9357. It should be recognized that the Word on our planet, given to us by the Lord by way of heaven, constitutes a union of heaven and the world, 9212. To this end there is a correspondence of everything in the letter of the Word with Divine realities in heaven. It should also be recognized that the Word deals in its highest and inmost sense with the Lord, with His kingdom in heaven and on earth, and with love and faith received from Him and shown to Him, consequently with life received from Him and abiding in Him. Such ideas present themselves to angels in heaven, whatever planet they come from, when the Word existing on our planet is read and preached.

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