The Bible

 

Genesis 1:3

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3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

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 #4780

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4780. 'And mourned over his son many days' means a state, namely one of mourning for lost good and truth. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, to whom 'son' refers here, as Divine Truth, specifically the truths spoken of above in 4776; and from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3785, in this case a state of great mourning since the expression 'many days' is used.

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