The Bible

 

Genesis 1:9

Study

       

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8510

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

8510. 'That some of the people went out to gather, and did not find' means that they wished to acquire it, but none was given. This is clear from the explanation above in 8505. The explanation there shows what actions springing from the truth of faith are and what those springing from the good of charity are. That is to say, it shows that a person whose actions spring from the truth of faith does not as yet have the order of heaven present in himself, whereas one whose actions spring from the good of charity does have it. For, according to order, when the Lord leads a person He does so through his will, consequently through good since this belongs properly to the will. In that case his understanding is subservient, and so is truth since this belongs properly to the understanding. When this state exists it is the sabbath, for then there is rest for the Lord; and the state comes into being once good has been joined to truth. That this state is the Lord's rest may be recognized from the statement that after six days of creation and labour Jehovah or the Lord rested on the seventh day from all His work, Genesis 2:2. This state is heaven's state, which explains why heaven itself is called the sabbath, and that in heaven the sabbath is perpetual. For the creation story in Genesis 1 serves to mean the new creation, which is regeneration, and the six days in the story serves to mean temptations and conflicts, see the explanations at Genesis 1, 2.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9744

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

9744. 'From fine twined linen' means coming out of the understanding. This is clear from the meaning of 'fine linen' as truth from a celestial origin, dealt with in 5319, 9469. Consequently 'fine twined linen' means the understanding since this consists of and has been so to speak twined out of truths from a celestial origin. For there are two realities with which everything in the whole of creation has connection, truth and good. This is why a person has two mental powers, one dedicated to the reception of truth, the other to the reception of good. The power dedicated to the reception of truth is called the understanding, and the power dedicated to the reception of good is called the will. To the extent therefore that the understanding has been formed from real truths it excels and is 'fine twined linen'; for 'fine linen' is truth from the Divine, 5319. As regards 'fine twined linen', that it therefore means the understanding, see also 9596.

  
/ 10837  
  

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