The Bible

 

Genesis 2

Study

   

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #5268

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

5268. 'And the seven thin and bad cows coming up after them are seven years' means a state when falsity attacking the interior natural is multiplied. This is clear from the meaning of 'cows' in the genuine sense as truths within the interior natural, dealt with in 5198, 5265, but in the contrary sense as falsities there, dealt with in 5202, so that the former are called 'good cows', but the latter 'thin and bad'; from the meaning of 'coming up' as an advance made towards things that are interior, dealt with in 5202; and from the meaning of 'years' as states, dealt with just above in 5265. Even as 'seven' means that which is holy, so in the contrary sense it means that which is unholy. For most things in the Word have a contrary meaning as well, the reason for this being that when the selfsame things as come into being in heaven pass downwards in the direction of hell, they are converted into things of an opposite nature and become in actual fact their opposites. Consequently things that are holy, meant by 'seven', are made in that place into those that are unholy.

[2] Let references to the number seven found solely in the Book of Revelation serve to prove that 'seven' is used to mean both holy things and unholy ones. The following are places where holy things are meant,

John to the seven Churches: Grace and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne. Revelation 1:4.

These things says He who has the seven spirits and the seven stars. Revelation 3:1.

From the throne there were coming seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Revelation 4:5.

I saw on the right hand of Him sitting on the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1.

I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne, a Lamb standing as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6.

To the seven angels were given seven trumpets. Revelation 8:1.

In the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God was to be fulfilled. Revelation 10:7.

Out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in linen, white and splendid, and girded around their breasts with golden girdles. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls. Revelation 15:6-7.

[3] The fact that 'seven' in the contrary sense means things that are unholy is evident from the following places, also in the Book of Revelation,

Behold, a great fiery-red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven jewels. Revelation 12:3.

I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, which had seven heads and ten horns, and on its horns ten jewels, but on its heads a blasphemous name. Revelation 13:1.

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names; and it had seven heads and ten horns. Here is the understanding of this - if anyone has the wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; and they are seven kings. The beast which was, and is not, he is the eighth king, and is of the seven, and is going away into perdition. Revelation 17:3, 7, 9-11.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 41:16

Study

       

16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It isn't in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."