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Genesis 17

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1 ἐγένετο δὲ αβραμ ἐτῶν ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα καὶ ὤφθη κύριος τῷ αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεός σου εὐαρέστει ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ γίνου ἄμεμπτος

2 καὶ θήσομαι τὴν διαθήκην μου ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ πληθυνῶ σε σφόδρα

3 καὶ ἔπεσεν αβραμ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς λέγων

4 καὶ ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ ἡ διαθήκη μου μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἔσῃ πατὴρ πλήθους ἐθνῶν

5 καὶ οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι τὸ ὄνομά σου αβραμ ἀλλ' ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου αβρααμ ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε

6 καὶ αὐξανῶ σε σφόδρα σφόδρα καὶ θήσω σε εἰς ἔθνη καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκ σοῦ ἐξελεύσονται

7 καὶ στήσω τὴν διαθήκην μου ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον εἶναί σου θεὸς καὶ τοῦ σπέρματός σου μετὰ σέ

8 καὶ δώσω σοι καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου μετὰ σὲ τὴν γῆν ἣν παροικεῖς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν χανααν εἰς κατάσχεσιν αἰώνιον καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς θεός

9 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς αβρααμ σὺ δὲ τὴν διαθήκην μου διατηρήσεις σὺ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν

10 καὶ αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη ἣν διατηρήσεις ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῶν πᾶν ἀρσενικόν

11 καὶ περιτμηθήσεσθε τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἔσται ἐν σημείῳ διαθήκης ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν

12 καὶ παιδίον ὀκτὼ ἡμερῶν περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῖν πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν ὁ οἰκογενὴς τῆς οἰκίας σου καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος ἀπὸ παντὸς υἱοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματός σου

13 περιτομῇ περιτμηθήσεται ὁ οἰκογενὴς τῆς οἰκίας σου καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος καὶ ἔσται ἡ διαθήκη μου ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον

14 καὶ ἀπερίτμητος ἄρσην ὃς οὐ περιτμηθήσεται τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς ὅτι τὴν διαθήκην μου διεσκέδασεν

15 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῷ αβρααμ σαρα ἡ γυνή σου οὐ κληθήσεται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς σαρα ἀλλὰ σαρρα ἔσται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς

16 εὐλογήσω δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ δώσω σοι ἐξ αὐτῆς τέκνον καὶ εὐλογήσω αὐτόν καὶ ἔσται εἰς ἔθνη καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔσονται

17 καὶ ἔπεσεν αβρααμ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καὶ ἐγέλασεν καὶ εἶπεν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτοῦ λέγων εἰ τῷ ἑκατονταετεῖ γενήσεται καὶ εἰ σαρρα ἐνενήκοντα ἐτῶν οὖσα τέξεται

18 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ πρὸς τὸν θεόν ισμαηλ οὗτος ζήτω ἐναντίον σου

19 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῷ αβρααμ ναί ἰδοὺ σαρρα ἡ γυνή σου τέξεταί σοι υἱόν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ισαακ καὶ στήσω τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτόν

20 περὶ δὲ ισμαηλ ἰδοὺ ἐπήκουσά σου ἰδοὺ εὐλόγησα αὐτὸν καὶ αὐξανῶ αὐτὸν καὶ πληθυνῶ αὐτὸν σφόδρα δώδεκα ἔθνη γεννήσει καὶ δώσω αὐτὸν εἰς ἔθνος μέγα

21 τὴν δὲ διαθήκην μου στήσω πρὸς ισαακ ὃν τέξεταί σοι σαρρα εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῷ ἑτέρῳ

22 συνετέλεσεν δὲ λαλῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ αβρααμ

23 καὶ ἔλαβεν αβρααμ ισμαηλ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντας τοὺς οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀργυρωνήτους καὶ πᾶν ἄρσεν τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αβρααμ καὶ περιέτεμεν τὰς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καθὰ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός

24 αβρααμ δὲ ἦν ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐτῶν ἡνίκα περιέτεμεν τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ

25 ισμαηλ δὲ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐτῶν δέκα τριῶν ἦν ἡνίκα περιετμήθη τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ

26 ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης περιετμήθη αβρααμ καὶ ισμαηλ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ

27 καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ οἰκογενεῖς καὶ οἱ ἀργυρώνητοι ἐξ ἀλλογενῶν ἐθνῶν περιέτεμεν αὐτούς

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #675

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675. Circumcision was instituted as a sign that the people of the Israelite church belonged to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as is established by this passage:

God said to Abraham, This is the covenant with me which you are to keep between me and you, and your seed after you: every male among you is to be circumcised; and you are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, to be a sign of the covenant between me and you, Genesis 17:9-11.

This covenant, or its sign, was later confirmed by Moses (Leviticus 12:1-3). Because this church was distinguished from others by that sign, the Children of Israel were ordered to be circumcised again before crossing the Jordan (Joshua, chapter 5). The reason was that the land of Canaan represented the church, and the river Jordan being brought into it. In addition, so that they should remember that sign when actually in the land of Canaan, they received this order:

When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to regard its fruit as uncircumcised 1 ; for three years it is to be uncircumcised for you, it is not to be eaten, Leviticus 19:23.

[2] Circumcision represented and so stood for the rejection of the lusts of the flesh, and thus purification from evils, in much the same way as baptism. This is established from the passages in the Word where it is said that they should circumcise their hearts, as the following:

Moses said, Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stiffnecked, Deuteronomy 10:16.

Jehovah God will circumcise your heart and your seed's heart, so that you will love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, so that you may live, Deuteronomy 30:6.

In Jeremiah:

Circumcise yourselves for Jehovah, so that He may take away the foreskins of your hearts, the man of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that my wrath may not go forth like fire on account of the wickedness of your deeds, Jeremiah 4:4.

In Paul:

In Jesus Christ neither is circumcision of any value, nor is uncircumcision, but faith working through charity, and a new creation, Galatians 5:6; 6:15.

These passages now make it plain that baptism was instituted to take the place of circumcision, because the circumcision of the heart was represented by the circumcision of the flesh; and this too meant purification from evils, for evils of every kind arise from the flesh, and the foreskin means its filthy loves. It is because circumcision and baptismal washing have a similar meaning that it is said in Jeremiah:

Circumcise yourselves for Jehovah, so that He may take away the foreskins of your hearts, Jeremiah 4:4.

and shortly afterwards:

Wash your heart free from wickedness, Jerusalem, so that you may be saved, Jeremiah 4:14.

The Lord teaches in Matthew (Matthew 15:18-19) what circumcision and the washing of the heart means.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. forbidden.

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

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