The Bible

 

Genesis 20

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1 καὶ ἐκίνησεν ἐκεῖθεν αβρααμ εἰς γῆν πρὸς λίβα καὶ ὤ|κησεν ἀνὰ μέσον καδης καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σουρ καὶ παρῴκησεν ἐν γεραροις

2 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ περὶ σαρρας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν ἐφοβήθη γὰρ εἰπεῖν ὅτι γυνή μού ἐστιν μήποτε ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως δι' αὐτήν ἀπέστειλεν δὲ αβιμελεχ βασιλεὺς γεραρων καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν σαρραν

3 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς αβιμελεχ ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνῄσκεις περὶ τῆς γυναικός ἧς ἔλαβες αὕτη δέ ἐστιν συνῳκηκυῖα ἀνδρί

4 αβιμελεχ δὲ οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν κύριε ἔθνος ἀγνοοῦν καὶ δίκαιον ἀπολεῖς

5 οὐκ αὐτός μοι εἶπεν ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν καὶ αὐτή μοι εἶπεν ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ χειρῶν ἐποίησα τοῦτο

6 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς καθ' ὕπνον κἀγὼ ἔγνων ὅτι ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ἐποίησας τοῦτο καὶ ἐφεισάμην ἐγώ σου τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν σε εἰς ἐμέ ἕνεκεν τούτου οὐκ ἀφῆκά σε ἅψασθαι αὐτῆς

7 νῦν δὲ ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὅτι προφήτης ἐστὶν καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σοῦ καὶ ζήσῃ εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀποδίδως γνῶθι ὅτι ἀποθανῇ σὺ καὶ πάντα τὰ σά

8 καὶ ὤρθρισεν αβιμελεχ τὸ πρωὶ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησεν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι σφόδρα

9 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αβιμελεχ τὸν αβρααμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν μή τι ἡμάρτομεν εἰς σέ ὅτι ἐπήγαγες ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μου ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην ἔργον ὃ οὐδεὶς ποιήσει πεποίηκάς μοι

10 εἶπεν δὲ αβιμελεχ τῷ αβρααμ τί ἐνιδὼν ἐποίησας τοῦτο

11 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ εἶπα γάρ ἄρα οὐκ ἔστιν θεοσέβεια ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ ἐμέ τε ἀποκτενοῦσιν ἕνεκεν τῆς γυναικός μου

12 καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν ἐκ πατρός ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ μητρός ἐγενήθη δέ μοι εἰς γυναῖκα

13 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγέν με ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ εἶπα αὐτῇ ταύτην τὴν δικαιοσύνην ποιήσεις ἐπ' ἐμέ εἰς πάντα τόπον οὗ ἐὰν εἰσέλθωμεν ἐκεῖ εἰπὸν ἐμὲ ὅτι ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν

14 ἔλαβεν δὲ αβιμελεχ χίλια δίδραχμα πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους καὶ παῖδας καὶ παιδίσκας καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ αβρααμ καὶ ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ σαρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ

15 καὶ εἶπεν αβιμελεχ τῷ αβρααμ ἰδοὺ ἡ γῆ μου ἐναντίον σου οὗ ἐάν σοι ἀρέσκῃ κατοίκει

16 τῇ δὲ σαρρα εἶπεν ἰδοὺ δέδωκα χίλια δίδραχμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου ταῦτα ἔσται σοι εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ προσώπου σου καὶ πάσαις ταῖς μετὰ σοῦ καὶ πάντα ἀλήθευσον

17 προσηύξατο δὲ αβρααμ πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ ἰάσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν αβιμελεχ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔτεκον

18 ὅτι συγκλείων συνέκλεισεν κύριος ἔξωθεν πᾶσαν μήτραν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ αβιμελεχ ἕνεκεν σαρρας τῆς γυναικὸς αβρααμ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2586

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2586. For closing Jehovah had therefore closed every womb of the house of Abimelech. That this signifies barrenness, namely, of doctrine, is evident from the signification of “closing to close up the womb,” as being to prevent conception itself; and from the signification of “the house of Abimelech,” as being the good of the doctrine of faith, which shows that barrenness is signified. That up to this point in this chapter “God” is mentioned, but here for the first time “Jehovah,” is because “God” is mentioned where the subject is truth, but “Jehovah” where the subject is good. All the conception of doctrine is from good as a father, but its birth is by means of truth as a mother, as occasionally stated before. Here the conception of doctrine is treated of, and as this is from good, “Jehovah” is mentioned; whereas above its birth is treated of, and as this takes place by means of truth, “God” is mentioned, as in the verse preceding: “God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants, and they brought forth.”

[2] The case is the same elsewhere in the Word where conception is treated of, as in Isaiah:

Jehovah hath called me from the womb. Thus saith Jehovah that formed me from the womb; then shall I be precious to Jehovah; and my God shall be my strength (Isaiah 49:1, 5);

“strength” is predicated of truth, and therefore “God” is mentioned. In the same:

Thus saith Jehovah thy Maker, and thy Former from the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24, and elsewhere).

For the same reason it is said “the house of Abimelech,” by which is signified the good of the doctrine of faith (that a “house” denotes good may be seen above, n. 2048, 2233, 2234; and that “Abimelech” denotes the doctrine of faith, n. 2509, 2510). That there is a Divine arcanum in the fact that they brought forth, and that the wombs of the house of Abimelech were shut on account of Sarah, is manifest; and this arcanum cannot possibly be disclosed except by the internal sense.

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