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Genesis 21

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1 καὶ κύριος ἐπεσκέψατο τὴν σαρραν καθὰ εἶπεν καὶ ἐποίησεν κύριος τῇ σαρρα καθὰ ἐλάλησεν

2 καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν σαρρα τῷ αβρααμ υἱὸν εἰς τὸ γῆρας εἰς τὸν καιρόν καθὰ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ κύριος

3 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αβρααμ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου αὐτῷ ὃν ἔτεκεν αὐτῷ σαρρα ισαακ

4 περιέτεμεν δὲ αβρααμ τὸν ισαακ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ καθὰ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ ὁ θεός

5 αβρααμ δὲ ἦν ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν ἡνίκα ἐγένετο αὐτῷ ισαακ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ

6 εἶπεν δὲ σαρρα γέλωτά μοι ἐποίησεν κύριος ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἀκούσῃ συγχαρεῖταί μοι

7 καὶ εἶπεν τίς ἀναγγελεῖ τῷ αβρααμ ὅτι θηλάζει παιδίον σαρρα ὅτι ἔτεκον υἱὸν ἐν τῷ γήρει μου

8 καὶ ηὐξήθη τὸ παιδίον καὶ ἀπεγαλακτίσθη καὶ ἐποίησεν αβρααμ δοχὴν μεγάλην ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπεγαλακτίσθη ισαακ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ

9 ἰδοῦσα δὲ σαρρα τὸν υἱὸν αγαρ τῆς αἰγυπτίας ὃς ἐγένετο τῷ αβρααμ παίζοντα μετὰ ισαακ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς

10 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ αβρααμ ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην ταύτην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς οὐ γὰρ κληρονομήσει ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης ταύτης μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου ισαακ

11 σκληρὸν δὲ ἐφάνη τὸ ῥῆμα σφόδρα ἐναντίον αβρααμ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ

12 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῷ αβρααμ μὴ σκληρὸν ἔστω τὸ ῥῆμα ἐναντίον σου περὶ τοῦ παιδίου καὶ περὶ τῆς παιδίσκης πάντα ὅσα ἐὰν εἴπῃ σοι σαρρα ἄκουε τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῆς ὅτι ἐν ισαακ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα

13 καὶ τὸν υἱὸν δὲ τῆς παιδίσκης ταύτης εἰς ἔθνος μέγα ποιήσω αὐτόν ὅτι σπέρμα σόν ἐστιν

14 ἀνέστη δὲ αβρααμ τὸ πρωὶ καὶ ἔλαβεν ἄρτους καὶ ἀσκὸν ὕδατος καὶ ἔδωκεν αγαρ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὦμον καὶ τὸ παιδίον καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτήν ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ ἐπλανᾶτο τὴν ἔρημον κατὰ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου

15 ἐξέλιπεν δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ ἀσκοῦ καὶ ἔρριψεν τὸ παιδίον ὑποκάτω μιᾶς ἐλάτης

16 ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ ἐκάθητο ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ μακρόθεν ὡσεὶ τόξου βολήν εἶπεν γάρ οὐ μὴ ἴδω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ παιδίου μου καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ ἀναβοῆσαν δὲ τὸ παιδίον ἔκλαυσεν

17 εἰσήκουσεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ παιδίου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου οὗ ἦν καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν αγαρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ τί ἐστιν αγαρ μὴ φοβοῦ ἐπακήκοεν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ παιδίου σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου οὗ ἐστιν

18 ἀνάστηθι λαβὲ τὸ παιδίον καὶ κράτησον τῇ χειρί σου αὐτό εἰς γὰρ ἔθνος μέγα ποιήσω αὐτόν

19 καὶ ἀνέῳξεν ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῆς καὶ εἶδεν φρέαρ ὕδατος ζῶντος καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἔπλησεν τὸν ἀσκὸν ὕδατος καὶ ἐπότισεν τὸ παιδίον

20 καὶ ἦν ὁ θεὸς μετὰ τοῦ παιδίου καὶ ηὐξήθη καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐγένετο δὲ τοξότης

21 καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ φαραν καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτῷ ἡ μήτηρ γυναῖκα ἐκ γῆς αἰγύπτου

22 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ καὶ εἶπεν αβιμελεχ καὶ οχοζαθ ὁ νυμφαγωγὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ φικολ ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ πρὸς αβρααμ λέγων ὁ θεὸς μετὰ σοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐὰν ποιῇς

23 νῦν οὖν ὄμοσόν μοι τὸν θεὸν μὴ ἀδικήσειν με μηδὲ τὸ σπέρμα μου μηδὲ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἣν ἐποίησα μετὰ σοῦ ποιήσεις μετ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῇ γῇ ᾗ σὺ παρῴκησας ἐν αὐτῇ

24 καὶ εἶπεν αβρααμ ἐγὼ ὀμοῦμαι

25 καὶ ἤλεγξεν αβρααμ τὸν αβιμελεχ περὶ τῶν φρεάτων τοῦ ὕδατος ὧν ἀφείλαντο οἱ παῖδες τοῦ αβιμελεχ

26 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ αβιμελεχ οὐκ ἔγνων τίς ἐποίησεν τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο οὐδὲ σύ μοι ἀπήγγειλας οὐδὲ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα ἀλλ' ἢ σήμερον

27 καὶ ἔλαβεν αβρααμ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ αβιμελεχ καὶ διέθεντο ἀμφότεροι διαθήκην

28 καὶ ἔστησεν αβρααμ ἑπτὰ ἀμνάδας προβάτων μόνας

29 καὶ εἶπεν αβιμελεχ τῷ αβρααμ τί εἰσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ ἀμνάδες τῶν προβάτων τούτων ἃς ἔστησας μόνας

30 καὶ εἶπεν αβρααμ ὅτι τὰς ἑπτὰ ἀμνάδας ταύτας λήμψῃ παρ' ἐμοῦ ἵνα ὦσίν μοι εἰς μαρτύριον ὅτι ἐγὼ ὤρυξα τὸ φρέαρ τοῦτο

31 διὰ τοῦτο ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου φρέαρ ὁρκισμοῦ ὅτι ἐκεῖ ὤμοσαν ἀμφότεροι

32 καὶ διέθεντο διαθήκην ἐν τῷ φρέατι τοῦ ὅρκου ἀνέστη δὲ αβιμελεχ καὶ οχοζαθ ὁ νυμφαγωγὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ φικολ ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν φυλιστιιμ

33 καὶ ἐφύτευσεν αβρααμ ἄρουραν ἐπὶ τῷ φρέατι τοῦ ὅρκου καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐκεῖ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου θεὸς αἰώνιος

34 παρῴκησεν δὲ αβρααμ ἐν τῇ γῇ τῶν φυλιστιιμ ἡμέρας πολλάς

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2709

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2709. 'And was an archer' means the member of the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'darts, arrows, or shafts' as truth, and from the meaning of 'a bow' as doctrine, dealt with above in 2686. The member of the spiritual Church was in former times called 'an archer' because such a member uses truths to defend himself, and discusses truths, unlike the member of the celestial Church who is protected by good and does not discuss truths, see above in 2708. The truths which the member of the spiritual Church uses to defend himself and which he discusses are derived from the doctrine he acknowledges.

[2] The fact that the spiritual man was in former times called 'an archer' and 'a bowman', and that doctrine was called a bow and a quiver, and the truths of doctrine, or rather matters of doctrine, were called arrows, darts, and shafts, is further clear in David,

The children of Ephraim who were armed (they were archers) turned back on the day of battle. Psalms 78:9.

'Ephraim' stands for the intellectual side of the Church. In the Book of Judges,

You who ride white she-asses, you who sit on Middin, 1 and you who walk along the way, may you ponder. From the voice of the bowmen among those drawing water, there they will discuss the righteous acts of Jehovah, the righteous acts of His village in Israel. Judges 5:10-11.

In Isaiah.

Jehovah called me from the womb, from my mother's body 2 He made mention of my name and set my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of His hand He hid me and turned me into a polished arrow; in His quiver He hid me, and He said to me, You are My servant Israel, for I will be glorified in you. Isaiah 49:1-3.

'Israel' stands for the spiritual Church.

[3] In David,

Like arrows in the hand of a powerful man so are the children of the days of one's youth. Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them. Psalms 127:4-5.

'A quiver' stands for the doctrine of good and truth. In Habakkuk,

The sun, the moon, stood still in their place. At the light of Your arrows they will go, at the flash of Your glittering spear. Habakkuk 3:11.

In the reference to Joash king of Israel who at Elisha's command shot the arrow from the bow through the window, with Elisha saying as he shot it, Jehovah's arrow of salvation, Jehovah's arrow of salvation against the Syrian, 2 Kings 13:16-18, arcana to do with the doctrine of good and truth are meant.

[4] Since most things in the Word also possess a contrary sense, darts, arrows, shafts, bows, and archers accordingly possess such. In that contrary sense they mean falsities, doctrine that teaches what is false, and those who are under the influence of falsity, as in Moses,

The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one beside a spring, O daughters, 3 he trails over the wall; and they bitterly grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him did the archers. Genesis 49:22-23.

In Jeremiah,

They shot with their tongue, their bow is a bow of lies and not used for truth. Their tongue is a shaft extended; it speaks deceit. Jeremiah 9:3, 8.

In David,

They sharpened their tongue like a sword, they aimed their shaft, a bitter word, to shoot in secret places at the upright; they will shoot suddenly and will not fear him. They will make strong for themselves an evil matter; they will tell of laying snares secretly. Psalms 64:3-5.

In the same author,

Behold, the evil bend the bow, they make ready their shaft upon the string, to shoot in thick darkness itself at the upright in heart. Psalms 11:2.

In the same author,

His truth is a shield and buckler; you will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the shaft that flies by day. Psalms 91:4-5.

Footnotes:

1. A Hebrew word, the meaning of which is uncertain.

2. literally, viscera

3. The Latin means beside the daughters' spring, but the Hebrew appears to mean beside a spring, O daughters, which Swedenborg has in the chapter explaining Genesis 49.

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

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