The Bible

 

Genesis 22

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ὁ θεὸς ἐπείραζεν τὸν αβρααμ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν αβρααμ αβρααμ ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἐγώ

2 καὶ εἶπεν λαβὲ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητόν ὃν ἠγάπησας τὸν ισαακ καὶ πορεύθητι εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ὑψηλὴν καὶ ἀνένεγκον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν ἐφ' ἓν τῶν ὀρέων ὧν ἄν σοι εἴπω

3 ἀναστὰς δὲ αβρααμ τὸ πρωὶ ἐπέσαξεν τὴν ὄνον αὐτοῦ παρέλαβεν δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ δύο παῖδας καὶ ισαακ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ σχίσας ξύλα εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν ἀναστὰς ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον ὃν εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός

4 τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ ἀναβλέψας αβρααμ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδεν τὸν τόπον μακρόθεν

5 καὶ εἶπεν αβρααμ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ καθίσατε αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ὄνου ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ παιδάριον διελευσόμεθα ἕως ὧδε καὶ προσκυνήσαντες ἀναστρέψωμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς

6 ἔλαβεν δὲ αβρααμ τὰ ξύλα τῆς ὁλοκαρπώσεως καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ισαακ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ ἔλαβεν δὲ καὶ τὸ πῦρ μετὰ χεῖρα καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν οἱ δύο ἅμα

7 εἶπεν δὲ ισαακ πρὸς αβρααμ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ εἴπας πάτερ ὁ δὲ εἶπεν τί ἐστιν τέκνον λέγων ἰδοὺ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰ ξύλα ποῦ ἐστιν τὸ πρόβατον τὸ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν

8 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ ὁ θεὸς ὄψεται ἑαυτῷ πρόβατον εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν τέκνον πορευθέντες δὲ ἀμφότεροι ἅμα

9 ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον ὃν εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ αβρααμ θυσιαστήριον καὶ ἐπέθηκεν τὰ ξύλα καὶ συμποδίσας ισαακ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπάνω τῶν ξύλων

10 καὶ ἐξέτεινεν αβρααμ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν μάχαιραν σφάξαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ

11 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ αβρααμ αβρααμ ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἐγώ

12 καὶ εἶπεν μὴ ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ παιδάριον μηδὲ ποιήσῃς αὐτῷ μηδέν νῦν γὰρ ἔγνων ὅτι φοβῇ τὸν θεὸν σὺ καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσω τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ δι' ἐμέ

13 καὶ ἀναβλέψας αβρααμ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ εἶδεν καὶ ἰδοὺ κριὸς εἷς κατεχόμενος ἐν φυτῷ σαβεκ τῶν κεράτων καὶ ἐπορεύθη αβρααμ καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν κριὸν καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὸν εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν ἀντὶ ισαακ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ

14 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αβρααμ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου κύριος εἶδεν ἵνα εἴπωσιν σήμερον ἐν τῷ ὄρει κύριος ὤφθη

15 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἄγγελος κυρίου τὸν αβρααμ δεύτερον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

16 λέγων κατ' ἐμαυτοῦ ὤμοσα λέγει κύριος οὗ εἵνεκεν ἐποίησας τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσω τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ δι' ἐμέ

17 ἦ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ κληρονομήσει τὸ σπέρμα σου τὰς πόλεις τῶν ὑπεναντίων

18 καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς ἀνθ' ὧν ὑπήκουσας τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς

19 ἀπεστράφη δὲ αβρααμ πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστάντες ἐπορεύθησαν ἅμα ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου καὶ κατῴκησεν αβρααμ ἐπὶ τῷ φρέατι τοῦ ὅρκου

20 ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα καὶ ἀνηγγέλη τῷ αβρααμ λέγοντες ἰδοὺ τέτοκεν μελχα καὶ αὐτὴ υἱοὺς ναχωρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου

21 τὸν ωξ πρωτότοκον καὶ τὸν βαυξ ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν καμουηλ πατέρα σύρων

22 καὶ τὸν χασαδ καὶ τὸν αζαυ καὶ τὸν φαλδας καὶ τὸν ιεδλαφ καὶ τὸν βαθουηλ

23 καὶ βαθουηλ ἐγέννησεν τὴν ρεβεκκαν ὀκτὼ οὗτοι υἱοί οὓς ἔτεκεν μελχα τῷ ναχωρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αβρααμ

24 καὶ ἡ παλλακὴ αὐτοῦ ᾗ ὄνομα ρεημα ἔτεκεν καὶ αὐτὴ τὸν ταβεκ καὶ τὸν γααμ καὶ τὸν τοχος καὶ τὸν μωχα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2723

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2723. As regards Beersheba however, 'Beersheba' means the state and the essential nature of the doctrine, that is to say, it is Divine doctrine to which merely human rational ideas have been allied. This becomes clear from the train of thought in verse 22 to the present verse, 2613, 2614, and also from the meaning of the actual expression in the original language as 'the well of the oath' and 'the well of seven'. 'A well' means the doctrine of faith, see 2702, 2720, 'an oath' means a joining together, 2720, as does 'the covenant established with an oath', 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037; and 'seven' means that which is holy and so that which is Divine, 395, 433, 716, 881. From these meanings it may become clear that 'Beersheba' means doctrine which in itself is Divine together with merely human rational ideas or appearances allied to it.

[2] The fact that this is how the name Beersheba was derived is evident from Abraham's words,

Abraham said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they made a covenant in Beersheba (verses 30-32).

Similarly from Isaac's words recorded in Chapter 26,

So it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug, and they said to him, We have found water. And he called it Shibah ('an oath' and 'seven'); therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day. Genesis 26:32-33.

This too has to do with wells, about which there was disagreement with Abimelech, and with a covenant made with him. 'Beersheba' means merely human rational ideas which were again allied to the doctrine of faith, and because they were allied to it again and the doctrine was in that way made such that the human mind could grasp it, it is called 'a city' - 'a city' being doctrine in its entirety, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451. What is more, the name Beersheba is used with a similar meaning in the internal sense in Genesis 22:19; 26:23; 28:10; 46:1, 5; Joshua 15:28; 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3, and in the contrary sense in Amos 5:5; 8:13-14. The whole range of celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine is meant in the internal sense where the land of Canaan is said to range from 'Dan even to Beersheba'; for the land of Canaan means the Lord's kingdom, also the Church, and therefore means the celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine, as in the Book of Judges.

All the children of Israel came out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan even to Beersheba. Judges 20:1.

In the Book of Samuel,

All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 1 Samuel 3:20.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba, 2 Samuel 3:10.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

Hushai said to Absalom, Let all Israel be assembled together, from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 17:11.

Elsewhere in Samuel, David told Joab to go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 24:2, 7.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

There died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. 2 Samuel 24:15.

In the Book of Kings,

Judah dwelt under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25.

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