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 #2811

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2811. 'And Abraham built the altar there' means preparation of the Lord's Divine human. This is clear from the meaning of 'the altar' and of 'building the altar'. Altars used to mean all worship in general because they were the chief feature of the worship of the representative Church, 921. And because they meant all worship in general they meant the Lord's Divine Human, for the Lord's Divine Human is essentially present in all worship and all doctrine, so much so that it is the very essence of worship itself and doctrine itself. This becomes clear also from the Holy Supper which superseded altars, that is, burnt offerings and sacrifices, 2165, 2187, 2343, 2359. The Holy Supper is the chief feature of external worship because it is the Lord's Divine Human that is bestowed there. From all this it may become clear, and so without further explanation, that 'building an altar' means preparing the Divine human. The final preparation of the Lord's Divine human for undergoing the last degrees of temptation is the subject in the present verse and is described by the statement that Abraham laid the pieces of wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the pieces of wood.

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