The Bible

 

Genesis 32

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1 ἀναστὰς δὲ λαβαν τὸ πρωὶ κατεφίλησεν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτούς καὶ ἀποστραφεὶς λαβαν ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ

2 καὶ ιακωβ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδόν καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἶδεν παρεμβολὴν θεοῦ παρεμβεβληκυῖαν καὶ συνήντησαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ

3 εἶπεν δὲ ιακωβ ἡνίκα εἶδεν αὐτούς παρεμβολὴ θεοῦ αὕτη καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου παρεμβολαί

4 ἀπέστειλεν δὲ ιακωβ ἀγγέλους ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ησαυ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν σηιρ εἰς χώραν εδωμ

5 καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς λέγων οὕτως ἐρεῖτε τῷ κυρίῳ μου ησαυ οὕτως λέγει ὁ παῖς σου ιακωβ μετὰ λαβαν παρῴκησα καὶ ἐχρόνισα ἕως τοῦ νῦν

6 καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι βόες καὶ ὄνοι καὶ πρόβατα καὶ παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι καὶ ἀπέστειλα ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ κυρίῳ μου ησαυ ἵνα εὕρῃ ὁ παῖς σου χάριν ἐναντίον σου

7 καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς ιακωβ λέγοντες ἤλθομεν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου ησαυ καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται εἰς συνάντησίν σοι καὶ τετρακόσιοι ἄνδρες μετ' αὐτοῦ

8 ἐφοβήθη δὲ ιακωβ σφόδρα καὶ ἠπορεῖτο καὶ διεῖλεν τὸν λαὸν τὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς βόας καὶ τὰ πρόβατα εἰς δύο παρεμβολάς

9 καὶ εἶπεν ιακωβ ἐὰν ἔλθῃ ησαυ εἰς παρεμβολὴν μίαν καὶ ἐκκόψῃ αὐτήν ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολὴ ἡ δευτέρα εἰς τὸ σῴζεσθαι

10 εἶπεν δὲ ιακωβ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου αβρααμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου ισαακ κύριε ὁ εἴπας μοι ἀπότρεχε εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς γενέσεώς σου καὶ εὖ σε ποιήσω

11 ἱκανοῦταί μοι ἀπὸ πάσης δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης ἀληθείας ἧς ἐποίησας τῷ παιδί σου ἐν γὰρ τῇ ῥάβδῳ μου διέβην τὸν ιορδάνην τοῦτον νῦν δὲ γέγονα εἰς δύο παρεμβολάς

12 ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου ησαυ ὅτι φοβοῦμαι ἐγὼ αὐτόν μήποτε ἐλθὼν πατάξῃ με καὶ μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις

13 σὺ δὲ εἶπας καλῶς εὖ σε ποιήσω καὶ θήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης ἣ οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους

14 καὶ ἐκοιμήθη ἐκεῖ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην καὶ ἔλαβεν ὧν ἔφερεν δῶρα καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν ησαυ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ

15 αἶγας διακοσίας τράγους εἴκοσι πρόβατα διακόσια κριοὺς εἴκοσι

16 καμήλους θηλαζούσας καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν τριάκοντα βόας τεσσαράκοντα ταύρους δέκα ὄνους εἴκοσι καὶ πώλους δέκα

17 καὶ ἔδωκεν διὰ χειρὸς τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ ποίμνιον κατὰ μόνας εἶπεν δὲ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ προπορεύεσθε ἔμπροσθέν μου καὶ διάστημα ποιεῖτε ἀνὰ μέσον ποίμνης καὶ ποίμνης

18 καὶ ἐνετείλατο τῷ πρώτῳ λέγων ἐάν σοι συναντήσῃ ησαυ ὁ ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἐρωτᾷ σε λέγων τίνος εἶ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ καὶ τίνος ταῦτα τὰ προπορευόμενά σου

19 ἐρεῖς τοῦ παιδός σου ιακωβ δῶρα ἀπέσταλκεν τῷ κυρίῳ μου ησαυ καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ὀπίσω ἡμῶν

20 καὶ ἐνετείλατο τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ καὶ τῷ τρίτῳ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς προπορευομένοις ὀπίσω τῶν ποιμνίων τούτων λέγων κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο λαλήσατε ησαυ ἐν τῷ εὑρεῖν ὑμᾶς αὐτὸν

21 καὶ ἐρεῖτε ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς σου ιακωβ παραγίνεται ὀπίσω ἡμῶν εἶπεν γάρ ἐξιλάσομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς δώροις τοῖς προπορευομένοις αὐτοῦ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὄψομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἴσως γὰρ προσδέξεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου

22 καὶ παρεπορεύοντο τὰ δῶρα κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκοιμήθη τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ

23 ἀναστὰς δὲ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ἔλαβεν τὰς δύο γυναῖκας καὶ τὰς δύο παιδίσκας καὶ τὰ ἕνδεκα παιδία αὐτοῦ καὶ διέβη τὴν διάβασιν τοῦ ιαβοκ

24 καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτοὺς καὶ διέβη τὸν χειμάρρουν καὶ διεβίβασεν πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ

25 ὑπελείφθη δὲ ιακωβ μόνος καὶ ἐπάλαιεν ἄνθρωπος μετ' αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωί

26 εἶδεν δὲ ὅτι οὐ δύναται πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ μηροῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνάρκησεν τὸ πλάτος τοῦ μηροῦ ιακωβ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ

27 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀπόστειλόν με ἀνέβη γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος ὁ δὲ εἶπεν οὐ μή σε ἀποστείλω ἐὰν μή με εὐλογήσῃς

28 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ τί τὸ ὄνομά σού ἐστιν ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ιακωβ

29 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι τὸ ὄνομά σου ιακωβ ἀλλὰ ισραηλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ θεοῦ καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατός

30 ἠρώτησεν δὲ ιακωβ καὶ εἶπεν ἀνάγγειλόν μοι τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ εἶπεν ἵνα τί τοῦτο ἐρωτᾷς τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ ηὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ

31 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ιακωβ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου εἶδος θεοῦ εἶδον γὰρ θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον καὶ ἐσώθη μου ἡ ψυχή

32 ἀνέτειλεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ ἥλιος ἡνίκα παρῆλθεν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπέσκαζεν τῷ μηρῷ αὐτοῦ

33 ἕνεκεν τούτου οὐ μὴ φάγωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ισραηλ τὸ νεῦρον ὃ ἐνάρκησεν ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ μηροῦ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ μηροῦ ιακωβ τοῦ νεύρου καὶ ἐνάρκησεν

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4279

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4279. The explanations given so far to these two verses present what they contain in the highest sense and in the internal sense. But in the lower sense they have a different meaning. There the essential nature of Jacob and his future descendants is the subject. Because the Word originates in the Lord and comes down from Him by way of heaven to man its nature is therefore such that it is Divine in every detail. And as it has come down from the Lord so it goes up, that is, is raised up to Him, returning by way of the heavens. It is well known that there are three heavens, and that the inmost is termed the third heaven, that the middle one is called the second heaven, while the lowest is referred to as the first heaven. Consequently since it goes up by the same path as it comes down the Word as it exists in the Lord is Divine, celestial as it exists in the third heaven since that heaven is the celestial heaven, spiritual as it exists in the second heaven since that heaven is the spiritual heaven, but celestial-natural and spiritual-natural as it exists in the first heaven, which is also given the names celestial-natural and spiritual-natural. As it exists in the Church with man however, the Word in the sense of the letter is natural, that is, worldly and earthly.

[2] From this one may see the nature of the Word and what happens to it when a person reads it with a holy mind, that is, one in whom good and truth are present. For when he reads it, it is seen by him as something existing in this world or as a historical document, but which nevertheless is inwardly holy. But in the first heaven it is seen as something celestial-natural and spiritual-natural, which however is inwardly Divine. In the second heaven it is spiritual, and in the third celestial; and in the Lord it is Divine. The sense in the Word varies according to whatever heaven it may be. The highest sense of the Word, whose subject is the Lord, exists for the inmost or third heaven; the internal sense, whose subject is the Lord's kingdom, exists for the middle or second heaven; the lower sense, in which the internal sense is narrowed down to the nation referred to there, exists for the lower or first heaven. But the lowest or literal sense exists for man while he is still living in the world. Yet man's nature is such that the more interior sense, and also the internal and highest sense, can be communicated to him. For man has communication with the three heavens; indeed he is created on the pattern of the three heavens, so much so that when love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour constitute his life he is heaven in miniature. Consequently such a person has the Lord's kingdom within him, as the Lord Himself teaches in Luke,

Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21.

[3] These things have been stated so that people may know that the Word contains not only a highest sense and an internal sense but also a lower sense, and that in this sense, that is to say, in the lower, the internal sense is narrowed down to the nation referred to there; and when this is done that sense is plain to see from the train of thought. At present it is self-evident that the man's wrestling with Jacob and the disjointing and displacing of his thigh also has reference to Jacob and his descendants. That being so, let these same words be explained according to that sense. In what follows below this sense will be termed the INTERNAL HISTORICAL SENSE. It will be called this for the added reason that it is quite usual for this sense to be represented from time to time in the first heaven as something animate and taking visible form, as also I have been allowed to see several times. See the explanation given already in the latter part of 4272.

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