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Genesis 19

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1 ηλθον δε οι δυο αγγελοι εις σοδομα εσπερας λωτ δε εκαθητο παρα την πυλην σοδομων ιδων δε λωτ εξανεστη εις συναντησιν αυτοις και προσεκυνησεν τω προσωπω επι την γην

2 και ειπεν ιδου κυριοι εκκλινατε εις τον οικον του παιδος υμων και καταλυσατε και νιψασθε τους ποδας υμων και ορθρισαντες απελευσεσθε εις την οδον υμων ειπαν δε ουχι αλλ' εν τη πλατεια καταλυσομεν

3 και κατεβιαζετο αυτους και εξεκλιναν προς αυτον και εισηλθον εις την οικιαν αυτου και εποιησεν αυτοις ποτον και αζυμους επεψεν αυτοις και εφαγον

4 προ του κοιμηθηναι και οι ανδρες της πολεως οι σοδομιται περιεκυκλωσαν την οικιαν απο νεανισκου εως πρεσβυτερου απας ο λαος αμα

5 και εξεκαλουντο τον λωτ και ελεγον προς αυτον που εισιν οι ανδρες οι εισελθοντες προς σε την νυκτα εξαγαγε αυτους προς ημας ινα συγγενωμεθα αυτοις

6 εξηλθεν δε λωτ προς αυτους προς το προθυρον την δε θυραν προσεωξεν οπισω αυτου

7 ειπεν δε προς αυτους μηδαμως αδελφοι μη πονηρευσησθε

8 εισιν δε μοι δυο θυγατερες αι ουκ εγνωσαν ανδρα εξαξω αυτας προς υμας και χρησασθε αυταις καθα αν αρεσκη υμιν μονον εις τους ανδρας τουτους μη ποιησητε μηδεν αδικον ου εινεκεν εισηλθον υπο την σκεπην των δοκων μου

9 ειπαν δε αποστα εκει εις ηλθες παροικειν μη και κρισιν κρινειν νυν ουν σε κακωσομεν μαλλον η εκεινους και παρεβιαζοντο τον ανδρα τον λωτ σφοδρα και ηγγισαν συντριψαι την θυραν

10 εκτειναντες δε οι ανδρες τας χειρας εισεσπασαντο τον λωτ προς εαυτους εις τον οικον και την θυραν του οικου απεκλεισαν

11 τους δε ανδρας τους οντας επι της θυρας του οικου επαταξαν αορασια απο μικρου εως μεγαλου και παρελυθησαν ζητουντες την θυραν

12 ειπαν δε οι ανδρες προς λωτ εστιν τις σοι ωδε γαμβροι η υιοι η θυγατερες η ει τις σοι αλλος εστιν εν τη πολει εξαγαγε εκ του τοπου τουτου

13 οτι απολλυμεν ημεις τον τοπον τουτον οτι υψωθη η κραυγη αυτων εναντιον κυριου και απεστειλεν ημας κυριος εκτριψαι αυτην

14 εξηλθεν δε λωτ και ελαλησεν προς τους γαμβρους αυτου τους ειληφοτας τας θυγατερας αυτου και ειπεν αναστητε και εξελθατε εκ του τοπου τουτου οτι εκτριβει κυριος την πολιν εδοξεν δε γελοιαζειν εναντιον των γαμβρων αυτου

15 ηνικα δε ορθρος εγινετο επεσπουδαζον οι αγγελοι τον λωτ λεγοντες αναστας λαβε την γυναικα σου και τας δυο θυγατερας σου ας εχεις και εξελθε ινα μη συναπολη ταις ανομιαις της πολεως

16 και εταραχθησαν και εκρατησαν οι αγγελοι της χειρος αυτου και της χειρος της γυναικος αυτου και των χειρων των δυο θυγατερων αυτου εν τω φεισασθαι κυριον αυτου

17 και εγενετο ηνικα εξηγαγον αυτους εξω και ειπαν σωζων σωζε την σεαυτου ψυχην μη περιβλεψης εις τα οπισω μηδε στης εν παση τη περιχωρω εις το ορος σωζου μηποτε συμπαραλημφθης

18 ειπεν δε λωτ προς αυτους δεομαι κυριε

19 επειδη ευρεν ο παις σου ελεος εναντιον σου και εμεγαλυνας την δικαιοσυνην σου ο ποιεις επ' εμε του ζην την ψυχην μου εγω δε ου δυνησομαι διασωθηναι εις το ορος μη καταλαβη με τα κακα και αποθανω

20 ιδου η πολις αυτη εγγυς του καταφυγειν με εκει η εστιν μικρα εκει σωθησομαι ου μικρα εστιν και ζησεται η ψυχη μου

21 και ειπεν αυτω ιδου εθαυμασα σου το προσωπον και επι τω ρηματι τουτω του μη καταστρεψαι την πολιν περι ης ελαλησας

22 σπευσον ουν του σωθηναι εκει ου γαρ δυνησομαι ποιησαι πραγμα εως του σε εισελθειν εκει δια τουτο εκαλεσεν το ονομα της πολεως εκεινης σηγωρ

23 ο ηλιος εξηλθεν επι την γην και λωτ εισηλθεν εις σηγωρ

24 και κυριος εβρεξεν επι σοδομα και γομορρα θειον και πυρ παρα κυριου εκ του ουρανου

25 και κατεστρεψεν τας πολεις ταυτας και πασαν την περιοικον και παντας τους κατοικουντας εν ταις πολεσιν και παντα τα ανατελλοντα εκ της γης

26 και επεβλεψεν η γυνη αυτου εις τα οπισω και εγενετο στηλη αλος

27 ωρθρισεν δε αβρααμ το πρωι εις τον τοπον ου ειστηκει εναντιον κυριου

28 και επεβλεψεν επι προσωπον σοδομων και γομορρας και επι προσωπον της γης της περιχωρου και ειδεν και ιδου ανεβαινεν φλοξ της γης ωσει ατμις καμινου

29 και εγενετο εν τω εκτριψαι κυριον πασας τας πολεις της περιοικου εμνησθη ο θεος του αβρααμ και εξαπεστειλεν τον λωτ εκ μεσου της καταστροφης εν τω καταστρεψαι κυριον τας πολεις εν αις κατωκει εν αυταις λωτ

30 ανεβη δε λωτ εκ σηγωρ και εκαθητο εν τω ορει και αι δυο θυγατερες αυτου μετ' αυτου εφοβηθη γαρ κατοικησαι εν σηγωρ και ωκησεν εν τω σπηλαιω αυτος και αι δυο θυγατερες αυτου μετ' αυτου

31 ειπεν δε η πρεσβυτερα προς την νεωτεραν ο πατηρ ημων πρεσβυτερος και ουδεις εστιν επι της γης ος εισελευσεται προς ημας ως καθηκει παση τη γη

32 δευρο και ποτισωμεν τον πατερα ημων οινον και κοιμηθωμεν μετ' αυτου και εξαναστησωμεν εκ του πατρος ημων σπερμα

33 εποτισαν δε τον πατερα αυτων οινον εν τη νυκτι ταυτη και εισελθουσα η πρεσβυτερα εκοιμηθη μετα του πατρος αυτης την νυκτα εκεινην και ουκ ηδει εν τω κοιμηθηναι αυτην και αναστηναι

34 εγενετο δε τη επαυριον και ειπεν η πρεσβυτερα προς την νεωτεραν ιδου εκοιμηθην εχθες μετα του πατρος ημων ποτισωμεν αυτον οινον και την νυκτα ταυτην και εισελθουσα κοιμηθητι μετ' αυτου και εξαναστησωμεν εκ του πατρος ημων σπερμα

35 εποτισαν δε και εν τη νυκτι εκεινη τον πατερα αυτων οινον και εισελθουσα η νεωτερα εκοιμηθη μετα του πατρος αυτης και ουκ ηδει εν τω κοιμηθηναι αυτην και αναστηναι

36 και συνελαβον αι δυο θυγατερες λωτ εκ του πατρος αυτων

37 και ετεκεν η πρεσβυτερα υιον και εκαλεσεν το ονομα αυτου μωαβ λεγουσα εκ του πατρος μου ουτος πατηρ μωαβιτων εως της σημερον ημερας

38 ετεκεν δε και η νεωτερα υιον και εκαλεσεν το ονομα αυτου αμμαν υιος του γενους μου ουτος πατηρ αμμανιτων εως της σημερον ημερας

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2342

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2342. 'And he baked unleavened bread' means purification. This is clear from the meaning of 'unleavened' or without yeast. In the Word 'bread' means in general every celestial and spiritual food, and so in general everything celestial and spiritual, see 276, 680, 1798, 2165, 2177. The need for the latter to be free of all impurities or unholiness was represented by 'unleavened bread'; for 'yeast' means the evil and falsity by means of which celestial and spiritual things are rendered impure and profane. On account of this representation those who belonged to the representative Church were forbidden in sacrifices to offer any bread or minchah other than bread without yeast, that is, unleavened, as is clear in Moses,

Every minchah which you bring to Jehovah shall be made without yeast. Leviticus 2:11. In the same author,

You shall not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice with that made with yeast. Exodus 23:18; 34:25.

[2] They were also forbidden therefore to eat any other bread during the seven days of the Passover than bread without yeast, that is, which was unleavened. This prohibition occurs in the following verses in Moses,

For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even on the first day you shall remove yeast from your houses, for anyone eating that made with yeast, that soul shall be cut off from Israel, from the first day until the seventh. In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month, in the evening. For seven days no yeast shall be found in your houses, for anyone eating that made with yeast, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether a settler or one born in the land. Exodus 12:15, 19-20.

The same prohibition appears in other places as well, such as Exodus 13:6-7; 23:15; 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:3-4. Consequently the Passover is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:16-17; Matthew 26:17; Luke 22:1, 7.

[3] That the Passover represented the glorification of the Lord and so the conjunction of the Divine with the human race will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown elsewhere. And because the conjunction of the Lord with the human race is effected by means of love and charity, and by means of the faith deriving from these, celestial and spiritual things were represented by the unleavened bread which they were to eat each day during the Passover. Consequently to prevent the defilement of those things by anything unholy they were strictly forbidden to eat anything made with yeast, so strictly that any who did so were to be cut off; for those who profane celestial and spiritual things inevitably perish. Anyone may see that but for this arcanum within it that observance, together with so harsh a penalty, would never have been introduced.

[4] Everything that was commanded in that Church represented some arcanum, even the actual cooking, as with every instruction which the children of Israel carried out when they were leaving Egypt, namely that they were to eat that night flesh roasted by fire, and unleavened bread on bitter herbs; they were not to eat it raw or cooked in water; the head had to be on its legs; they were to let none of it remain until the morning; they were to burn what was left over with fire, Exodus 12:8-10. Every detail of these instructions was representative - eating it at night; flesh roasted by fire; unleavened bread on bitter herbs; the head on the legs; not raw; not cooked in water; not leaving any until the morning; and burning what was left with fire. But the arcana represented are in no way apparent unless they are disclosed by means of the internal sense. That sense alone shows that all these details are Divine.

[5] Something similar was done in the ritual for the taking of a Nazirite vow. The priest was to take the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and he was to place them on the palms of the Nazirite after he had shaved his consecrated head, Numbers 6:19. Anyone who does not know that a Nazirite represented the celestial man himself does not know either that every detail of these instructions embodies celestial things, and so arcana, which are not apparent in the letter, namely the instructions to take the cooked shoulder of a ram, an unleavened cake, an unleavened wafer, and to shave off his hair. This also shows what kind of opinion regarding the Word can be gained by people who do not believe in the existence of an internal sense, for without the internal sense such details are of no consequence at all. But when the ceremonial or ritualistic element has been stripped away everything becomes Divine and holy. Everything else has a deeper meaning, as does 'unleavened bread' which means the holiness of love, or what is most holy, as it is also called in Moses,

The unleavened bread that was left over was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place, for it was most holy. Leviticus 6:16-17.

'Unleavened bread' therefore means pure love, and 'the baking of that which is unleavened' purification.

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

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