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Genesis 20

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1 και εκινησεν εκειθεν αβρααμ εις γην προς λιβα και ωκησεν ανα μεσον καδης και ανα μεσον σουρ και παρωκησεν εν γεραροις

2 ειπεν δε αβρααμ περι σαρρας της γυναικος αυτου οτι αδελφη μου εστιν εφοβηθη γαρ ειπειν οτι γυνη μου εστιν μηποτε αποκτεινωσιν αυτον οι ανδρες της πολεως δι' αυτην απεστειλεν δε αβιμελεχ βασιλευς γεραρων και ελαβεν την σαρραν

3 και εισηλθεν ο θεος προς αβιμελεχ εν υπνω την νυκτα και ειπεν ιδου συ αποθνησκεις περι της γυναικος ης ελαβες αυτη δε εστιν συνωκηκυια ανδρι

4 αβιμελεχ δε ουχ ηψατο αυτης και ειπεν κυριε εθνος αγνοουν και δικαιον απολεις

5 ουκ αυτος μοι ειπεν αδελφη μου εστιν και αυτη μοι ειπεν αδελφος μου εστιν εν καθαρα καρδια και εν δικαιοσυνη χειρων εποιησα τουτο

6 ειπεν δε αυτω ο θεος καθ' υπνον καγω εγνων οτι εν καθαρα καρδια εποιησας τουτο και εφεισαμην εγω σου του μη αμαρτειν σε εις εμε ενεκεν τουτου ουκ αφηκα σε αψασθαι αυτης

7 νυν δε αποδος την γυναικα τω ανθρωπω οτι προφητης εστιν και προσευξεται περι σου και ζηση ει δε μη αποδιδως γνωθι οτι αποθανη συ και παντα τα σα

8 και ωρθρισεν αβιμελεχ το πρωι και εκαλεσεν παντας τους παιδας αυτου και ελαλησεν παντα τα ρηματα ταυτα εις τα ωτα αυτων εφοβηθησαν δε παντες οι ανθρωποι σφοδρα

9 και εκαλεσεν αβιμελεχ τον αβρααμ και ειπεν αυτω τι τουτο εποιησας ημιν μη τι ημαρτομεν εις σε οτι επηγαγες επ' εμε και επι την βασιλειαν μου αμαρτιαν μεγαλην εργον ο ουδεις ποιησει πεποιηκας μοι

10 ειπεν δε αβιμελεχ τω αβρααμ τι ενιδων εποιησας τουτο

11 ειπεν δε αβρααμ ειπα γαρ αρα ουκ εστιν θεοσεβεια εν τω τοπω τουτω εμε τε αποκτενουσιν ενεκεν της γυναικος μου

12 και γαρ αληθως αδελφη μου εστιν εκ πατρος αλλ' ουκ εκ μητρος εγενηθη δε μοι εις γυναικα

13 εγενετο δε ηνικα εξηγαγεν με ο θεος εκ του οικου του πατρος μου και ειπα αυτη ταυτην την δικαιοσυνην ποιησεις επ' εμε εις παντα τοπον ου εαν εισελθωμεν εκει ειπον εμε οτι αδελφος μου εστιν

14 ελαβεν δε αβιμελεχ χιλια διδραχμα προβατα και μοσχους και παιδας και παιδισκας και εδωκεν τω αβρααμ και απεδωκεν αυτω σαρραν την γυναικα αυτου

15 και ειπεν αβιμελεχ τω αβρααμ ιδου η γη μου εναντιον σου ου εαν σοι αρεσκη κατοικει

16 τη δε σαρρα ειπεν ιδου δεδωκα χιλια διδραχμα τω αδελφω σου ταυτα εσται σοι εις τιμην του προσωπου σου και πασαις ταις μετα σου και παντα αληθευσον

17 προσηυξατο δε αβρααμ προς τον θεον και ιασατο ο θεος τον αβιμελεχ και την γυναικα αυτου και τας παιδισκας αυτου και ετεκον

18 οτι συγκλειων συνεκλεισεν κυριος εξωθεν πασαν μητραν εν τω οικω του αβιμελεχ ενεκεν σαρρας της γυναικος αβρααμ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2348

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2348. From a boy even to an old man. That this signifies falsities and evils both recent and confirmed, can be seen from the signification of a “boy” and of an “old man,” when predicated of falsities and evils; namely, that “boys” denote those not yet matured, thus recent ones; and “old men,” those which have attained to considerable age, thus those confirmed. “Boy” and “old man” occur elsewhere in the Word in a similar sense, as in Zechariah:

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem; and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets (Zech. 8:4-5); where “Jerusalem” denotes the Lord’s kingdom and church (n. 402, 2117); the “streets,” truths therein (n. 2336); thus “old men,” confirmed truths; and “old women,” confirmed goods; “boys playing in the streets,” recent truths; and “girls,” recent goods and their affections and the derivative gladnesses. It is evident from this how celestial and spiritual things are changed into things historic, in their descent into the worldly things of the sense of the letter, in which sense it scarcely appears otherwise than that old men, boys, women, and girls, are meant.

[2] In Jeremiah:

Pour out upon the child in the street of Jerusalem, and upon the assembly of young men in like manner; for even the man with the woman shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days (Jeremiah 6:11);

here the “street of Jerusalem” denotes the falsities that reign in the church (n. 2336), of which the recent and the maturing are called the “child” and the “young men,” and the old and the confirmed are called the “old man” and “him that is full of days.”

Again:

I will scatter in thee the horse and his rider, and I will scatter in thee the chariot and him that is borne in it, and I will scatter in thee man and woman, and I will scatter in thee the old man and the boy (Jeremiah 51:21-22); where in like manner the “old man” and the “boy” denote confirmed truth and recent truth.

[3] Again:

Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child in the street, the young men from the roads (Jeremiah 9:21); where the “child” denotes the truths which are first born, and which are cut off when death comes into the windows and palaces, that is, into the things of the intellect and of the will. (That “windows” denote things of the intellect, see above, n. 655, 658; and that “palaces,” or “houses,” denote things of the will, n. 710)

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

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