The Bible

 

Genesis 7

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1 και ειπεν κυριος ο θεος προς νωε εισελθε συ και πας ο οικος σου εις την κιβωτον οτι σε ειδον δικαιον εναντιον μου εν τη γενεα ταυτη

2 απο δε των κτηνων των καθαρων εισαγαγε προς σε επτα επτα αρσεν και θηλυ απο δε των κτηνων των μη καθαρων δυο δυο αρσεν και θηλυ

3 και απο των πετεινων του ουρανου των καθαρων επτα επτα αρσεν και θηλυ και απο των πετεινων των μη καθαρων δυο δυο αρσεν και θηλυ διαθρεψαι σπερμα επι πασαν την γην

4 ετι γαρ ημερων επτα εγω επαγω υετον επι την γην τεσσαρακοντα ημερας και τεσσαρακοντα νυκτας και εξαλειψω πασαν την εξαναστασιν ην εποιησα απο προσωπου της γης

5 και εποιησεν νωε παντα οσα ενετειλατο αυτω κυριος ο θεος

6 νωε δε ην ετων εξακοσιων και ο κατακλυσμος εγενετο υδατος επι της γης

7 εισηλθεν δε νωε και οι υιοι αυτου και η γυνη αυτου και αι γυναικες των υιων αυτου μετ' αυτου εις την κιβωτον δια το υδωρ του κατακλυσμου

8 και απο των πετεινων και απο των κτηνων των καθαρων και απο των κτηνων των μη καθαρων και απο παντων των ερπετων των επι της γης

9 δυο δυο εισηλθον προς νωε εις την κιβωτον αρσεν και θηλυ καθα ενετειλατο αυτω ο θεος

10 και εγενετο μετα τας επτα ημερας και το υδωρ του κατακλυσμου εγενετο επι της γης

11 εν τω εξακοσιοστω ετει εν τη ζωη του νωε του δευτερου μηνος εβδομη και εικαδι του μηνος τη ημερα ταυτη ερραγησαν πασαι αι πηγαι της αβυσσου και οι καταρρακται του ουρανου ηνεωχθησαν

12 και εγενετο ο υετος επι της γης τεσσαρακοντα ημερας και τεσσαρακοντα νυκτας

13 εν τη ημερα ταυτη εισηλθεν νωε σημ χαμ ιαφεθ υιοι νωε και η γυνη νωε και αι τρεις γυναικες των υιων αυτου μετ' αυτου εις την κιβωτον

14 και παντα τα θηρια κατα γενος και παντα τα κτηνη κατα γενος και παν ερπετον κινουμενον επι της γης κατα γενος και παν πετεινον κατα γενος

15 εισηλθον προς νωε εις την κιβωτον δυο δυο απο πασης σαρκος εν ω εστιν πνευμα ζωης

16 και τα εισπορευομενα αρσεν και θηλυ απο πασης σαρκος εισηλθεν καθα ενετειλατο ο θεος τω νωε και εκλεισεν κυριος ο θεος εξωθεν αυτου την κιβωτον

17 και εγενετο ο κατακλυσμος τεσσαρακοντα ημερας και τεσσαρακοντα νυκτας επι της γης και επληθυνθη το υδωρ και επηρεν την κιβωτον και υψωθη απο της γης

18 και επεκρατει το υδωρ και επληθυνετο σφοδρα επι της γης και επεφερετο η κιβωτος επανω του υδατος

19 το δε υδωρ επεκρατει σφοδρα σφοδρως επι της γης και επεκαλυψεν παντα τα ορη τα υψηλα α ην υποκατω του ουρανου

20 δεκα πεντε πηχεις επανω υψωθη το υδωρ και επεκαλυψεν παντα τα ορη τα υψηλα

21 και απεθανεν πασα σαρξ κινουμενη επι της γης των πετεινων και των κτηνων και των θηριων και παν ερπετον κινουμενον επι της γης και πας ανθρωπος

22 και παντα οσα εχει πνοην ζωης και πας ος ην επι της ξηρας απεθανεν

23 και εξηλειψεν παν το αναστημα ο ην επι προσωπου πασης της γης απο ανθρωπου εως κτηνους και ερπετων και των πετεινων του ουρανου και εξηλειφθησαν απο της γης και κατελειφθη μονος νωε και οι μετ' αυτου εν τη κιβωτω

24 και υψωθη το υδωρ επι της γης ημερας εκατον πεντηκοντα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #716

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716. That holy things are signified by “seven” is evident from what has been said before respecting the seventh day, or the sabbath n. 84-87), namely, that the Lord is the seventh day; and that from Him every celestial church, or celestial man, is a seventh day, and indeed the celestial itself, which is most holy because it is from the Lord alone. For this reason, in the Word, “seven” signifies what is holy; and in fact, as here, in the internal sense partakes not at all of the idea of number. For they who are in the internal sense, as angels and angelic spirits are, do not even know what number is, and therefore not what seven is. Therefore it is not meant here that seven pairs were to be taken of all the clean beasts; or that there was so much of good in proportion to evil as seven to two; but that the things of the will with which this man of the church was furnished were goods, which are holy, whereby he could be regenerated, as was said above.

[2] That “seven” signifies what is holy, or holy things, is evident from the rituals in the representative church, wherein the number seven so frequently occurs. For example, they were to sprinkle of the blood and the oil seven times, as related in Leviticus:

Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them; and he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, to sanctify them (Leviticus 8:10-11).

Here “seven times” would be entirely without significance if what is holy were not thus represented. And in another place: When Aaron came into the holy place it is said: He shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle with his finger upon the faces of the mercy seat toward the east; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times (Leviticus 16:14).

And so at the altar:

He shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and sanctify it (Leviticus 16:19).

The particulars here, each and all, signify the Lord Himself, and therefore the holy of love; that is to say, the “blood” the “mercy seat” and also the “altar” and the “east” toward which the blood was to be sprinkled, and therefore also “seven.”

[3] And likewise in the sacrifices, of which in Leviticus:

If a soul shall sin through error, and if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, he shall slay the bullock before Jehovah, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Jehovah, toward the veil of the sanctuary (Leviticus 4:2-3, 6).

Here in like manner “seven” signifies what is holy; because the subject treated of is expiation, which is of the Lord alone, and therefore the subject treated of is the Lord. Similar rites were also instituted in respect to the cleansing of leprosy, concerning which in Leviticus:

Of the blood of the bird, with cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop, the priest shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall make him clean. In like manner he was to sprinkle of the oil that was upon the palm of his left hand seven times before Jehovah. And so in a house where there was leprosy, he was to take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and with the blood of the bird sprinkle seven times (Leviticus 14:6-7, 27, 51).Here anyone may see that there is nothing at all in the “cedar wood” the “scarlet” the “oil” the “blood of a bird” nor yet in “seven” except from the fact that they are representative of holy things. Take away from them what is holy, and all that remains is dead, or profanely idolatrous. But when they signify holy things there is Divine worship therein, which is internal, and is only represented by the externals. The Jews indeed could not know what these things signified; nor does anyone at the present day know what was signified by the “cedar wood” the “hyssop” the “scarlet” and the “bird.” But if they had only been willing to think that holy things were involved which they did not know, and so had worshiped the Lord, or the Messiah who was to come, who would heal them of their leprosy-that is, of their profanation of holy things-they might have been saved. For they who so think and believe are at once instructed in the other life, if they desire, as to what each and all things represented.

[4] And in like manner it was commanded respecting the red heifer:

The priest shall take of her blood with his finger and sprinkle of her blood toward the face of the tent of meeting seven times (Numbers 19:4).

As the “seventh day” or “sabbath” signified the Lord, and from Him the celestial man, and the celestial itself, the seventh day in the Jewish Church was of all religious observances the most holy; and hence came the “sabbath of sabbath” in the seventh year (Leviticus 25:4), and the “jubilee” that was proclaimed after the seven sabbaths of years, or after seven times seven years (Leviticus 25:8-9. That in the highest sense “seven” signifies the Lord, and hence the holy of love, is evident also from the golden candlestick and its seven lamps (concerning which in Exodus 25:31-33, 37; 37:17-19, 23; Numbers 8:2-3; Zechariah 4:2) and of which it is thus written by John:

Seven golden lampstands; and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like unto the Son of man (Revelation 1:12-13).

It very clearly appears in this passage that the “lampstand with the seven lamps” signifies the Lord, and that the “lamps” are the holy things of love, or celestial things; and therefore they were “seven.”

[5] And again:

Out of the throne went forth seven torches of fire, burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God (Revelation 4:5).

Here the “seven torches” that went forth out of the throne of the Lord are the seven lights, or lamps. The same is signified wherever the number “seven” occurs in the Prophets, as in Isaiah:

The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the breach of His people (Isaiah 30:26).

Here the “sevenfold light, as the light of seven days” does not signify sevenfold, but the holy of the love signified by the “sun.” See also what was said and shown above respecting the number “seven” (Genesis 4:15). From all this again it is clearly evident that whatever numbers are used in the Word never mean numbers (as was also shown before, (Genesis 6:3).

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