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ഉല്പത്തി 18:6

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6 അബ്രഹാം ബദ്ധപ്പെട്ടു കൂടാരത്തില്‍ സാറയുടെ അടുക്കല്‍ ചെന്നുനീ ക്ഷണത്തില്‍ മൂന്നിടങ്ങഴി മാവു എടുത്തു കുഴെച്ചു അപ്പമുണ്ടാക്കുക എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2149

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2149. 'Behold, three men standing over him' means the Divine itself, the Divine Human, and the Holy proceeding. This becomes clear without explanation, for everyone knows that a Trinity exists, and that this Trinity is a Unity. That it is a Unity is quite evident in this chapter, as in verse 3 that follows where it is said, 'He said, My Lord, if now I have found grace in your eyes, do not now pass from over your servant', 1 words that were addressed to the three men. In addition to this it is said -

In verse 10, And He said, 'I will certainly return to you.

In verse 13, And Jehovah said to Abraham.

In verse 15, He said, 'No, but you did laugh'.

In verse 17, And Jehovah said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am going to do?'

In verse 19, 'For I know him'.

In verse 20, And Jehovah said.

In verse 21, 'I will go down and I will see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which has come up to Me; and if not, I will know'.

In verse 23, Abraham said, 'Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?' In verse 25, 'Far be it from You to do such a thing, far be it from You'.

In verse 26, And Jehovah said, 'If I find fifty righteous persons, I will spare the whole place for their sakes'.

In verse 27, 'I have undertaken to speak to my Lord'.

In verse 28, 'Will You for five destroy the whole city?' And He said, 'I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there'.

In verse 29, He spoke to Him yet again. He said, 'I will not do it for the sake of the forty,.

In verse 30, 'Let not my Lord be incensed'. He said, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there'.

In verse 31, 'I have undertaken to speak to my Lord'. He said, 'I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty'.

In verse 32, 'Let not now my Lord be incensed. And He said, 'I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten'.

In verse 33, And Jehovah departed, when He had finished speaking to Abraham.

From all these places it becomes clear that the three men who appeared to Abraham meant the Divine itself, the Divine Human, and the Holy proceeding, and that in itself the Trinity is a Unity. The subject at this point in the internal sense is Jehovah's appearing to the Lord and the Lord's perceiving this, though not by means of an appearing such as was made to Abraham, for the event of the three men seen by Abraham is historically true, but it represents Divine perception or a perception received from the Divine which the Lord had when He was in the human. This perception is dealt with in what follows.

Footnotes:

1. Though not in the printed Latin text, the words translated here from over your servant do occur in Swedenborg's rough draft.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 18

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1 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

3 and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.

4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5 I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."

7 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.

8 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 They asked him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" He said, "See, in the tent."

10 He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

13 Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'

14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

16 The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

17 Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,

18 since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

20 Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

21 I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

22 The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.

23 Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

24 What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

25 Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?"

26 Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."

27 Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

28 What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

29 He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."

30 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

31 He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

32 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."

33 Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.