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1 Mosebok 10

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1 Dette er de ætter som stammer fra Noahs sønner Sem, Kam og Jafet: De fikk sønner efter vannflommen.

2 Jafets sønner var Gomer og Magog og Madai og Javan og Tubal og Mesek og Tiras.

3 Og Gomers sønner var Askenas og ifat og Togarma.

4 Og Javans sønner var Elisa og Tarsis, Kittim og Dodanim.

5 Fra disse bredte de som bor på hedningenes kyster, sig ut i sine land, med sine forskjellige tungemål, efter sine ætter, i sine folkeslag.

6 Og Kams sønner var Kus og Misra'im og Put og Kana'an.

7 Og Kus' sønner var Seba og Havila og Sabta og aema og Sabteka, og aemas sønner var Sjeba og Dedan.

8 Og Kus fikk sønnen Nimrod; han var den første som fikk stort velde på jorden.

9 Han var en veldig jeger for Herrens åsyn; derfor sier folk: En veldig jeger for Herrens åsyn som Nimrod.

10 Først hersket han over Babel og Erek og Akkad og Kalne i landet Sinear.

11 Fra dette land drog han ut til Assur og bygget Ninive og ehobot-Ir og Kalah

12 og esen mellem Ninive og Kalah; dette er den store stad.

13 Og Misra'im blev stamfar til luderne og anamerne og lehaberne og naftuherne

14 og patruserne og kasluherne, som filistrene er kommet fra, og kaftorerne.

15 Og Kana'an blev far til Sidon, som var hans førstefødte, og til Het

16 og til jebusittene og amorittene og girgasittene

17 og hevittene og arkittene og sinittene

18 og arvadittene og semarittene og hamatittene; siden bredte kana'anittenes ætter sig videre ut.

19 Og kana'anittenes grense gikk fra Sidon bortimot Gerar like til Gasa, og bortimot Sodoma og Gomorra og Adma og Sebo'im like til Lesa.

20 Dette var Kams barn, efter sine ætter, med sine tungemål, i sine land, i sine folkeslag.

21 Også Sem fikk barn; han var stamfar til alle Ebers barn og var den eldste bror av Jafet.

22 Sems sønner var Elam og Assur og Arpaksad og Lud og Aram.

23 Og Arams sønner var Us og Hul og Geter og Mas.

24 Og Arpaksad fikk sønnen Salah, og Salah fikk sønnen Eber.

25 Og Eber fikk to sønner; den ene hette Peleg, for i hans dager blev menneskene spredt over jorden; og hans bror hette Joktan.

26 Og Joktan blev far til Almodad og Salef og Hasarmavet og Jarah

27 og Hadoram og Usal og Dikla

28 og Obal og Abimael og Sjeba

29 og Ofir og Havila og Jobab; alle disse var Joktans sønner.

30 De hadde sine bosteder i fjellbygdene i øst fra Mesa bortimot Sefar.

31 Dette var Sems barn efter sine ætter, med sine tungemål, i sine land, i sine folkeslag.

32 Dette var Noahs sønners ætter efter sin avstamning, i sine folkeslag; og fra dem har folkene utbredt sig på jorden efter vannflommen.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1197

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1197. From whom went forth the Pelistim [Philistines]. That this signifies a nation thence derived, and that by this nation is signified a mere memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith and charity, is evident from the Word, where the Philistines are frequently mentioned. In the Ancient Church all those were called Philistines who talked much about faith, and declared that salvation is in faith, and yet had no life of faith. Therefore they preeminently were called “the uncircumcised,” which means those who are devoid of charity. That they were called “the uncircumcised” may be seen in 1 Samuel 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4; 2 Samuel 1:20, and in other places. Because they were such, they could not but make the knowledges of faith matters of memory; for the knowledges of spiritual and celestial things and the very mysteries of faith themselves become nothing but matters of memory, when the man who is skilled in them is devoid of charity. The things of the memory are like things dead unless the man is such that from conscience he lives according to them. When he does this, then at the same time as they are things of memory they are also things of life; and only then do they remain with him for his use and salvation after the life of the body. Knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones] are nothing to a man in the other life, even though he may have known all the arcana that have ever been revealed, unless they have affected his life.

[2] Such [as those described above] are everywhere signified by “Philistines” in the prophetical parts of the Word, and also in the historical, as for example, when Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines, and made a covenant with Abimelech, the king of the Philistines (Genesis 20:1; 21:22; 26:1-34). As the knowledges of faith are here signified by the Philistines, Abraham, because he represented the celestial things of faith, sojourned there, and entered into a covenant with them; and likewise Isaac, by whom were represented the spiritual things of faith; but not Jacob, because by him the externals of the church were represented.

[3] That the “Philistines” signify in general a mere memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith, and specifically those who make faith and salvation consist in knowledges alone, which they make matters of memory, may be seen in Isaiah:

Rejoice not thou whole Philistia, because the rod that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be like a fiery flying serpent (Isaiah 14:29).

Here “the root of the serpent” denotes memory-knowledges; “the basilisk,” evil from the derivative falsity; and “the fruit of a fiery flying serpent,” is their works, which are called “a fiery flying serpent” because they come of cupidities.

[4] In Joel:

What are ye to Me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Will ye render a recompense upon Me? very speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head. Inasmuch as ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My desirable good things; the sons also of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the sons of the Javanites, that ye might cause them to remove far from their border (Joel 3:4-6).

Here it is evident what is meant by the Philistines, and by “all Philistia,” or all “the borders” of it. “Silver and gold” here are the spiritual and celestial things of faith; “desirable good things” are the knowledges of them. That they “carried them into their temples,” is that they possessed and proclaimed them; and that they “sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem,” signifies that they had no love and no faith; “Judah” in the Word is the celestial of faith, and “Jerusalem” is the spiritual of faith thence derived, which were “removed far from their borders.” So also in other places in the Prophets, as in Jeremiah 25:20; 47:1; Ezekiel 16:27, 57; 25:15-16, Amos 1:8; Obadiah 1:19; Zephaniah 2:5; Psalms 83:7; 87:4. And concerning the Caphtorim in Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7.

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