The Bible

 

1 Mosebok 28

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1 Da kalte Isak Jakob til sig og velsignet ham og bød ham og sa til ham: Du skal ikke ta nogen av Kana'ans døtre til hustru.

2 Gjør dig rede og dra til Mesopotamia, til din morfar Betuels hus, og hent dig en hustru derfra, en av din morbror Labans døtre!

3 Og Gud den allmektige velsigne dig og gjøre dig fruktbar og gi dig en tallrik ætt, så du blir til en hel skare av folkeslag,

4 han gi dig Abrahams velsignelse, både dig og din ætt, så du kommer til å eie det land hvor du nu bor som fremmed, det som Gud gav Abraham!

5 Så lot Isak Jakob reise; og han drog til Mesopotamia, til arameeren Laban, Betuels sønn, som var bror til ebekka, Jakobs og Esaus mor.

6 Da Esau så at Isak hadde velsignet Jakob og sendt ham til Mesopotamia for å hente sig en hustru derfra - at han hadde velsignet ham og gitt ham den befaling: Du skal ikke ta nogen av Kana'ans døtre til hustru -

7 og at Jakob hadde adlydt sin far og sin mor og var reist til Mesopotamia,

8 og da Esau så at Kana'ans døtre mishaget Isak, hans far,

9 så gikk han til Ismael og tok Mahalat, datter til Abrahams sønn Ismael, Nebajots søster, til hustru foruten sine andre hustruer.

10 Jakob tok ut fra Be'erseba og gav sig på veien til Karan.

11 Og han kom til et sted hvor han blev natten over, for solen var gått ned; og han tok en av stenene som lå der, og la den under sitt hode, og så la han sig til å sove der.

12 Da drømte han og så en stige som var stilt op på jorden, og hvis topp nådde til himmelen, og se, Guds engler steg op og steg ned på den.

13 Og se, Herren stod øverst på den og sa: Jeg er Herren, din far Abrahams Gud og Isaks Gud; det land som du nu ligger i, det vil jeg gi dig og din ætt.

14 Og din ætt skal bli som støvet på jorden, og du skal utbrede dig mot vest og mot øst og mot nord og mot syd, og i dig og i din ætt skal alle jordens slekter velsignes

15 Og se, jeg er med dig og vil bevare dig hvor du så går, og jeg vil føre dig tilbake til dette land; jeg vil ikke forlate dig før jeg har gjort det jeg har lovt dig.

16 Da Jakob våknet av sin søvn, sa han: Sannelig, Herren er på dette sted, og jeg visste det ikke.

17 Og det kom en frykt over ham, og han sa: Hvor forferdelig er ikke dette sted ! Her er visselig Guds hus, her er himmelens port.

18 Morgenen efter stod Jakob tidlig op og tok den sten han hadde lagt under sitt hode, og reiste den op som en minnesten, og han helte olje over den.

19 Og han kalte dette sted Betel*; før hette byen Luz. / {* Guds hus.}

20 Og Jakob gjorde et løfte og sa: Dersom Gud vil være med mig og bevare mig på denne min ferd og gi mig brød å ete og klær å klæ mig med,

21 og jeg kommer vel hjem igjen til min fars hus, så skal Herren være min Gud,

22 og denne sten som jeg har reist op som en minnesten, skal være et Guds hus, og av alt det du gir mig, vil jeg gi dig tiende.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8945

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8945. And thou shalt not go up on steps unto the altar. That this signifies no elevation to interior things which are celestial, is evident from the signification of “going up by steps,” as being to raise oneself to higher or interior things (whether we say “interior things,” or “higher things,” it is the same, for interior things appear as higher, see n. 2148, 3084, 4210, 4599); and from the signification of “an altar,” as being the chief representative of the the Lord, (n. 921, 2777, 2811); thus by “going up on steps unto Mine altar” is signified to raise oneself to the Lord, consequently to interior things which are celestial; for the Lord is more present in interior things. Those things are called celestial which are in the inmost heaven, and those spiritual which are in the middle heaven. For heaven is distinguished into two kingdoms, namely, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. They who are in the celestial kingdom are in the inmost or third heaven, thus nearest to the Lord; for they who are there are in love to the Lord and in innocence, consequently in wisdom above all the other angels. But they who are in the spiritual kingdom are in the middle or second heaven, thus more remote from the Lord; they who are there are in charity toward the neighbor, and through charity are with the Lord. (Concerning these two kingdoms and the difference between them, see n. 2048, 2088, 2227, 2507, 2669, 2708, 2715, 2718, 3235, 3246, 3374, 3887, 4448, 4585, 4938, 4939, 5113, 5922, 6367, 6435, 7877)

[2] It is to be explained in a few words how the case is with respect to the elevation toward interior things, thus toward celestial things, which is signified by “going up on steps unto the altar.” It is not granted anyone in the other life to be raised higher into heaven than to the degree of good in which he is; for if he is raised higher, his defilements, that is, the evils of his loves and the falsities therefrom, are made manifest. For the more interior, the more pure and holy, it is in heaven. They who are in a more impure state are kept in a lower sphere, where their impurities are not perceived and do not appear, because they are in a grosser good, and a more obscure truth.

[3] It sometimes happens that they who come into heaven desire to come into a more interior heaven, believing that so they will enjoy greater joy. In order that this desire which clings to them may be removed, they are indeed raised into a more interior heaven; but when they come thither, they begin to be distressed by reason of the evils of their loves, which evils then come to their perception, and they also become ugly by reason of the falsities from the evils with them. On perceiving these things, they cast themselves down from the more interior heaven, and do not return into a tranquil and peaceful state until they come into their former station. These are the things which are signified by the statute, “Thou shalt not go up on steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it.”

[4] The case is similar with those who are beneath heaven. If these desire to ascend into heaven before they have been prepared, when they are raised there they feel torment almost infernal, and appear to themselves like carcasses. Even the very life with them labors, like the life of those who are in the death agony; and therefore they cast themselves down headlong, and afterward no more desire to ascend above the state of life in which they are.

[5] Be it known that in the other life heaven is denied by the Lord to no one, and that as many as desire can be admitted. (Heaven consists of societies of angels who are in the good of love toward the neighbor and of love to the Lord; and when any are admitted into heaven, they are let into such societies.) But when the sphere of their life, that is, when the life of their love, is not in agreement, then conflict arises, from which they have anguish and downcasting. In this way they are instructed about the life of heaven, and the state of their own life in comparison, also about the fact that no one has heaven merely by being received or admitted (as is the common opinion in the world), and that by his life in the world a man may become of such a character that he can be with those who are in heaven (see what has been already said and shown on this subject from experience, n. 3938, 4225, 4226, 4299, 4674, 5057, 5058, 7186, 7519, 8794, 8797). These are the things which are signified by the statute, “Thou shalt not go up on steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it;” and also by a similar statute in Exodus 28:42-43.

[6] It is said “go up on steps,” for the reason that elevation to interior things appears in the world of spirits, where celestial and spiritual things are presented in forms like those of the world, as an ascent by steps. This representative it has often been given me to see. For this reason also it was that the angels were seen by Jacob in his dream going up to the Lord by the steps of a ladder (Genesis 28:12). Therefore also by “steps” in the Word is signified ascent to higher things, that is, to interior things, as in Ezekiel 40:6, 22, 26, 31, 34; and in Amos:

The Lord Jehovih Zebaoth buildeth His steps in the heavens (Amos 9:6).

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2811

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2811. And Abraham built there the altar. That this signifies the preparation of the Lord’s Human Divine, is evident from the signification of an “altar,” and of “building an altar.” “Altars” signified all worship in general, because they were the primary things of the worship of the representative church (n. 921); and as they signified all worship in general, they signified the Lord’s Divine Human, for the Lord’s Divine Human is all worship and all doctrine; so much so as to be worship itself and doctrine itself; as may be seen also from the Holy Supper, which succeeded to altars, or to burnt-offerings and sacrifices (n. 2165, 2187, 2343, 2359), and which is the primary thing of external worship, because it is the Lord’s Divine Human which is there given. That to “build an altar” is to prepare the Human Divine, is evident from the above, and thus without explication. The final preparation of the Lord’s Human Divine for undergoing the last degrees of temptation is treated of in this verse, and is described by Abraham laying the wood in order, binding Isaac his son, and placing him on the altar upon the wood.

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