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1 Mosebok 35

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1 Og Gud sa til Jakob: Gjør dig rede, dra op til Betel og bli der, og bygg der et alter for den Gud som åpenbarte sig for dig da du flyktet for din bror Esau!

2 Da sa Jakob til sine husfolk og alle dem som var med ham: Ha bort de fremmede guder som finnes hos eder, og rens eder og skift klær,

3 og la oss ta avsted og dra op til Betel; der vil jeg bygge et alter for den Gud som bønnhørte mig den dag jeg var i fare, og som var med mig på min ferd.

4 Da lot de Jakob få alle de fremmede guder som de hadde hos sig, og ringene som de hadde i sine ører; og Jakob gravde dem ned under terebinten ved Sikem.

5 Så brøt de op, og en redsel fra Gud kom over byene rundt omkring dem, så de ikke forfulgte Jakobs sønner.

6 Og Jakob kom til Luz, som ligger i Kana'ans land - nu heter det Betel - han og alt det folk som var med ham.

7 Og han bygget der et alter og kalte stedet El-Betel*; for der hadde Gud åpenbaret sig for ham da han flyktet for sin bror. / {* d.e. Betels Gud.}

8 Da døde Debora, ebekkas fostermor, og hun blev begravet nedenfor Betel under eken; og han kalte den gråts - eken.

9 Og Gud åpenbarte sig atter for Jakob, da han kom fra Mesopotamia, og velsignet ham.

10 Og Gud sa til ham: Du heter Jakob; herefter skal du ikke mere hete Jakob, men Israel skal være ditt navn. Således fikk han navnet Israel.

11 Og Gud sa til ham: Jeg er Gud den allmektige; vær fruktbar og bli tallrik! Et folk, ja en mengde med folkeslag skal stamme fra dig, og konger skal utgå av dine lender.

12 Og det land som jeg gav Abraham og Isak, det vil jeg gi dig; og din ætt efter dig vil jeg gi landet.

13 Så fór Gud op fra ham på det sted hvor han hadde talt med ham.

14 Og Jakob reiste op en minnestøtte på det sted hvor han hadde talt med ham, en minnestøtte av sten; og han øste drikkoffer på den og helte olje over den.

15 Og Jakob kalte det sted hvor Gud hadde talt med ham, Betel.

16 Så brøt de op fra Betel, og da det ennu var et stykke vei igjen til Efrat, fødte akel, og hun hadde en hård fødsel.

17 Og under hennes hårde fødsel sa jordmoren til henne: Frykt ikke; for også denne gang får du en sønn.

18 Men i det samme hun opgav ånden - for hun måtte - kalte hun ham Benoni*; men hans far kalte ham Benjamin**. / {* min smertes sønn.} {** lykkens sønn.}

19 døde akel, og hun blev begravet på veien til Efrat, det er Betlehem.

20 Og Jakob reiste op en minnesten på hennes grav; det er akels gravsten; den står der den dag idag.

21 Så brøt Israel op igjen og slo op sitt telt bortenfor Migdal-Eder*. / {* hjordens tårn.}

22 Og mens Israel bodde der i landet, hendte det at uben gikk avsted og lå hos Bilha, sin fars medhustru; og Israel fikk høre om det - Jakob hadde tolv sønner.

23 Leas sønner var: uben, Jakobs førstefødte, og Simeon og Levi og Juda og Issakar og Sebulon.

24 akels sønner var: Josef og Benjamin.

25 Og akels trælkvinne Bilhas sønner var: Dan og Naftali.

26 Og Leas trælkvinne Silpas sønner var: Gad og Aser. Dette var Jakobs sønner, som han fikk i Mesopotamia.

27 Og Jakob kom til sin far Isak i Mamre ved Kirjat-Arba, det er Hebron, hvor Abraham og Isak hadde bodd som fremmede.

28 Og Isaks dager blev hundre og åtti år.

29 Da opgav Isak ånden og døde og blev samlet til sine fedre, gammel og mett av dager; og Esau og Jakob, hans sønner, begravde ham.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4603

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4603. And the sons of Jacob were twelve. That this signifies the state of all things now in the Divine natural, is evident from the representation of Jacob, as being the Divine natural (of which often above); and from the signification of “twelve” as being all, and when predicated of the sons of Jacob or of the tribes named from them, as being all things of truth and good (see n. 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, 3939). As regards the Lord’s natural it has been shown how He made it Divine in Himself, for this was represented by Jacob. But the subject here treated of is the conjunction of the Divine natural with the Divine rational, which conjunction is represented by Jacob’s coming to Isaac, for Isaac represents the Lord’s Divine rational. It is for this reason that all Jacob’s sons are enumerated anew, for all things of truth and good must be in the natural before this could be fully conjoined with the rational, because the natural serves the rational as a receptacle, and therefore these are enumerated. Be it known, however, that the sons of Jacob are now named in an order different from that in which they were named before; for the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, namely, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, are in the last place, who nevertheless were born before Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The reason of this is that the order of the truths and goods in the natural when this has been made Divine, is here treated of; for the order in which these are mentioned is in accordance with the state of the subject that is being treated of (n. 3862, 3926, 3939).

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

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Arcana Coelestia #3272

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3272. Twelve princes of their peoples. That this signifies all the primary things of this spiritual church, is evident from the signification of “twelve,” as being all things of faith or of the church (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130); from the signification of “princes,” as being things primary (n. 1482, 2089); and from the signification of “peoples,” as being those who are in truths (n. 1259, 1260), thus those who are of the spiritual church, for these are said to be in truths.

That all numbers in the Word signify actual things, may be clearly seen from the number “twelve,” which so often occurs. This number, wherever it occurs in the Word, signifies all; as for instance the “twelve tribes” in the Old Testament, and the “twelve apostles” in the New, signify all things of faith, and thus all things of the church. So here “twelve princes” signify all the primary things of this church, and these are represented by so many sons of Ishmael.

[2] That “twelve” has this signification may be seen from the passages adduced in the sections above cited, as also from the following passages in the Word.

In John:

I heard the number of those who were sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand; of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand; of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand (Revelation 7:4-5); and so on; where by “twelve thousand sealed out of every tribe” nothing else is signified than that all who are in faith, that is, who are in the good of faith, are saved. Again:

A woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1).

The “woman” denotes the church (n. 252, 253); the “sun,” celestial love; and the “moon,” spiritual love (n. 30-38, 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495); the “twelve stars” denote all things of faith. (That “stars” are the knowledges of good and truth which are of faith, may be seen above, n. 2495, 2849)

[3] Again:

The holy city, New Jerusalem, had twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits (twelve times twelve), which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls (Revelation 21:2, 12, 14, 16-17, 21);

here by the “holy city” nothing else is signified than the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; and by “gates,” “wall,” “foundations” are signified the things of charity and faith; and by “twelve,” so often mentioned, are signified all of these things; that neither twelve tribes nor twelve apostles are signified, must be evident to everyone. Again:

In the midst of the street of it, and on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month (Revelation 22:2).

The “twelve fruits” are all things of charity.

[4] In Matthew:

Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28);

here apostles are not meant by “apostles,” nor thrones by “thrones,” nor tribes by “tribes,” but all things that are of faith (n. 2129). Moreover in the Word of the Old Testament, where “twelve tribes” are mentioned, it is all things of the church that are signified; and the case is the same with the “twelve stones according to the names of the twelve tribes of Israel” in the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:21); and with the “twelve loaves” of the show bread set in order upon the table (Leviticus 24:5-6); and so in other instances. That all things of faith are contained also in the very names of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel, will be seen, of the Lord’s Divine mercy in what follows in chapters 29 and 30.

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