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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.

   

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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 #3913

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3913. And she said, Behold my maidservant Bilhah. That this signifies the affirming means which there is between natural truth and interior truth, is evident from the signification of a “maidservant” and also of a “handmaid” as being the affection of the knowledges that belong to the exterior man (n. 1895, 2567, 3835, 3849); and because this affection is the means for conjoining interior truths with natural or external truths, by “handmaid” is here signified the affirming means between them: and from the representation of Bilhah, as being the quality of this means. By the handmaids given to Jacob by Rachel and Leah for women to the intent that they might bring forth offspring, nothing else was represented and signified in the internal sense, than such a thing as is of service; here, for a means of the conjunction of interior truth with external truth; for by Rachel is represented interior truth, and by Leah external truth (n. 3793, 3819). For by the twelve sons of Jacob are here described the twelve general or cardinal things by means of which while being regenerated or made a church, man is initiated into what is spiritual and celestial. For when a man is being regenerated, or made a church (that is, when from a dead man he is becoming alive, or from corporeal heavenly), he is led by the Lord through many states. These general states are what are designated by the “twelve sons,” and afterwards by the “twelve tribes;” for which reason the “twelve tribes” signify all things of faith and love, as may be seen above (n. 3858); for generals involve all the particulars and singulars, and these latter bear relation to the former.

[2] When a man is being regenerated, the internal man is to be conjoined with the external, consequently the goods and truths of the internal man with the goods and truths of the external; for from truths and goods man is man. These cannot be conjoined without means. Means are such things as derive something from the one side, and something from the other, and which are attended with the effect that insofar as the man accedes to the one, the other becomes subordinate. These means are what are signified by the “handmaids,” the means on the part of the internal man by the handmaids of Rachel; and the means on the part of the external man by the handmaids of Leah.

[3] That there must be means of conjunction may be seen from the fact that of itself the natural man does not in the least agree with the spiritual man, but disagrees so far as to be altogether opposite. For the natural man regards and loves himself and the world; but the spiritual man does not regard himself and the world, except insofar as is conducive to the promotion of uses in the spiritual world; and thus regards its service and loves it from the use and end. The natural man seems to himself to have life when he is elevated to dignities, and thus to supereminence over others; but the spiritual man seems to himself to have life in humility, and in being the least.

Nor does he disregard dignities, provided that by them as means he can be of service to his neighbor, to the community, and to the church. Yet he does not reflect for the sake of himself upon the dignities to which he is elevated, but for the sake of the uses which he regards as the ends. The natural man is in his bliss when he is richer than others, and possesses the world’s wealth; but the spiritual man is in his bliss when he is in the knowledges of truth and good, which are his riches; and still more when he is in the practice of good according to truths; and yet he does not despise riches, because by means of them he can be in that practice, and in the world.

[4] From these few considerations it is evident that the state of the natural man and that of the spiritual man are opposed to each other by their ends; but that nevertheless they can be conjoined, which takes place when the things of the external man are made subordinate and subservient to the ends of the internal man. In order therefore that a man may become spiritual, it is necessary for the things of the external man to be reduced to compliance; thus that the ends in favor of self and the world be put off; and ends in favor of the neighbor and the Lord’s kingdom be put on. The former can by no means be put off and the latter put on, and thus the two be conjoined, except through means. These means are what are signified by the “handmaids,” and in particular by the “four sons” born of the handmaids.

[5] The first means is one that affirms or is affirmative of internal truth-that it is so. When this affirmative comes, the man is in the beginning of regeneration; good is being worked by the internal, and causes the affirmation. This good cannot inflow into what is negative, nor even into what is full of doubt, until this becomes affirmative. But afterwards it manifests itself by affection, that is, by the man’s being affected with truth, or beginning to be delighted with it; first in knowing it, and then in acting according to it. Take, for example, the truth that the Lord is the salvation for the human race. Unless this is made affirmative by the man, all the things he has learned from the Word or in the church concerning the Lord, and that are in his natural memory among the memory-knowledges, cannot be conjoined with his internal man, that is, with what can be there of faith. Thus neither can affection flow in, not even into the generals of that truth which are conducive to man’s salvation. But when it becomes affirmative, innumerable things are added, and are filled with the good that flows in; for good continually flows in from the Lord, but where there is no affirmative, it is not received. An affirmative is therefore the first means, and is as it were the first abode of the good that flows in from the Lord. The same is the case with all the other truths that are called truths of faith.

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