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1 Mosebok 6

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1 Da nu menneskene begynte å bli tallrike på jorden, og de fikk døtre,

2 Guds sønner at menneskenes døtre var vakre; og de tok sig hustruer, hvem de hadde lyst til.

3 Da sa Herren: Min Ånd skal ikke dømme blandt menneskene til evig tid; for sin villfarelses skyld er det* kjød, og dets dager skal være hundre og tyve år. / {* mennesket.}

4 I de dager var kjempene på jorden og likeså siden, da Guds sønner gikk inn til menneskenes døtre, og de fødte dem barn; det er de veldige fra fordums tid, de navnkundige.

5 Og Herren så at menneskets ondskap var stor på jorden, og at alle dets hjertes tanker og påfund bare var onde den hele dag.

6 Da angret Herren at han hadde skapt mennesket på jorden, og han var full av sorg i sitt hjerte.

7 Og Herren sa: Jeg vil utrydde menneskene som jeg har skapt, av jorden, både mennesker og fe og kryp og fuglene under himmelen; for jeg angrer at jeg har skapt dem.

8 Men Noah fant nåde for Herrens øine.

9 Dette er historien om Noah og hans ætt: Noah var en rettferdig og ulastelig mann blandt sine samtidige; Noah vandret med Gud.

10 Og Noah fikk tre sønner: Sem, Kam og Jafet.

11 Men jorden blev fordervet for Guds åsyn, og jorden blev full av urett.

12 Og Gud så på jorden, og se, den var fordervet; for alt kjød hadde fordervet sin ferd på jorden.

13 Da sa Gud til Noah: Jeg har satt mig fore å gjøre ende på alt kjød, for de har fylt jorden med urett; og nu vil jeg ødelegge både dem og jorden.

14 Gjør dig en ark av gofertre, gjør kammer i arken og stryk den innvendig og utvendig med bek!

15 Således skal du gjøre den: Arken skal være tre hundre alen lang, femti alen bred, og tretti alen høi.

16 Øverst på arken skal du gjøre en glugg som når en alen ned på veggen, og døren på arken skal du sette på den ene side; du skal bygge den i tre stokkverk, et nederste, et mellemste og et øverste, med kammer i hvert stokkverk.

17 Og se, jeg vil la en vannflom komme over jorden til å ødelegge alt kjød under himmelen som det er livsånde i; alt som er på jorden, skal omkomme.

18 Men jeg vil oprette min pakt med dig, og du skal gå inn i arken, du og dine sønner og din hustru og dine sønners hustruer med dig.

19 Og av alt som lever, av alt kjød, skal du ta et par av hvert slag med inn i arken for å holde dem i live med dig; han og hun skal det være.

20 Av alle slags fugler og av alle slags fe og av alle slags kryp på jorden skal par for par komme inn til dig for å holdes i live.

21 Og du skal ta til dig av allslags mat som etes, og samle det hos dig, sa det kan være til føde for dig og for dem.

22 Og Noah gjorde så; han gjorde i ett og alt som Gud hadde befalt ham.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #643

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643. But as regards the signification itself of the words: that “gopher wood” signifies concupiscences, and the “mansions” the two parts of man, is evident from the Word. Gopher wood is a wood abounding in sulphur, 1 like the fir, and others of its kind. On account of its sulphur it is said that it signifies concupiscences, because it easily takes fire. The most ancient people compared things in man (and regarded them as having a likeness) to gold, silver, brass, iron, stone, and wood-his inmost celestial to gold, his lower celestial to brass, and what was lowest, or the corporeal therefrom, to wood. But his inmost spiritual they compared (and regarded as having a likeness) to silver, his lower spiritual to iron, and his lowest to stone. And such in the internal sense is the signification of these things when they are mentioned in the Word, as in Isaiah:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thine officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness (Isaiah 60:17).

Here the Lord’s kingdom is treated of, in which there are not such metals, but spiritual and celestial things; and that these are signified is very evident from the mention of “peace” and “righteousness.” “Gold” “brass” and “wood” here correspond to each other, and signify things celestial or of the will, as before said; and “silver” “iron” and “stone” correspond to each other, and signify things spiritual or of the understanding.

[2] In Ezekiel:

They shall make a spoil of thy riches and make a prey of thy merchandise; thy stones, and thy wood (Ezekiel 26:12).

It is very manifest that by “riches” and “merchandise” are not meant worldly riches and merchandise, but celestial and spiritual; and the same by the “stones” and “wood”—the “stones” being those things which are of the understanding, and the “wood” those which are of the will.

In Habakkuk:

The stone crieth out of the wall, and the beam out of the wood answereth (Habakkuk 2:11).

The “stone” denotes the lowest degree of the understanding; and the “wood” the lowest of the will, which “answers” when anything is drawn from sensuous knowledge [scientifico sensuali]. Again:

Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; and to the dumb stone, Arise, this shall teach. Behold it is fastened with gold and silver, and there is no breath in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness (Habakkuk 2:19-20).

Here also “wood” denotes cupidity; “stone” denotes the lowest of the understanding, and therefore to be “dumb” and to “teach” are predicated of it; “there is no breath in the midst of it” signifies that it represents nothing celestial and spiritual, just as a temple wherein are stone and wood, and these bound together with gold and silver, is to those who think nothing of what they represent.

[3] In Jeremiah:

We drink our waters for silver; our wood cometh for price (Lamentations 5:4).

Here “waters” and “silver” signify the things of the understanding; and “wood” those of the will. Again:

Saying to wood, Thou art my father; and to the stone, Thou hast brought us forth (Jeremiah 2:27).

Here “wood” denotes cupidity, which is of the will, whence is the conception; and “stone” the sensuous knowledge [scientifico sensuali], from which is the “bringing forth.” Hence, in different places in the Prophets, “serving wood and stone” is put for worshiping graven images of wood and stone, by which is signified that they served cupidities and phantasies; and also “committing adultery with wood and stone” as in Jeremiah 3:9.

In Hosea:

My people inquire of their wood, and the staff thereof declareth unto them; because the spirit of whoredoms hath led them away (Hosea 4:12), meaning that they make inquiry of graven images of wood, or of cupidities.

[4] In Isaiah:

Topheth is prepared from yesterday, the pile thereof is fire and mulch wood, the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of burning sulphur (Isaiah 30:33).

Here “fire” “sulphur” and “wood” stand for foul cupidities. In general, “wood” signifies the things of the will which are lowest; the precious woods, such as cedar and the like, those which are good, as for example the cedar wood in the temple, and the cedar wood employed in the cleansing of leprosy (Leviticus 14:4, 6-7); also the wood cast into the bitter waters at Marah, whereby the waters became sweet (Exodus 15:25), concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy in those places. But woods that were not precious, and those which were made into graven images, as well as those used for funeral piles and the like, signify cupidities; as in this place does the gopher wood, on account of its sulphur. So in Isaiah:

The day of vengeance of Jehovah; the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into sulphur, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch (Isaiah 34:9).

“Pitch” stands for dreadful phantasies; “sulphur” for abominable cupidities.

Footnotes:

1. The word “sulphur” was formerly used not exclusively as the name of brimstone, but also as a general term for inflammable substance. The classification of gopher here with the fir (abies), which is a turpentine tree, would seem to imply that the inflammable constituent of the gopher also was turpentine, and that this is what is meant here by “sulphur.” See Lord Bacon’s “History of Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt.” [Note in the Rotch edition.]

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