The Bible

 

1 Mosebok 7

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1 sa Herren til Noah: Gå inn i arken, du og hele ditt hus! For jeg har funnet at du er rettferdig for mitt åsyn i denne slekt.

2 Av alle rene dyr skal du ta dig ut syv par, han og hun, men av de dyr som ikke er rene, ett par, han og hun;

3 likeså av himmelens fugler syv par, han og hun, for å holde deres slekter i live på jorden.

4 For om syv dager vil jeg la det regne på jorden i firti dager og firti netter, og jeg vil utrydde av jorden alt levende som jeg har skapt.

5 Og Noah gjorde i ett og alt som Herren hadde befalt ham.

6 Noah var seks hundre år gammel da vannflommen kom over jorden.

7 Da gikk Noah og hans sønner og hans hustru og hans sønners hustruer med ham inn i arken for å berge sig for vannflommen.

8 Av de rene dyr og av de dyr som ikke er rene, og av fuglene og av alt det som kryper på jorden,

9 gikk par for par inn til Noah i arken, han og hun, således som Gud hadde befalt Noah.

10 Da nu de syv dager var til ende, kom flommens vann strømmende over jorden.

11 I det år da Noah var seks hundre år gammel, i den annen måned, den syttende dag i måneden, den dag brast alle kilder i det store dyp, og himmelens sluser åpnedes,

12 og regnet strømmet ned på jorden i firti dager og firti netter.

13 På denne samme dag gikk Noah og Sem og Kam og Jafet, Noahs sønner, og Noahs hustru og hans sønners tre hustruer med dem inn i arken,

14 de og alle de ville dyr efter sitt slag og alt feet efter sitt slag og alt krypet som rører sig på jorden, efter sitt slag og alle fuglene efter sitt slag, alt som flyver, alt som har vinger.

15 Og de gikk inn til Noah i arken, par for par av alt kjød som det var livsånde i.

16 Og de som gikk inn, var han og hun av alt kjød, således som Gud hadde befalt ham. Og Herren lukket efter ham.

17 Da kom vannflommen strømmende over jorden i firti dager, og vannet vokste og løftet arken, og den blev hevet over jorden.

18 Og vannet steg og øket storlig over jorden; og arken fløt bortover vannflaten.

19 Og vannet steg høiere og høiere over jorden, så alle de høie fjell under hele himmelen blev skjult.

20 Femten alen høit steg vannet over fjellene, så de skjultes.

21 Da omkom alt kjød som rørte sig på jorden, både fuglene og feet og de ville dyr og alt det som yrte og vrimlet på jorden, og alle menneskene.

22 Alt som hadde livsens åndedrag i sin nese, alt det som var på det tørre land, døde.

23 Og han* utryddet hvert liv som var på jorden, både mennesker og fe og kryp og fuglene under himmelen; de blev utryddet av jorden, og bare Noah blev igjen, og det som var med ham i arken. / {* Gud.}

24 Og vannet holdt sig over jorden i hundre og femti dager.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #643

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643. As for the meaning itself of these expressions - that 'planks of gopher' means lusts and 'rooms' the two parts of this man - this becomes clear from the Word. Gopher is a wood full of sulphur, as is the fir and others of that group. It is on account of the sulphur in it that it is said to mean lusts, for it catches fire easily. The most ancient people compared and likened those elements that exist with man to gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, his inmost celestial to gold, the lower celestial to bronze, and the lowest or bodily descending from this to wood, while the inmost spiritual they compared and likened to silver, the lower spiritual to iron, and the lowest degree of it to stone. When those objects are mentioned in the Word these are the things meant by them in the internal sense, as in Isaiah,

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your assessment and righteousness your tax-collectors. Isaiah 60:17.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom in which no such metals exist, but instead celestial and spiritual elements. It is quite clear that the latter are meant because of the reference to peace' and 'righteousness'. Here, gold, bronze, and wood correspond to one another and mean celestial elements or those belonging to the will, as has been stated. Silver, iron, and stone also correspond to one another, and mean spiritual elements or those belonging to the understanding.

[2] In Ezekiel,

They will spoil your riches, they will despoil your merchandise, your stones and your timbers. Ezekiel 26:12.

It is quite clear that 'riches' and 'merchandise' do not mean material riches and merchandise, but celestial and spiritual ones. So also 'stones' and 'timbers' - 'stones' being things of the understanding and 'timbers' those of the will. In Habakkuk,

The stone cries out from the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork answers back. Habakkuk 2:11.

'Stone' stands for the lowest degree of the understanding, and 'wood' for the lowest degree of the will, which answers back when anything is drawn from sensory knowledge. In the same prophet,

Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, Awake! or to a dumb stone, Arise, this will teach! Behold, this is bound in gold and silver, and there is no spirit 1 at all in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in His holy temple. Habakkuk 2:19-20.

Here also 'wood' stands for evil desire, 'stone' for the lowest degree of the understanding, and therefore 'being dumb' and 'teaching' are used in reference to that stone. 'No spirit in the midst of it' means that it represents nothing celestial or spiritual, like a temple in which there is stone and wood, overlaid with gold and silver, existing with people who give no thought to what those things represent.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Our waters we drink for silver, our timbers come for a price. Lamentations 5:4.

Here 'waters' and 'silver' mean things of the understanding, 'timbers' those of the will. In the same prophet,

Who say to wood, You are my father; and to a stone, You gave birth to us. Jeremiah 2:27.

Here 'wood' stands for desire which belongs to the will, from which there is conception, and 'stone' for sensory knowledge, from which there is birth. All through the Prophets therefore 'serving wood and stone' stands for images carved out of wood or stone, which means that people were slaves to evil desires and to delusions. The Prophets also speak of 'committing adultery with wood and stone', as in Jeremiah 3:9. In Hosea,

The people inquire of their piece of wood, and their staff makes declaration to them, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray. Hosea 4:12.

This stands for their inquiring of a wooden image, or evil desires. In Isaiah,

The tophet has been prepared since yesterday. Its pyre is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of burning brimstone. Isaiah 30:33.

Here 'fire', brimstone', and 'wood' stand for filthy desires.

[4] In general 'wood' means those elements which constitute the lowest parts of the will. Precious kinds of wood, such as cedar and so on, mean elements that are good - for example, the cedar timbers in the Temple, or the cedarwood used in cleansing leprosy, Leviticus 14:4, 6-7, or the wood cast into the bitter waters at Marah, by which the waters were made sweet, Exodus 15:25. These in the Lord's Divine mercy will be dealt with in their proper places. Non-precious kinds of wood however, also those which were made into images, and those that were used for a pyre as well, and the like, mean evil desires, as do planks of gopher here on account of the brimstone or sulphur in them. As in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah's vengeance - her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into brimstone, and her land will become burning pitch. Isaiah 34:8-9.

'Pitch' stands for dreadful delusions, 'brimstone' for filthy desires.

Footnotes:

1. or breath

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