The Bible

 

Бытие 19

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1 Между тјмъ, два Ангела пришли въ Содомъ вечеромъ, когда Лоть сидјлъ у воротъ Содомскихъ. Лотъ увидјлъ и всталъ на встрјчу имъ, и поклонился лицомъ до земли.

2 И сказалъ: государи мои! пожалуйте, зайдите теперь въ домъ раба вашего, и ночуйте, и умойте ноги ваши, и вставъ по утру, пойдете въ путь свой. Но они сказали: нјтъ, мы ночуемъ на улицј,

3 Онъ же сильно упрашивалъ ихъ: и они зашли къ нему, и пришли въ домъ его. Онъ сдјлалъ имъ угощеніе, и испекъ прјсные хлјбы; и они јли.

4 Еще не легли они спать, какъ городскіе жители, Содомляне, отъ молодаго до стараго, весь народъ со всјхъ концевъ города, окружили домъ.

5 И кричали Лоту; и говорили ему: гдј люди, пришедшіе къ тебј въ эту ночь? выведи ихъ къ намъ, мы познаемъ ихъ,

6 Лотъ вышелъ къ нимъ за дверъ, и заперъ за собою дверь.

7 И сказалъ: пожалуйте, братія, не дјлайте зла!

8 Вотъ, у меня двј дочери, которыя не знаютъ мужа; выведу лучше я ихъ къ вамъ, дјлайте съ ними, что вамъ угодно; только не дјлайте сего съ людями сими, ибо они для того и пришли подъ кровъ дома моего!

9 Но они сказали: подойди сюда! И сказали: не ужели одинъ пришлецъ, пришедшій сюда, можеть судить насъ? за это мы хуже сдјлаемъ съ тобою, нежели съ ними. И сильно наступали на сего человјка, на Лота, и подошли, чтобы выломать дверь.

10 Тогда гости простерли руки свои, и взяли Лота къ себј въ домъ, и дверь заперли;

11 а людей, бывшихъ за дверьми дома, отъ малаго до большаго, поразили слјпотою, такъ, что они измучились, искавъ двери.

12 Наконецъ гости сказали Лоту: кто у тебя есть еще здјсь? Зять ли, сыновья ли твои, дочери ли твои, и кто бы ни былъ у тебя въ семъ городј, всјхъ выведи изъ сего мјста.

13 Ибо мы истребимъ сіе мјсто; потому что великъ отсюда вопль къ Іеговј, и Іегова послалъ насъ истребить его.

14 Итакъ, Лотъ пошедъ, и говорилъ съ зятьями своими, которые брали за себя дочерей его, и сказалъ: встаньте, выдьте изъ сего мјста; ибо Іегова истребитъ сей городъ; но зятьямъ его показалось, что онъ шутитъ.

15 Когда взошла заря, Ангелы начали торопить Лота, говоря: встань, возми жену свою, и двухъ дочерей своихъ, находящихся здјсь, чтобы не погибнуть и тебј за беззаконія сего города.

16 Но какъ онъ медлилъ, то они, по милости къ нему Іеговы, взяли за руки его, и жену его и двухъ дочерей его, и, выведши, поставили его внј города.

17 Когда же вывели ихъ вонъ изъ города, то одинъ изъ нихъ сказалъ: спасай жизнь твою; не оглядывайся назадъ, и нигдј не останавливайся на равнинј сей; спасайся на гору, чтобы тебј не погибнуть.

18 Но Лотъ сказалъ имъ: нјтъ, Господи!

19 Вотъ рабъ Твой обрјлъ благодать предъ очами Твоими, и велика милость Твоя, которую Ты сдјлалъ со мною, что спасъ жизнь мою; но я не могу спастись на гору, чтобъ не застигла меня бјда сія, и чтобы мнј не умереть.

20 Вотъ ближе бјжать въ сей городъ, онъ же и малъ; позвольте мнј спасаться въ него; не правда ли, что онъ малъ? и сохранится жизнь моя.

21 И сказалъ ему; вотъ, Я въ угодность тебј и сіе сдјлаю, не истреблю города, о которомъ ты говоришь,

22 Поспјшай, спасайся въ него; ибо Я не могу сдјлать Своего дјла, пока ты не придешь туда. Потому и дано имя городу сему: Цоаръ.

23 Солнце взошло надъ землею, и Лотъ пришелъ въ Цоаръ.

24 Тогда Іегова на Содомъ и Гоморръ дождемъ пролилъ сјру и огнь отъ Іеговы съ небесъ.

25 И истребилъ города сіи, и всю равнину сію, и всјхъ жителей городовъ сихъ, и произрастенія земли.

26 Жена же Лотова оглянулась назадъ, и обратилась въ соляной столпъ.

27 Между тјмъ, Авраамъ утромъ, пошелъ на то мјсто, гдј стоялъ предъ лицемъ Іеговы;

28 и посмотрјлъ онъ къ Содому и Гоморру, и на все пространство равнины: и увидјлъ, и се, восходитъ дымъ съ земли, какъ дымъ изъ печи.

29 Такимъ образомъ Богъ, истребляя города равнины сей, вспомнилъ о Авраамј, и вывелъ Лота изъ среды истребленія, когда истреблялъ города, въ которыхъ жилъ Лотъ.

30 Потомъ Лотъ вышелъ изъ Цоара, и сталъ жить въ горј, и съ нимъ двј дочери его: ибо онъ боялся жить въ Цоарј. Итакъ, онъ жилъ въ пещерј, и съ нимъ двј дочери его.

31 И сказала старшая младшей: отецъ нашъ старъ; и нјтъ человјка на землј, который бы вошелъ къ намъ по обычаю всей земли.

32 Итакъ напоимъ отца нашего виномъ, и переспимъ съ нимъ, и возставимъ отъ отца нашего племя.

33 И въ ту ночь напоили отца своего виномъ; и пошла старшая, и спала съ отцемъ своимъ: а онъ не зналъ, какъ она легла и какъ встала.

34 На другой день старшая сказала младшей: вотъ, я спала вчера съ отцемъ моимъ; напоимъ его виномъ и въ сію ночь; и ты поди, спи съ нимъ, и возставимъ отъ отца нашего племя.

35 И напоили отца своего виномъ и въ сію ночь; и встала младшая, и переспала съ нимъ; и онъ не зналъ, какъ она легла, и какъ встала.

36 И сдјлались обј дочери Лотовы беременны отъ отца своего.

37 Старшая родила сына, и нарекла ему имя: Моавъ; сей есть отецъ Моавитянъ, такъ-называемыхъ до сего дня.

38 Младшая также родила сына, и нарекла ему имя: Бен-Амми; сей отецъ Аммонитянъ, такъ-называемыхъ до сего дня.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10300

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10300. Salted. That this signifies the longing of truth for good, is evident from the signification of “salt,” as being that longing for good which is of the love of truth (of which below); hence “salted” denotes that in which is this longing. The reason why there must be a longing of truth for good is that this longing is conjunctive of the two; for insofar as truth longs for good, so far it is conjoined with it. The conjunction of truth and good is what is called the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself with man; and therefore when in Divine worship, and in each and all things of it, there is a longing for this conjunction, heaven is in each and all things there. Thus the Lord is in them. This is signified by the requirement that the incense should be salted. Salt has this signification from its conjunctive nature; for it conjoins all things, and from this gives them relish; salt 1 even conjoins water and oil, which otherwise will not combine.

[2] When it is known that by “salt” is signified a longing for the conjunction of truth and good, it can be known what is signified by the Lord’s words in Mark:

Everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt; salt is good, but if the salt have lost its saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves (Mark 9:49-50).

“Everyone shall be salted with fire” denotes that everyone will long from genuine love; “every sacrifice shall be salted with salt” denotes that there shall be in all worship a longing from genuine love; “salt without saltiness” signifies a longing from some other love than genuine love; “to have salt in themselves” denotes the longing of truth for good. (That “fire” denotes love, see n. 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 10055; and that “sacrifice” denotes worship in general, n. 922, 6905, 8680, 8936.) Who can know what it is to be salted with fire, and why the sacrifice should be salted, and what it is to have salt in themselves, unless it is known what is meant by fire, salt, and by being salted?

[3] In like manner in Luke:

Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land, nor for the dunghill: they shall cast it out (Luke 14:33, 35).

“To renounce all his possessions” denotes to love the Lord above all things; “his possessions” denote the things which are man’s own; “salt that has lost its savor” denotes a longing from what is one’s own, thus from the love of self and the world: such a longing is “salt without savor,” not fit for anything. So also in Matthew:

Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot by men (Matthew 5:13-14).

[4] That in all worship there must be a longing of truth for good is also signified by the law that every offering of the meat offering should be salted; and that upon every offering there should be the salt of the covenant of Jehovah (Leviticus 2:13). By the “meat offering,” and the “offering,” which is sacrifice, is signified worship, as above; and salt is there called “the salt of the covenant of Jehovah,” because by a “covenant” is signified conjunction (n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 9416). Moreover, longing is the very ardor of love, thus its continuity; and love is spiritual conjunction.

[5] As the longing of truth for good conjoins, so the longing of falsity for evil disjoins, and that which disjoins also destroys; consequently by “salt” in the opposite sense is signified the destruction and devastation of truth and good, as in Jeremiah:

Cursed is the man that maketh flesh his arm; he shall not see when good cometh, but shall dwell in parched places, in a salt land which is not inhabited (Jeremiah 17:5-6).

“To make flesh his arm” denotes to trust in one’s self, thus in what is one’s own, and not in the Divine (n. 10283); and as one’s own consists in loving self more than God and the neighbor, it is the love of self which is thus described: hence it said that “he shall not see when good cometh,” and that “he shall dwell in parched places, and in a salt land,” that is, in filthy loves and their longings, which have destroyed the good and truth of the church.

[6] In Zephaniah:

It shall be as Gomorrah; a place left to the nettle, and a pit of salt, and a waste forever (Zeph. 2:9).

“A place left to the nettle” denotes the ardor and burning of the life of man from the love of self; “a pit of salt” denotes a longing for what is false, which, as it destroys truth and good, is called “a waste forever.” It is said that it shall be “as Gomorrah,” because by “Gomorrah and Sodom” is signified the love of self (n. 2220).

[7] That Lot’s wife was turned into a statue of salt, because she turned her face to these cities (Genesis 19:26), signified the vastation of truth and good; for in the internal sense to “turn the face to anything” denotes to love (n. 10189); hence it is that the Lord says:

Let him not turn back to what is behind him; remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:31-32).

The whole land thereof shall be sulphur, and salt, and a burning, according to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:22).

By “land” here, as elsewhere in the Word, is meant the church (see at the places cited in n. 9325).

[8] From this then it was that the cities which were no longer to be inhabited were after their destruction sown with salt (Judges 9:45). From all this it is evident that by “salt” in the genuine sense is signified the longing of truth for good, thus what is conjunctive; and in the opposite sense, the longing of falsity for evil, thus what is destructive.

[9] He therefore who knows that “salt” denotes the longing of truth for good and their capability of conjunction, is able to know also what is signified by the waters of Jericho being healed by Elisha by casting in salt into their outlet (2 Kings 2:10-22); for by Elisha, as by Elijah, was represented the Lord in respect to the Word (n. 2762, 8029); and by “waters” are signified the truths of the Word; by the “waters of Jericho” the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, and likewise by the “outlet of the waters;” and by “salt” is signified the longing of truth for good, and the conjunction of both; whence comes healing.

Footnotes:

1. Probably here used in an old sense to include alkalies. [Reviser.]

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