The Bible

 

Postanak 21

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1 I Gospod pohodi Saru, kao što beše rekao i učini Gospod Sari kao što beše kazao.

2 Jer zatrudne i rodi Sara Avramu sina u starosti njegovoj u isto vreme kad kaza Gospod.

3 I Avram nadede ime sinu koji mu se rodi, kog mu rodi Sara, Isak.

4 I obreza Avram sina svog Isaka kad bi od osam dana, kao što mu zapovedi Bog.

5 A Avramu beše sto godina kad mu se rodi sin Isak.

6 A Sara reče: Bog mi učini smeh; ko god čuje, smejaće mi se.

7 I reče: Ko bi rekao Avramu da će Sara dojiti decu? Ipak mu rodih sina u starosti njegovoj.

8 A kad dete doraste da se odbije od sise, učini Avram veliku gozbu onaj dan kad odbiše Isaka od sise.

9 I Sara vide sina Agare Misirke, koja ga rodi Avramu, gde se podsmeva;

10 Pa reče Avramu: Oteraj ovu robinju sa sinom njenim, jer sin ove robinje neće biti naslednik s mojim sinom, s Isakom.

11 A to Avramu bi vrlo krivo radi sina njegovog.

12 Ali Bog reče Avramu: Nemoj da ti je krivo radi deteta i radi robinje tvoje. Šta ti je god kazala Sara, poslušaj; jer će ti se u Isaku seme prozvati.

13 Ali ću i od sina robinjinog učiniti narod, jer je tvoje seme.

14 I Avram ustav ujutru rano, uze hleba i mešinu vode, i dade Agari metnuvši joj na leđa, i dete, i otpusti je. A ona otišavši lutaše po pustinji virsavskoj.

15 A kad nesta vode u mešini, ona baci dete pod jedno drvo,

16 Pa otide koliko se može strelom dobaciti, i sede prema njemu; jer govoraše: Da ne gledam kako će umreti dete. I sedeći prema njemu stade glasno plakati.

17 A Bog ču glas detinji, i anđeo Božji viknu s neba Agaru, i reče joj: Šta ti je Agaro? Ne boj se, jer Bog ču glas detinji odande gde je.

18 Ustani, digni dete i uzmi ga u naručje; jer ću od njega učiniti velik narod.

19 I Bog joj otvori oči, te ugleda studenac; i otišavši napuni mešinu vode, i napoji dete.

20 I Bog beše s detetom, te odraste, i živeše u pustinji i posta strelac.

21 A živeše u pustinji Faranu. I mati ga oženi iz zemlje misirske.

22 U to vreme reče Avimeleh i Fihol vojvoda njegov Avramu govoreći: Bog je s tobom u svemu što radiš.

23 Zakuni mi se sada Bogom da nećeš prevariti mene ni sina mog ni unuka mog nego da ćeš dobro onako kako sam ja tebi činio i ti činiti meni i zemlji u kojoj si došljak.

24 A Avram reče: Hoću se zakleti.

25 Ali Avram prekori Avimeleha za studenac, koji uzeše na silu sluge Avimelehove.

26 A Avimeleh reče: Ne znam ko je to učinio; niti mi ti kaza, niti čuh do danas.

27 Tada Avram uze ovaca i goveda, i dade Avimelehu, i uhvati veru među sobom.

28 A Avram odluči sedam jaganjaca iz stada.

29 A Avimeleh reče Avramu: Šta će ono sedam jaganjaca što si odlučio?

30 A on odgovori: Da primiš iz moje ruke ono sedam jaganjaca, da mi bude svedočanstvo da sam ja iskopao ovaj studenac.

31 Otuda se prozva ono mesto Virsaveja, jer se onde zakleše obojica.

32 Tako uhvatiše veru na Virsaveji. Tada se diže Avimeleh i Fihol vojvoda njegov, i vratiše se u zemlju filistejsku.

33 A Avram posadi lug na Virsaveji, i onde prizva ime Gospoda Boga Večnog.

34 I Avram živeše kao došljak u zemlji filistejskoj mnogo vremena.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2714

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2714. That 'Paran' means enlightenment coming from the Lord's Divine Human is clear from the meaning of 'Paran' as the Lord's Divine Human, as is evident from those places in the Word where this name is used, as in the prophet Habakkuk,

O Jehovah, I have heard Your fame; I was afraid. O Jehovah, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known. In zeal You will remember mercy. God will come out of Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His fame has covered the heavens, and the earth has been filled with His praise. And His brightness will be as the light; He has horns going out of His hand, and there the hiding-place of His strength will be. Habakkuk 3:2-4.

This plainly refers to the Lord's Coming, which is meant by 'reviving in the midst of the years' and 'making known in the midst of the years'. His Divine Human is described by the words 'God will come out of Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran'. He is said to come 'out of Teman' in regard to celestial love, and 'from Mount Paran' in regard to spiritual love; and the springing of these from enlightenment and power is meant by the words 'His brightness will be as the light; He has horns going out of His hand'. 'Brightness' and 'light' mean enlightenment, 'horns' power.

[2] In Moses,

Jehovah came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon them; He shone from Mount Paran, and came from myriads of holiness From His right hand came a fiery law for them. He indeed loves the peoples. All His holy ones are in your hand and have been joined together at your feet; and He will receive of your words. Deuteronomy 33:2-3.

This also refers to the Lord, whose Divine Human is described by the words 'He dawned from Seir' and 'He shone from Mount Paran' - 'from Seir' being used in regard to celestial love, 'from Mount Paran' to spiritual love. Those who are spiritual are meant by 'the peoples whom He loves' and by 'those joined together at your feet', 'the foot' meaning that which is lower, and so more obscure, in the Lord's kingdom.

[3] In the same author,

Chedorlaomer and the kings with him smote the Horites in their Mount Seir as far as El-paran, which is over into the wilderness. Genesis 14:5-6.

As regards the Lord's Divine Human being meant there by 'Mount Seir' and by 'El-paran', see 1675, 1676. In the same author,

So it was, in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day in the month, that the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel travelled according to their travels from the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran. Numbers 10:11-12.

[4] The truth that all the travels of the people in the wilderness mean the state of the Church militant, and its temptations, in which a person goes under but the Lord conquers on his behalf, and the truth that consequently they mean the Lord's own actual temptations and victories, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown elsewhere. And because the Lord underwent temptations by reason of His Divine Human, the Lord's Divine Human is in a similar way meant here by 'the wilderness of Paran'. The same is also meant by the following in the same author,

After that the people travelled from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran. And Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, Send men and let them explore the land of Canaan which I am giving to the children of Israel. And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran as spoken by the mouth of Jehovah. And they returned to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran in Kadesh; and they brought back word to them, and showed them the fruit of the land. Numbers 12:16; 13:1-3, 26.

Their travelling from the wilderness of Paran to explore the land of Canaan means that by means of the Lord's Divine Human these people - the children of Israel, by whom were meant those who are spiritual - have access to the heavenly kingdom, meant by the land of Canaan. But their faltering also at that time means their weakness, on account of which the Lord fulfilled everything in the Law, underwent temptations and was victorious, so that those with whom faith grounded in charity resides, also those who undergo temptations in which the Lord is victorious, have salvation from His Divine Human. This also explains why, when the Lord was tempted, He was in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1; see above in 2708.

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