The Bible

 

Postanak 26

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1 Ali nasta glad u zemlji svrh prve gladi koja beše za vremena Avramovog; i Isak otide k Avimelehu caru filistejskom u Gerar.

2 I javi mu se Gospod i reče: Nemoj ići u Misir, nego sedi u zemlji koju ću ti kazati.

3 Sedi u toj zemlji, i ja ću biti s tobom, i blagosloviću te; jer ću tebi i semenu tvom dati sve ove zemlje, i potvrdiću zakletvu, kojom sam se zakleo Avramu ocu tvom.

4 I umnožiću seme tvoje da ga bude kao zvezda na nebu, i daću semenu tvom sve ove zemlje; i u semenu tvom blagosloviće se svi narodi na zemlji,

5 Zato što je Avram slušao glas moj i čuvao naredbu moju, zapovesti moje i pravila moja i zakone moje.

6 I osta Isak u Geraru.

7 A ljudi u mestu onom pitahu za ženu njegovu, a on govoraše: Sestra mi je. Jer se bojaše kazati: Žena mi je; da me, veli, ne ubiju ovi ljudi radi Reveke, jer je lepa.

8 I kad provede mnogo vremena onde, dogodi se, te pogleda Avimeleh car filistejski s prozora, i vide Isaka gde se šali s Revekom ženom svojom.

9 I dozva Avimeleh Isaka i reče: Ta to ti je žena; kako si kazao: Sestra mi je? A Isak mu odgovori: Rekoh: da ne poginem s nje.

10 A Avimeleh reče: Šta si nam učinio? Lako je mogao ko od naroda ovog leći s tvojom ženom, te bi nas ti uvalio u greh.

11 I zapovedi Avimeleh svemu narodu svom govoreći: Ko se dotakne ovog čoveka ili žene njegove, poginuće.

12 I Isak stade sejati u onoj zemlji, i dobi one godine po sto, tako ga blagoslovi Gospod.

13 I obogati se čovek, i napredovaše sve većma, te posta silan.

14 I imaše ovaca i goveda i mnogo sluga; a Filisteji mu zaviđahu,

15 Pa sve studence koje behu iskopale sluge oca njegovog za vremena Avrama oca njegovog zaroniše Filisteji, i zasuše ih zemljom.

16 I Avimeleh reče Isaku: Idi od nas, jer si postao silniji od nas.

17 I Isak otide odande, i razape šatore u dolini gerarskoj, i nastani se onde.

18 I stade Isak otkopavati studence, koji behu iskopani za vremena Avrama oca njegovog, i koje zaroniše Filisteji po smrti Avramovoj; i prozva ih imenima koja im beše nadeo otac njegov.

19 I kopajući sluge Isakove u onom dolu nađoše studenac žive vode.

20 Ali se svađaše pastiri gerarski s pastirima Isakovim govoreći: Naša je voda. I nadede ime onom studencu Esek, jer se svadiše s njim.

21 Posle iskopaše drugi studenac, pa se i oko njega svađaše, zato ga nazva Sitna.

22 Tada se podiže odande, i iskopa drugi studenac, i oko njega ne bi svađe; zato ga nazva Rehovot, govoreći: Sad nam dade Gospod prostora da rastemo u ovoj zemlji.

23 I otide odande gore u Virsaveju.

24 I istu noćjavi mu se Gospod, i reče: Ja sam Bog Avrama oca tvog. Ne boj se, jer sam ja s tobom, i blagosloviću te i umnožiću seme tvoje Avrama radi sluge svog.

25 I načini onde žrtvenik, i prizva ime Gospodnje; i onde razape šator svoj; i sluge Isakove iskopaše onde studenac.

26 I dođe k njemu Avimeleh iz Gerara s Ohozatom prijateljem svojim i s Fiholom vojvodom svojim.

27 A Isak im reče: Što ste došli k meni, kad mrzite na me i oteraste me od sebe?

28 A oni rekoše: Videsmo zaista da je Gospod s tobom, pa rekosmo: Neka bude zakletva između nas, između nas i tebe; hajde da uhvatimo veru s tobom;

29 Da nam ne činiš zla, kao što se mi tebe ne dotakosmo i kao što mi tebi samo dobro činismo, i pustismo te da ideš na miru, i eto si blagosloven od Gospoda.

30 Tada ih on ugosti; te jedoše i piše.

31 A sutradan ustavši rano, zakleše se jedan drugom, i otpusti ih Isak i otidoše od njega s mirom.

32 Isti dan došavši sluge Isakove kazaše mu za studenac koji iskopaše, i rekoše mu: Nađosmo vodu.

33 I nazva ga Saveja; otuda se zove grad onaj Virsaveja do današnjeg dana.

34 A kad bi Isavu četrdeset godina, uze za ženu Juditu, kćer Veoha Hetejina, i Vasematu kćer Elona Hetejina.

35 I one zadavahu mnogo jada Isaku i Reveci.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3382

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3382. 'And practiced My observances, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws' means through revelations constantly coming from Himself; that is to say, as by means of temptations, so also by means of those revelations He united the Divine Essence to the Human Essence. This becomes clear from the fact that 'practicing observances, commandments, statutes, and laws' implies all aspects of the Word - 'observances' being everything in general there, 'commandments' the internal aspects, 'statutes' the external, and 'laws' every specific detail. Because all these are attributed to the Lord who from eternity has been the Word and is the author of them all, the meaning in the internal sense cannot be His practice of them but that He revealed them to Himself when His state was one in which the Human and the Divine had become united.

[2] At first sight these matters do indeed seem to be quite remote from the sense of the letter, or even from the internal sense closest to the letter. All the same, when these words are read by man, this is the meaning those same words have in heaven, for as stated several times already, and as may be seen from the examples in 1873, 1874, the sense of the letter is laid aside as it rises up towards heaven and another heavenly sense takes its place, with the result that this latter sense cannot be recognized as that which arises out of the former. For the idea in the minds of those in heaven is that everything in the internal sense of the Word has to do with the Lord, and also that everything in the Word comes from the Lord. Also in their minds is the idea that even when He was in the world He thought from the Divine, and so from Himself, and acquired all intelligence and wisdom to Himself through revelations constantly coming from the Divine. Consequently they do not perceive anything other than this from the words used here. For the practice of all things of the Word, internal as well as external, meant by 'practicing the observances, commandments, statutes, and laws' is not applicable to the Lord because He Himself was the Word and therefore He Himself was the observance that was to be practiced; He Himself was the commandment, also the statute, and the law. For all these have regard to Him as the First from whom they spring and the Last to whom they lead. In the highest sense therefore these words can mean nothing else than the uniting of the Lord's Divine to His Human by means of revelations constantly coming from Himself. For unlike any others the Lord thought from the Divine, and so from Himself, see 1904, 1914, 1935, and acquired intelligence and wisdom to Himself by means of revelations constantly coming from the Divine, 1616, 2500, 2523, 2632.

[3] As regards 'practicing observances' meaning in the genuine sense all aspects of the Word in general, 'commandments' the internal aspects of the Word, 'statutes' the external aspects of the Word, and 'laws' every specific detail in the Word, this becomes clear from many places when seen in the internal sense. Let some of these be brought in here, such as the following in David,

Blessed are the blameless in the way, walking in the law of Jehovah; blessed are those who keep His testimonies. O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! I will keep Your statutes; do not forsake me utterly. With my whole heart I have sought You; cause me not to wander from Your commandments. I have laid up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Jehovah; teach me Your statutes! With my lips I have declared all the judgements of Your mouth. I take delight in the way of Your testimonies. I meditate on Your commands and look to Your ways. I delight in Your statutes, I do not forget Your Word. Recompense Your servant that I may live and keep Your Word. Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things out of Your law. Do not hide Your commandments from me. Quicken me according to Your Word. Teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of [Your] commands. Psalms 119:1-27.

The subject in the whole of this psalm is the Word and the things that constitute the Word, which plainly are commandments, statutes, judgements, testimonies, commands, and ways. But the specific meaning of each of these cannot possibly be seen from the sense of the letter. In that sense they are scarcely more than repetitions of the same thing, but it may be seen from the internal sense in which 'commandments' has an altogether different meaning from 'statutes'; and 'judgements', 'testimonies', 'commands', and 'ways' each have a different meaning again. Something similar occurs elsewhere in the same author,

The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple; the commands of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Jehovah is clean, standing for ever; the judgements of Jehovah are truth. Psalms 19:7-9.

And in the Book of Kings,

David said to Solomon, You shall practise the observance of your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgements, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses. 1 Kings 2:3.

'Practicing an observance' stands for all aspects of the Word in general, for this expression comes first, and those that follow are related to it as less general aspects. Actually 'practicing observances' means the same as 'keeping what has to be kept'. In Moses,

You shall love Jehovah your God, and you shall practice His observance, and His statutes and judgements, and His commandments, all your days. Deuteronomy 11:1.

Here 'practising an observance' or keeping something that is to be kept in a similar way stands for all aspects of the Word in general, 'statutes' for the external aspects of the Word such as forms of ritual, and things that are representatives and meaningful signs of the internal sense, but 'commandments' for the internal aspects of the Word such as matters of life and teaching, especially those that belong to the internal sense. But the meaning of commandments and statutes will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed elsewhere.

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