The Bible

 

Génesis 15

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1 DESPUÉS de estas cosas fué la palabra de Jehová á Abram en visión, diciendo: No temas, Abram; yo soy tu escudo, y tu galardón sobremanera grande.

2 Y respondió Abram: Señor Jehová ¿qué me has de dar, siendo así que ando sin hijo, y el mayordomo de mi casa es ese Damasceno Eliezer?

3 Dijo más Abram: Mira que no me has dado prole, y he aquí que es mi heredero uno nacido en mi casa.

4 Y luego la palabra de Jehová fué á él diciendo: No te heredará éste, sino el que saldrá de tus entrañas será el que te herede.

5 Y sacóle fuera, y dijo: Mira ahora á los cielos, y cuenta las estrellas, si las puedes contar. Y le dijo: Así será tu simiente.

6 Y creyó á Jehová, y contóselo por justicia.

7 Y díjole: Yo soy Jehová, que te saqué de Ur de los Caldeos, para darte á heredar esta tierra.

8 Y él respondió: Señor Jehová ¿en qué conoceré que la tengo de heredar?

9 Y le dijo: Apártame una becerra de tres años, y una cabra de tres años, y un carnero de tres años, una tórtola también, y un palomino.

10 Y tomó él todas estas cosas, y partiólas por la mitad, y puso cada mitad una enfrente de otra; mas no partió las aves.

11 Y descendían aves sobre los cuerpos muertos, y ojeábalas Abram.

12 Mas á la caída del sol sobrecogió el sueño á Abram, y he aquí que el pavor de una grande obscuridad cayó sobre él.

13 Entonces dijo á Abram: Ten por cierto que tu simiente será peregrina en tierra no suya, y servirá á los de allí, y serán por ellos afligidos cuatrocientos años.

14 Mas también á la gente á quien servirán, juzgaré yo; y después de esto saldrán con grande riqueza.

15 Y tú vendrás á tus padres en paz, y serás sepultado en buena vejez.

16 Y en la cuarta generación volverán acá: porque aun no está cumplida la maldad del Amorrheo hasta aquí.

17 Y sucedió que puesto el sol, y ya obscurecido, dejóse ver un horno humeando, y una antorcha de fuego que pasó por entre los animales divididos.

18 En aquel día hizo Jehová un pacto con Abram diciendo: A tu simiente daré esta tierra desde el río de Egipto hasta el río grande, el río Eufrates;

19 Los Cineos, y los Ceneceos, y los Cedmoneos,

20 Y los Hetheos, y los Pherezeos, y los Raphaitas,

21 Y los Amorrheos, y los Cananeos, y los Gergeseos, y los Jebuseos.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1823

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1823. 'Take a three year old heifer, and a three year old she-goat, and a three year old ram' means things that are the representatives of the celestial things of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of these same animals in sacrifices. Nobody in his right mind can believe that the various animals that used to be sacrificed meant nothing but sacrifices, or that an ox and a young bull or a calf had the same meaning as a sheep, kid, and she-goat, and these the same as a lamb, and that a turtle dove and fledgling pigeons had similar meanings; for in fact each creature had its own specific meaning. This becomes quite clear from the fact that under no circumstances was one kind of animal offered instead of another, and from the fact that it was explicitly stated which creatures were to be used in the daily burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and which on the sabbath and at festivals; which creatures were to be used in free-will, votive, and communion offerings; which ones were to be used in expiations of guilt and sin; and which in purifications. This would never have been the case if some specific thing had not been represented and meant by each animal.

[2] But as to the specific meaning of each kind, this would take too long to explain here. Here it is enough if one knows that celestial things are meant by the animals and spiritual things by the birds, and that some specific celestial or spiritual thing is meant by each kind of animal or bird. The Church itself, and everything to do with the Jewish Church, was representative of such things as constitute the Lord's kingdom, where nothing but that which is celestial or spiritual exists, that is, nothing but that which belongs to love and faith, as also becomes quite clear from the meaning of clean and useful beasts, dealt with in 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776. And because in the Most Ancient Churches beasts meant celestial goods, in the Church existing at a later time when purely external, though representative, worship was highly esteemed and approved of, those beasts became representatives.

[3] Because the state of the Church is the subject here and because the nature of its state in the future is foretold, Abram was shown the same visually by means of similar representatives, exactly as recorded here. Yet quite apart from this, such things are nevertheless meant in the internal sense, as anyone may know and contemplate. For what would have been the need to take a three year old heifer, a three year old she-goat, a three year old ram, a turtle dove and a fledgling, and to divide them in two parts and to lay them out so, unless each single thing had carried a spiritual meaning? But what these details mean becomes clear from what follows below.

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