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Génesis 34

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1 Y SALIO Dina la hija de Lea, la cual había ésta parido á Jacob, á ver las hijas del país.

2 Y vióla Sichêm, hijo de Hamor Heveo, príncipe de aquella tierra, y tomóla, y echóse con ella, y la deshonró.

3 Mas su alma se apegó á Dina la hija de Lea, y enamoróse de la moza, y habló al corazón de la joven.

4 Y habló Sichêm á Hamor su padre, diciendo: Tómame por mujer esta moza.

5 Y oyó Jacob que había Sichêm amancillado á Dina su hija: y estando sus hijos con su ganando en el campo, calló Jacob hasta que ellos viniesen.

6 Y dirigióse Hamor padre de Sichêm á Jacob, para hablar con él.

7 Y los hijos de Jacob vinieron del campo cuando lo supieron; y se entristecieron los varones, y se ensañaron mucho, porque hizo vileza en Israel echándose con la hija de Jacob, lo que no se debía haber hecho.

8 Y Hamor habló con ellos, diciendo: El alma de mi hijo Sichêm se ha apegado á vuestra hija; ruégoos que se la deis por mujer.

9 Y emparentad con nosotros; dadnos vuestras hijas, y tomad vosotros las nuestras.

10 Y habitad con nostros; porque la tierra estará delante de vosotros; morad y negociad en ella, y tomad en ella posesión.

11 Sichêm también dijo á su padre y á sus hermanos: Halle yo gracia en vuestros ojos, y daré lo que me dijereis.

12 Aumentad á cargo mío mucho dote y dones, que yo daré cuanto me dijereis, y dadme la moza por mujer.

13 Y respondieron los hijos de Jacob á Sichêm y á Hamor su padre con engaño; y parlaron, por cuanto había amancillado á Dina su hermana.

14 Y dijéronles: No podemos hacer esto de dar nuestra hermana á hombre que tiene prepucio; porque entre nosotros es abominación.

15 Mas con esta condición os haremos placer: si habéis de ser como nosotros, que se circuncide entre vosotros todo varón;

16 Entonces os daremos nuestras hijas, y tomaremos nosotros las vuestras; y habitaremos con vosotros, y seremos un pueblo.

17 Mas si no nos prestareis oído para circuncidaros, tomaremos nuestra hija, y nos iremos.

18 Y parecieron bien sus palabras á Hamor y á Sichêm, hijo de Hamor.

19 Y no dilató el mozo hacer aquello, porque la hija de Jacob le había agradado: y él era el más honrado de toda la casa de su padre.

20 Entonces Hamor y Sichêm su hijo vinieron á la puerta de su ciudad, y hablaron á los varones de su ciudad, diciendo:

21 Estos varones son pacíficos con nosotros, y habitarán en el país, y traficarán en él: pues he aquí la tierra es bastante ancha para ellos: nosotros tomaremos sus hijas por mujeres, y les daremos las nuestras.

22 Mas con esta condición nos harán estos hombres el placer de habitar con nosotros, para que seamos un pueblo: si se circuncidare en nosotros todo varón, así como ellos son circuncidados.

23 Sus ganados, y su hacienda y todas sus bestias, serán nuestras: solamente convengamos con ellos, y habitarán con nosotros.

24 Y obedecieron á Hamor y á Sichêm su hijo todos los que salían por la puerta de la ciudad, y circuncidaron á todo varón, á cuantos salían por la puerta de su ciudad.

25 Y sucedió que al tercer día, cuando sentían ellos el mayor dolor, los dos hijos de Jacob, Simeón y Leví, hermanos de Dina, tomaron cada uno su espada, y vinieron contra la ciudad animosamente, y mataron á todo varón.

26 Y á Hamor y á Sichêm su hijo los mataron á filo de espada: y tomaron á Dina de casa de Sichêm, y saliéronse.

27 Y los hijos de Jacob vinieron á los muertos y saquearon la ciudad; por cuanto habían amancillado á su hermana.

28 Tomaron sus ovejas y vacas y sus asnos, y lo que había en la ciudad y en el campo,

29 Y toda su hacienda; se llevaron cautivos á todos sus niños y sus mujeres, y robaron todo lo que había en casa.

30 Entonces dijo Jacob á Simeón y á Leví: Habéisme turbado con hacerme abominable á los moradores de aquesta tierra, el Cananeo y el Pherezeo; y teniendo yo pocos hombres, juntarse han contra mí, y me herirán, y seré destruido yo y mi casa.

31 Y ellos respondieron ¿Había él de tratar á nuestra hermana como á una ramera?

   

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Arcana Coelestia #4495

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4495. And it came to pass on the third day. That this signifies what is continuous even to the end, is evident from the signification of the “third day,” as being what is complete from beginning to end (see n. 2788), thus also what is continuous. That this is the signification of the “third day,” can scarcely be believed by those who regard the historicals of the Word as mere worldly histories, holy merely because they are in the sacred volume. But that not only the historicals of the Word themselves enfold within them spiritual and heavenly things which are not apparent in the letter, but that so also do all the words, and even all the numbers, has been shown in the preceding explications; that such is really the case will of the Lord’s Divine mercy become still more evident in the prophetic parts, which do not keep the mind so closely engaged with the succession of statements in the sense of the letter as do the historical parts. But that the number “three,” also the number “seven,” and the number “twelve,” enfold deep secrets within them, must be evident to everyone who examines the Word in regard to its interiors; and if these numbers are so full of significance, it follows that there must be something deeply hidden in all the other numbers that occur in the Word, for the Word is holy throughout.

[2] Sometimes when speaking with angels, as it were written numbers appeared before my eyes like those seen on paper in bright day, and I perceived that the very things they were speaking of fell into such numbers; and from this experience I learned that every number mentioned in the Word holds within it some mystery, as is very evident from the following passages:

He measured the wall of the Holy Jerusalem a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel (Revelation 21:17).

He that hath intelligence let him compute the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty six (Revelation 13:18).

That the number first mentioned—“144”—results from the multiplication of twelve into itself, and that the number “666” is a product of three and six, is manifest, but what holy thing they enfold within them may appear from the holiness of the number “twelve” (see n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913), and of the number “three” (n. 720, 901, 1825, 2788, 4010).

[3] This latter number—“three”—being significative of what is complete even to the end, thus of one period, great or small, was received in the representative church, and was employed whenever such a thing was signified; and also in the Word (in which all things have a signification both in general and in particular) as may be seen from the following instances:

That they should go three days’ journey and should sacrifice (Exodus 3:18; 5:3).

That they should be ready against the third day, because on the third day Jehovah would come down upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:11, 15-16, 18).

That nothing should be left of the flesh of the sacrifice until the third day (Leviticus 7:16-18; 19:6-7).

That the water of separation should be sprinkled upon the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day (Numbers 19:11-22).

That they who touched one slain in war should be purified on the third day and on the seventh day (Numbers 31:19-25).

That Joshua commanded the people to pass over Jordan within three days (Josh. 1:11; 3:2).

That Jehovah called Samuel three times, and Samuel ran to Eli three times, and Eli understood the third time that Jehovah had called Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-8).

That Jonathan said to David that he should hide himself in the field unto the third day at even, and that Jonathan sent to him on the third morrow, and revealed the disposition of his father; and that Jonathan then shot three arrows at the side of the stone; and that after this David bowed himself three times to the earth before Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:5, 12, 19-20, 35-36, 41).

That three things were offered to David to chose from: that there should come seven years of famine, that he should flee three months before his enemies, or that there should be three days’ pestilence in the land (2 Samuel 24:11-13).

That Rehoboam said to the congregation of Israel who sought to be relieved from the yoke of his father, that they should go away three days, and come again; and that they came to Rehoboam the third day, as the King bade, saying, Come to me again the third day (1 Kings 12:5, 12).

That Elijah stretched himself upon the widow’s son three times (1 Kings 17:21).

That Elijah told the people to pour water upon the burnt-offering and the wood the third time, and they did it the third time (1 Kings 18:34).

That Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40).

That the Lord spoke of a man who planted a vineyard and sent his servants three times, and afterwards his son (Mark 12:2, 4-6; Luke 20:12-13).

That He said of Peter that he should deny Him thrice (Matthew 26:34; John 13:38).

That He said to Peter three times, Lovest thou Me? (John 21:15-17).

From these and many other places in the Word it may be seen that there was some mystery in the number “three,” and that therefore this number was received among the significatives in the ancient churches. That it signifies an entire period of the church and of the things in the church, whether great or small, is manifest; and that it consequently signifies what is complete and also continuous to the end, is very plain in Hosea:

Jehovah will vivify us after two days; on the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live before Him (Hos. 6:2).

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