The Bible

 

Génesis 7

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1 Y JEHOVA dijo á Noé: Entra tú y toda tu casa en el arca porque á ti he visto justo delante de mí en esta generación.

2 De todo animal limpio te tomarás de siete en siete, macho y su hembra; mas de los animales que no son limpios, dos, macho y su hembra.

3 También de las aves de los cielos de siete en siete, macho y hembra; para guardar en vida la casta sobre la faz de toda la tierra.

4 Porque pasados aún siete días, yo haré llover sobre la tierra cuarenta días y cuarenta noches; y raeré toda sustancia que hice de sobre la faz de la tierra.

5 E hizo Noé conforme á todo lo que le mandó Jehová.

6 Y siendo Noé de seiscientos años, el diluvio de las aguas fué sobre la tierra.

7 Y vino Noé, y sus hijos, y su mujer, y las mujeres de sus hijos con él al arca, por las aguas del diluvio.

8 De los animales limpios, y de los animales que no eran limpios, y de las aves, y de todo lo que anda arrastrando sobre la tierra,

9 De dos en dos entraron á Noé en el arca: macho y hembra, como mandó Dios á Noé.

10 Y sucedió que al séptimo día las aguas del diluvio fueron sobre la tierra.

11 El año seiscientos de la vida de Noé, en el mes segundo á diecisiete días del mes, aquel día fueron rotas todas las fuentes del grande abismo, y las cataratas de los cielos fueron abiertas;

12 Y hubo lluvia sobre la tierra cuarenta días y cuarenta noches.

13 En este mismo día entró Noé, y Sem, y Châm y Japhet, hijos de Noé, la mujer de Noé, y las tres mujeres de sus hijos con él en el arca;

14 Ellos y todos los animales silvestres según sus especies, y todos los animales mansos según sus especies, y todo reptil que anda arrastrando sobre la tierra según su especie, y toda ave según su especie, todo pájaro, toda especie de volátil.

15 Y vinieron á Noé al arca, de dos en dos de toda carne en que había espíritu de vida.

16 Y los que vinieron, macho y hembra de toda carne vinieron, como le había mandado Dios: y Jehová le cerró la puerta

17 Y fué el diluvio cuarenta días sobre la tierra; y las aguas crecieron, y alzaron el arca, y se elevó sobre la tierra.

18 Y prevalecieron las aguas, y crecieron en gran manera sobre la tierra; y andaba el arca sobre la faz de las aguas.

19 Y las aguas prevalecieron mucho en extremo sobre la tierra; y todos los montes altos que había debajo de todos los cielos, fueron cubiertos.

20 Quince codos en alto prevalecieron las aguas; y fueron cubiertos los montes.

21 Y murió toda carne que se mueve sobre la tierra, así de aves como de ganados, y de bestias, y de todo reptil que anda arrastrando sobre la tierra, y todo hombre:

22 Todo lo que tenía aliento de espíritu de vida en sus narices, de todo lo que había en la tierra, murió.

23 Así fué destruída toda sustancia que vivía sobre la faz de la tierra, desde el hombre hasta la bestia, y los reptiles, y las aves del cielo; y fueron raídos de la tierra; y quedó solamente Noé, y lo que con él estaba en el arca.

24 Y prevalecieron las aguas sobre la tierra ciento y cincuenta días.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #776

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776. '[Every] bird according to its kind' means all spiritual truth, 'flying things' means natural truth, and 'winged thing' sensory truth. This is clear from what has been stated and shown already about birds, as in 40. The most ancient people likened man's thoughts to birds, for in relation to things of the will, thoughts are like birds. Since bird, flying thing, and winged thing are mentioned here, and come consecutively in the way that intellectual concepts, rational concepts, and sensory impressions do in man, and to prevent anyone doubting that this is what they mean, let other places from the Word of a confirmatory nature be quoted, from which as well it will be evident that 'beasts' means such things as have been stated.

[2] In David,

You have given Him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet, flocks and all cattle, and also the beasts of the fields, the flying things of the air, 1 and the fish of the sea. Psalms 8:6-8.

This refers to the Lord, whose dominion over man and over what belongs to man is described in this fashion. If this were not so, what would 'dominion over beasts and birds' really be? In the same author,

Fruit tree and all cedars, wild animal and every beast, creeping thing and flying thing - they shall glorify the name of Jehovah. Psalms 148:9-10, 13.

'Fruit tree' is the celestial man, 'cedar' the spiritual man, 'wild animal and beast and creeping thing' the goods of these kinds of man, as in the present context. 'Flying thing' is their truths from which they are able to glorify the name of Jehovah. This a wild animal, a beast, a creeping thing, or a flying thing can never do. In secular literature such statements can be used as hyperbole, but in the Word of the Lord they are never just hyperbole but meaningful signs and representatives.

[3] In Ezekiel,

They start to tremble before Me - the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, 2 and the wild animals of the field, and every creeping thing creeping over the ground, and every man that is on the face 3 of the ground. Ezekiel 38:20.

The fact that 'beasts' and 'birds' here have such meanings is quite clear, for what would Jehovah's glory be if fish, birds, and beasts were to start to tremble? Could anyone think that such utterances are holy if they did not embody holy things within them? In Jeremiah,

I looked, and behold, there was no man; all the birds of the air 2 had fled. Jeremiah 4:15.

This stands for all good and truth. Here 'man' stands as well for good that stems from love. In the same prophet,

They have been laid waste so that no man passes through, neither do men hear the voice of the herd. From the birds of the air 2 down to beasts, they have scattered, they have gone away. Jeremiah 9:10.

This in a similar way stands for the departure of all truth and good.

[4] In the same prophet,

How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, the beasts and the birds have perished, for men said, He will not see our latter end. Jeremiah 11:4.

Here 'beasts' stands for goods, and 'birds' for truths, which perished. In Zephaniah,

I will consume man and beast, I will consume the birds of the air 2 and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off mankind from the face 4 of the ground. Zephaniah 1:3.

Here 'man and beast' stands for the things which belong to love and good deriving from love, 'the birds of the air 2 and the fish of the sea' for those which belong to the understanding and so to truth. These are called 'stumbling-blocks' because for wicked people it is goods and truths, not beasts and birds, that are stumbling-blocks. These are also plainly referred to as man's. In David,

The trees of Jehovah are watered abundantly, and the cedars of Lebanon which He planted. In them flying things build their nests. Psalms 104:16-17.

'The trees of Jehovah and the cedars of Lebanon' stands for spiritual man, 'flying things' for his rational or natural truths which are like 'nests'. What is more, 'the birds build nests in the branches' was a common saying by which people meant truths, as in Ezekiel,

[5] On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, and it will bring forth a branch, and bear fruit, and it will become a noble cedar, and under it will dwell every flying thing of every sort, 5 in the shade of its branches they will dwell. Ezekiel 17:23.

This stands for the Church among gentiles which was spiritual and which is 'a noble cedar'. 'Birds of every sort' 5 stands for truths of every kind. In the same prophet,

In its branches all the birds of the air 2 made their nests, and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to Asshur, which is the spiritual Church and is called 'a cedar'. 'Birds of the air' 2 stands for its truths, 'beasts' for its goods.

[6] In Daniel,

Its branch was fair, and its fruit much, and food for all was on it. The beast of the field had shade under it, and in its branches dwelt the flying things of the air' 1 Daniel 4:12, 11.

Here 'beast' stands for goods, and 'flying thing of the air' 1 for truths. This may become clear to anyone, for what else would bird and beast dwelling there really be? The same applies to what the Lord said, The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which someone took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a big tree so that the birds of the air 1 dwelt in its branches. Luke 13:19; Matthew 13:32; Mark 4:32.

Footnotes:

1. literally, flying thing of the heavens (or the skies)

2. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)

3. literally, over the faces

4. literally, the faces

5. literally, of every wing

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