The Bible

 

Génesis 6

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1 Y acaeció que , cuando comenzaron los hombres a multiplicarse sobre la faz de la tierra, y les nacieron hijas,

2 viendo los hijos de Dios las hijas de los hombres que eran hermosas, tomaron mujeres, escogiendo entre todas.

3 Y dijo el SEÑOR: No contenderá mi espíritu con el hombre para siempre, porque ciertamente él es carne; mas serán sus días ciento veinte años.

4 Había gigantes en la tierra en aquellos días; y también después que entraron los hijos de Dios a las hijas de los hombres, y les engendraron hijos , éstos fueron los valientes, que desde la antigüedad fueron varones de nombre.

5 Y vio el SEÑOR que la malicia de los hombres era mucha sobre la tierra, y que todo el intento de los pensamientos del corazón de ellos ciertamente era malo todo el tiempo.

6 Y se arrepintió el SEÑOR de haber hecho hombre en la tierra, y le pesó en su corazón.

7 Y dijo el SEÑOR: Raeré los hombres que he creado de sobre la faz de la tierra, desde el hombre hasta la bestia, y hasta el animal y hasta el ave de los cielos; porque me arrepiento de haberlos hecho.

8 Pero Noé halló gracia en los ojos del SEÑOR.

9 Estas son las generaciones de Noé: Noé, varón justo, perfecto fue en sus generaciones; con Dios anduvo Noé.

10 Y engendró Noé tres hijos: a Sem, a Cam, y a Jafet.

11 Y se corrompió la tierra delante de Dios, y se llenó la tierra de violencia.

12 Y miró Dios la tierra, y he aquí que estaba corrompida; porque toda carne había corrompido su camino sobre la tierra.

13 Y dijo Dios a Noé: El fin de toda carne ha venido delante de mí; porque la tierra está llena de violencia delante de ellos; y he aquí que yo los destruyo a ellos con la tierra.

14 Hazte un arca de madera de cedro; harás apartamientos en el arca y la embetunarás con brea por dentro y por fuera.

15 Y de esta manera la harás: de trescientos codos la longitud del arca, de cincuenta codos su anchura, y de treinta codos su altura.

16 Una ventana harás al arca, y la acabarás a un codo de elevación por la parte de arriba; y pondrás la puerta del arca a su lado; y le harás piso bajo, segundo y tercero.

17 Y, he aquí que yo traigo un diluvio de aguas sobre la tierra, para destruir toda carne en que haya espíritu de vida debajo del cielo; todo lo que hay en la tierra morirá.

18 Mas estableceré mi pacto contigo, y entrarás en el arca tú, y tus hijos, y tu mujer, y las mujeres de tus hijos contigo.

19 Y de todo lo que vive, de toda carne, dos de cada uno meterás en el arca, para que tengan vida contigo; macho y hembra serán.

20 De las aves según su especie, y de las bestias según su especie, de todo animal de la tierra según su especie, dos de cada uno entrarán a ti para que haya vida.

21 Y tú tómate toda vianda que se come, y júntatela, y será para ti y para ellos por mantenimiento.

22 E hizo Noé conforme a todo lo que le mandó Dios; así lo hizo.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8409

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8409. As regards 'flesh' and its meaning the proprium in both the genuine and contrary senses, in the highest sense it is the Lord's Divine proprium, which is His Divine Human, and so is the good of His love towards the entire human race. From this in the sense that relates to man 'flesh' means a proprium made alive by the Lord's Proprium; that is, it is the Lord's Proprium present with the person, and so is the good of love to Him. Regarding the meaning of 'flesh' in this sense, see 3813, 7850. But in the contrary sense 'flesh' is the proprium that is man's own, thus the evil of self-love, and consequently the desires of that love, which are cravings, 999, 3813. The proprium that is man's own is nothing but evil, see 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1023, 1044, 1047, 3812 (end), 5660, 5786. The fact that 'flesh' means the proprium that is man's own, thus evil of every kind, is in addition clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

I will feed your oppressors with their flesh, and they will be drunk with their blood as with new wine. Isaiah 49:26.

'Feeding with flesh' stands for filling with their own evil.

[2] In Jeremiah,

Cursed is the man (vir) who trusts in man (homo), and makes flesh his arm, but his heart departs from Jehovah. Jeremiah 17:5.

'Making flesh his arm' stands for trusting in power that is one's own; therefore eating the flesh of one's arm stands for trusting in self, Isaiah 9:20. In Isaiah,

Egypt is man (homo) and not God, and his horses are flesh and not spirit. Isaiah 31:3.

'Horses of Egypt' stands for factual knowledge belonging to a perverted understanding, 6125; 'flesh' stands for what is dead, and 'spirit' for what is living. This is why the Egyptians 1 are called great in flesh, Ezekiel 16:26. The expression 'what is dead' is applied to evil, since evil leads to spiritual death, and 'what is living' is applied to good, since good leads to spiritual life.

[3] This explains why 'flesh' and 'spirit' are set in contrast to each other in the Word, as in John,

That which has been born of flesh is flesh, and that which has been born from the spirit is spirit. John 3:6.

In the same gospel,

It is the Spirit who bestows life, the flesh does not profit anything. The words which I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.

In the Book of Genesis,

Jehovah said, My spirit will not reprove man forever, in that he is flesh. Genesis 6:3.

'Flesh' here stands for the proprium that is man's own. Similarly in Matthew,

Jesus said, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17.

And in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, 2 nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man (vir), but of God. John 1:12-13.

'The will of the flesh' stands for the proprium, the will part, 'the will of man' for the proprium, the understanding part; and 'sons of God' stands for those who have been regenerated. And those undergoing regeneration all receive life from the Lord's Proprium, which is the Lord's Flesh and body and is Divine Goodness itself.

[4] Since 'flesh' in the contrary sense means the proprium that is man's own, and so means evil, it also means craving, for the life of the flesh, which belongs properly to the body, consists of nothing else than the desires of the senses, the delights of the bodily appetites, and cravings. The fact that 'flesh' means craving is clear from the following verses in Moses,

The rabble who were in the midst of the people had a strong craving, and so the children of Israel wept repeatedly and said, Who will feed us with flesh? But now our soul is dry; there is nothing at all except the man[na] for our eyes [to look] at. And Jehovah said to Moses, You shall say to the people, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, in order that you may eat flesh; for you have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who will feed us with flesh, for it was better for us in Egypt? Jehovah will give you flesh to eat - for a whole month, 3 until it comes out of your nose and is loathsome to you. The flesh was still between their teeth, before it could be swallowed when Jehovah's anger flared up against the people, and Jehovah struck the people with an extremely great plague. So he called the name of that place The Craves of Craving, because there they buried the people having the craving. Numbers 11:4, 6, 16, 18, 20, 33-34.

From all this one may now see what 'sitting by a pot of flesh in the land of Egypt' means, namely a life according to their own pleasure and such as they craved for, which is the life of the proprium.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the children (or sons) of Egypt

2. literally, bloods

3. literally, month of days

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

The Bible

 

Numbers 11

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1 The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger was kindled; and Yahweh's fire burnt among them, and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

2 The people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire abated.

3 The name of that place was called Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burnt among them.

4 The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, "Who will give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;

6 but now we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at."

7 The manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like the appearance of bdellium.

8 The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. Its taste was like the taste of fresh oil.

9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of Yahweh was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.

11 Moses said to Yahweh, "Why have you treated with your servant so badly? Why haven't I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? Have I brought them forth, that you should tell me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which you swore to their fathers?'

13 Where could I get meat to give to all this people? For they weep to me, saying, 'give us meat, that we may eat.'

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 If you treat me this way, please kill me right now, if I have found favor in your sight; and don't let me see my wretchedness."

16 Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you.

17 I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you not bear it yourself alone.

18 "Say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you will eat flesh; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, "Who will give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and you will eat.

19 You will not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,

20 but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because that you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, "Why did we come out of Egypt?"'"

21 Moses said, "The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, 'I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.'

22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?"

23 Yahweh said to Moses, "Has Yahweh's hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not."

24 Moses went out, and told the people the words of Yahweh; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the Tent.

25 Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it happened that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

26 But two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested on them; and they were of those who were written, but had not gone out to the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.

27 A young man ran, and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!"

28 Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, "My lord Moses, forbid them!"

29 Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh's people were prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit on them!"

30 Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31 A wind from Yahweh went out and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.

32 The people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves around the camp.

33 While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague.

34 The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.

35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth; and they stayed at Hazeroth.