The Bible

 

1 Mosebok 9

Study

   

1 Och Gud välsignade Noa och hans söner och sade till dem: »Varen fruktsamma och föröken eder, och uppfyllen jorden.

2 Och må fruktan och förskräckelse för eder komma över alla djur på jorden och alla fåglar under himmelen; jämte allt som krälar på marken och alla fiskar i havet vare de givna i eder hand.

3 Allt som rör sig och har liv skolen I hava till föda; såsom jag har givit eder gröna örter, så giver jag eder allt detta.

4 Kött som har i sig sin själ, det är sitt blod, skolen I dock icke äta.

5 Men edert eget blod, vari eder själ är, skall jag utkräva. Jag skall utkräva det av vilket djur det vara må. Jag skall ock av den ena människan utkräva den andres själ;

6 den som utgjuter människoblod, hans blod skall av människor bliva utgjutet, ty Gud har gjort människan till sin avbild.

7 Och varen I fruktsamma och föröken eder; växen till på jorden och föröken eder på den.»

8 Ytterligare sade Gud till Noa och till hans söner med honom:

9 »Se, jag vill upprätta ett förbund med eder, och med edra efterkommande efter eder,

10 och med alla levande varelser som I haven hos eder: fåglar, boskapsdjur och alla vilda djur hos eder, alla jordens djur som hava gått ut ur arken.

11 Jag vill upprätta ett förbund med eder: härefter skall icke mer ske att allt kött utrotas genom flodens vatten; ingen flod skall mer komma och fördärva jorden

12 Och Gud sade: »Detta skall vara tecknet till det förbund som jag gör mellan mig och eder, jämte alla levande varelser hos eder, för eviga tider:

13 min båge sätter jag i skyn; den skall vara tecknet till förbundet mellan mig och jorden.

14 Och när jag härefter låter skyar stiga upp över jorden och bågen då synes i skyn,

15 skall jag tänka på det förbund som har blivit slutet mellan mig och eder, jämte alla levande varelser, vad slags kött det vara må; och vattnet skall då icke mer bliva en flod som fördärvar allt kött.

16 När alltså bågen synes i skyn och jag ser på den, skall jag tänka på det eviga förbund som har blivit slutet mellan Gud och alla levande varelser, vad slags kött det vara må på jorden

17 Så sade nu Gud till Noa: »Detta skall vara tecknet till det förbund som jag har upprättat mellan mig och allt köttjorden

18 Noas söner, som gingo ut ur arken, voro Sem, Ham och Jafet; men Ham var Kanaans fader.

19 Dessa tre voro Noas söner och från dessa hava alla jordens folk utgrenat sig.

20 Och Noa var en åkerman och var den förste som planterade en vingård.

21 Men när han drack av vinet, blev han drucken och låg blottad i sitt tält.

22 Och Ham, Kanaans fader, såg då sin faders blygd och berättade det för sina båda bröder, som voro utanför.

23 Men Sem och Jafet togo en mantel och lade den på sina skuldror, båda tillsammans, och gingo så baklänges in och täckte över sin faders blygd; de höllo därvid sina ansikten bortvända, så att de icke sågo sin faders blygd.

24 När sedan Noa vaknade upp från ruset och fick veta vad hans yngste son hade gjort honom, sade han:

25 »Förbannad vare Kanaan, en trälars träl vare han åt sina bröder

26 Ytterligare sade han: »Välsignad vare HERREN, Sems Gud, och Kanaan vare deras träl!

27 Gud utvidge Jafet, han tage sin boning i Sems hyddor, och Kanaan vare deras träl.»

28 Och Noa levde efter floden tre hundra femtio år;

29 alltså blev Noas hela ålder nio hundra femtio år; därefter dog han.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1042

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

1042. I have set My bow in the cloud. This signifies the state of the regenerated spiritual man, which is like a rainbow. Anyone may wonder that the “bow in the cloud” or the rainbow, is taken in the Word for a token of the covenant, seeing that the rainbow is nothing but an appearance arising from the modification of the rays of sunlight in raindrops, and thus only something natural, unlike other signs of the covenant in the church, mentioned just above. And that the “bow in the cloud” represents regeneration, and signifies the state of the regenerated spiritual man, cannot be known to anyone unless it be given him to see and hence to know how the case is. Spiritual angels, who have all been regenerated men of the spiritual church, when presented to sight as such in the other life, appear with as it were a rainbow about the head. But the rainbows seen are in accordance with their state, and thus from them their quality is known in heaven and in the world of spirits. The reason that the appearance of a rainbow is seen is that their natural things corresponding to their spiritual present such an appearance. It is a modification of spiritual light from the Lord in their natural things. These angels are those who are said to be regenerated “of water and the spirit” but the celestial angels are said to be regenerated “with fire.”

[2] As regards natural colors, the existence of color requires something both dark and light, or black and white. When rays of sunlight fall on this, according to the varied tempering of the dark and the light, or of the black and the white, from the modification of the inflowing rays of light, colors are produced, some of which partake more and some less of the dark and black, and some more and some less of the light and white; and hence is their diversity. To speak comparatively, it is the same in spiritual things. The darkness in this case is the Own of man’s intellectual part, or falsity; and the blackness is the Own of his will part, or evil; which absorb and extinguish the rays of light. But the lightness and whiteness is the truth and good that the man supposes he does of himself, which reflects and throws back from itself the rays of light. The rays of light that fall upon these, and as it were modify them, are from the Lord, as from the Sun of wisdom and intelligence; for rays of spiritual light are no other and from no other source. It is because natural things correspond to spiritual that when what is about a regenerate spiritual man is presented to view in the other life, it appears like the bow in the cloud, this bow being the representation of his spiritual things in his natural things. There is in the regenerate spiritual man an Own of the understanding into which the Lord insinuates innocence, charity and mercy. According to the reception of these gifts by the man is the appearance of his rainbow when presented to view—beautiful in proportion to the degree in which the Own of his will is removed, subdued, and reduced to obedience.

[3] By the prophets also, when they were in the vision of God, there was seen a bow as in a cloud. As by Ezekiel:

Above the expanse that was over the head of the cherubs was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a Man upon it above; and I saw as the appearance of burning coal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of His loins and upward; and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about Him; as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about; this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

It must be evident to everyone that it is the Lord who was thus seen, and also that by Him was represented heaven, for He is heaven, that is, He is the all in all things of heaven. He is the “Man” here spoken of; the “throne” is heaven; the “burning coal as the appearance of fire from the loins and upward” is the celestial of love; the “brightness as of fire round about from the loins downward, as the bow in the cloud” is the celestial spiritual. Thus the celestial heaven, or the heaven of the celestial angels, is represented from the loins upward, and the spiritual heaven, or the heaven of the spiritual angels, is represented from the loins downward. For in the Grand Man what is below, from the loins down through the feet to the soles, signifies what is natural. Hence also it is evident that the natural things of man thus illuminated by spiritual light from the Lord, appear as the bow in the cloud. The like was seen also by John (Revelation 4:2-3; 10:1).

  
/ 10837  
  

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