The Bible

 

Genesis 16

Study

   

1 Si Sarai nga na asawa ni Abram ay hindi nagkaanak sa kaniya; at siya'y may isang alilang babae na taga Egipto, na nagngangalang Agar.

2 At sinabi ni Sarai kay Abram, Narito, ngayon, ako'y hinadlangan ng Panginoon na ako'y magkaanak; ipinamamanhik ko sa iyong sumiping ka sa aking alilang babae; marahil ay magkakaanak ako sa pamamagitan niya. At dininig ni Abram ang sabi ni Sarai.

3 At kinuha ni Sarai na asawa ni Abram, si Agar na taga Egipto, na kaniyang alila, pagkaraan ng sangpung taon na makatahan si Abram sa lupain ng Canaan, at ibinigay kay Abram na kaniyang asawa upang maging asawa niya.

4 At siya'y sumiping kay Agar, at naglihi: at nang makita niyang siya'y naglihi, ay niwalang halaga niya ang kaniyang panginoong babae sa kaniyang paningin.

5 At sinabi ni Sarai kay Abram, Ang aking pagkaapi ay sumaiyo: idinulot ko ang aking alila sa iyong sinapupunan; at nang makita niyang siya'y naglihi, ay niwalan akong kabuluhan sa kaniyang paningin: ang Panginoon ang humatol sa akin at sa iyo.

6 Datapuwa't sinabi ni Abram kay Sarai, Narito, ang iyong alila ay nasa iyong kamay; gawin mo sa kaniya ang iyong minamagaling sa iyong paningin. At dinuwahagi siya ni Sarai, at si Agar ay tumakas mula sa kaniyang harap.

7 At nasumpungan siya ng anghel ng Panginoon sa tabi ng isang bukal ng tubig sa ilang, sa bukal na nasa daang patungo sa Shur.

8 At sinabi, Agar, alila ni Sarai, saan ka nanggaling? at saan ka paroroon? at kaniyang sinabi, Ako'y tumatakas mula sa harap ni Sarai na aking panginoon.

9 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Magbalik ka sa iyong panginoon, at pahinuhod ka sa kaniyang mga kamay.

10 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Pararamihin kong mainam ang iyong binhi, na hindi mabibilang dahil sa karamihan.

11 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Narito't ikaw ay nagdadalang-tao at ikaw ay manganganak ng isang lalake; at ang itatawag mo sa kaniyang ngalan ay Ismael, sapagka't diningig ng Panginoon ang iyong kadalamhatian.

12 At siya'y magiging parang asnong bundok sa gitna ng mga tao; ang kaniyang kamay ay magiging laban sa lahat, at ang kamay ng lahat ay laban sa kaniya; at siya'y tatahan sa harap ng lahat niyang mga kapatid.

13 At kaniyang tinawagan ang ngalan ng Panginoon na nagsalita sa kaniya, Ikaw ay Dios na nakakakita: sapagka't sinabi niya, Namasdan ko rin ba rito ang likuran niyaong nakakakita sa akin?

14 Kaya't nginalanan ang balong yaon Balon ng Nabubuhay na nakakakita sa akin; narito't ito'y nasa pagitan ng Cades at Bered.

15 At nanganak si Agar ng isang lalake kay Abram at ang itinawag ni Abram, na pangalan sa kaniyang anak na ipinanganak ni Agar, ay Ismael.

16 At si Abram ay may walong pu't anim na taon nang ipanganak si Ismael ni Agar kay Abram.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1904

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

1904. Sarai, Abram’s wife, took. That this signifies the affection of truth, which in the genuine sense is “Sarai the wife,” is evident from the signification of “Sarai,” as being truth adjoined to good, and from the signification of a “wife,” as being affection (explained above, n. 915, 1468). There are two affections distinct from each other,—affection of good, and affection of truth. When a man is being regenerated the affection of truth has the lead, for he is affected with truth for the sake of good; but when he has been regenerated the affection of good has the lead, and from good he is affected with truth. The affection of good is of the will; the affection of truth is of the understanding. Between these two affections the most ancient people instituted as it were a marriage. Good, or the love of good, they called man as a husband; truth, or the love of truth, they called man as a wife. The comparison of good and truth with marriage has its origin in the heavenly marriage.

[2] Regarded in themselves, good and truth have no life, but they derive their life from love or affection. They are only instrumentalities of life; and such as is the love that affects the good and truth, such is the life; for the whole of life is of love, or affection. Hence it is that “Sarai the wife,” in the genuine sense, signifies the affection of truth. And because in the case before us the intellectual desired the rational as an offspring, and because that which she speaks is of this desire or affection, it is therefore expressly said in this verse, “Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave to Abram, her man,” which there would have been no need of repeating if it did not involve such things in the internal sense, for in themselves these words would be superfluous.

[3] Intellectual truth is distinguished from rational truth, and this from truth in the form of memory-knowledge, as are what is internal, what is intermediate, and what is external. Intellectual truth is internal, rational truth is intermediate, truth of memory-knowledge is external. These are most distinct from each other, because one is more internal than another. With any man whatever, intellectual truth, which is internal, or in his inmost, is not the man’s, but is the Lord’s with the man. From this the Lord flows into the rational, where truth first appears as belonging to man; and through the rational into the memory-knowledge; from which it is evident that man cannot possibly think as of himself from intellectual truth, but only from rational truth and truth of memory-knowledge, because these appear as if they were his.

[4] The Lord alone, when He lived in the world, thought from intellectual truth, for this was His Divine truth in conjunction with Good, or the Divine spiritual in conjunction with the Divine celestial, and herein was the Lord distinguished from every other man. To think from what is Divine as from himself is never possible to man, nor in man, but only in Him who was conceived of Jehovah. Because He thought from intellectual truth, that is, from the love or affection of intellectual truth, from it also He desired the rational, and this is why it is here said that “Sarai, Abram’s wife” (by whom is meant the affection of intellectual truth) “took Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her to Abram her husband, for a woman to him.”

[5] The rest of the arcana that are herein cannot be unfolded and explained to the apprehension, because man is in the greatest obscurity, and in fact has no idea at all of the internal things within him, for he makes both the rational and the intellectual to consist in memory-knowledge, and is not aware that these are distinct from each other, so distinct indeed that the intellectual can exist apart from the rational, and also the rational that is derived from the intellectual, apart from the memory-knowledge. This cannot but seem a paradox to those who are in memory-knowledges, but still it is the truth. It is however impossible for anyone to be in the truth that is in the form of memory-knowledge (that is, in the affection of this and the belief in it), unless he is in rational truth, into which and through which the Lord inflows from the intellectual. These arcana do not open to man except in the other life.

  
/ 10837  
  

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