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Genesis 2

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1 At nayari ang langit at ang lupa, at ang lahat na natatanaw sa mga iyon.

2 At nang ikapitong araw ay nayari ng Dios ang kaniyang gawang ginawa; at nagpahinga ng ikapitong araw sa madlang gawa niyang ginawa.

3 At binasbasan ng Dios ang ikapitong araw at kaniyang ipinangilin, sapagka't siyang ipinagpahinga ng Dios sa madlang gawang kaniyang nilikha at ginawa.

4 Ito ang pinangyarihan ng langit at ng lupa, nang likhain noong araw, na gawin ng Panginoong Dios ang lupa't langit.

5 At wala pa sa lupang kahoy sa parang, at wala pang anomang pananim na tumutubo sa parang: (sapagka't hindi pa pinauulanan ng Panginoong Dios ang lupa) at wala pang taong magbukid ng lupa,

6 Nguni't may isang ulap na napaitaas buhat sa lupa at dinilig ang buong ibabaw ng lupa.

7 At nilalang ng Panginoong Dios ang tao sa alabok ng lupa, at hiningahan ang kaniyang mga butas ng ilong ng hininga ng buhay; at ang tao ay naging kaluluwang may buhay.

8 At naglagay ang Panginoong Dios ng isang halamanan sa Eden, sa dakong silanganan: at inilagay niya roon ang taong kaniyang nilalang.

9 At pinatubo ng Panginoong Dios sa lupa ang lahat na punong kahoy na nakalulugod sa paningin, at mabubuting kanin; gayon din ang punong kahoy ng buhay sa gitna ng halamanan, at ang punong kahoy ng pagkakilala ng mabuti at masama.

10 At may isang ilog na lumabas sa Eden na dumilig sa halamanan; at mula roo'y nabahagi at nagapat na sanga.

11 Ang pangalan ng una ay Pison: na siyang lumiligid sa buong lupain ng Havilah, na doo'y may ginto;

12 At ang ginto sa lupang yao'y mabuti; mayroon din naman doong bedelio at batong onix.

13 At ang pangalan ng ikalawang ilog ay Gihon; na siyang lumiligid sa buong lupain ng Cush.

14 At ang pangalan ng ikatlong ilog ay Hiddecel, na siyang umaagos sa tapat ng Asiria. At ang ikaapat na ilog ay ang Eufrates.

15 At kinuha ng Panginoong Dios ang lalake at inilagay sa halamanan ng Eden, upang kaniyang alagaan at ingatan.

16 At iniutos ng Panginoong Dios sa lalake, na sinabi, Sa lahat ng punong kahoy sa halamanan ay makakakain ka na may kalayaan:

17 Datapuwa't sa kahoy ng pagkakilala ng mabuti at masama ay huwag kang kakain; sapagka't sa araw na ikaw ay kumain niyaon ay walang pagsalang mamamatay ka.

18 At sinabi ng Panginoong Dios, Hindi mabuti na ang lalake ay magisa; siya'y ilalalang ko ng isang katulong niya.

19 At nilalang ng Panginoong Dios sa lupa ang lahat ng hayop sa parang at ang lahat ng ibon sa himpapawid; at pinagdadala sa lalake upang maalaman kung anong itatawag niya sa mga iyon: at ang bawa't itinawag ng lalake sa bawa't kinapal na may buhay ay yaon ang naging pangalan niyaon.

20 At pinanganlan ng lalake ang lahat ng mga hayop, at ang mga ibon sa himpapawid, at ang bawa't ganid sa parang; datapuwa't sa lalake ay walang nasumpungang maging katulong niya.

21 At hinulugan ng Panginoong Dios ng di kawasang himbing ang lalake, at siya'y natulog: at kinuha ang isa sa kaniyang mga tadyang at pinapaghilom ang laman sa dakong yaon:

22 At ang tadyang na kinuha ng Panginoong Dios sa lalake ay ginawang isang babae, at ito'y dinala niya sa lalake.

23 At sinabi ng lalake, Ito nga'y buto ng aking mga buto at laman ng aking laman: siya'y tatawaging Babae, sapagka't sa Lalake siya kinuha.

24 Kaya't iiwan ng lalake ang kaniyang ama at ang kaniyang ina, at makikipisan sa kaniyang asawa: at sila'y magiging isang laman.

25 At sila'y kapuwa hubad, ang lalake at ang kaniyang asawa, at sila'y hindi nagkakahiyaan.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #260

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260. It should furthermore be known that the literal sense is a protection to prevent the genuine truths hidden within being harmed. It acts as a protection because that sense can be twisted in different directions and explained as it is understood, without its internal being harmed or violated. For it does no harm for the literal sense to be understood differently by different people; but harm is done, if a person introduces falsities which are in opposition to the Divine truths, and this is only done by those who have convinced themselves of false ideas. This is what does violence to the Word. The literal sense acts as a protection to prevent this happening, and this occurs with those whose religion has given them false ideas, but who have not convinced themselves of these falsities. The literal sense of the Word acting as a protection is what is meant by cherubim in the Word, and it is there described by them. This protection is meant by the cherubim which were placed at the entrance to the garden of Eden after Adam and his wife were expelled from it. We read of these:

When Jehovah God had cast out the man, He made cherubim to dwell on the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning this way and that, to guard the way to the tree of life, Genesis 3:23-24.

[2] No one can know what this means, unless he knows the meaning of cherubim, of the garden of Eden and the tree of life in it; and also of the flame of a sword turning this way and that. These details have been explained in the section dealing with this chapter in ARCANA CAELESTIA, published in London. This shows that cherubim mean protection, the way to the tree of life means the approach to the Lord, which people make by means of the truths of the spiritual sense of the Word; the flame of a sword turning means Divine truth at the outermost level, which resembles the Word in its literal sense, in being capable of being twisted like this. The meaning of the cherubim made of gold placed on the two ends of the mercy-seat, which was above the ark in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-21), is similar. The ark meant the Word, because the Ten Commandments contained in it were the rudiments of the Word; the cherubim there meant protection, which is why the Lord spoke with Moses from between them (Exodus 25:22; 37:9; Numbers 7:89). He spoke in the natural sense, for He does not speak with man except in fulness, and in the literal sense Divine truth is in its fulness (214-224 above). Nor was anything else meant by the cherubim on the hangings of the tabernacle and on the veil (Exodus 26:1, 31). For the hangings and veils of the tabernacle meant the outermost of heaven and the church, and so also of the Word (220 above). Likewise the cherubim carved on the walls and the doors of the temple at Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 221 above); and equally the cherubim in the new temple (Ezekiel 41:18-20).

[3] Since cherubim meant protection to prevent the Lord, heaven and Divine truth as it is inwardly in the Word, being directly approached, but only indirectly through the outermost, this is why it is said of the king of Tyre:

You who set the seal on your measured space, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden the garden. Every kind of precious stone was your covering. You, cherub, were the expanse of the covering. I have destroyed you, cherub who cover, in the midst of the stones of fire, Ezekiel 28:12-14, 16.

Tyre means the church as regards its knowledge of truth and good, and so the king of Tyre means the Word, which is the place and source of that knowledge. It is obvious that in this passage the king means the Word at the outermost level, and cherub means protection, for it says 'You who set the seal on your measured space; every kind of precious stone was your covering; you, cherub, were the expanse of the covering' as well as 'cherub who cover'. The precious stones which are also named there mean the contents of the literal sense (217-218 above).

Because cherubim mean the Word at the outermost level and also its protection, it is said in the Psalms of David:

Jehovah tilted the heavens and came down, and rode upon a cherub, Psalms 18:9-10.

Shepherd of Israel, who sits upon the cherubim, shine forth, Psalms 80:1. Jehovah that sits upon the cherubim, Psalms 99:1.

Riding on the cherubim or sitting on them means the outermost sense of the Word. The Divine truth in the Word and its nature are described by the four creatures, which are also called cherubim (in Ezekiel, chapters 1, 9-10); and also by the four creatures in the midst of the throne and beside the throne (Revelation 4:6ff). (See Apocalypse Revealed published by me at Amsterdam, 239, 275, 3-14.)

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

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