The Bible

 

Genesis 10

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1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah; Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and to them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha; and the sons of Raamah, Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Ashur, and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim.

14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15 And Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, and Heth,

16 And the Jebusite, and the Emorite, and the Girgasite,

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites dispersed.

19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, to Gaza; as thou goest to Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even to Lashah.

20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Ashur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25 And to Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah.

28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest to Sephar, a mount of the east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1228

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1228. That 'Elam' means faith stemming from charity is clear from what an internal Church is essentially. An internal Church is one for which charity is the chief thing and is the source of its thought and activity. The first offspring of charity is nothing else than faith, for it is from charity and nowhere else that faith derives. The fact that 'Elam' is faith stemming from charity, or faith itself which constitutes the internal Church, is clear also in Jeremiah,

The Word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah concerning Elam, Behold, I am breaking the bow of Elam, the chief of his power, and I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four ends of heaven, and I will disperse them to all these winds; and there will be no nation to which one of the outcasts of Elam will not come. And I will dismay Elam before their enemies, and before those that seek their soul, and I will bring evil upon them, My fierce anger, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them, and I will set My throne in Elam, and from there I will destroy king and princes. But in the latter days I will bring back the captivity of Elam. Jeremiah 49:34-39.

[2] In these verses 'Elam' is used to refer to faith, or what amounts to the same, to an internal Church that has been debased and corrupted and then restored. It is similar to what is described many times in the Word regarding Judah, Israel, and Jacob, by whom are meant Churches - by Judah the celestial Church, by Israel the spiritual Church, and by Jacob the external Church. After these had become similarly debased, they were to suffer dispersion, after which those dispersed by their enemies were to be regathered and brought back from captivity, by which the creation of a new Church is meant. Thus it is said here regarding 'Elam', that is, the internal Church when debased and corrupted, that it was to be 'dispersed' and later on 'brought back again', at which time 'Jehovah was to set His throne in Elam', that is, in the internal Church or internal things of the Church, which are nothing else than the things of faith stemming from charity.

[3] In Isaiah,

The burden of the wilderness of the sea. It comes from the wilderness and from a terrible land. A stern vision has been declared to me; the treacherous dealer deals treacherously and he who lays waste lays waste. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Madai; all its sighing I will cause to cease. Isaiah 21:1-2.

This refers to the Church's being laid waste by means of Babel. 'Elam' here is the internal Church, 'Madai' the external Church, or external worship that has internal worship within it. That 'Madai' is such a Church or such worship is clear above at verse 2 of this chapter where Madai is called a son of Japheth.

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