The Bible

 

Genesis 15

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1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and lo, one born in my house is my heir.

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou art able to number them: and he said to him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

7 And he said to him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

8 And he said, Lord GOD, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9 And he said to him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took to him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds he did not divide.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13 And he said to Abram, Know certainly that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14 And also that nation which they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 And it came to pass, that when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

18 In that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1788

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1788. That 'a shield' means protection against evils and falsities which is able to be trusted is clear without explanation, for repeated usage has made the saying familiar that 'Jehovah is a shield and buckler'. But what is meant specifically by 'a shield' becomes clear from the Word, namely that in reference to the Lord it means protection, and in reference to man trust in the Lord's protection. As 'war' means temptations, as shown in 1664, so every implement of war means some specific aspect of temptation and of defence against evils and falsities, that is, against the devil's crew who bring temptation about and do the tempting. Consequently 'shield' means one thing, 'buckler' another, 'target' another, 'helmet' another, 'spear' and also 'javelin' another, 'sword' another, 'bow and arrows' another, and 'breastplate' another. In the Lord's Divine mercy these will be dealt with individually later on.

[2] The reason why in reference to the Lord 'a shield' means protection against evils and falsities, and in reference to man trust in the Lord, is that it was a means of protection to the breast, and 'the breast' meant good and truth - good because the heart is within it, and truth because the lungs are within it. That 'a shield' has this meaning is clear in David,

Blessed be Jehovah my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for war; my mercy, and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I trust. Psalms 144:1-2.

Here 'battle' and 'war' are the battle and war of temptations, and in the internal sense, of the Lord's temptations. 'A shield' in reference to Jehovah is protection, and in reference to man trust, as is quite evident.

[3] In the same author,

O Israel, trust in Jehovah! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in Jehovah! He is their help and their shield. You who fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah! He is their help and their shield. Psalms 115:9-11.

Here the meaning is similar. In the same author,

Jehovah is my fortress, my God in whom I will trust. He will cover you with His wing, and under His wings will you put your trust. His truth is a buckler and target. Psalms 91:2, 4.

Here 'buckler and target' stands for protection against falsities.

[4] In the same author,

Jehovah is my rock (petra) and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock (rupee) in whom I trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation. Jehovah is a shield for all who trust in Him. Psalms 18:2, 30.

Here the meaning is similar. In the same author,

You who test the heart 1 and reins, a righteous God; my shield is with God who saves the upright in heart. Isaiah 7:9, 10.

'Shield' stands for trust. In the same author,

You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand will support me. Psalms 18:35.

'Shield' stands for trust.

[5] In the same author,

The shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted. Psalms 47:9.

'Shields' stands for trust. In the same author,

Jehovah God is a sun and shield; grace and glory will Jehovah give; no good thing will be withheld from those walking blamelessly. Psalms 84:11.

'Shield' stands for protection. In Moses,

Your blessings, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved in Jehovah, the shield of your help, and One who is the sword of your excellency! Your enemies will be mistaken in regard to you. Deuteronomy 33:29.

'Shield' stands for protection.

[6] Even as weapons of war are attributed to those engaged in conflicts brought about by temptations, so also are the same weapons attributed to the enemies assailing and tempting. When attributed to the latter, the contrary meanings held by those weapons is being expressed; for example, 'a shield' in this case means the evils and falsities from which those enemies fight, and which they defend, and in which they put their trust, as in Jeremiah,

Prepare shield and buckler, and advance for battle. Harness the horses, and mount, O horsemen! Take up your stations in your helmets, polish your lances, put on your breastplates. Jeremiah 46:3-4.

There are many more examples besides these.

Footnotes:

1. literally, hearts

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