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Matthew 1

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1 The book of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begot Isaac; and Isaac begot Jacob; and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers;

3 and Judah begot Perez and Zara of Tamar; and Perez begot Hesrom; and Hesrom begot Aram;

4 and Aram begot Aminadab; and Aminadab begot Naasson; and Naasson begot Salmon;

5 and Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth; and Obed begot Jesse;

6 and Jesse begot David the king; and David the king begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of Uriah;

7 and Solomon begot Rehoboam; and Rehoboam begot Abijah; and Abijah begot Asa;

8 and Asa begot Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat begot Joram; and Joram begot Uzziah;

9 and Uzziah begot Jotham; and Jotham begot Ahaz; and Ahaz begot Hezekiah;

10 and Hezekiah begot Manasseh; and Manasseh begot Amon; and Amon begot Josiah;

11 and Josiah begot Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the carrying·​·away·​·into Babylon;

12 and after the carrying·​·away·​·into Babylon, Jechoniah begot Salathiel; and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel;

13 and Zerubbabel begot Abiud; and Abiud begot Eliakim; and Eliakim begot Azor;

14 and Azor begot Zadok; and Zadok begot Achim; and Achim begot Eliud;

15 And Eliud begot Eleazar; and Eleazar begot Matthan; and Matthan begot Jacob;

16 and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was·​·born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham until David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying·​·away·​·into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying·​·away·​·into Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

18 And the birth of Jesus Christ was in·​·this·​·way: His mother Mary, being betrothed to Joseph, before they came·​·together, was found with child from the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being just, and not willing to expose· her ·to·​·public·​·infamy, intended to send· her ·away privately.

20 And while he thought on these·​·things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take·​·to·​·thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 And she shall bring·​·forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.

22 And all this was·​·done, that it might be fulfilled which was declared by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring·​·forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is, being translated, God with us.*

24 And Joseph, being·​·awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took·​·to·​·him his wife,

25 and knew her not, until she brought·​·forth her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Van Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #6239

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6239. 'And your offspring that you beget after them' means interior truths and forms of good which are begotten later on. This is clear from the meaning of 'offspring' or 'generation' as matters of faith and charity, dealt with in 613, 2020, 2584, thus truths and forms of good; and from the meaning of 'after them' as interior ones which are begotten later on. The reason interior ones are meant is that what is begotten from the internal at a later time is more interior. For in every consecutive stage all that has already been begotten serves the internal as the means by which what is begotten subsequently can be introduced into a more interior position, for the internal raises the natural by degrees up to itself. This is evident from the birth of all that constitutes the understanding in a person. At first he is on the level of his senses; later on he rises to more and more internal levels until he arrives at full use of his understanding. Similar to this is the new generation or birth which is effected by means of faith and charity. Thus it is that a person is perfected by degrees; see what has been stated in 6183 about the gradual raising up to more interior levels when a person is being regenerated.

[2] In the Word 'generation' means things which have to do with faith and charity, for the reason that no generation other than that of a spiritual kind is meant in the internal sense. That kind of generation is also meant in David,

They will fear greatly, for God is in the generation of the righteous. Psalms 14:5.

'The generation of the righteous' stands for truths that flow from good, for righteousness is an attribute of good. In Isaiah, 41:4.

They will not labour in vain, and they will not produce offspring 1 in terror; they will be the seed of the blessed of Jehovah. Isaiah 65:23.

In the same prophet,

Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, am the first, and with the last I am the same. Isaiah 41:4.

In Ezekiel,

Your tradings and your births' are of the land of the Canaanite. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your births, 2 on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for Me to see. Ezekiel 16:3-4.

In these verses, which refer to the abominations of Jerusalem, it is quite evident that 'generations' or 'births' means generations in a spiritual sense.

[3] In Isaiah,

Awake as in the days of eternity, in the generations of eternity. 3 Isaiah 51:9.

'The days of eternity' stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church. The expression 'eternity' is used in reference to that Church because the good of love to the Lord reigned in it, and that good, since it flows directly from the Lord, is called eternal. 'The generations of eternity' stands for the forms of good that spring from that good.

[4] Something similar to this appears in Moses,

Remember the days of eternity, understand the years of generation after generation. Deuteronomy 32:7.

'The days of eternity' stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood and was a celestial Church. 'The years of generation after generation' stands for the state and time of the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood and was a spiritual Church. Those Churches are the subject at that point in Moses.

[5] In Joel,

Judah will abide into eternity, and Jerusalem into generation after generation. Joel 3:20.

'Eternity' is used in reference to Judah because 'Judah' represents the celestial Church, 3881, and 'generation after generation' is used in reference to Jerusalem because by 'Jerusalem' is meant the spiritual Church, 402.

[6] In Isaiah,

My righteousness will exist into eternity, and My salvation into each generation. 4 Isaiah 51:8.

Here 'eternity' has reference to the good of love, for the word 'righteousness' is used in connection with that good, 612, 2235, and 'generation' has reference to the good of faith.

[7] In David,

Your kingdom is a kingdom to all eternity, 5 and Your dominion to every generation after generation. Psalms 145:13.

Here the meaning is similar, for unless 'eternity' had had reference to what was celestial, and 'generation' to what was spiritual, one expression alone would have been used. The use of two would be pointless repetition.

[8] Things that have to do with a state of faith are also meant in the laws which forbade one who was illegitimate, down to the tenth generation of his descendants, to come into the assembly of Jehovah, Deuteronomy 23:2, or an Ammonite or Moabite, down to the tenth generation of his descendants, Deuteronomy 23:3; and in the law which allowed the third generation of an Edomite or Egyptian to come into the assembly of Jehovah, Deuteronomy 23:8. Things that have to do with a state of faith are meant similarly in the Ten Commandments, where it says that Jehovah God will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, on the third and the fourth generation, inasmuch as they hate Him, Exodus 20:5.

[9] The reason why forms of faith and charity are meant by 'generations' is that in the spiritual sense no other kinds of offspring are meant than those associated with regeneration or one who has been regenerated. Similarly with references in the Word to birth, bearing. and conception; forms of faith and charity are meant, see 1145, 1255, 3860, 3863, 4668, 5160, 5598.

Voetnoten:

1. literally, generate

2. literally, generations

3. literally, eternities

4. literally, generation of generations

5. literally, of all eternities

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