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創世記第33章

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1 雅各舉目觀,見以掃來了,後頭跟著,他就把孩子們分開交給利亞、拉結,和兩個使女,

2 並且叫兩個使女和他們的孩子在前頭,利亞和他的孩子在後頭,拉結和約瑟在儘後頭。

3 他自己在他們前頭過去,一連次俯伏在才就哥哥

4 以掃跑來迎接他,將他抱住,又摟著他的頸項,與他親嘴,兩個人就哭了。

5 以掃舉目見婦人孩子,就:這些?和你同行的是誰呢?雅各:這些孩子是施恩給你的僕人的

6 於是兩個使女和他們的孩子前來下拜;

7 利亞和他的孩子也前來下拜;隨約瑟和拉結也前來下拜。

8 以掃:我所遇見的這些群畜是甚麼意思呢?雅各:是要在我面前蒙恩的。

9 以掃兄弟阿,我的已經夠了,你的仍歸你罷!

10 雅各:不然,我若在你眼前蒙恩,就求你從我裡收下這禮物;因為我見了你的面,如同見了的面,並且你容納了我。

11 求你收下我帶來給你的禮物;因為恩待我,使我充足。雅各再三地求他,他才收下了。

12 以掃我們可以起身前往,我在你前頭走。

13 雅各對他:我知道孩子們年幼嬌嫩,牛也正在乳養的時候,若是催趕一天畜都必死了

14 求我僕人前頭走,我要量著在我面前群畜和孩子的力量慢慢地前行,直走到西珥我那裡。

15 以掃:容我把跟隨我的人留幾個在你這裡。雅各:何必呢?只要在我眼前蒙恩就是了。

16 於是,以掃當日起行,回往西珥去了。

17 雅各就往疏割去,在那裡為自己蓋造房屋,又為牲畜搭棚;因此那地方疏割(就是棚的意思)。

18 雅各從巴旦亞蘭回的時候,平平安安到了迦南示劍城,在城東支搭帳棚,

19 就用一塊銀子向示劍的父親、哈抹的子孫買了支帳棚的那塊地,

20 在那裡築了一座,起名伊利伊羅伊以色列(就是神、以色列神的意思)。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#4430

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4430. 'And Shechem saw her' means truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Shechem' as truth, in this case the truth received by the Church from ancient times. The reason why 'Shechem' has this representation is that remnants of the Church still existed with the nation to which Shechem belonged. The fact that his nation was one of the upright nations is evident from the genuineness behind the things that Hamor and Shechem said to Jacob and his sons, verses 8-12, and from the deference that was shown by them in order that Shechem might marry Dinah, verses 18-24, on account of which they represented the truth of the Church. Furthermore the city of Shechem was Abram's first stopping-place when he came from Syria into the land of Canaan, Genesis 12:6, and was now also Jacob's first stopping-place when he too came from Syria, where he stretched his tent, made booths, and set up an altar, Genesis 33:17-20. It has been shown frequently that the journeys or wanderings of Abraham and Jacob represented advances into the truths of faith and the goods of love - in the highest sense, the Lord's own advances, and in the relative sense those made by the person who is being regenerated by the Lord. Hence 'Shechem' meant the first degree of light, 1440, 1441, and therefore interior truth since this is the first degree of light.

[2] But in the present chapter the subject in the internal sense is the way in which the descendants of Jacob annihilated this first degree of light or interior truth residing with them. In this sense, which is the internal historical sense, 'the sons of Jacob' means all his descendants, for the internal sense of the Word deals solely with the things that belong to the Lord's kingdom, and so those that belong to His Church. Jacob's actual sons did not constitute any Church but their descendants did, though not until after they had come out of Egypt, and in actual fact not until they entered the land of Canaan.

[3] Furthermore regarding this city named after Shechem, it was called Salem in ancient times, as is clear in the previous chapter,

Jacob came to Salem, the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. Genesis 32:18.

'Salem' means serenity, and 'the city of Shechem' the interior truths of faith; and a person comes into a state of serenity when he arrives at those truths, see 4393. But later on the same city was called Shechem, as may be seen in Joshua,

The bones of Joseph which the children of Israel caused to be brought up out of Egypt they buried in Shechem, in the part of the field which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitahs. Joshua 24:32.

And in the Book of Judges,

Gaal the son of Ebed said to the citizens of Shechem, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal. and Zebul is his commander? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; and why shall we serve him? Judges 9:28.

[4] The same city after that was called 'Sychar', as is evident in John,

Jesus came into a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to Joseph his son; Jacob's well was there. John 4:5-6.

From these places, as well as from others where it is mentioned, it is evident that this city means interior truth. It is also clear in Hosea,

Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood; and as troops wait for a man so the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem, for they have committed villainy. In the house of Israel I have seen a foul thing. Hosea 6:8-10.

Here 'they murder on the way to Shechem' means that they annihilate truths, including interior ones, and so annihilate all truths. The annihilation of interior truth is also meant by the reference to Abimelech's destruction of that city and sowing it with salt, Judges 9:45.

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