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創世記第49章

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1 雅各了他的兒子們來,:你們都來聚集,我好把你們日後必遇的事告訴你們。

2 雅各的兒子們,你們要聚集而,要你們父親以色列的話。

3 流便哪,你是我的長子,是我力量強壯的時候生的,本當大有尊榮,權力超眾。

4 但你放縱情慾,滾沸如,必不得居首位;因為你上了你父親,污穢了我的榻。

5 西緬和利未是弟兄;他們的刀劍是殘忍的器具。

6 我的靈阿,不要與他們同謀;我的心哪,不要與他們聯絡;因為他們趁怒殺害命,任意砍斷牛腿大筋。

7 他們的怒氣暴烈可咒;他們的忿恨殘忍可詛。我要使他們分居在雅各家裡,散住在以色列地中。

8 猶大阿,你弟兄們必讚美你;你必掐住仇敵的頸項;你父親兒子們必向你下拜。

9 猶大是個小獅子;我兒阿,你抓了食便上去。你屈下身去,臥如公獅,蹲如母獅,誰敢惹你?

10 圭必不離猶大,杖必不離他兩之間,直等細羅(就是賜平安者)到,萬民都必歸順。

11 猶大把小拴在葡萄樹上,把駒拴在美好的葡萄樹上。他在葡萄酒中洗了衣服,在葡萄汁中洗了袍褂。

12 他的眼睛必因酒紅潤;他的牙齒必因奶白亮。

13 西布倫必住在口,必成為停口;他的境界必延到西頓。

14 以薩迦是個強壯的,臥在羊圈之中。

15 他以安靜為佳,以肥為美,便低肩背重,成為服苦的僕人。

16 但必判斷他的民,作以色列支派之

17 但必作道上的中的虺,咬傷蹄,使騎的墜落於後。

18 耶和華阿,我向來等候你的救恩

19 迦得必被敵軍追逼,他卻要追逼他們的腳跟

20 亞設之地必出肥美的糧食,且出君的美味。

21 拿弗他利是被釋放的母鹿;他出嘉美的言語。

22 約瑟是多結果子的樹枝,是泉旁多結果的枝子;他的枝條探出外。

23 弓箭手將他苦害,向他射箭,逼迫他。

24 但他的仍舊堅硬;他的健壯敏捷。這是因以色列的牧者,以色列的─就是雅各的大能者。

25 父親的神必幫助你;那全能者必將上所有的福,地裡所藏的福,以及生產乳養的福,都賜給你。

26 父親所祝的福,勝過我祖先所祝的福,如永世的山嶺,至極的邊界;這些福必降在約瑟的上,臨到那與弟兄迥別之人的頂上。

27 便雅憫是個撕掠的早晨他所抓的,晚上要分他所奪的。

28 這一切是以色列的十二支派;這也是他們的父親對他們所的話,為他們所祝的福,都是按著各人的福分為他們祝福

29 他又囑咐他們:我將要歸到我列祖(原文作本民)那裡,你們要將我葬在赫人以弗崙田間的洞裡,與我祖我父在一處,

30 就是在迦南幔利前、麥比拉田間的洞;那洞和田是亞伯拉罕向赫人以弗崙買來為業,作墳的。

31 他們在那裡葬了亞伯拉罕和他妻撒拉,又在那裡葬了以撒和他的妻子利百加;我也在那裡葬了利亞。

32 那塊田和田間的洞原是向赫人買的。

33 雅各囑咐眾子已畢,就把收在床上,氣絕而死,歸到列祖(原文作本民)那裡去了。

   

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Abraham

  
Représentation d'Abraham, by Joseph Villiet

Abraham (or Abram, as he was named in the beginning of his story) was the ancestor of all the Children of Israel, through his son Isaac, and of the Arabs, through his son Ishmael.

Abraham represents the Divine good or love. His story foreshadows the life of Jesus, and our spiritual lives, too.

His life can be usefully seen as being divided into three periods. The first period includes the unknown early years from his birth in Ur, and his later move to Haran with his father Terah. The second section starts with Abram's being called by Jehovah to go to Canaan. It includes the adventures he had there, and continues until the events of the 17th chapter of Genesis where he is said to be 99 years old, rich, and powerful - but without a son by his wife Sarai. Once again the Lord appears to him, promises that his progeny will become a great nation, institutes the rite of circumcision, and changes his name to Abraham, adding the "ah" sound from Jehovah. The third and last period of his life sees the birth of Isaac, the death of Sarah (whose name was also changed), and the finding of a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's relatives back in Mesopotamia. Abraham is said to be 175 years old when he dies, as recorded in the 25th chapter of Genesis.

What we are here interested in is the deep representation of Abraham because he prophesies or foreshadows the inmost part of Jesus' life after He is born to Mary centuries after the man Abraham lived on the earth. Abraham represents the Divine good or love. The internal sense of the Word tells us that God himself provided the life into an ovum within Mary, so she could provide a natural body and a natural heredity from the Jewish religion, while the soul of Jesus was kept as a direct possessor of divine life. During Jesus' early life, probably up to adolescence, Jesus lived out those representative actions of Abraham in the innermost parts of his mind and spirit. Abraham as he pastured his sheep and ran his large household had no idea at all that this was true, and early in Jesus' life He didn't realize it either. There must have been perceptions as Jesus grew up, witness his visit to the temple when He was 12, but not a complete understanding until He was fully grown. And further, it isn't only Abraham. When Abraham dies, the representation attaches to Isaac, who represents the rational level of the mind, and then to both Jacob and Esau who represent the natural mind as to truth and good in the mind respectively. And then the trials of the twelve tribes, the kings, and all the sayings of the prophets become that same representation. So Jesus could say to the two disciples that He met on the road to Emmaus, "O fools and slow of heart... and beginning at Moses and all the Prophets He expounded to them in all the scriptures all the things concerning Himself." (The following references are chronologic as Abraham gets older, and are in biblical sequence.) And furthermore, the progress of mental and spiritual life in each one of us is a dim and finite image of that represented by Abraham's life if, that is, we are trying to follow the Lord's laws and precepts to love one another. We too have within us a journey to the land of Canaan, a hardworking sojourn in Egypt, a struggle in the wilderness, and a Saul, a David, and an Ahab. We have our home-grown Amalekites and Philistines. The whole of the Old Testament is a picture of how our spiritual life works.

In Genesis 20:7, Abraham signifies celestial truth, or doctrine from a celestial origin. (Arcana Coelestia 2533)

In Genesis 12:4, As ABRAHAM he represents the Lord as to His Human and Divine Essence; as ABRAM he represents the Lord as to His human essence only. (Arcana Coelestia 1426)

In Genesis 17:5, The name was changed by adding the letter H, so that the Divine Human could he represented, for H is the only letter which involves the Divine: it means I AM, or BEING. (Arcana Coelestia 1416[2])

(参考: Genesis 17, 25)


圣经文本

 

Genesis第25章

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1 Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.

2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

4 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac,

6 but to the sons of Abraham's concubines, Abraham gave gifts. He sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, to the east country.

7 These are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.

8 Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

9 Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre,

10 the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife.

11 It happened after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.

12 Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.

17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.

18 They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.

19 This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham became the father of Isaac.

20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.

21 Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22 The children struggled together within her. She said, "If it be so, why do I live?" She went to inquire of Yahweh.

23 Yahweh said to her, "Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger."

24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25 The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.

26 After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.

28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.

30 Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom.

31 Jacob said, "First, sell me your birthright."

32 Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?"

33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.