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Genesis第38章

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1 En het geschiedde ten zelven tijde, dat Juda van zijn broederen aftoog, en hij keerde in tot een man van Adullam, wiens naam was Hira.

2 En Juda zag aldaar de dochter van een Kanaanietisch man, wiens naam was Sua; en hij nam haar, en ging tot haar in.

3 En zij werd bevrucht, en baarde een zoon, en hij noemde zijn naam Er.

4 Daarna werd zij weder bevrucht, en baarde een zoon, en zij noemde zijn naam Onan.

5 En zij voer nog voort, en baarde een zoon, en noemde zijn naam Sela; doch hij was te Chezib, toen zij hem baarde.

6 Juda nu nam een vrouw voor Er, zijn eerstgeborene, en haar naam was Thamar.

7 Maar Er, de eerstgeborene van Juda, was kwaad in des HEEREN ogen; daarom doodde hem de HEERE.

8 Toen zeide Juda tot Onan: Ga in tot uws broeders huisvrouw, en trouw haar in uws broeders naam, en verwek uw broeder zaad.

9 Doch Onan, wetende, dat dit zaad voor hem niet zoude zijn, zo geschiedde het, als hij tot zijns broeders huisvrouw inging, dat hij het verdierf tegen de aarde, om zijn broeder geen zaad te geven.

10 En het was kwaad in des HEEREN ogen, wat hij deed; daarom doodde Hij hem ook.

11 Toen zeide Juda tot Thamar, zijn schoondochter: Blijf weduwe in uws vaders huis, totdat mijn zoon Sela groot wordt; want hij zeide: Dat niet misschien ook deze sterve, gelijk zijn broeders! Zo ging Thamar heen, en bleef in haar vaders huis.

12 Als nu vele dagen verlopen waren, stierf de dochter van Sua, de huisvrouw van Juda; daarna troostte zich Juda, en ging op tot zijn schaapscheerders naar Timna toe, hij en Hira, zijn vriend, de Adullamiet.

13 En men gaf Thamar te kennen, zeggende: Zie, uw schoonvader gaat op naar Timna, om zijn schapen te scheren.

14 Toen legde zij de klederen van haar weduwschap van zich af, en zij bedekte zich met een sluier, en bewond zich, en zette zich aan den ingang der twee fonteinen, die op den weg naar Timna is; want zij zag, dat Sela groot geworden was, en zij hem niet ter vrouw was gegeven.

15 Als Juda haar zag, zo hield hij haar voor een hoer, overmits zij haar aangezicht bedekt had.

16 En hij week tot haar naar den weg, en zeide: Kom toch, laat mij tot u ingaan; want hij wist niet, dat zij zijn schoondochter was. En zij zeide: Wat zult gij mij geven, dat gij tot mij ingaat?

17 En hij zeide: Ik zal u een geitenbok van de kudde zenden. En zij zeide: Zo gij pand zult geven, totdat gij hem zendt.

18 Toen zeide hij: Wat pand is het, dat ik u geven zal? En zij zeide: Uw zegelring en uw snoer en uw staf, die in uw hand is; hetwelk hij haar gaf, en ging tot haar in; en zij ontving bij hem.

19 En zij maakte zich op, en ging heen, en legde haar sluier van zich af, en zij trok aan de klederen van haar weduwschap.

20 En Juda zond den geitenbok door de hand van zijn vriend, den Adullamiet, om het pand uit de hand der vrouw te nemen; maar hij vond haar niet.

21 En hij vraagde de lieden van haar plaats, zeggende: Waar is de hoer, die bij deze twee fonteinen aan den weg was? En zij zeiden: Hier is geen hoer geweest.

22 En hij keerde weder tot Juda, en zeide: Ik heb haar niet gevonden; en ook zeiden de lieden van die plaats: Hier is geen hoer geweest.

23 Toen zeide Juda: Zij neme het voor zich, opdat wij misschien niet tot verachting worden; zie, ik heb deze bok gezonden; maar gij hebt haar niet gevonden.

24 En het geschiedde omtrent na drie maanden, dat men Juda te kennen gaf, zeggende: Thamar, uw schoondochter, heeft gehoereerd, en ook zie, zij is zwanger van hoererij. Toen zeide Juda: Breng ze hervoor, dat zij verbrand worde!

25 Als zij voorgebracht werd, schikte zij tot haar schoonvader, om te zeggen: Bij den man, wiens deze dingen zijn, ben ik zwanger; en zij zeide: Beken toch, wiens deze zegelring, en deze snoeren, en deze staf zijn.

26 En Juda kende ze, en zeide: Zij is rechtvaardiger dan ik, daarom, omdat ik haar aan mijn zoon Sela niet gegeven heb. En hij bekende haar voortaan niet meer.

27 En het geschiedde ten tijde, als zij baren zou, ziet, zo waren tweelingen in haar buik.

28 En het geschiedde, als zij baarde, dat een de hand uitgaf; en de vroedvrouw nam dezelve, en zij bond een scharlaken draad om zijn hand, zeggende: Deze komt het eerst uit.

29 Maar het geschiedde, als hij zijn hand weder intoog, ziet, zo kwam zijn broeder uit; en zij zeide: Hoe zijt gij doorgebroken? op u is de breuke! en men noemde zijn naam Perez.

30 En daarna kwam zijn broeder uit, om wiens hand de scharlaken draad was; en men noemde zijn naam Zera.

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#4923

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4923. 'Saying, This one came out first' means that it had priority of place. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming out first', or being the firstborn, as priority of place and a higher position, dealt with in 3325. Dealt with here and in the remainder of this chapter is the birthright. Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word may suppose that merely the birthright, and consequently the privileges which the firstborn might lawfully acquire, are dealt with. But one who does have some knowledge of the internal sense may see plainly enough that something of higher significance also lies concealed in this description. He may see this not only from the actual fact that one of the infants put out a hand and then drew it back, at which point the other infant came out, but also from the fact that they received their names from this, and from the fact that the midwife bound a twice-dyed thread on the hand of him who was first. Other descriptions may also lead him to see the same, such as the incident very like the present one when, after Esau and Jacob had struggled together in the womb, Esau came out first with Jacob grasping his - Esau's - heel, Genesis 25:23-24, 26. In addition to this there is the incident involving the two sons of Joseph; when blessing them Jacob placed his right hand on the younger and his left on the older, Genesis 48:17-19.

[2] The Jews and also some Christians do, it is true, believe that these, along with all other descriptions in the Word, contain some hidden meaning which they call mystical, the reason for that belief being the holiness, so far as the Word is concerned, which has been impressed on them since early childhood. But when asked what that mystical meaning may be, they do not know. One may tell them that because the Word is Divine the mystical meaning within it must of necessity be the kind of meaning the angels in heaven understand, and that the Word cannot have any other mystical content, or if it does, that content would be either mythical, magical, or idolatrous. One may in addition tell them that this mystical meaning understood by the angels in heaven is nothing else than what is called spiritual and celestial, the sole subject of which is the Lord, His kingdom and the Church, and consequently good and truth, and that if they knew what good and truth were, or what love and faith were, they would also be acquainted with that mystical sense. Yet scarcely any Jew or Christian believes any of this when told it. Indeed members of the Church are so lacking in knowledge at the present day that any mention of that which is celestial and spiritual is barely intelligible to them. But even so, because in the Lord's Divine mercy I have been allowed to be simultaneously in heaven as a spirit and on earth as a man, and consequently to talk to angels, doing so now without a break for many years, what else can I do but disclose those things which are called the mystical contents of the Word, that is, its interiors, which are the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom? What the details recorded here hold within them in the internal sense - the details regarding Tamar's two sons - will be stated in what follows below.

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

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#3048

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3048. 'The servant took ten camels from his master's camels, and went' means [Divine] general facts in the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'the servant' here as the natural man, dealt with above in 3019, 3020; from the meaning of 'ten' as remnants, which are the goods and truths stored away in a person by the Lord, see 468, 530, 560, 561, 660, 661, 1050, 1906, 2284 (though when 'ten' or remnants is used in reference to the Lord, the Divine things that the Lord acquired to Himself are meant, 1738, 1906); and from the meaning of 'camels' as general facts which, being Divine or things acquired by the Lord, are said to be 'ten' in number, and also to be 'camels from his master's camels'. The words 'he went' mean the introduction which was effected by means of those facts, which is dealt with in this chapter. The whole subject is the process by which truth was joined to good in the Lord's Divine Rational, the first thing to be described in this line of thought being the nature of the process of introduction, referred to in 3012, 3013. The present verse describes how the Lord separated those things in the natural man that came from Himself, that is, that were Divine, from those that came from the mother. Those that came from Himself, or were Divine, are the things through which the introduction was effected, and they are meant here by 'the ten camels from his master's camels'. This explains why much reference is made in subsequent verses to camels, such as that he made the camels kneel down outside the city, verse 11; that Rebekah also gave the camels a drink, verses 14, 19-20; that they were led into the house, and given straw and fodder, verses 31-32; and further on, that Rebekah and her maids rode on the camels, verse 61; and that Isaac saw the camels coming, and that when Rebekah saw Isaac she dropped down from the camel, verses 63-64. The reason they are mentioned so many times lies in the internal sense in which they mean the general facts that are present in the natural man and from which comes the affection for truth that had to be introduced to the affection for good within the rational, this being effected in the ordinary way, as shown above. For the rational as regards truth cannot possibly be born and perfected without facts and cognitions.

[2] That 'camels' means general facts is clear from other places in the Word where they are mentioned, as in Isaiah,

A prophecy of the beasts of the south. In the land of distress and anguish are the young lion and the old lion from them, the viper and the flying fiery-serpent. They carry their wealth on the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures on the backs of camels, to a people that do not profit them. And Egypt's help will be in vain and to no advantage. Isaiah 30:6-7.

'The beasts of the south' stands for those who possess cognitions or the light of cognitions but lead evil lives. 'Carrying their wealth on the shoulders of young asses' stands for the cognitions which belong to their rational, 'a young ass' being rational truth, see 2781. 'Their treasures on the backs of camels' stands for the cognitions which belong to their natural, 'the backs of camels' being the natural, 'camels' themselves the general facts there, 'treasures' the cognitions which they consider to be precious. The words 'Egypt's help will be in vain and to no advantage' mean that to them knowledge is of no use, 'Egypt' being knowledge, see 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588 (end). It is evident that camels are not meant by 'camels' here because it is said that the young lion and the old lion carry their treasures on the backs of camels. Anyone may see that some arcanum of the Church is meant by this description.

[3] In the same prophet,

The prophecy of the wilderness of the sea. Thus said the Lord, Go, set a watchman to point out what he sees. And he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a chariot of asses, a chariot of camels, and he listened diligently. He answered and said, Fallen, fallen has Babel. Isaiah 21:1, 6-7, 9.

'The wilderness of the sea' stands for the hollowness of knowledge that serves no use. 'A chariot of asses' stands for a mass of specific facts, 'a chariot of camels' for a mass of general facts which are present in the natural man. It is the hollow reasonings found with people meant by Babel which are described in this fashion.

[4] In the same prophet,

Your heart will enlarge itself because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will spread abroad the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, and to the Divine celestial and spiritual things within His natural. 'The abundance of the sea' stands for a vast quantity of natural truth, 'the wealth of the nations' for a vast quantity of natural good. 'A multitude of camels' stands for general facts in abundance, 'gold and frankincense' for goods and truths which are 'the praises of Jehovah'. 'From Sheba' is from the celestial things of love and faith, see 113, 117, 1171. The queen of Sheba's coming to Solomon in Jerusalem with vast amounts of wealth, with camels carrying spices, and very much gold, and precious stones, 1 Kings 10:1-2, represented the wisdom and intelligence which came to the Lord, who in the internal sense of these verses is meant by Solomon. 'Camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stores' means matters of wisdom and intelligence in the natural man.

[5] In Jeremiah,

To Arabia and to the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel smote: Arise and go up to Arabia, and lay waste the sons of the east. They will take their tents, their curtains, and all their vessels, and they will bear their camels away from them. Their camels will become booty, and the multitude of their flocks booty, and I will scatter them to every wind. Jeremiah 49:28-29, 32.

Here 'Arabia' and 'the kingdoms of Hazor', used in the contrary sense, stand for people who possess cognitions of celestial and spiritual things but whose only use for them is to be considered wise and intelligent in their own eyes and in those of the world. 'The camels that will be borne away from them to become booty and that will be scattered to every wind' means in general the factual knowledge of those people and their cognitions of good and truth, which will begin to be removed from these people in this life through their belief in things of a contrary nature, and in the next life removed altogether.

[6] In Zechariah,

The plague with which Jehovah will smite all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: It will be a plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass, and every beast. Zechariah 14:12, 15.

'A plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, the ass' stands for the removal of the powers of the understanding which follow one another in the same consecutive order, from rational concepts to natural images. What a horse is, see 2761, 2762; a mule, 2781; an ass, 2781. 'Camels' stands for general facts in the natural man. The pestilence in Egypt 'on the cattle in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the herd, and on the flock', Exodus 9:2-3, had a similar meaning.

From all these places it becomes clear that 'camels' in the internal sense of the Word means general facts which belong to the natural man. General facts are those which include within themselves many particular ones, while these include within themselves those that are specific. All these constitute in general the understanding part of the natural man.

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