Jacob sets up the gravestone or pillar. And the spirit says it is her gravestone unto this day, to signify that it points at the future, and that this gravestone should continue, and Christ be born there where Rachel died.
30. In this history of the acts of Jacob we see clearly that the spirit has in this description a figure, under which it signifies. For Rachel was big with Benjamin when Jacob departed from Laban, when she sat upon the idol-gods, when her father sought for them, and she said, It is with me after the manner of women, so that I cannot rise up before you (Gen. xxxi. 34, 35). But now the text relates how Jacob first pitched his tents before Shechem, and dwelt there, and afterwards went first to Bethel, and then Rachel brought forth. So that it appears that the spirit speaks wholly in the figure, for the acts do all follow very orderly one after another in the figure of Christ, as it has come to pass with Christ, which ought well to be observed.
31. The spirit of Moses says further, And Israel went forth and spread his tents on the other side of the tower ofEdar. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and slept with Bilhah his father's concubine: and it came before Israel (Gen. xxxv. 21, 22): What manner of figure is this, which is very deeply hidden? but the circumstances make it as clear as the sun.
32. Israel went on the other side of the great Babylonical tower, and dwelt there with the children of that people, which may well be a pretty way from Ephrath (Bethlehem); but the spirit has here its figure under which it signifies: that is, when Jacob had taken away the strange gods from his people, and also their earrings, and buried them, and built the altar of the Lord, converting to God, and they were sitting in rest and ease, then the natural fleshly man turned again to the lust of the children of Babel, even as the text says:
33. Jacob went and dwelt there, and then Reuben lay with his father's concubine, viz. with Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, the mother of Dan and Naphthali, and committed incest,l which was worse than that of Shechem with Dinah. But the spirit has thus with this action presented a figure, pointing at the future, how it would come to pass, how Israel would turn away from the divine ordinance from the altar of their God, and mix their father's worship and service of God with natural whoredom, viz. with heathenish sacrificing to idols, as is to be seen by Jeroboam. And the spirit signifies thereby, that the first Adamical man would have only fleshly desires and lusts.
1 Blutschande.
34. For Reuben was the first son of Jacob by Leah, viz. by her of whom also sprang the line of Christ; to signify that everyone that would be called Jews or Christians, and are generated out of those stocks, would forsake God, and lie with their father's concubines, viz.
commit fornication with the idolatry, human inventions, and babblings of the Pharisees and Scribes, and with their laws and canons, and forget the truth of God, and of his commandments, in their hearts, and imprint those whoredoms 1 in their hearts' lusts.
35. For Reuben was indeed Jacob's first son, as Adam also was the first man, but the line of Christ was not manifested in Reuben, as also not in Adam, but it was manifested in Abel and in Judah. And as Adam, in spiritu mundi, in the spirit of the world, committed adultery with God's concubine, through whom he 2 brings forth his fruit, and gave up himself to the woman, viz. to the mother of the outward nature, and lay with her, and committed whoredom with her, and defiled the holy heavenly marriage-bed of chastity; thus also stood this figure of Reuben with his father's concubine portrayed before the figure of Christ; for Christ should bring this Adamical whoredom into the heavenly marriage-bed again, and cover the incest of man. And therefore it is here prefigured together with the figure of Rachel, viz. with the new regeneration.
The figure of Christendom stands thus: 3
Jacob sets up the gravestone or pillar. And the spirit says it is her gravestone unto this day, to signify that it points at the future, and that this gravestone should continue, and Christ be born there where Rachel died.
30. In this history of the acts of Jacob we see clearly that the spirit has in this description a figure, under which it signifies. For Rachel was big with Benjamin when Jacob departed from Laban, when she sat upon the idol-gods, when her father sought for them, and she said, It is with me after the manner of women, so that I cannot rise up before you (Gen. xxxi. 34, 35). But now the text relates how Jacob first pitched his tents before Shechem, and dwelt there, and afterwards went first to Bethel, and then Rachel brought forth. So that it appears that the spirit speaks wholly in the figure, for the acts do all follow very orderly one after another in the figure of Christ, as it has come to pass with Christ, which ought well to be observed.
31. The spirit of Moses says further, And Israel went forth and spread his tents on the other side of the tower ofEdar. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and slept with Bilhah his father's concubine: and it came before Israel (Gen. xxxv. 21, 22): What manner of figure is this, which is very deeply hidden? but the circumstances make it as clear as the sun.
32. Israel went on the other side of the great Babylonical tower, and dwelt there with the children of that people, which may well be a pretty way from Ephrath (Bethlehem); but the spirit has here its figure under which it signifies: that is, when Jacob had taken away the strange gods from his people, and also their earrings, and buried them, and built the altar of the Lord, converting to God, and they were sitting in rest and ease, then the natural fleshly man turned again to the lust of the children of Babel, even as the text says:
33. Jacob went and dwelt there, and then Reuben lay with his father's concubine, viz. with Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, the mother of Dan and Naphthali, and committed incest,l which was worse than that of Shechem with Dinah. But the spirit has thus with this action presented a figure, pointing at the future, how it would come to pass, how Israel would turn away from the divine ordinance from the altar of their God, and mix their father's worship and service of God with natural whoredom, viz. with heathenish sacrificing to idols, as is to be seen by Jeroboam. And the spirit signifies thereby, that the first Adamical man would have only fleshly desires and lusts.
1 Blutschande.
34. For Reuben was the first son of Jacob by Leah, viz. by her of whom also sprang the line of Christ; to signify that everyone that would be called Jews or Christians, and are generated out of those stocks, would forsake God, and lie with their father's concubines, viz.
commit fornication with the idolatry, human inventions, and babblings of the Pharisees and Scribes, and with their laws and canons, and forget the truth of God, and of his commandments, in their hearts, and imprint those whoredoms 1 in their hearts' lusts.
35. For Reuben was indeed Jacob's first son, as Adam also was the first man, but the line of Christ was not manifested in Reuben, as also not in Adam, but it was manifested in Abel and in Judah. And as Adam, in spiritu mundi, in the spirit of the world, committed adultery with God's concubine, through whom he 2 brings forth his fruit, and gave up himself to the woman, viz. to the mother of the outward nature, and lay with her, and committed whoredom with her, and defiled the holy heavenly marriage-bed of chastity; thus also stood this figure of Reuben with his father's concubine portrayed before the figure of Christ; for Christ should bring this Adamical whoredom into the heavenly marriage-bed again, and cover the incest of man. And therefore it is here prefigured together with the figure of Rachel, viz. with the new regeneration.
The figure of Christendom stands thus: 3
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