Week 2    Day 4

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The Inheritance of Judah—Beersheba

Joshua 15:21, 28 And the cities at the edge of the tribe of the sons of Judah, to the border of Edom southward, were... Beer-sheba....

Genesis 21:27-33. And Abraham took flock and herd, and gave them] to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant. And Abraham stood seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, What are these seven ewe-lambs, these which thou hast stood by themselves? And he said, For thou shalt take [these] seven ewe-lambs from my hand, so that it may be a testimony for me that I have dug this well.

Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba for there the two of them promised. And they cut a covenant in Beer-sheba; and Abimelech arose, and Phichol the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. And he planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the God of eternity.

AC 2723. “Beer-sheba” signifies the state and the quality of the doctrine, namely, that it is Divine, and it is that to which what is of human reason is adjoined. This is evident...from the signification of the word itself in the original language, which is “the well [Beer-] of the oath” [or promise] and “of seven” [sheba]. A “well” is the doctrine of faith...; an “oath” is conjunction... and a “covenant made by an oath,” has the same meaning...; and “seven” denotes what is holy and thus Divine....

From all of this it is evident that “Beer-sheba” signifies doctrine which in itself is Divine, together with things of human reason or appearances adjoined.

AC 2723:2. That the name Beer-sheba comes from all this is manifest from Abraham’s words [quoted above]: (Gen. 21:30-32).

In like manner from Isaac’s words in chapter 26:

It came to pass on that day that Isaac’s servants came and told him concerning the well which they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” And he called it Shibah (an “oath” and “seven”); therefore, the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day (Gen. 26:32-33).

There also wells are spoken of about which there was contention with Abimelech, and a covenant with him is treated of. And by “Beersheba” are signified the things of human reason again adjoined to the doctrine of faith. And because they are again adjoined, and the doctrine thus became adapted to human comprehension, it is called a “city” (a “city” signifies doctrine in its complex...). Moreover, Beersheba is mentioned with a similar signification as to the internal sense in other places (Gen. 22:19; 26:22-23; 28:10; 46:1, 5; Josh. 15:28; 19:1-2; 1 Sam. 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3; and also in the opposite sense, Amos 5:5; 8:13-14).

AC 2568:2. It is one thing to regard the doctrine of faith from rational things, and altogether another to regard rational things from the doctrine of faith. To regard the doctrine of faith from rational things is not to believe in the Word, or in the doctrine drawn from it, until one is persuaded from rational things that it is so. But to regard rational things from the doctrine of faith is first to believe in the Word, that is, in the doctrine from it, and then to confirm it by rational things. The former is inverted order, and results in nothing being believed; whereas the latter is genuine order, and causes the man to believe the better.

AC 2568:4. There are therefore two principles; one of which leads to all folly and insanity, and the other to all intelligence and wisdom. The former principle is to deny all things, or to say in the heart that we cannot believe them until we are convinced by what we can apprehend, or perceive by the senses; this is the principle that leads to all folly and insanity, and is to be called the negative principle. The other principle is to affirm the things which are of doctrine from the Word, or to think and believe within ourselves that they are true because the Lord has said them: this is the principle that leads to all intelligence and wisdom, and is to be called the affirmative principle.

AC 2568:5. [T]hose who think from an affirmative principle can confirm themselves by whatever rational things, by whatever memory-knowledges, and whatever philosophical things they have at command; for all these are to them confirmatory and give them a fuller idea of the matter.

AC 2568:6. Moreover, there are some who are in doubt before they deny, and there are some who are in doubt before they affirm. They who are in doubt before they deny are those who incline to a life of evil; and when this life carries them away, then so far as they think of the matters in question, they deny them. But they who are in doubt before they affirm are those who incline to a life of good. And when they suffer themselves to be bent to this by the Lord, then so far as they think about those things, so far they affirm.

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