3973. Send me away, and I will go to my place, and to my land. That this signifies that there was then a longing of the natural represented by Jacob for a state of conjunction with the Divine of the rational, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who speaks these words, as being the good of natural truth (n. 3972); from the signification of “place,” as being state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387); and from the signification of “land” here, as being the Divine of the rational; for by “my land” is meant his father Isaac and his mother Rebekah, as it was to them he desired to be sent and to go. (That “Isaac” is the Divine rational as to good, may be seen above, n. 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210; and also that “Rebekah” is Divine truth conjoined with the Divine good of the rational, n. 3012, 3013, 3077.) That a longing for conjunction is signified, is evident from the affection contained in the words.

3357. GENESIS 26

1. And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar.

2. And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land of which I tell thee.

3. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will set up the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father.

4. And I will cause thy seed to be multiplied as the stars of the heavens, and I will give unto thy seed all these lands; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

5. Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7. And the men of the place asked him concerning his woman; and he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, She is my woman; lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was good to look upon.

8. And it came to pass, because the days were there prolonged to him, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his woman.

9. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Surely behold she is thy woman, and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

10. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us, in that one of the people might lightly have lain with thy woman, and thou wouldst have brought guilt upon us?

11. And Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, He that toucheth this man and his woman, dying he shall die.

12. And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in that year a hundred measures, and Jehovah blessed him.

13. And the man increased, and went on going and increasing until he became exceeding great.

14. And he had acquisition of flock, and acquisition of herd, and much service; and the Philistines envied him.

15. And all the wells that his father’s servants digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up, and filled them with dust.

16. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go away from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

17. And Isaac departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18. And Isaac returned, and digged again the wells of waters which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; and the Philistines stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names which his father called them.

19. And the servants of Isaac digged in the valley, and found there a well of living waters.

20. And the shepherds of Gerar strove with Isaac’s shepherds, saying, The waters are ours; and he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21. And they digged another well, and they strove over that also, and he called the name of it Sitnah.

22. And he removed from thence, and digged another well, and for this they strove not, and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now Jehovah hath made us to be enlarged, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23. And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.

24. And Jehovah appeared to him in that night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and I will bless thee, and will multiply thy seed, for the sake of Abraham My servant.

25. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there, and there the servants of Isaac digged out a well.

26. And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his companion, and Phicol the captain of his army.

27. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore are ye come unto me, and ye have hated me, and have sent me away from you.

28. And they said, Seeing we have seen that Jehovah was with thee; and we said, Now let there be an oath between us, between us and thee, and let us cut out a covenant with thee.

29. If thou shalt do evil to us, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace; thou art now the blessed of Jehovah.

30. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

31. And they rose early in the morning, and sware a man to his brother; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32. And it came to pass in that day, that the servants of Isaac came and showed him concerning the well which they had digged; and they said unto him, We have found waters.

33. And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

34. And Esau was a son of forty years, and he took for a woman Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35. And they were bitterness of spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.

THE CONTENTS.

In the internal sense of this chapter the subject treated of is appearances of truth of three degrees, and how these were adjoined to truth Divine in order that truths and their doctrinal things might be received; and that a church might come into existence.