6549. 'Which Abraham had bought with the field' means those whom the Lord had redeemed. This is clear from the meaning of 'buying' as redemption, dealt with in 6458, 6461; from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, dealt with in 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 3245, 3305 (end), 3439; 3703, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276; and from the meaning of 'the field' as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766. From all this it is evident that 'which Abraham had bought with the field' means those belonging to the Church, whom the Lord had redeemed.

3766. 'In the field' means provided for the Churches. This is clear from the meaning of 'the field' as the Church as regards good, dealt with in 2971. In the Word the Church is meant by the expressions 'land', 'ground', and 'the field', though each has a different shade of meaning. The reason 'the field' means the Church is that like a field it receives the seeds of goodness and truth; for the Church has the Word, the source of those seeds. This also is why everything included in the field means some aspect of the Church, such as that which is sown, that which is harvested, standing grain, wheat, barley, and everything else. And each of these too has a different shade of meaning.