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Genesis 23

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1 And the life of Sarah is a hundred and twenty and seven years -- years of the life of Sarah;

2 and Sarah dieth in Kirjath-Arba, which [is] Hebron, in the land of Caanan, and Abraham goeth in to mourn for Sarah, and to bewail her.

3 And Abraham riseth up from the presence of his dead, and speaketh unto the sons of Heth, saying,

4 `A sojourner and a settler I [am] with you; give to me a possession of a burying-place with you, and I bury my dead from before me.'

5 And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

6 `Hear us, my lord; a prince of God [art] thou in our midst; in the choice of our burying-places bury thy dead: none of us his burying-place doth withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.'

7 And Abraham riseth and boweth himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth,

8 and he speaketh with them, saying, `If it is your desire to bury my dead from before me, hear me, and meet for me with Ephron, son of Zoar;

9 and he giveth to me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which [is] in the extremity of his field; for full money doth he give it to me, in your midst, for a possession of a burying-place.'

10 And Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answereth Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all those entering the gate of his city, saying,

11 `Nay, my lord, hear me: the field I have given to thee, and the cave that [is] in it, to thee I have given it; before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to thee -- bury thy dead.'

12 And Abraham boweth himself before the people of the land,

13 and speaketh unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, `Only -- if thou wouldst hear me -- I have given the money of the field -- accept from me, and I bury my dead there.'

14 And Ephron answereth Abraham, saying to him,

15 `My lord, hear me: the land -- four hundred shekels of silver; between me and thee, what [is] it? -- thy dead bury.'

16 And Abraham hearkeneth unto Ephron, and Abraham weigheth to Ephron the silver which he hath spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels, passing with the merchant.

17 And established are the field of Ephron, which [is] in Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, the field and the cave which [is] in it, and all the trees which [are] in the field, which [are] in all its border round about,

18 to Abraham by purchase, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, among all entering the gate of his city.

19 And after this hath Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (which [is] Hebron), in the land of Canaan;

20 and established are the field, and the cave which [is] in it, to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place, from the sons of Heth.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 6551

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6551. 'Facing Mamre' means nature and extent. This is clear from the meaning of 'Mamre' as the nature and extent of what it is used in connection with, dealt with in 2970, 4613, 6456. Something special is meant when it is said that Abraham had bought the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, from Ephron the Hittite, as may be recognized from the fact that these details are repeated so often, as in Genesis 23,

The field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah - which was before Mamre - was made over. . . Verse 17.

In addition to this,

After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre. Verse 19.

And yet again,

The field and the cave which was in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a grave, from the sons of Heth. Verse 20.

Also in Genesis 25,

They buried Abraham at the cave of Machpelah, at the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which faced Mamre. The field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth . . . Verses 9, 10.

In Genesis 49,

Bury me in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which faces Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a grave. The buying of the field and the cave that was in it was from the sons of Heth. Verses Genesis 49:30-32.

And in the present chapter,

They buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought with the field, as a possession for a grave, from Ephron the Hittite - facing Mamre. Something special is meant by this frequent repetition involving practically the same words, for the following reason: 'Abraham', 'Isaac', and 'Jacob' represent the Lord; 'the burial of them' represents resurrection and restoration to life, 'the field of the cave of Machpelah' the beginning of regeneration, 'Ephron the Hittite' those who receive the good of faith and allow themselves to be regenerated, and 'the sons of Heth' a spiritual Church. Thus because these words in a brief way mean the establishment of a spiritual Church, the same details are repeated so many times.

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