2983. Verse 20. And the field and the cave that is therein were made sure unto Abraham, for a possession of a sepulcher, from the sons of Heth. “The field and the cave that is therein,” signifies the church and its faith; “were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a sepulcher” signifies that it was from the Lord alone, through regeneration; “from the sons of Heth,” signifies that it was of the Gentiles.

1437. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. That this signifies that He thus advanced to the celestial things of love, is evident from the signification of “the land of Canaan.” That the land of Canaan represents the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth, is evident from many things in the Word. The reason is that the Representative Church was instituted there, in which all things both in general and in particular represented the Lord and the celestial and spiritual things of His kingdom. Not only were the rites representative, but everything connected with them, as well the persons who ministered, as the things by which they ministered, and also the places of the ministration. As the Representative Church was there, the land was called the Holy Land, although it was anything but holy, for it was inhabited by the idolatrous and the profane. This then is the reason why by “the land of Canaan,” here and in what follows, are signified the celestial things of love; for the celestial things of love, and these alone, are in the Lord’s kingdom, and constitute His Kingdom.