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1 Mose 25

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1 Abraham nahm wieder ein Weib, die hieß Ketura.

2 Die gebar ihm Simran und Jaksan, Medan und Midian, Jesbak und Suah.

3 Jaksan aber zeugete Seba und Dedan. Die Kinder aber von Dedan waren: Assurim, Letusim und Leumim.

4 Die Kinder Midians waren: Epha, Epher, Hanoch, Abida und Eldaa. Diese sind alle Kinder der Ketura.

5 Und Abraham gab all sein Gut Isaak.

6 Aber den Kindern, die er von den Kebsweibern hatte, gab er Geschenke und ließ sie von seinem Sohn Isaak ziehen, weil er noch lebte, gegen den Aufgang in das Morgenland.

7 Das ist aber Abrahams Alter, das er gelebet hat, hundertundfünfundsiebenzig Jahre.

8 Und nahm ab und starb in einem ruhigen Alter, da er alt und lebenssatt war, und ward zu seinem Volk gesammelt.

9 Und es begruben ihn seine Söhne Isaak und Ismael in der zwiefachen Höhle auf dem Acker Ephrons, des Sohnes Zoars, des Hethiters, die da liegt gegen Mamre,

10 in dem Felde, das Abraham von den Kindern Heths gekauft hatte. Da ist Abraham begraben mit Sara, seinem Weibe.

11 Und nach dem Tode Abrahams segnete Gott Isaak, seinen Sohn. Und er wohnete bei dem Brunnen des Lebendigen und Sehenden.

12 Dies ist das Geschlecht Ismaels, Abrahams Sohns, den ihm Hagar gebar, die Magd Saras aus Ägypten;

13 und das sind die Namen der Kinder. Ismaels, davon ihre Geschlechter genannt sind: Der erstgeborene Sohn Ismaels Nebajoth; Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 Misma, Duma, Masa,

15 Hadar, Thema, Jetur, Naphis und Kedma.

16 Dies sind die Kinder Ismaels mit ihren Namen in ihren Höfen und Städten, zwölf Fürsten über ihre Leute.

17 Und das ist das Alter Ismaels: hundertundsiebenunddreißig Jahre; und nahm ab und starb und ward gesammelt zu seinem Volk.

18 Und sie wohneten von Hevila an bis gen Sur gegen Ägypten, wenn man gen Assyrien gehet. Er fiel aber vor allen seinen Brüdern.

19 Dies ist das Geschlecht Isaaks, Abrahams Sohnes: Abraham zeugete Isaak.

20 Isaak aber war vierzig Jahre alt, da er Rebekka zum Weibe nahm, die Tochter Bethuels, des Syrers, von Mesopotamien, Labans, des Syrers, Schwester.

21 Isaak aber bat den HERRN für sein Weib, denn sie war unfruchtbar. Und der HERR ließ sich erbitten, und Rebekka, sein Weib, ward schwanger.

22 Und die Kinder stießen sich miteinander in ihrem Leibe. Da sprach sie: Da mir's also sollte gehen, warum bin ich schwanger worden? Und sie ging hin, den HERRN zu fragen.

23 Und der HERR sprach zu ihr: Zwei Völker sind in deinem Leibe, und zweierlei Leute werden sich scheiden aus deinem Leibe; und ein Volk wird dem andern überlegen sein, und der Größere wird dem Kleinem dienen.

24 Da nun die Zeit kam, daß sie gebären sollte, siehe, da waren Zwillinge in ihrem Leibe.

25 Der erste, der herauskam, war rötlich, ganz rauch wie ein Fell; und sie nannten ihn Esau.

26 Zuhand danach kam heraus sein Bruder, der hielt mit seiner Hand die Ferse des Esau; und hießen ihn Jakob. Sechzig Jahre alt war Isaak, da sie geboren wurden.

27 Und da nun die Knaben groß wurden, ward Esau ein Jäger und ein Ackermann, Jakob aber ein frommer Mann und blieb in den Hütten.

28 Und Isaak hatte Esau lieb und aß gern von seinem Weidwerk; Rebekka aber hatte Jakob lieb.

29 Und Jakob kochte ein Gericht. Da kam Esau vom Felde und war müde

30 und sprach zu Jakob: Laß mich kosten das rote Gericht, denn ich bin müde. Daher heißt er Edom.

31 Aber Jakob sprach: Verkaufe mir heute deine Erstgeburt.

32 Esau antwortete: Siehe, ich muß doch sterben, was soll mir dann die Erstgeburt?

33 Jakob sprach: So schwöre mir heute. Und er schwur ihm und verkaufte also Jakob seine Erstgeburt.

34 Da gab ihm Jakob Brot und das Linsengericht, und er und trank; und stund auf und ging davon. Also verachtete Esau seine Erstgeburt.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #3242

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3242. And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. That this signifies the derivations from the third class, can be seen from the representation of Midian, as being those who are in the truth of faith (concerning which below); and as those who are in the truth of faith are “Midian,” it follows that his “sons” are the derivations therefrom. With those who are in the truth of faith the case is this: No one is admitted into the Lord’s kingdom unless he is in the good of faith, for the good of faith is of the life, and the life of faith remains, but not the doctrine of faith, except insofar as it makes one with the life; nevertheless they who are in the truth of faith (that is, who profess faith and call it essential, because they have so learned) and yet are in the good of life (that is, who are Christians in heart and not in profession only), are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. For anyone may easily be persuaded that faith is the essential when he has been so taught by his instructors and has imbibed this opinion in his childhood, and because they who are reputed most learned and the heads of the church say so, some of whom are afraid to speak of the good of life because their life condemns them; moreover the things that belong to faith flow in perceptibly, but not so those which belong to charity.

[2] They therefore who are in the truth of faith and yet in the good of life, are they who are called Midian;” and the truths according to which they live are the “sons of Midian;” and as those who are in the truth of faith conjoined with its good are “Midian,” so also in the opposite sense are those who are in falsity from not having the good of life, as can be seen from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

The abundance of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah (Isaiah 60:6); where the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is treated of. The “dromedaries of Midian and Ephah” denote doctrinal things; doctrinal things of good are “gold;” those of truth are “frankincense;” both are the “praises of Jehovah;” hence also it is manifest what “Ephah” signifies. (That by the “Midianites” who drew Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites, and into Egypt to Potiphar, Genesis 37:28, 36, are signified those who are in the truth of simple good, will be seen, of the Lord’s Divine mercy, in the explication of these verses hereafter.)

[3] That by “Midian” are also signified those who are in falsity because they have not the goods of life, can be seen from what is said concerning Midian in Moses:

The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian, with the rewards of divination in their hand, went to Balaam, and spake to him the words of Balak (Numbers 22:4, 7, etc.).

In a good sense “Moab” denotes those who are in natural good and suffer themselves to be easily led astray; but in the opposite sense, those who adulterate goods (n. 2468). In a good sense “Midian” denotes those who are in the truth of simple good, as before said, and who thus allow themselves to be easily persuaded; in the opposite sense, as here, those who falsify truths. The falsifications are signified by “the rewards of divination in their hand;” and the deeds from these falsities, by their sending to Balaam in hostility to the sons of Israel, who denote the goods and derivative truths of faith.

[4] The like was signified by the whoredoms of the sons of Israel with the women of the Midianites, resulting in a plague, which was stayed by Phinehas thrusting his spear through the Midianitish woman and the man of Israel in the brothel (Numbers 25:6-8); for by whoredoms were represented the falsifications of truth (n. 2466, 2729). And because falsifications of truth are what in the internal sense are signified by whoredoms, therefore by command twelve thousand of the sons of Israel smote the Midianites, slew their kings, and every male, and the women whom they had led captive that had known a man, and divided the spoil among themselves (Numbers 25:16-17; 31:1-54 the end). The reason why there were twelve thousand, was that “twelve” signified all things of faith (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130), by which falsities are destroyed; the “kings” whom they killed are falsities, and so is “every male;” the “women that had known a man” are the affections of falsity; the “spoil” (as gold, silver, cattle) are the truths that were falsified; from all which it is evident that each and all of the things there mentioned are representative of the punishment and destruction of what is false by means of truths.

[5] It is similar in regard to what is said of the Midianites in the book of Judges, namely, that the sons of Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, were given into the hand of Midian seven years; and that the sons of Israel, by reason of Midian, made for themselves caves in the mountains, and also dens, and fortified places; and when Israel had sown, that Midian and Amalek and the sons of the east came up and ravaged the produce of their land; and afterwards that they were delivered by Gideon with three hundred men who lapped water with the tongue like a dog, and that those were sent home who bowed upon the knees and drank, besides other particulars (chapters 6, 7, 8). Here also the things mentioned each and all are representative of the falsification of truth, and of punishment on this account, even to their being destroyed by such things as are signified by lapping water with the tongue like a dog; but what each particular signifies in the internal sense it would be too tedious to unfold here; yet of the Lord’s Divine mercy it shall be told in its place.

In Habakkuk:

He beheld, and dispersed the nations; and the eternal mountains 1 were scattered, the everlasting hills did bow. I saw the tents of Cushan under Aven, the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble (Hab. 3:6-7); where the advent of the Lord is treated of. The “tents of Cushan” denote a religiosity from evil; the “curtains of the land of Midian,” one from falsity.

Fußnoten:

1. Literally, “the mountains of time.”

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