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1 Mose 23

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1 Sara war hundertsiebenundzwanzig Jahre alt

2 und starb in der Hauptstadt, die heißt Hebron, im Lande Kanaan. Da kam Abraham, daß er sie klagete und beweinete.

3 Danach stund er auf von seiner Leiche und redete mit den Kindern Heths und sprach:

4 Ich bin ein Fremder und Einwohner bei euch; gebet mir ein Erbbegräbnis bei euch, daß ich meinen Toten begrabe, der vor mir liegt.

5 Da antworteten Abraham die Kinder Heths und sprachen zu ihm:

6 Höre uns, lieber HERR! Du bist ein Fürst Gottes unter uns; begrabe deinen Toten in unsern ehrlichsten Gräbern; kein Mensch soll dir unter uns wehren, daß du in seinem Grabe nicht begrabest deinen Toten.

7 Da stund Abraham auf und bückte sich vor dem Volk des Landes, nämlich vor den Kindern Heths.

8 Und er redete mit ihnen und sprach: Gefällt es euch, daß ich meinen Toten, der vor mir liegt, begrabe, so höret mich und bittet für mich gegen Ephron, dem Sohn Zoars,

9 daß er mir gebe seine zwiefache Höhle, die er hat am Ende seines Ackers; er gebe mir sie um Geld, soviel sie wert ist, unter euch zum Erbbegräbnis.

10 Denn Ephron wohnete unter den Kindern Heths. Da antwortete Ephron, der Hethiter, Abraham, daß zuhöreten die Kinder Heths, vor allen, die zu seiner Stadt Tor aus und ein gingen, und sprach:

11 Nein, mein HERR, sondern höre mir zu. Ich schenke dir den Acker, und die Höhle drinnen dazu, und übergebe dir's vor den Augen der Kinder meines Volks, zu begraben deinen Toten.

12 Da bückte sich Abraham vor dem Volk des Landes

13 und redete mit Ephron, daß zuhörete das Volk des Landes, und sprach: Willst du mir ihn lassen, so bitte ich, nimm von mir das Geld für den Acker, das ich dir gebe, so will ich meinen Toten daselbst begraben.

14 Ephron antwortete Abraham und sprach zu ihm:

15 Mein HERR, höre doch mich! Das Feld ist vierhundert Sekel Silbers wert; was ist das aber zwischen mir und dir? Begrabe nur deinen Toten.

16 Abraham gehorchte Ephron und wog ihm das Geld dar, das er gesagt hatte, daß zuhöreten die Kinder Heths nämlich vierhundert Sekel Silbers, das im Kauf gang und gäbe war.

17 Also ward Ephrons Acker, darin die zwiefache Höhle ist, gegen Mamre über, Abraham zum eigenen Gut bestätiget, mit der Höhle darinnen und mit allen Bäumen auf dem Acker umher,

18 daß die Kinder Heths zusahen und alle, die zu seiner Stadt Tor aus und ein gingen.

19 Danach begrub Abraham Sara, sein Weib, in der Höhle des Ackers, die zwiefach ist, gegen Mamre über, das ist, Hebron, im Lande Kanaan.

20 Also ward bestätiget der Acker und die Höhle darinnen Abraham zum Erbbegräbnis von den Kindern Heths.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #2904

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2904. The lives of Sarah were. That this signifies the times and states of the church as to the truths Divine that preceded, is evident from the signification here of “lives;” and from the representation of “Sarah.” “Lives,” here, because they regard age and its periods, namely, infancy, youth, adult age, and old age, signify states, as do all times in general (see n. 2625, 2788, 2837); and because the following verses treat of the church, therefore “lives” signify the times and states of the church. That “Sarah” is truth Divine, may be seen above (n. 1468, 1901, 2063, 2172, 2173, 2198, 2507); from which it follows that by “the lives of Sarah were,” in the internal sense are here signified the times and states of the church as to the truths Divine which preceded.

[2] That Sarah, while alive as Abraham’s wife, represented the Lord’s Divine Truth conjoined with His Divine Good, may be seen from the places above cited; and because the Lord’s Divine Truth was represented by her, so also the truth Divine of the church is signified; for in the church there is no other truth than that which is the Lord’s. Truth which is not from Him is not truth; as is also evident from the Word and from the doctrine of faith derived from it. It is evident from the Word, in John:

A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven (John 3:27).

Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

And the same is evident from the doctrine of faith, in that the all of faith, that is, all truth, is from the Lord.

[3] All and each of the representatives and significatives in the Word, in the highest sense regard the Lord; hence is the very life of the Word; and as they regard the Lord, they regard His kingdom also, for the Lord is the all in His kingdom; the Divine things which are from the Lord in His kingdom make the kingdom. Therefore insofar as an angel, spirit, or man receives good and truth from the Lord, and believes that it is from the Lord, so far he is in His kingdom; but insofar as he does not receive and does not believe that it is from the Lord, so far he is not in His kingdom. Thus the Divine things that are from the Lord make His kingdom, or heaven; and this is what is meant by the Lord being the all in His kingdom.

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

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Arcana Coelestia #2625

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2625. At the appointed time. That this signifies when the rational was such as to receive, is evident from the signification of “time.” There are two things which while man lives in the world appear to be essential, because they are proper to nature, namely, space and time. Hence to live in space and time is to live in the world or in nature. But in the other life these two things are of no consequence. In the world of spirits indeed they do appear to be of some consequence, for the reason that spirits fresh from the body still retain the idea of natural things; yet it is not long before they perceive that there is no space and time there, but state instead; and that in the other life states correspond to spaces and times in nature; to spaces states as to Being [esse], and to times states as to Coming forth [existere]. (In regard to space or place see above, n. 1274, 1379, 1380, 1382)

[2] From this anyone can see what kind of an idea a man may have, while in the world or in nature, respecting the things of the other life and many arcana of faith; namely, that he is not willing to believe them until he apprehends them by means of the things in the world, nay, by sensuous things; for he must needs suppose that if he were to put off the idea of space and time, and still more space and time themselves, he would become absolutely nothing; and thus that he would have nothing left from which he could feel and think, except something confused and incomprehensible; when yet the case is exactly the reverse. Angelic life is of such a nature as to be the wisest and happiest of all.

[3] This is the reason why in the Word “ages” in the internal sense do not signify ages, but states; so that in this verse “old age” does not mean old age. And in the same way the numbers do not signify numbers, but some specific state, as for instance the number a hundred years, concerning which hereafter. From this we can now see that by the “appointed time” is signified the state when the rational was such as to receive.

[4] In regard to the specific matter here treated of, namely, that the Divine rational was and came forth from the unition of the Divine spiritual with the Divine celestial of the Lord, when the days were fulfilled for the human to be put off, and when the rational was such as to receive (all of which is signified in the internal sense by Sarah’s conceiving and bearing to Abraham a son to his old age at the appointed time), be it known that the human begins in the inmost of the rational (see n. 2106, 2194); and that the Lord advanced successively to the union of the Human Essence with the Divine Essence, and of the Divine Essence with the Human Essence (n. 1864, 2033, 2523); and this by His own power (n. 1921, 2025, 2026, 2083), by continual temptations and victories (n. 1737, 1813, 1690), and by continual revelations from His Divine (n. 1616, 2500); and this until at length He had expelled all the maternal human (n. 1414, 1444, 2574); and thus had made His Human Divine in respect to the rational, according to the things contained in this verse. Hence it is manifest what is to be understood by the days being fulfilled for the human to be put off, and by the rational being such as to receive.

[5] Some idea of this may be formed from what takes place in those who are being regenerated. The celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith are not at once implanted in them by the Lord, but successively; and when by means of them the man’s rational has become such that it can receive, then for the first time is he becoming regenerate, for the most part by means of temptations in which he conquers. When these things take place, the days are fulfilled for him to put off the old man, and to put on the new. (Concerning man’s regeneration, see above, n. 677, 679, 711, 848, 986, 1555, 2475)

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