Arcana Coelestia #3154
3154. Verses 34-48. And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And Jehovah hath blessed my lord exceedingly, and hath made him great, and hath given him flock and herd, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. And Sarah, my lord’s wife, bare a son to my lord after she was old; and he hath given unto him all that he hath. And my lord made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a woman for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my family, and take a woman for my son. And I said unto my lord, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a woman for my son from my family, and from my father’s house. Then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my family; and if they give not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath. And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, O Jehovah God of my lord Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way wherein I do walk; behold I stand by the fountain of waters; and let it come to pass that the maiden which cometh forth to draw, and to whom I shall say, Let me drink, I pray, a little water from thy pitcher; and she shall say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels, let her be the woman whom Jehovah hath appointed for my lord’s son. I scarcely had done speaking in my heart, when behold Rebekah came forth, and her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the fountain and drew; and I said into her, Let me drink, I pray. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from upon her, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; and I drank, and she gave drink to the camels also. And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bare unto him. And I put the jewel upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bent and bowed myself down to Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah God of my lord Abraham, who led me into the way of truth, to take the daughter of my lord’s brother for his son.
[2] “He said, I am Abraham’s servant,” signifies that it was from the Divine good; “and Jehovah hath blessed my lord exceedingly, and hath made him great,” signifies the Divine Human as to good and as to truth; “and hath given him flock and herd,” signifies goods in general; “and silver and gold,” signifies truths in general; “and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses,” signifies truths specifically. “And Sarah, my lord’s wife, bare a son to my lord,” signifies the Divine rational, from Divine truth; “after she was old,” signifies when the state was; “and he hath given unto him all that he hath,” signifies that to the Divine rational belong all Divine things.
[3] “And my lord made me swear,” signifies here as before, a binding pledge, and a sacred obligation; “saying, Thou shalt not take a woman for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite,” signifies here as before, that the Divine rational was not to be conjoined with any affection not in agreement with truth; “in whose land I dwell,” signifies the discordant things in which Divine good is. “But thou shalt go unto my father’s house,” signifies good which is from the Divine; “and to my family,” signifies truth which is from the Divine; “and take a woman for my son,” signifies that thence should be conjunction.
[4] “And I said unto my lord, Peradventure the woman will not follow me,” signifies here as before the doubting of the natural mind concerning that affection, as to whether it was separable; “and he said unto me,” signifies instruction; “Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with thee,” signifies here as before, the Divine providence; “and prosper thy way,” signifies as to truth; “and thou shalt take a woman for my son,” signifies that there should be conjunction; “from my family, and from my father’s house,” signifies from the good and truth which are there from the Divine. “Then shalt thou be clear from my oath,” signifies here as before, the freedom which the natural man has; “when thou comest to my family, and if they give not to thee,” signifies as to the separation; “thou shalt be free from my oath,” signifies that then there shall be no blame to the natural man. The other words, to verse 48, signify the same as before.
Genesis 25
1
Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.
2
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3
Jokshan became the father of Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
4
The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5
Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac,
6
but to the sons of Abraham's concubines, Abraham gave gifts. He sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, to the east country.
7
These are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.
8
Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
9
Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre,
10
the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife.
11
It happened after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.
12
Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.
13
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
15
Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.
17
These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.
18
They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.
19
This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham became the father of Isaac.
20
Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.
21
Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22
The children struggled together within her. She said, "If it be so, why do I live?" She went to inquire of Yahweh.
23
Yahweh said to her, "Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger."
24
When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25
The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.
26
After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27
The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.
28
Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob.
29
Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.
30
Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom.
31
Jacob said, "First, sell me your birthright."
32
Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?"
33
Jacob said, "Swear to me first." He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob.
34
Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.
