The Bible

 

Postanak 23

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1 Duljina Sarina života bila je stotinu dvadeset i sedam godina.

2 Sara umrije u Kirjat Arbi, to jest u Hebronu, u zemlji kanaanskoj; i Abraham uđe u žalost za Sarom i naricaše za njom.

3 Potom se Abraham digne ispred svoje pokojnice te prozbori sinovima Hetovim:

4 "Premda sam ja među vama doseljeni stranac, prodajte mi zemljište za grob među vama, tako da mogu iznijeti svoju pokojnicu i sahraniti je."

5 A sinovi Hetovi odgovore Abrahamu:

6 "Gospodine, saslušaj nas! Ti si izabranik Božji u našoj sredini. Pokopaj svoju pokojnicu u našem najbiranijem grobu. Nitko ti od nas neće odbiti svoga groba da mogneš sahraniti svoju pokojnicu."

7 Nato se Abraham diže pa se mještanima, sinovima Hetovim, duboko pokloni

8 te im reče: "Ako se slažete da svoju pokojnicu uklonim i sahranim, čujte me: zauzmite se za me kod Efrona, sina Soharova,

9 da mi proda spilju Makpelu što njemu pripada a nalazi se na kraju njegova posjeda; neka mi je za punu cijenu, u vašoj nazočnosti, proda u vlasništvo za sahranjivanje."

10 A Efron je sjedio sa sinovima Hetovim. Potom Efron, Hetit, odgovori Abrahamu da ga čuju sinovi Hetovi svojim ušima - svi koji su sjedili u vijeću onoga grada:

11 "Ne, moj gospodine! Saslušaj mene! Ja tebi dajem poljanu i spilju što je na njoj; darujem ti to pred sinovima svoga naroda. Sahrani svoju pokojnicu."

12 Abraham se duboko nakloni mještanima,

13 a onda progovori Efronu da mještani čuju na svoje uši: "Ded me samo poslušaj! Dajem ti cijenu za poljanu; primi je od mene da ondje mogu sahraniti svoju pokojnicu!"

14 Efron odgovori Abrahamu:

15 "Čuj me, moj gospodine: zemljište u vrijednosti od četiri stotine srebrnika, što je to tebi i meni! Sahrani, dakle, svoju pokojnicu!"

16 Abraham se složi s Efronom; isplati Abraham Efronu novac što ga je spomenuo tako da su na svoje uši čuli sinovi Hetovi - četiri stotine srebrnika trgovačke mjere.

17 I tako Efronova poljana u Makpeli nasuprot Mamri - poljana, spilja i sva stabla što su bila na poljani -

18 prijeđe u vlasništvo Abrahamovo u nazočnosti sinova Hetovih, sviju koji su sjedili u vijeću svoga grada.

19 A onda Abraham sahrani svoju ženu Saru u spilji na poljani Makpeli nasuprot Mamri - danas Hebronu - u zemlji kanaanskoj.

20 Tako je poljana i spilja na njoj prešla od sinova Hetovih u vlasništvo Abrahamovo za sahranjivanje.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3183

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3183. 'And her nurse' means from the innocence belonging to that affection, that is to say, which also they sent away, or separated from themselves. This is clear from the meaning of 'a nurse' or wet nurse, as innocence. Sucklings and those who suckle them are mentioned frequently in the Word, where they mean the first state that young children pass through, which is plainly a state of innocence. For as soon as anyone is born he is brought into a state of innocence. This state then serves as the basis of all other states and is the inner core of them all; and this state is meant in the Word by 'a suckling'. After he has been brought into a state of innocence he is led into a state of affection for celestial good, that is, into a state of love towards parents, which with them exists in place of love to the Lord; this state is meant by 'a young child'. After that he is led into a state of affection for spiritual good, which is mutual love, or charity towards those who are children like himself, which state is meant by the expression 'boys'. When he grows up further still he is led into a state of affection for truth; this is meant by the expression 'young men'. Subsequent states however are meant by 'men' and at last 'old men'. This final state, which is meant by the expression 'old men', is a state of wisdom which has the innocence of earliest childhood within it, and so the first state and the last are united. And when he is old, being so to speak a small child again yet one who is now wise, that person is led into the Lord's kingdom.

[2] From this it becomes clear that innocence is the first state, which is that of 'a suckling'. A woman who suckles an infant other than her own also means innocence therefore, for the state of giver and receiver, as with the one who acts and the other who is acted upon, is perceived as being similar. The reason why here it is said that they sent away 'the nurse' or wet nurse too is so that the affection for truth might be described, that is to say, that it sprang from innocence; for it is not the affection for truth unless it has innocence within it, 2526, 2780, 3111. Indeed it is by means of innocence that the Lord flows into that affection, doing so together with wisdom since true innocence is wisdom itself, see 2305, 2306; and those who possess it are seen in the eyes of angels as infants or small children, 154, 2306.

[3] That 'a suckling' in the Word means innocence is also evident from other places, as in David,

Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings You have founded strength. Psalms 8:2; Matthew 21:16.

Here 'infants' stands for celestial love, 'sucklings' for innocence. In Jeremiah,

Why are you committing great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling from the midst of Judah, so that I cause no remnant to be left to you? Jeremiah 44:7.

Here similarly 'infant and suckling' stands for celestial love and its innocence. When these cease to exist no remnants exist any longer, that is, no good or truth that has been stored away by the Lord in the internal man remains any longer, remnants being good and truth stored away there by Him, see 1906, 2284. For when innocence perishes so do all goods and truths, for innocence comes directly from the Divine Himself, and so is the essential element in them. In the same prophet,

The infant and the suckling faint in the streets of the city. Lamentations 2:11.

Here the meaning is similar. In the same prophet,

The sea monsters give the breast, they suckle their young; the daughter of My people is cruel, the tongue of the suckling has cleaved to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the little children begged for bread, none held it out to them. Lamentations 4:3-4.

Again 'suckling' stands for innocence, 'little children' for affections for good. In Moses,

Outside the sword will bereave - and out of the chambers terror - both young man and virgin, and suckling together with old man. Deuteronomy 32:25.

'The sword will bereave young man, virgin, and suckling together with old man' stands for the fact that falsity will destroy the affection for truth and the affection for good, and also innocence together with wisdom. In Isaiah,

They will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulder; and kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your wet nurses. Isaiah 49:22-23.

'Kings as foster fathers' stands for intelligence, 'queens as wet nurses' for wisdom, which, as stated above, is the wisdom that goes with innocence.

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