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Genesis 23

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1 Sara levede 127 År, så mange var Saras Leveår.

2 Sara døde i Kirjat Arba, det er Hebron, i Kana'ans Land. Så gik Abraham hen og holdt Klage over Sara og begræd hende.

3 Og da han havde rejst sig fra sin døde, talte han således til Hetiterne:

4 "Jeg er Gæst og fremmed hos eder; men giv mig et Gravsted hos eder, så jeg kan jorde min døde og bringe hende bort fra mit Ansigt!"

5 Da svarede Hetiterne Abraham:

6 "Hør os, Herre! En Guds Fyrste er du jo iblandt os; jord du din døde i en af vore bedste Grave! Ikke en af os vil nægte dig sin Grav og hindre dig i at jorde din døde."

7 Men Abraham stod op og bøjede sig for Hetiterne, Folkene der på Stedet,

8 og sagde til dem: "Hvis I samtykker i, at jeg jorder min døde og bringer hende bort fra mit Ansigt, så føj mig i at lægge et godt Ord ind for mig hos Efron, Zohars Søn,

9 så han giver mig sin Klippehule i Makpela ved Udkanten af sin Mark; for fuld Betaling skal han i eders Nærværelse give mig den til Gravsted!"

10 Men Efron sad blandt Hetiterne; og Hetiten Efron svarede Abraham i Hetiternes Påhør, så mange som gik ind gennem hans Bys Port:

11 "Gid min Herre vilde høre mig! Marken giver jeg dig, og Hulen derpå giver jeg dig; i mit Folks Nærværelse giver jeg dig den; jord du kun din døde!"

12 Da bøjede Abraham sig for Folkene der på Stedet

13 og sagde til Efron i deres Påhør: "Om du blot - gid du dog vilde høre mig! Jeg giver dig, hvad Marken er værd; modtag det dog af mig, så jeg kan jorde min døde der."

14 Da sagde Efron til Abraham:

15 "Gid min Herre vilde høre mig! Et Stykke Land til 400 Sekel Sølv, hvad har det at sige mellem mig og dig? Jord du kun din døde!"

16 Og Abraham forstod Efron og tilvejede ham den Sum, han havde nævnet i Hetiternes Påhør, 400 Sekel Sølv i gangbar Mønt.

17 Således gik Efrons Mark i Makpela over for Mamre i hele sin Udstrækning tillige med Klippehulen og alle Træerne på Marken

18 over i Abrahams Eje i Hetiternes Næværelse, så mange som gik ind gennem hans Bys Port.

19 Derefter jordede Abraham sin Hustru Sara i Klippehulen på Makpelas Mark over for Mamre, det er Hebron, i Kana'ans Land.

20 Og Marken med Klippehulen derpå gik fra Hetiterne over til Abraham som Gravsted.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2935

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2935. That he may give me the cave of Machpelah. That this signifies obscurity of faith, is evident from the signification of a “cave,” as being what is obscure (see n. 2463); and from the signification of “Machpelah,” as being faith that is in obscurity. A “cave” signifies obscurity because it is a dark place; when a “cave of a mountain” is spoken of, it then means obscurity of good; but when it is said the “cave of the field of Machpelah,” it then means obscurity of truth. As it is here said, the “cave of Machpelah,” and Machpelah was where there was a field at the end of which was the cave, obscurity of truth is here meant, or what is the same, obscurity of faith; and hence also it is plain that “Machpelah” means faith which is in obscurity.

[2] Those who are being regenerated and being made spiritual are in the greatest obscurity as to truth. Good indeed flows in with them from the Lord, but not so much truth; wherefore between the Lord and the good with man there exist parallelism and correspondence, but not with the truth (see n. 1832). The primary cause of this is that those here treated of do not know what good is; and even if they should know, still they do not believe from the heart; and so long as good is in obscurity with them, so long is truth, for all truth is from good. But to make this more clear: They know only very obscurely that the Lord is good itself, and that all is good which is of love to Him and of charity toward the neighbor, and that all is truth which asserts this and confirms it; indeed they even cherish doubts, and admit reasonings against these things; and so long as they are in such a state, the light of truth from the Lord cannot flow in; they even think of the Lord as another man, and not as God; and they think of love to Him from some worldly love; what the genuine affection of charity toward the neighbor is they scarcely know, nor indeed what charity is and what the neighbor, when yet these are essentials. Hence it is evident how far the spiritual are in obscurity; and they are still more so before regeneration, which is the state here treated of.

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