The Bible

 

Genesis 25

Study

   

1 And Abraham took another wife named Keturah.

2 And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan; and the sons of Dedan were the Asshurim, and the Letushim, and the Leummim.

4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, and Enoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah.

5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.

6 And to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and, while he yet lived, sent them away from Isaac his son, eastward to the east country.

7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: a hundred and seventy-five years.

8 And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and full [of days]; and was gathered to his peoples.

9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which was opposite to Mamre --

10 the field that Abraham had purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer-lahai-roi.

12 And these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's bondwoman, bore to Abraham.

13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names according to their generations: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedmah.

16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, in their hamlets and their encampments -- twelve princes of their peoples.

17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: a hundred and thirty-seven years; and he expired and died, and was gathered to his peoples.

18 And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite to Egypt, as one goes towards Assyria. He settled before the face of all his brethren.

19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac.

20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

21 And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife, because she was barren; and Jehovah was entreated of him, and Rebecca his wife conceived.

22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If [it be] so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of Jehovah.

23 And Jehovah said to her, Two nations are in thy womb, And Two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; And one people shall be stronger than the other people, And the elder shall serve the younger.

24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25 And the first came out red -- all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

26 And after that came his brother out; and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

27 And the boys grew, and Esau became a man skilled in hunting, a man of the field; and Jacob was a homely man, dwelling in tents.

28 And Isaac loved Esau, because venison was to his taste; and Rebecca loved Jacob.

29 And Jacob had cooked a dish; and Esau came from the field, and he was faint.

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with the red -- the red thing there, for I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me now thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am going to die, and of what use can the birthright be to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear unto me now. And he swore unto him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and the dish of lentils; and he ate and drank, and rose up and went away. Thus Esau despised the birthright.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3267

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

3267. 'By their names, according to their births' means interior characteristics according to derivatives of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'name' as the essential nature, or of 'names' as the essential characteristics, dealt with immediately above in 3266, here interior characteristics since the words used are 'these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names'. In the first case 'the names' means the general characteristics, but here in the second case specific characteristics residing within those general ones are meant, that is, those which in relation to the general are interior. The word 'names' also means interior characteristics because these characteristics go according to derivatives of faith, meant by 'according to their births' - 'births' meaning derivatives of faith, and so of the Church, see 1145, 1255, 1330, 3263.

[2] The situation with the Lord's spiritual Church is that it is spread throughout the whole world, and wherever it exists varies so far as matters of belief or truths of faith are concerned. Those variations are the derivatives meant by 'births', which occur either simultaneously or consecutively. The same applies to the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the heavens - that is to say, in matters of faith variety is so great that not one community, nor even one member of a community, is in complete agreement with any other in the things which constitute the truths of faith, 3241. But for all that, the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the heavens is one, the reason being that with everyone charity is the chief thing, for charity makes the spiritual Church, not faith, unless you say that faith is charity.

[3] Anyone who has charity loves the neighbour, and when the latter differs from him in matters of belief he thinks nothing of it provided he leads a life that is good and true. Neither also does he condemn upright gentiles, in spite of the fact that they have no knowledge of the Lord and do not know any truth of faith. For the person who has charity, that is, who leads a good life, receives such truths from the Lord as agree with his good, and gentiles receive such things as can be turned in the next life into the truths of faith, 2599-2603. But the person who has no charity, that is, who does not lead a good life, cannot receive any truth. He can indeed know the truth, but it is not implanted in his life. He is indeed able to speak that truth with his lips, but not have it in his heart, for truth cannot be joined to evil. For this reason also, although they are in the Church because they were born in it, those who know truths which they call matters of belief and yet do not lead a charitable or good life nevertheless do not belong to the Church. For they have nothing of the Church within them, that is, no good at all to which truth may be joined.

  
/ 10837  
  

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