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1 Mose 23

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1 Sara ward hundertsiebenundzwanzig Jahre alt

2 und starb in Kirjat-Arba, das Hebron heißt, im Lande Kanaan. Da kam Abraham, daß er sie beklagte und beweinte.

3 Darnach stand er auf von seiner Leiche und redete mit den Kindern Heth und sprach:

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

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

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

7 Da stand Abraham auf und bückte sich vor dem Volk des Landes, vor den Kindern Heth.

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

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

10 Ephron aber saß unter den Kindern Heth. Da antwortete Ephron, der Hethiter, Abraham, daß zuhörten die Kinder Heth, 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 darin dazu und übergebe dir's vor den Augen der Kinder meines Volkes, zu begraben deinen Toten.

12 Da bückte sich Abraham vor dem Volk des Landes

13 und redete mit Ephron, daß zuhörte 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 vierhun dert Lot Silber 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 zuhörten die Kinder Heth, vierhundert Lot Silber, das im Kauf gang und gäbe war.

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

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

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

20 Also ward bestätigt der Acker und die Höhle darin Abraham zum Erbbegräbnis von den Kindern Heth.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2966

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2966. Four hundred shekels of silver. That this signifies the price of redemption, was shown above (n. 2959); but what the price of redemption is shall now be told. Redemption is of the Lord alone, and so too is the price of redemption; and this price is also predicated of the reception by man, with whom the price is great according to the reception. The price of redemption is the Lord’s merit and righteousness through the most grievous temptations, whereby He united the Human Essence to the Divine, and the Divine Essence to the Human, and this by His own power; and by this unition saved the human race, and especially those who are of the spiritual church. (That the Lord was made righteousness through the most grievous temptations, may be seen above, n. 1813, 2025-2027; also that He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, and the Divine to the Human, n. 1725, 1729, 1733, 1737, 1813, 2083; and that He did this from His own power, n. 1616, 1921, 2025, 2026, 2083, 2500, 2523, 2632; and by this unition saved the human race, and especially those who are of the spiritual church, n. 2661, 2716.) These are the things which are signified by the “price of redemption.”

[2] That this price is also predicated of the reception with man, with whom it is great in proportion to his reception, is evident from the fact that it is the Lord’s Divine which makes the church with man; for nothing is called the church that is not the Lord’s own; for it is the good which is of love and charity, and it is the truth which is of faith, which make that which is called the church. That all good is from the Lord, and that all truth is from Him, is well known; good and truth that are from man are not good and truth; and from this it is plain that the price of redemption with a man is great in proportion to his reception.

[3] As with the Jews the Lord’s redemption was so little esteemed as to be scarcely anything, it is said in Zechariah:

I said unto them, If it be good in your eyes, give me my hire, and if not, forbear. And they weighed my hire, thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was priced at of them (Zech. 11:12-13).

And in Matthew:

They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was priced, whom they had bought from the sons of Israel, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me (Matthew 27:9-10).

That “thirty” denotes what is so little as to be scarcely anything, may be seen above (n. 2276); thus this passage denotes that the Jews placed no value on the merit and redemption of the Lord. But with those who believe all good and all truth to be from the Lord, the price of redemption is signified by “forty,” and in a higher degree by “four hundred.”

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1725

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1725. Melchizedek. That this signifies the celestial things of the interior man in the Lord, may be seen from the signification of the name “Melchizedek,” to be explained presently; and also from the things that precede and from those which follow. What the internal man is, and what the interior man, and what the external, has been sufficiently shown above; also that the internal man flows in through the interior man into the external; as also that the internal man flows into the interior man either by celestial things or by spiritual things; by celestial things with every regenerate man, that is, with those who live in love to the Lord and in love toward the neighbor; but by spiritual things with every man, whatever his quality may be; thence is his light from heaven, that is, his ability to think and speak, and to be a man. On this subject see what was said before (n. 1707).

[2] The celestial things of the interior man are all those which are of celestial love, as has often been said before. These celestial things in the Lord’s interior man, or the Lord’s interior man as to these celestial things, is called “Melchizedek.” The internal man in the Lord was Jehovah Himself. The interior man, when purified after the combats of temptations, was also made Divine and Jehovah; in like manner also the external; but now, when the interior man was in the state of the combats of temptation, and was not yet much purified by the combats of the temptations, it is called as to the celestial things “Melchizedek,” that is, “King of holiness and righteousness.”

[3] That this is really so, may also be seen in David, where the Lord’s combats of temptations are in like manner treated of, and at last His interior man as to celestial things is called “Melchizedek.” Thus in David:

Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Jehovah shall send forth the scepter of Thy strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people are willing offerings in the day of Thy might; in honors of holiness; from the womb of the morning Thou hast the dew of Thy birth. 1 Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after My word 2 Melchizedek. The Lord at Thy right hand smote through kings in the day of His anger (Psalms 110:1-5).

Here the Lord’s combats of temptations with the hells are treated of, as in the chapter before us, as may be seen from every word. That the Lord is here treated of He Himself teaches (see Matthew 22:41-43; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-44); to “make His enemies His footstool,” to “rule in the midst of His enemies,” the “day of might,” to “smite kings in the day of His anger,” signify the combats of temptations, and victories.

Footnotes:

1. Nativitatis; but elsewhere juventutis, as T.C.R. 764 [Rotch ed.]

1. Juxta verbum meum; but elsewhere juxta modum, as n. 6148. [Idem.]

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