Genesi 23:17
To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.
Arcana Coelestia #2965
2965. 'Which he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth' means according to the propensity of those who belonged to the new Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'speaking in the ears' and of 'the sons of Heth'. 'Speaking' in the internal sense means both perceiving (see 2619) and 'willing' (see 2626), while 'the ears' means obedience, 2542. Consequently 'speaking in the ears of' means according to their propensity, for propensity is the ability to receive and then to obey what someone perceives and wills. And the meaning of 'the sons of Heth' as those who belonged to the new spiritual Church is dealt with above in 2913. The consideration that the member of the Church is reformed, that is, has the truth of faith implanted in him, and that this is joined to good that is the good of charity, will be discussed further on in this verse, in 2967.
