The Bible

 

Genesis 23

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1 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡ ζωὴ σαρρας ἔτη ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτά

2 καὶ ἀπέθανεν σαρρα ἐν πόλει αρβοκ ἥ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ κοιλώματι αὕτη ἐστὶν χεβρων ἐν γῇ χανααν ἦλθεν δὲ αβρααμ κόψασθαι σαρραν καὶ πενθῆσαι

3 καὶ ἀνέστη αβρααμ ἀπὸ τοῦ νεκροῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς υἱοῖς χετ λέγων

4 πάροικος καὶ παρεπίδημος ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν δότε οὖν μοι κτῆσιν τάφου μεθ' ὑμῶν καὶ θάψω τὸν νεκρόν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ

5 ἀπεκρίθησαν δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ χετ πρὸς αβρααμ λέγοντες

6 μή κύριε ἄκουσον δὲ ἡμῶν βασιλεὺς παρὰ θεοῦ εἶ σὺ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μνημείοις ἡμῶν θάψον τὸν νεκρόν σου οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸ μνημεῖον αὐτοῦ κωλύσει ἀπὸ σοῦ τοῦ θάψαι τὸν νεκρόν σου ἐκεῖ

7 ἀναστὰς δὲ αβρααμ προσεκύνησεν τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς τοῖς υἱοῖς χετ

8 καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς αβρααμ λέγων εἰ ἔχετε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν ὥστε θάψαι τὸν νεκρόν μου ἀπὸ προσώπου μου ἀκούσατέ μου καὶ λαλήσατε περὶ ἐμοῦ εφρων τῷ τοῦ σααρ

9 καὶ δότω μοι τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ διπλοῦν ὅ ἐστιν αὐτῷ τὸ ὂν ἐν μέρει τοῦ ἀγροῦ αὐτοῦ ἀργυρίου τοῦ ἀξίου δότω μοι αὐτὸ ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς κτῆσιν μνημείου

10 εφρων δὲ ἐκάθητο ἐν μέσῳ τῶν υἱῶν χετ ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εφρων ὁ χετταῖος πρὸς αβρααμ εἶπεν ἀκουόντων τῶν υἱῶν χετ καὶ πάντων τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν λέγων

11 παρ' ἐμοὶ γενοῦ κύριε καὶ ἄκουσόν μου τὸν ἀγρὸν καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ σοι δίδωμι ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν πολιτῶν μου δέδωκά σοι θάψον τὸν νεκρόν σου

12 καὶ προσεκύνησεν αβρααμ ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς

13 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ εφρων εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς γῆς ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἐμοῦ εἶ ἄκουσόν μου τὸ ἀργύριον τοῦ ἀγροῦ λαβὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ θάψω τὸν νεκρόν μου ἐκεῖ

14 ἀπεκρίθη δὲ εφρων τῷ αβρααμ λέγων

15 οὐχί κύριε ἀκήκοα γῆ τετρακοσίων διδράχμων ἀργυρίου ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ τί ἂν εἴη τοῦτο σὺ δὲ τὸν νεκρόν σου θάψον

16 καὶ ἤκουσεν αβρααμ τοῦ εφρων καὶ ἀπεκατέστησεν αβρααμ τῷ εφρων τὸ ἀργύριον ὃ ἐλάλησεν εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῶν υἱῶν χετ τετρακόσια δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου δοκίμου ἐμπόροις

17 καὶ ἔστη ὁ ἀγρὸς εφρων ὃς ἦν ἐν τῷ διπλῷ σπηλαίῳ ὅς ἐστιν κατὰ πρόσωπον μαμβρη ὁ ἀγρὸς καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ πᾶν δένδρον ὃ ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ ὅ ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ

18 τῷ αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν χετ καὶ πάντων τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν

19 μετὰ ταῦτα ἔθαψεν αβρααμ σαρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τῷ διπλῷ ὅ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι μαμβρη αὕτη ἐστὶν χεβρων ἐν τῇ γῇ χανααν

20 καὶ ἐκυρώθη ὁ ἀγρὸς καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ αβρααμ εἰς κτῆσιν τάφου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν χετ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2979

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2979. 'Abraham buried Sarah his wife' means that they received truth joined to good from the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'burying' as regenerating, dealt with above in 2916, 2917 - the fact that man was regenerate once he had received truth joined to good from the Lord will be discussed next; from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, often dealt with already; and from the representation of 'Sarah as a wife' as truth joined to good, dealt with in 2063, 2065, 2507.

[2] The regeneration of the spiritual man proceeds as follows: At first he is taught the truths of faith, during which time the Lord maintains his affection for truth. At the same time the good of faith, which is charity towards the neighbour, is instilled into him, though in such a way that he hardly knows it because that good lies concealed within the affection for truth. All this takes place to the end that the truth of faith may be joined to the good of charity. As time goes by the affection for the truth of faith increases and truth is seen because of its end in view, which is good, or what amounts to the same, life. That affection grows more and more. In this way is truth instilled into good, and while it is being instilled the person absorbs into himself the good of life in accordance with the truth that has been instilled into it. Thus he acts, or seems to himself to act, from good. Prior to this the truth of faith has been for him the chief thing, but after this the good of life becomes the chief thing.

[3] At this point the person is regenerate, but regenerate according to the nature and extent of truth instilled into good. And when truth and good act as one, he is regenerate according to the nature and extent of the good. This is how regeneration proceeds. Regeneration is carried out to the end that a person may be received into heaven - heaven being nothing else than the marriage of truth and good, and of good and truth, see 2508, 2618, 2728, 2729. Unless the marriage of truth and good is effected in a person he cannot be in the heavenly marriage, that is, be in heaven.

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