The Bible

 

Postanak 23

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1 A požive Sara sto i dvadeset i sedam godina; to su godine veka Sarinog;

2 I umre Sara u Kirijat-Arvi, a to je Hevron, u zemlji hananskoj. I dođe Avram da ožali Saru i oplače.

3 A kad usta Avram od mrtvaca svog, reče sinovima Hetovim govoreći:

4 Stranac sam i došljak kod vas; dajte mi da imam grob kod vas da pogrebem mrtvaca svog ispred očiju svojih.

5 A sinovi Hetovi odgovoriše Avramu govoreći mu:

6 Čuj nas, gospodaru; ti si knez od Boga među nama; u najboljem grobu našem pogrebi mrtvaca svog; niko između nas neće ti zatvoriti grob svoj da ne pogrebeš mrtvaca svog.

7 Tada usta Avram i pokloni se narodu zemlje one, sinovima Hetovim;

8 I reče im govoreći: Ako hoćete da pogrebem mrtvaca svog ispred očiju svojih, poslušajte me, i govorite za mene Efronu sinu Sarovom,

9 Neka mi da pećinu u Makpeli, koja je nakraj njive njegove; za novce neka mi je da među vama koliko vredi, da imam grob.

10 A Efron seđaše usred sinova Hetovih. Pa reče Efron Hetejin Avramu pred sinovima Hetovim, koji slušahu, pred svim koji ulažahu na vrata grada njegovog, govoreći:

11 Ne, gospodaru; čuj me: poklanjam ti njivu, i pećinu kod nje poklanjam ti: pred sinovima naroda svog poklanjam ti je, pogrebi mrtvaca svog.

12 A Avram se pokloni narodu zemlje one,

13 I reče Efronu pred narodom zemlje one govoreći: Ako si voljan čuj me; da ti dam šta vredi njiva, uzmi od mene, pa ću onda pogrepsti mrtvaca svog onde.

14 A Efron odgovori Avramu govoreći mu:

15 Gospodaru, čuj me; zemlja vredi četiri stotine sikala srebra između mene i tebe; šta je to? Samo ti pogrebi mrtvaca svog.

16 A Avram čuvši Efrona izmeri mu srebro, koje reče pred sinovima Hetovim, četiri stotine sikala srebra, kako su išli među trgovcima.

17 I njiva Efronova u Makpeli prema Mamriji, njiva s pećinom koja je na njoj, i sva drveta na njivi i po međi njenoj unaokolo,

18 Posta Avramova pred sinovima Hetovim, pred svima koji ulaze na vrata grada onog.

19 Potom pogrebe Avram Saru ženu svoju u pećini na njivi Makpeli prema Mamriji, a to je Hevron, u zemlji hananskoj.

20 I potvrdiše sinovi Hetovi njivu i pećinu na njoj Avramu da ima grob.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2928

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2928. To the people of the land, to the sons of Heth. That this signifies by those who are of the spiritual church, is evident from the signification of “people,” as being those who are in truths, thus the spiritual (see n. 1259, 1260); from the signification of the “land,” as being the church (see n. 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 at the end); and from the signification of the “sons of Heth,” as being those who are of the new spiritual church (n. 2913). The “people of the land” are sometimes mentioned in the Word where it treats of Israel and of Jerusalem, and by them in the internal sense is signified the spiritual church, or those who are of the spiritual church; for by “Israel” and by “Jerusalem” this church is meant. When Judah and Zion are treated of, the term “nation” is used, for by “nation” is signified the celestial church; and this church is meant by “Judah” and by “Zion.”

[2] That it is said the “people of the land” when Israel and Jerusalem are treated of (thus where it treats of the spiritual church), is evident from many passages in the Word; as in Ezekiel:

Say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord Jehovih to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to the ground of Israel, They shall eat their bread in sadness, and shall drink their waters in devastation; that her land may be laid waste; the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate (Ezekiel 12:19-20); where in the internal sense Jerusalem and the ground of Israel denote the spiritual church; “bread” and “waters,” charity and faith, or good and truth; the “land,” the church itself, which is said to be “wasted” as to good, and “desolate” as to truth.

[3] In the same:

Gog and his multitude shall the house of Israel bury, that they may cleanse the land seven months; and all the people of the land shall bury them (Ezekiel 39:11-13);

“Gog” denotes external worship separate from internal, which is idolatrous (n. 1151); the “house of Israel,” the spiritual church in respect to good; the “people of the land,” the same in respect to truth; the “land,” the church itself. The “land” denotes the church for the reason that the land of Canaan represented the Lord’s kingdom and thus the church, for the Lord’s kingdom on earth is the church.

[4] In the same:

All the people of the land shall be for this oblation for the prince in Israel; and upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin-offering. The people of the land shall bow themselves at the door of the gate in the sabbaths and in the new moons; and the people of the land shall enter, in the appointed feasts (Ezekiel 45:16, 22; 46:3, 9); where the New Jerusalem, that is, the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, is treated of; they who are in it are the “people of the land;” the “prince” is truth Divine which is from the Lord.

[5] The sons of Heth are so called because by “sons” are signified truths (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623). Truths are predicated of the spiritual, because the spiritual are initiated into good by means of truths, that is, into charity by means of faith; and because they do good from the affection of truth, not knowing that it is good from anything else than because they are so instructed. Their conscience also is founded in these truths of faith (see n. 1155, 1577, 2046, 2088, 2184, 2507, 2715, 2716, 2718).

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