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Génesis 23

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1 Y FUÉ la vida de Sara ciento veintisiete años: tantos fueron los años de la vida de Sara.

2 Y murió Sara en Kiriath-arba, que es Hebrón, en la tierra de Canaán: y vino Abraham á hacer el duelo á Sara y á llorarla.

3 Y levantóse Abraham de delante de su muerto, y habló á los hijos de Heth, diciendo:

4 Peregrino y advenedizo soy entre vosotros; dadme heredad de sepultura con vosotros, y sepultaré mi muerto de delante de mí.

5 Y respondieron los hijos de Heth á Abraham, y dijéronle:

6 Oyenos, señor mío, eres un príncipe de Dios entre nosotros; en lo mejor de nuestras sepulturas sepulta á tu muerto; ninguno de nosotros te impedirá su sepultura, para que entierres tu muerto.

7 Y Abraham se levantó, é inclinóse al pueblo de aquella tierra, á los hijos de Heth;

8 Y habló con ellos, diciendo: Si tenéis voluntad que yo sepulte mi muerto de delante de mí, oidme, é interceded por mí con Ephrón, hijo de Zohar,

9 Para que me dé la cueva de Macpela, que tiene al cabo de su heredad: que por su justo precio me la dé, para posesión de sepultura en medio de vosotros.

10 Este Ephrón hallábase entre los hijos de Heth: y respondió Ephrón Hetheo á Abraham, en oídos de los hijos de Heth, de todos los que entraban por la puerta de su ciudad, diciendo:

11 No, señor mío, óyeme: te doy la heredad, y te doy también la cueva que está en ella; delante de los hijos de mi pueblo te la doy; sepulta tu muerto.

12 Y Abraham se inclinó delante del pueblo de la tierra.

13 Y respondió á Ephrón en oídos del pueblo de la tierra, diciendo: Antes, si te place, ruégote que me oigas; yo daré el precio de la heredad, tómalo de mí, y sepultaré en ella mi muerto.

14 Y respondió Ephrón á Abraham, diciéndole:

15 Señor mío, escúchame: la tierra vale cuatrocientos siclos de plata: ¿qué es esto entre mí y ti? entierra pues tu muerto.

16 Entonces Abraham se convino con Ephrón, y pesó Abraham á Ephrón el dinero que dijo, oyéndolo los hijos de Heth, cuatrocientos siclos de plata, de buena ley entre mercaderes.

17 Y quedó la heredad de Ephrón que estaba en Macpela enfrente de Mamre, la heredad y la cueva que estaba en ella, y todos los árboles que había en la heredad, y en todo su término al derredor,

18 Por de Abraham en posesión, á vista de los hijos de Heth, y de todos los que entraban por la puerta de la ciudad.

19 Y después de esto sepultó Abraham á Sara su mujer en la cueva de la heredad de Macpela enfrente de Mamre, que es Hebrón en la tierra de Canaán.

20 Y quedó la heredad y la cueva que en ella había, por de Abraham, en posesión de sepultura adquirida de los hijos de Heth.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #2910

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2910. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. That this signifies the Lord’s state of grief on account of the night as to truths of faith in the church, is evident from the representation of Abraham, as being the Lord (see n. 1893, 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2501, 2833, 2836). That to “mourn” and to “weep” signify a state of grief is evident without explication; to “mourn” has respect to grief on account of night as to good in the church, and to “weep” as to truths. These two verses treat of the end of the church; its end is when there is no longer any charity. This state is treated of in many places in the Word, especially in the Prophets, and in John in Revelation; the Lord also describes this end by many things in the Evangelists, and calls it the “consummation of the age,” and also “night.”

[2] For with churches the case is this: In the beginning charity is fundamental with them; everyone then loves another as a brother, and is affected from good, not for his own sake, but for the sake of the neighbor, the community, the kingdom of the Lord, and above all things for the Lord’s sake. But in process of time charity begins to grow cold and to become naught. Afterwards comes hatred of one another; which, although it does not appear outwardly, because in civic society men are under laws, and are under outward bonds of restraint, still is nourished inwardly. These outward bonds of restraint come from the love of self and of the world; they are the love of honor and eminence, the love of gain and hence also of power, thus the love of reputation. Under these loves hatred against the neighbor conceals itself, which is of such a nature that men desire to have command over all, and to possess all things that are another’s; and when these desires are opposed, they treasure in their hearts contempt for the neighbor, they breathe revenge, they take delight in his ruin, and even practice cruelties so far as they dare. Into things like these does the charity of the church at its end at last decline, and then it is said of it that there is no longer any faith, for where there is no charity there is no faith, as has been shown many times.

[3] There have been a number of churches, known to us from the Word, that had such an end. The Most Ancient Church thus expired about the time of the flood; in like manner the Ancient Church which was after the flood; also a second Ancient Church, called the Hebrew Church; and at last the Jewish Church, which was by no means a church that commenced from charity, but was only the representative of a church, to the intent that by representatives communication with heaven might survive, until the Lord came into the world. Afterwards a new church was raised up by the Lord, called the Church of the Gentiles, which was internal, for interior truths had been revealed by the Lord; but this church is now at its end, because now there is not only no charity, but there is hatred instead of charity; which hatred, though it does not appear outwardly, yet is within, and breaks out whenever possible with anyone, that is, whenever outward bonds do not restrain.

[4] Besides these churches there have been very many others that are not so fully described, which in like manner decreased and destroyed themselves. There are many causes for such decrease and self-destruction; one is that parents accumulate evils, and by frequent practice, and at length by habit, they implant them in their nature, and so by inheritance transcribe them upon their offspring; for what parents acquire from actual life by frequent use is rooted in their nature and is transmitted by inheritance to posterity; and unless the posterity is reformed or regenerated, it is continued to successive generations and is all the time increasing; and thus the will becomes more prone to evils and falsities. But when a church is consummated and perishes, then the Lord always raises up a new church somewhere; but rarely, if ever, from the people of the former church; but from nations that have been in ignorance. Concerning these in what follows.

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