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Génesis 25

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1 Y Abraham tomó otra mujer, cuyo nombre fue Cetura;

2 la cual le dio a luz a Zimram, y a Jocsán, y a Medán, y a Madián, y a Isbac, y a Súa.

3 Y Jocsán engendró a Seba, y a Dedán: e hijos de Dedán fueron Asurim, y Letusim, y Leumim.

4 E hijos de Madián: Efa, y Efer, y Hanoc, y Abida, y Elda. Todos estos fueron hijos de Cetura.

5 Y Abraham dio todo cuanto tenía a Isaac.

6 Y a los hijos de sus concubinas dio Abraham dones, y los envió de junto Isaac su hijo, mientras él vivió, al oriente, a la tierra oriental.

7 Y estos fueron los días de vida que vivió Abraham: ciento setenta y cinco años.

8 Y expiró, y murió Abraham en buena vejez, anciano y lleno de días y fue unido a su pueblo.

9 Y lo sepultaron Isaac e Ismael sus hijos en la cueva doble, en la heredad de Efrón, hijo de Zoar heteo, que está enfrente de Mamre;

10 la heredad que compró Abraham de los hijos de Het; allí está sepultado, y Sara su mujer.

11 Y sucedió, después de muerto Abraham, que Dios bendijo a Isaac su hijo; y habitó Isaac junto al pozo del Viviente que me ve.

12 Y estas son las generaciones de Ismael, hijo de Abraham, que dio a luz Agar, la egipcia, sierva de Sara a Abraham:

13 Estos, pues, son los nombres de los hijos de Ismael, por sus nombres, por sus linajes: El primogénito de Ismael, Nabaiot; y Cedar, y Abdeel, y Mibsam,

14 y Misma, y Duma, y Massa,

15 Hadar, y Tema, y Jetur, y Nafis, y Cedema.

16 Estos son los hijos de Ismael, y estos sus nombres por sus villas y por sus palacios; doce príncipes por sus familias.

17 Y estos fueron los años de la vida de Ismael, ciento treinta y siete años; y expiró y murió Ismael; y fue unido a su pueblo.

18 Y habitaron desde Havila hasta Shur, que está enfrente de Egipto, viniendo a Asiria; y delante de todos sus hermanos cayó.

19 Y estas son las generaciones de Isaac, hijo de Abraham. Abraham engendró a Isaac;

20 y era Isaac de cuarenta años cuando tomó a Rebeca, hija de Betuel, el arameo, de Padan-aram, hermana de Labán, el arameo, por su mujer.

21 Y oró Isaac al SEÑOR por su mujer, que era estéril; y lo aceptó el SEÑOR, y concibió Rebeca su mujer.

22 Y los hijos se combatían dentro de ella; y dijo: Si es así ¿para qué vivo yo? Y fue a consultar al SEÑOR.

23 Y le respondió el SEÑOR: Dos naciones hay en tu vientre, y Dos pueblos serán divididos desde tus entrañas; mas un pueblo será más fuerte que el otro pueblo, y el mayor servirá al menor.

24 Y cuando se cumplieron sus días para dar a luz, he aquí mellizos en su vientre.

25 Y salió el primero bermejo, y todo él velludo como una pelliza; y llamaron su nombre Esaú.

26 Y después salió su hermano, trabada su mano al calcañar de Esaú; y fue llamado su nombre Jacob. Y era Isaac de edad de sesenta años cuando Rebeca los dio a luz.

27 Y crecieron los niños, y Esaú fue varón sabio en la caza, hombre del campo; Jacob, empero, era varón entero, que estaba en las tiendas.

28 Y amó Isaac a Esaú, porque comía de su caza; mas Rebeca amaba a Jacob.

29 Y guisó Jacob un potaje; y volviendo Esaú del campo cansado,

30 dijo a Jacob: Te ruego que me des a comer de eso bermejo, pues estoy muy cansado. Por tanto fue llamado su nombre Edom.

31 Y Jacob respondió: Véndeme hoy en este día tu primogenitura.

32 Entonces dijo Esaú: He aquí yo me voy a morir; ¿para qué, pues, me servirá la primogenitura?

33 Y dijo Jacob: Júrame hoy en este día. Y él le juró, y vendió a Jacob su primogenitura.

34 Entonces Jacob dio a Esaú del pan y del guisado de las lentejas; y él comió y bebió, y se levantó, y se fue. Así menospreció Esaú la primogenitura.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #4292

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4292. In the internal historical sense 'he said, Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel' means that they could not as [the descendants of] Jacob play the representative part, except by virtue of the new nature that was imparted to them. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'Jacob' in the Word as his descendants, dealt with above in 4281, and from the meaning of 'name' as the essential nature, dealt with immediately above in 4291. The new nature itself is meant by 'Israel' in the internal sense, for 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man and consequently the internal man, 4286. And since 'Israel' means the celestial-spiritual man, and so the internal man, 'Israel' also means the internal spiritual Church. For whether you use the expression spiritual man or spiritual Church, it amounts to the same thing because any spiritual person in particular is the Church, even as many are in general. If the individual person in particular were not the Church, no Church in general could exist. The expression Church is used in everyday language to describe a congregation in general; but each member of the congregation must be a Church if that greater Church is to exist. Every general whole incorporates parts that are like that whole.

[2] The implications of this particular matter - the inability of [the descendants on Jacob to play the representative part, except by virtue of the new nature imparted to them, meant by 'Israel' - are as follows: It was specifically Jacob's descendants who were to represent the Church but not specifically Isaac's since Isaac's descended not only through Jacob but also through Esau. Still less was it specifically Abraham's, for Abraham's descended not only through Jacob but also through Esau, and likewise through Ishmael, as well as through his sons by his second wife Keturah, who were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah, and the sons of these, see Genesis 25:1-4. Now because Jacob's descendants insisted that they should be representative, as shown just above in 4290, they could not represent as Jacob, or as Isaac, or as Abraham. The reason why they could not do so as Jacob was that 'Jacob' represented the external aspect of the Church, but not the internal. And they could not do so as Isaac at the same time or as Abraham at the same time for the reason advanced immediately above.

[3] So that they could represent the Church therefore, a new name had inevitably to be given to Jacob, and through that name a new nature, which new nature was to be a sign of the internal spiritual man, or what amounts to the same, of the internal spiritual Church. That new nature is meant by 'Israel'. Every Church of the Lord is internal and external, as has been shown several times already, the internal Church being that which is represented, the external that which represents. The internal Church is also either spiritual or else celestial, the internal spiritual Church being represented by 'Israel', but the internal celestial Church at a later time by 'Judah'. Therefore a division also took place, and the Israelites became a kingdom on their own and the Jews another on their own. But these matters will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on. From this it is evident that 'Jacob', that is, Jacob's descendants, could not represent the Church as Jacob, for that would have been to represent solely the external aspect of the Church. They had to do so as Israel as well because 'Israel' is the internal aspect.

[4] It has been shown in various places already that it is the internal which is represented and the external which represents, as may also be seen in the human being. A person's speech represents his thought, and a person's action represents his will. Speech and action are the external aspects of the person, thought and will the internal. In addition the various looks seen on a person's face represent both, that is to say, both his thought and his will. It is well known to everyone that the looks on a person's face are representative, for the looks on the faces of people who are sincere enable their interior states to be seen. In short, every part of the body represents some facet of a person's inclination (animus) and mind (mens).

[5] It is similar with the external aspects of the Church, for these are like the body, while its internal aspects are like the soul. There were, for example, the altars and the sacrifices on them, which, as is well known, were external things. There was likewise the bread of the presence, also the lampstand with its lamps, as well as the fire that was kept burning all the time. Anyone can recognize that these external things represented internal ones, as likewise did everything else of a ritual nature. The fact that these external things could not represent anything external, only what was internal, becomes clear from the considerations introduced already. So 'Jacob' could not represent as Jacob, because 'Jacob' means the external aspect of the Church, but he could do so as Israel because 'Israel' means its internal aspect. This is what is meant by a new nature being imparted to enable the descendants of Jacob to play the representative part.

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