3256. 'And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him' means that the representation of the Lord was now taken over by Isaac and Ishmael. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'burying', namely being raised up and rising again, as shown in 2916, 2917. The subject being that state where the representation of the Lord portrayed by means of Abraham came to an end, and the representation portrayed by Isaac and Ishmael now begins, 'burying' therefore means here the rise of that state. Phrases that carry a spiritual meaning depend for their exact meaning on the things to which they refer. With regard to representatives in the Word, they are continuous even though they seem to be broken off by the deaths of those who have played representative roles. Their deaths however do not mean any breaking off but a continuation, and therefore even their burial means that the representation was raised up again and continued in someone else.

2917. 'I will bury my dead from before me' means that He would emerge and rise up out of the night prevailing among them. This is clear from the meaning of 'burying' as rising again, dealt with immediately above in 2916, and from the meaning of 'one who is dead' as a state when shadow or night, which is the lack of knowledge, has fallen, also dealt with above in 2908, 2912, from which the Lord emerges and rises again with man when He is acknowledged. Previously He is enveloped in night because He does not appear. He rises again with every person who is being regenerated.