Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 25:7-10
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AC 3250. Verses 7-10. And these are the days of the years of the lives of Abraham, which he lived; a hundred years, and seventy years, and five years. And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, an old man and sated, and was gathered to his peoples. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. "And these are the days of the years of the lives of Abraham, which he lived," signifies the state representative by Abraham of the Lord as to the Divine Itself; "a hundred years, and seventy years, and five years," signifies the things that belong to this state; "and Abraham expired and died," signifies the end of the representation by Abraham; "in a good old age, an old man and sated," signifies something new in the representation; "and was gathered to his peoples," signifies that these things were concerning Abraham; "and Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him," signifies that the representative of the Lord was now taken up by Isaac and Ishmael; "in the cave of Machpelah," signifies resurrection as to truth; "in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre," signifies as to good; it also signifies the spiritual, as above, who receive truth and good from the Lord’s Divine Human, and are saved; "the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth," signifies the Lord‘s spiritual kingdom thence derived; "there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife," signifies resuscitation.

AC 3251. And these are the days of the years of the lives of Abraham, which he lived. That this signifies a state representative by Abraham of the Lord as to the Divine Itself, is evident from the signification of "days" and "years," as being states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788); and from the signification here of "lives," as also being states (n. 2904), here, states that were represented by Abraham; for all his life, as it is described in the Word, and the end of which is now treated of, was representative. That Abraham represented the Lord as to the Divine Itself, has been shown in the explications. In order that he might represent, he was called by the name Abraham, the letter h being inserted, which was taken from the name "Jehovah" (n. 2010). Abraham represented both the Divine Itself, which is called the "Father," and the Divine Human, which is called the " Son," thus he represented the Lord as to both the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, but that Divine Human which is from eternity, from which came forth and to which He reduced or brought the Human that was born in time, when He glorified it. This is the representation of the Lord by Abraham.

AC 3252. A hundred years, and seventy years, and five years. That this signifies the things that belong to this state, is evident from the fact that all numbers in the Word signify things (n. 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252); and therefore so does this number, which signifies the things that are of the state now treated of. While the mind dwells solely on what is historical, it appears as if numbers, such as these of the years of the age of Abraham, do not involve any interior sense yet that they do involve such a sense is evident from all that has been shown above concerning numbers, and can be seen from the fact that in number simply as number there is nothing holy, and yet the least of all the things in the Word is holy.

AC 3253. And Abraham expired and died. That this signifies the end of the representation by Abraham, is evident from the signification of "expiring and dying," as being to cease or come to an end (n. 494); here, the end of the representation. For nothing of Abraham’s life which is described in the Word has reference to Abraham, except merely in the historical sense; but everything has reference to the Lord and His kingdom; and therefore when it is said of Abraham that he "expired and died," it cannot signify in the Word (that is, in its genuine sense) anything else than that the state representative of the Lord by Abraham came to an end.

AC 3254. In a good old age, an old man and sated. That this signifies something new in the representation, is evident from the signification in the internal sense of "old age," as being to put off what is old and put on what is new (n. 1854, 2198, 3016). The reason why what is new, or a new state, is signified in the internal sense by "old age," is that with the angels, for whom is the internal sense of the Word, there is no idea of time, thus no idea of such things as belong to time, as the ages of man--infancy, childhood, youth, adult age, and old age. But instead of all these they have an idea of states, thus instead of the time of infancy they have an idea of the state of innocence; instead of the time of childhood and youth they have an idea of the state of the affection of good and truth; instead of adult age they have an idea of the state of intelligence; and instead of old age an idea of the state of wisdom (n. 3183); and as at this time of life man passes from the things of time to those that are of a life without time, and thus puts on a new state, by "old age" is signified what is new, and in this case a new representative, because it is in relation to this with Abraham that "old age" is predicated, and also that he was "an old man and sated," as can be seen from what has just been said.

AC 3255. And was gathered to his peoples. That this signifies that these things were concerning Abraham, is evident from the signification of being "gathered to his peoples," as being to be no longer the subject; for to be gathered to his peoples is to go away from those among whom he has been hitherto, and pass to his own; thus in the present case to be no longer a representative. It was customary with the ancients when anyone died, to say that he was gathered to his fathers or to his peoples, and they understood by this form of expression that he actually went to his parents, relations, and kinsfolk in the other life. They derived this form of speech from the most ancient people, who were celestial men, for while living on earth these were at the same time with the angels in heaven, and thus knew how the case is, namely, that all who are in the same good meet and are together in the other life, and likewise all who are in the same truth. Of the former they said that they were "gathered to their fathers," but of the latter that they were "gathered to their peoples;" for with them "fathers" signified goods (n. 2803), and "peoples" signified truths (n. 1259, 1260). As the people of the Most Ancient Church were all in similar good, they dwell together in heaven (n. 1115); and the case is the same with many of the people of the Ancient Church, who were in similar truth (n. 1125, 1127).

[2] Moreover while a man lives in the body he is always as to his soul in some society of spirits in the other life (n. 1277, 2379); the man who is evil is in a society of infernal spirits; and the man who is good is in a society of angels. Thus every one is in a society of such spirits as he is in agreement with, either as to good and truth, or as to evil and falsity; and into this same society the man comes when he dies (n. 687). This is what among the ancients was signified by being "gathered to their fathers," or "to their peoples," as is here said of Abraham when he expired, and of Ishmael in this same chapter (Gen. 25:17); of Isaac (Gen. 35:29); of Jacob (Gen. 49:29, 33); of Aaron (Num 20:24, 26); of Moses (Num. 27:13; 31:2; Deut. 32:50); and of the first generation that entered into the land of Canaan (Judges 2:10). But in the internal sense of the Word, when anyone‘s life is treated of representatively, by being "gathered to his peoples" is signified that he is no longer the subject, as before said.

AC 3256. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him. That this signifies that the representation of the Lord is now taken up by Isaac and Ishmael, can be seen from the signification of "burying." Being "buried" denotes to be resuscitated and to rise again, (n. 2916). As the representation of the Lord by Abraham is here treated of, as regards this state having come to an end, and that now the representation by Isaac and Ishmael begins, therefore by "burying" in this case is signified the resuscitation of this state; for the significations are determined in accordance with their application to the things of which they are predicated. The case with the representatives in the Word is that they are continuous, although they appear as if interrupted by the deaths of those who represent; their deaths however do not signify any interruption, but a continuation; and therefore their burials signify that the representative is resuscitated and continued in some one else.

AC 3257. In the cave of Machpelah. That this signifies resurrection as to truth, and that in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre, signifies resurrection as to good; and that these words also signify the spiritual, who receive truth and good from the Lord’s Divine Human and are saved, as stated above; and also that the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth, signifies the Lord‘s spiritual kingdom thence derived; and that there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife, signifies resuscitation, can be seen from what has been before stated and shown concerning the signification of all these expressions, in chapter 23. (n. 2913, 2928, 2968-2971, 2975, 2980); and from the signification of "being buried" (n. 2916, 2917).

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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