Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 14:13
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AC 1700. Verse 13. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, and he was dwelling in the oak-groves of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol, and the brother of Aner; and these were men of the covenant of Abram. "There came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew," signifies that the Lord perceived from His interior man; "Abram the Hebrew" is the interior man to which the internal or Divine man is adjoined; "and he was dwelling in the oak-groves of Mamre the Amorite," signifies the state of perception from the rational man; "the brother of Eshcol, and the brother of Aner, and these were men of the covenant of Abram," signifies the state of the rational man in respect to the external man as regards the quality of its goods and truths.

AC 1701. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew. That this signifies that the Lord perceived from His interior man, is evident from the signification of "Abram the Hebrew," as being the interior man conjoined with the internal, explained just below. And as in the internal sense these things are predicated of the Lord, and the historicals are representative, it is evident that the coming of one who had escaped, and his telling, signifies nothing else than that the Lord perceived. The interior man perceives what is going on in the external man just as if one were to tell it. The Lord, who had a perception of all things that were taking place, knew very clearly the quality and the source of all that took place in connection with Himself, as for example if anything of evil were taking possession of the affections of His external man, or anything of falsity of its thoughts, He could not but know what it was, and whence; and also what evil spirits were exciting the evil and the falsity; and how they were exciting them, besides other things; for such things, and others beyond number, are not concealed from the angels, and scarcely from men who have celestial perception, still less from the lord.

AC 1702. That "Abram the Hebrew" is the interior man to which the internal or Divine man was adjoined, may be seen from the signification of "Abram the Hebrew," or from the surnaming of Abram, in that he is here called "the Hebrew." In what goes before, and in what follows, where Abram is spoken of, he is not called the Hebrew; he is so called in this passage only; and therefore some distinct thing in the Lord is represented and signified by "Abram the Hebrew." that is represented and signified may be seen from the internal sense, namely, that it is the interior man adjoined to the internal or Divine man, as may likewise be seen from the series of things in the internal sense. The Hebrews are named in the Word when anything of servitude is signified, whatever it may be; as may be seen from what follows. The interior man is such that it serves the internal or Divine man; and for this reason the interior man is here called "Abram the Hebrew."

[2] What the interior man is, scarcely any one knows, and it must therefore be briefly stated. The interior man is intermediate between the internal and the external man. By the interior man the internal man communicates with the external; without this medium, no communication at all is possible. The celestial is distinct from the natural, and still more from the corporeal, and unless there is a medium by which there is communication, the celestial cannot operate at all into the natural, and still less into the corporeal. It is the interior man which is called the rational man; and this man, because it is intermediate, communicates with the internal man, where there is good itself and truth itself; and it also communicates with the exterior man, where there are evil and falsity. By means of the communication with the internal man, a man can think of celestial and spiritual things, or can look upward, which beasts cannot do. By means of the communication with the exterior man, a man can think of worldly and corporeal things, or can look downward; in this differing little from the beasts, which have in like manner an‘ idea of earthly things. In a word, the interior or middle man is the rational man himself, who is spiritual or celestial when he looks upward, but animal when he looks downward.

[3] It is well known that a man can know that he speaks in one way while thinking in another, and that he does one thing while willing another; and that there exist simulation and deceit; also that there is reason, or the rational; and that this is something interior, because it can dissent; and also that with one who is to be regenerated there is something interior which combats with that which is exterior. This that is interior, and that thinks and wills differently from the exterior, and that combats, is the interior man. In this interior man there is conscience with the spiritual man, and perception with the celestial. This interior man conjoined with the Divine internal man that was in the Lord, is what is here called "Abram the Hebrew."

AC 1703. That the term "Hebrew" is predicated in the Word of some form of servitude, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:--

When thy brother, a Hebrew, or a Hebrewess, shall be sold unto thee, and serve thee six yea’s, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee (Deut. 15:12)

where it is said "a Hebrew" and " a Hebrewess," because servitude is treated of. In Jeremiah:--

At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, who hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six" years (Jeremiah 34:9, 14)

where in like manner the term "Hebrew" is used, because servitude is treated of otherwise the sons of Jacob are not in the Prophets called "Hebrews." In Samuel:--

The Philistines said, Be strong, and be men, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews as they have been to you (1 Sam. 4:9)

where the word is used for the same reason.

[2] In Moses:--

Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me (Exod. 9:1, 13; 10:3)

where they are called "Hebrews" from serving. The wife of Potiphar, speaking of Joseph:--

Called unto the men of her house, and said unto them, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us (Gen. 39:14).

Joseph is here called "a Hebrew" because he was a servant there. The chief of the butlers said unto Pharaoh:--

There was with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and he interpreted to us our dreams (Gen. 41:12).

Moreover, the Egyptians called the sons of Israel Hebrews," because they were servants, or in servitude, as is known (Exod. 1:15, 16, 19).

AC 1704. And he was dwelling in the oak-groves of Mamre the Amorite. That this signifies the state of perception from the rational man, is evident from the signification of an "oak-grove," and of "the oak-groves of Mamre the Amorite," spoken of before (n. 1442, 1443, 1616).

AC 1705. The brother of Eshcol, and the brother of Aner, and these were men of the covenant of Abram. That by these is signified the state of the rational man in respect to the external man, as regards the quality of its goods and truths, may be seen from their signification as explained below at (verse 24), where also they are named. In brief, by Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, are represented and signified the angels who were with the Lord when He fought in His earliest childhood, and who were adapted to the goods and truths then with the Lord. They are named from these goods and truths. In no case does an angel in heaven have any name; it is goods and truths from which names are predicated of them; for instance, "Michael" and the other angels named in the Word are not angels with such names; but they bear these names from the office they fill, whatever it may be. It is the same here with Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner; but representatively.

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Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. www.BibleMeanings.info