Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 19:16
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AC 2409. Verse 16. And he lingered; and the men laid hold of his hand, and of the hand of his wife, and of the hand of his two daughters, in the clemency of Jehovah upon him, and they led him forth, and set him without the city. "And he lingered," signifies opposition arising from the nature of evil; "and the men laid hold of his hand, and of the hand of his wife, and of the hand of his two daughters," signifies that the Lord powerfully withheld them from evils, and thereby strengthened the goods and truths signified by "Lot," his "wife," and his "daughters;" "in the clemency of Jehovah upon him," signifies from grace and mercy; "and they led him forth and set him without the city," signifies his state then.

AC 2410. And he lingered. That this signifies opposition arising from the nature of evil, is evident from what was said above (n. 2406); for the evil which is in man continually reacts against the good which is from the Lord. Evil from what is hereditary and from what is actual adheres to man in each of his thoughts, nay, in the least things of his thoughts. This drags him downward (but the Lord, by means of the good which he instils, withholds him, and uplifts him, so that the man is held suspended between evil and good), and the consequence of this downward tendency is that if even for the least moment the man were not withheld from evils, he would of himself rush downward; and this he would do more in the state in which is the man of the church now represented by Lot than in the former state. This state is that he is beginning to think and to act not so much from good as from truth; thus at some distance from good.

AC 2411. And the men laid hold of his hand, and of the hand of his wife, and of the hand of his two daughters. That this signifies that the Lord powerfully withheld from evils, and thus strengthened the goods and truths signified by "Lot, his wife, and his daughters," is evident from the signification of the "men," as being the Lord; from the signification of the "hand," as being power (n. 878); also from the signification of "Lot," as being the good of charity (n. 2324, 2351, 2371, 2399); from the signification of "wife," as being the truth of faith, treated of in (verse 26); from the signification of "daughters," as being the affections of good and of truth (n. 489 to 491, 2362); and finally from what was said above (n. 2388), namely, that good and truth flow in from the Lord in the proportion that man is withheld from evil; consequently, that the goods and truths signified by "Lot, his wife, and his two daughters," are in the same proportion strengthened.

[2] On reflection every man may know this from his own experience; for in proportion as he is removed from corporeal and worldly things, in the same proportion he is in a spiritual idea, that is, is uplifted toward heaven; as is the case when he is in any holy worship, when in any temptation, also when in misfortune or sickness. It is well known that corporeal and worldly things, that is, the loves of them, are then removed, the reason being as stated, namely, that what is heavenly and spiritual from the Lord continually flows in; but evil and its derivative falsity, and falsity and its derivative evil, which flow in from corporeal and worldly things, are what hinder its being received.

AC 2412. In the clemency of Jehovah unto him. That this signifies from grace and mercy, is evident from the signification of the "clemency of Jehovah," which can be nothing else than grace and mercy. That man‘s being withheld from evil and kept in good by the Lord is of His pure mercy, may be seen above (n. 1049). The reason both grace and mercy are mentioned, is (n. 598, 981) that they who are in truth and from truth in good implore the Lord’s grace only, whereas they who are in good and from good in truth implore His mercy; and this difference results from the difference that exists in their respective states of humiliation and consequent adoration.

AC 2413. And they led him forth and set him without the city. That this signifies his state at the time, is evident from the signification of "leading forth," as being to withhold; and from the signification of "setting without the city," as being away from falsity; so that the state here referred to was that by his being withheld from evils, goods and truths from the Lord were strengthened.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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