Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 20:6
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AC 2527. Verse 6. And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the uprightness of thy heart thou hast done this; and I also withheld thee from sinning against Me; therefore I did not suffer thee to touch her. "God said unto him in the dream," signifies perception less obscure; "Yea I know that in the uprightness of thy heart thou hast done this," signifies here as before that it was so thought from innocence and from simple good; thus that there was no fault; " and I also withheld thee from sinning against Me," signifies that no harm resulted; "therefore I did not suffer thee to touch her," signifies that the rational was not at all consulted.

AC 2528. God said unto him in the dream. That this signifies perception less obscure, is evident from what was said and explained above (n. 2514). The name "God" is used in this chapter, but not "Jehovah," except in the last verse, for the reason that spiritual things are treated of, that is, the doctrinal things of faith. When this is the subject He is called" God;" but when celestial things, or love and charity, are treated of, He is then called "Jehovah" (n. 709, 732, 2001).

AC 2529. Yea, I know that in the uprightness of thy heart thou hast done this. That this signifies that it was so thought from innocence and from simple good, is evident from what was said above (n. 2525, 2526), where are the same words. That it is not also said, as above, "in the blamelessness of thy hands," is for the hidden reason that in the affection of truth (which is signified by the "blamelessness of the hands") there was something of the human; for truth was insinuated into the Lord also through the human of His birth, but good from the Divine alone; as is evident from the coming forth (existentia) of the rational as to good and as to truth (n. 2524).

AC 2530. And I also withheld thee from sinning against Me. That this signifies that no harm resulted, that is, that in the doctrine of faith the rational was not consulted (as also follows presently) is evident without explication.

AC 2531. Therefore I did not suffer thee to touch her. That this signifies that the rational was not at all consulted, is evident from the signification of "suffering to touch," as being to consult, as is also meant by "coming near her" in (verse 4), (n. 2519) and from the signification of " Sarah as a sister," who is here meant, as being the rational (n. 1495, 2508).

[2] That it may be further known how the case is with the doctrine of faith, as being spiritual from a celestial origin, be it known that it is Divine truth from Divine good, and thus wholly Divine. What is Divine is incomprehensible, because above all understanding, even the angelic; but still this Divine, which in itself is incomprehensible, can flow in through the Lord’s Divine Human into man‘s rational; and when it flows into his rational, it is there received according to the truths which are therein; thus variously, and not with one as with another. In so far therefore as the truths with a man are more genuine, so far the Divine which flows in is received more perfectly, and so far the man’s understanding is enlightened.

[3] In the Lord‘s Word are Truths themselves; but in its literal sense are truths which are accommodated to the apprehension of those who are in external worship; whereas in its internal sense are truths accommodated to those who are internal men; that is, to those who are angelic as to doctrine and at the same time as to life. Their rational is enlightened therefrom to such a degree that their enlightenment is compared to the brightness of the stars and the sun (Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43). Hence it is plain how important it is that interior truths be known and received. These truths may indeed be known, but by no means received, except by those who have love to the Lord, or faith in Him; for as the Lord is the Divine good, so He is the Divine truth; consequently He is doctrine itself, since whatever is in the doctrine of true faith looks to the Lord, and looks also to the heavenly kingdom and the church, and to all things of the heavenly kingdom and the church. But all these are His, and are the intermediate ends through which the last end, that is, the Lord, is regarded.

[4] That the Lord is doctrine itself as to truth and good, and thus that it is He who alone is regarded in doctrine, He teaches John:--

where the "Way" is doctrine, the "Truth" all that is of doctrine, and the "Life" the good itself which is the life of the truth. And that love to Him or faith in Him is what receives, He also teaches in John:--

Those are "born of God" who are in love and thence in faith.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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