Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 21:5
[2] It is known that a man cannot be regenerated until adult age, because he then for the first time has the full exercise of reason and judgment, and thus can receive good and truth from the Lord. Before he comes into this state he is being prepared by the Lord by such things being insinuated into him as may serve him as ground for receiving the seeds of good and truth; which are the many states of innocence and charity, and also the knowledges of good and truth, and the thoughts derived from them. This preparation is going on for some years before his regeneration commences. When the man has been imbued with these things, and is thus prepared, his state is then said to be full; for his interiors are then disposed for receiving. All those things with which a man is endowed by the Lord before regeneration, and by means of which he is regenerated, are called remains, which are signified in the Word by the number "ten" (n. 576, 1738, 2284); and also by a "hundred," when the state for regeneration is full (n. 1988).
[3] These things may serve for illustration as to what is signified by a full state of unition of the Human with the Divine in the Lord, namely, when from His own power, by means of the combats of temptations and by victories, and by the powers of the Divine Wisdom and intelligence, He had procured to Himself so much of the Divine in His Human, that is, in His rational, as to be able to unite the Divine Itself to the Divine acquired in the rational. That this state might be represented, it was brought to pass that, although Abraham had dwelt for many years in the land of Canaan, Isaac was not born to him until he was a hundred years old. These are the arcana contained in the number a "hundred years," which was Abraham‘s age.
[4] That the number a "hundred" signifies what is full, is evident from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:--
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a son of a hundred years, and the sinner a son of a hundred years shall be accursed (Isaiah 65:20);
where a "hundred" manifestly denotes what is full; for it is said, there shall be no more an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days, and a child and a sinner of a hundred years; that is, when his state is full.
[5] In Matthew:--
Every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29, 30);
where a "hundredfold" denotes what is full; or "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over" (Luke 6:38).
[6] And in Luke:--
And other seed fell upon the good earth and having sprung up it brought forth fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8; Matt. 13:8, 23; Mark 4:20);
where also a "hundred" denotes what is full, which number would not have been mentioned unless it had signified that. The same is true where the Lord speaks by parable concerning the debtors, that one owed "a hundred baths of oil," and the other "a hundred cors of wheat" (Luke 16:5-7). So also in other places where a "hundred" is mentioned. The case is similar with a "thousand," respecting which number, see above (n. 2575).
. When Isaac his son was born unto him. That this signifies when the Lord‘s rational was made Divine, is evident from the signification of "being born," which is to come forth (existere) (n. 2584, 2621, 2629) and from the representation of "Isaac," as being the Divine rational (n. 2630). This is said to be "born to Abraham," when made Divine; as also above, (verse 3): "Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him" (n. 2628). GENESIS 21:5 previous - next - text - summary - Genesis - Full Page
| Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). | Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. | www.BibleMeanings.info |