Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 21:9
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AC 2650. Verse 9. And Sarah sad the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. "Sarah saw," signifies the Lord’s insight from the Divine spiritual; "the son of Hagar the Egyptian," signifies into the merely human rational; "Hagar the Egyptian" is the affection of memory-knowledges, of which as a mother that rational was born; "whom she had borne unto Abraham," signifies that it came forth from the Divine celestial as a father; "mocking" signifies not in agreement with or favoring the Divine rational.

AC 2651. And Sarah saw. That this signifies the Lord‘s insight from the Divine spiritual, is evident from the signification of "seeing," as being to understand (n. 897, 2150, 2325), which is the same as to look into, from the mind’s sight; also from the representation of Sarah, as being the Divine spiritual, or Divine truth (n. 2622). " Sarah saw," means that the Divine spiritual had insight, which is the same as to say that the Lord had it from the Divine spiritual.

AC 2652. The son of Hagar the Egyptian. That this signifies into the merely human rational, and that "Hagar the Egyptian" is the affection of memory-knowledges, of which that rational was born as a mother, is evident from the signification of the "son," namely Ishmael, as being the first rational which the Lord had - treated of in the sixteenth chapter of Genesis, where Hagar and Ishmael are the subject also from his representation, and that of Hagar the Egyptian, his mother, explained under that chapter. That the first or merely human rational in the Lord was conceived from the Divine celestial as a father, and born of the affection of memory-knowledges as a mother, see (n. 1895, 1896, 1902, 1910).

AC 2653. Whom she had borne unto Abraham. That this signifies that it came forth from the Divine celestial as a father, is evident from the signification of "bearing," as being to come forth (existere) (n. 2621, 2629); and from the representation of Abraham, as being the Divine celestial (n. 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 2501). That the first rational came forth from the Divine celestial as a father, see (n. 1895, 1896, 1902, 1910).

AC 2654. Mocking. That this signifies not in agreement with or favoring the Divine rational, is evident from the signification of "mocking," as being that which comes of an affection contrary to what does not agree with and favor one‘s self. In the preceding verse it was said that the child grew, and was weaned, and that Abraham made a great feast when he weaned Isaac; by which is signified that when the Lord’s rational was made Divine, the former rational was separated. Therefore there now immediately follows that which concerns the son of Hagar the Egyptian, by whom this rational is meant, as was shown in the explication at the sixteenth chapter, where Ishmael and Hagar are treated of. From this it is likewise manifest that the things which are in the internal sense follow together in a continuous series.

[2] But in regard to the Lord‘s first rational, seeing that it was born as with another’ man, namely, by means of knowledges (per scientias et cognitiones), it could not but be in appearances of truth which are not truths in themselves, as is evident from what has been shown before (n. 1911, 1936, 2196, 2203, 2209, 2519); and as it was in appearances of truth, truths without appearances, such as Divine truths are, could not agree with it or favor it, both because this rational does not comprehend them, and because they oppose it. But take examples for illustration.

[3] The human rational-that namely which has its birth from worldly things through impressions of sense, and afterwards from analogies of worldly things by means of knowledges (per scientifica et cognitiones) - is ready to laugh and mock if told that it does not live of itself, but only appears to live so; and that one lives the more, that is, the more wisely and intelligently, and the more blissfully and happily, the less he believes that he lives of himself; and that this is the life of angels, especially of those who are celestial, and inmost, or nearest to the Lord; for they know that no one lives of himself except Jehovah alone, that is, the Lord.

[4] This rational would mock also if it were told that it has nothing of its own, and that its having anything of its own is a fallacy or an appearance; and still more would it mock if told that the more it is in the fallacy that it has anything of its own, the less it has; and the converse. So too would it mock if told that whatever it thinks and does from what is its own is evil, although it were good; and that it is not wise until it believes and perceives that all evil is from hell, and all good from the Lord. In this belief, and even in this perception, are all the angels; who nevertheless have what is their own more abundantly than all others; but they know and perceive that this is from the Lord, although it altogether appears as theirs.

[5] Again: this rational would mock if it were said that in heaven the greatest are they who are least, the wisest they who believe and perceive themselves to be the least wise, and the happiest they who desire others to be the most happy, and themselves the least so; that it is heaven to wish to be below all, but hell to wish to be above all; consequently that in the glory of heaven there is absolutely nothing the same as in the glory of the world.

[6] In the same way would that rational mock, if it were said that in the other life there is nothing of space and time, but that there are states, according to which there are appearances of space and time; and that life is the more heavenly the further it is from what is of space and time, and the nearer it is to what is eternal; in which, namely, in what is eternal, there is nothing at all from the idea of time, nor from anything analogous to it: and so with numberless other things.

[7] That there were such things in the merely human rational, and that therefore this rational mocked at Divine things, the Lord saw, and indeed from the Divine spiritual, which is signified by Sarah‘s seeing the son of Hagar the Egyptian, (n. 2651, 2652). That man is able to look from within into the things in himself which are below, is known by experience to those who are in perception, and even to those who are in conscience; for they see so far as to reprove their very thoughts. Hence the regenerate can see what is the quality of the rational which they had before regeneration. With man such perception is from the Lord; but the Lord’s was from Himself.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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