Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 24:7
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AC 3034. Verse 7. Jehovah the God of heaven, that took me from my fathers house, and from the land of my nativity, and that shake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land, He shall send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a woman for my son from thence. "Jehovah the God of heaven," signifies the Lord’s Divine Itself; "that took me from my father‘s house, and from the land of my nativity," signifies by virtue of which it was that the Lord freed Himself from the things of the mother as to evils and falsities; "and that spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying," signifies by virtue of which was His Divine willing and understanding; "Unto thy seed will I give this land," signifies the Divine truth pertaining to the Lord’s Human "He shall send His angel before thee," signifies the Divine providence; "and thou shalt take a woman for my son from thence," signifies that the affection of truth was indeed thence, but from a new source.

AC 3035. Jehovah the God of heaven. That this signifies the Lord‘s Divine Itself, is evident from what was said above (n. 3023), namely, that "Jehovah the God of heaven," is the Lord’s Divine Itself; for by "Jehovah," so often named in the Word of the Old Testament, is meant the Lord alone for all things therein in general and particular treat of Him in the internal sense; and all and each of the rites of the church represented Him (n. 1736, 2921); and that the men of the most ancient times, who were of the celestial church, understood by Jehovah no other than the Lord (n. 1343). In the sense of the letter here and elsewhere the appearance is that another, who is higher, is meant by "Jehovah;" but the sense of the letter is such as to separate what the internal sense unites; and this for the reason that the man who is to be instructed from the sense of the letter cannot have an idea of a one, unless he first has an idea of more than one; for a one with man is formed from many; or what is the same, from successive things is formed that which is simultaneous. There are many things in the Lord, and all are Jehovah. This is the reason why the sense of the letter makes a distinction, while heaven by no means does so; but acknowledges one God in a simple idea, and no other than the Lord.

AC 3036. That took me from my father‘s house, and from the land of my nativity. That this signifies by virtue of which it was that the Lord freed Himself from the things of the mother as to evils and falsities, is evident from the signification here of the "father’s house" and of the "land of nativity," as being the maternal, or that which was hereditary from the mother, from which came the evil and falsity against which the Lord fought, and which He expelled, and thus made His Human Divine by His own power. See what was said above, (n. 3031), concerning the house and the land from which Abram came; also what was said concerning the Lord‘s heredity: That from Jehovah there was what was Divine, and from the mother what was evil (n. 1414, 1444): That He fought against the evil inherited from the mother; but that He had no actual evil (n. 1444, 1573): That the Lord put off all that was inherited from the mother, so that at length He was not her son (n. 2159, 2574, 2649): This heredity from the mother is what is signified in the internal sense by the "father’s house" and the "land of nativity;" by the "father‘s house," the maternal heredity as to evil; and by the "land of nativity," the maternal heredity as to falsities for where evil is, there are falsities, for they are conjoined with each other: These He expelled by His own power (n. 1616, 1813, 1921, 2025, 2026, 2083, 2523).

AC 3037. And that spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying. That this signifies by virtue of which was the Lord’s Divine willing and understanding, is evident from the signification of "speaking," as being to perceive (n. 3029), and to will (n. 2626); and from the signification of "swearing,‘ as being confirmation from the Divine, and as being predicated of truths, which belong to the understanding (n. 2842). then it is said concerning Jehovah that He "speaks," in the internal sense it is meant that He wills; for whatever Jehovah speaks, He wills; and when it is said concerning Jehovah that He "swears," it is meant in the internal sense that He understands it to be true; thus by "swearing," when predicated of Jehovah, is signified understanding, as may also be seen from the passages adduced from the Word (n. 2842).

AC 3038. Unto thy seed will I give this land. That this signifies the Divine truth pertaining to the Lord’s Human, is evident from the signification of "seed," as being the faith of charity, and also those who are in the faith of charity (n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 2848); and because all the good and truth of faith is from the Lord, it is the Divine truth itself that is meant by "seed" in the supreme sense: and also from the signification of "this land," namely, Canaan, as being heaven, or the Lord‘s kingdom (n. 1413, 1437, 1607); and because it is heaven, or the Lord’s kingdom, it is the Lord‘s Divine Human itself that is meant in the supreme sense by the "land of Canaan;" for the Divine Itself cannot flow into heaven except through the Lord’s Divine Human; which also the Lord showed plainly in Matthew:--

And in John:--

The "Son" is the Lord‘s Divine Human. He who believes that any other Father than the Lord is adored in heaven, is much mistaken.

AC 3039. He shall send His angel before thee. That this signifies the Divine providence, is evident from the signification of "angel" in the Word, as being the Lord; but what of the Lord is meant, appears from the series (n. 1925); and that the Divine providence is meant here is evident. That the Lord is meant by "angels" in the Word, is because all that was spoken in the Word by the prophets and others under the dictation of angels, is from the Lord, that is, belongs to the Lord Himself. The angels in heaven also acknowledge and perceive that nothing of good and truth is from themselves, but all from the Lord; and this so fully that they are averse to all things that induce any other idea. Hence it is that by "angels," that is, by good angels, is meant the Lord; but what of His, becomes apparent from the series, or connection.

AC 3040. And thou shalt take a woman for my son from thence. That this signifies that the affection of truth was indeed thence, but from a new source, is evident from the signification of a "woman," as being the affection of truth (concerning which see above); for by Rebekah, of whom this chapter treats, is represented the Divine truth that was to be conjoined with the Divine good of the rational, which is"’ Isaac." That the affection of truth is thence, that is, from what is signified by the "house of the father" and the "land of nativity," but from a new source, cannot as yet be explained, but it is treated of in many things that follow. I may however briefly state that all the affection of truth in the natural man comes forth by an influx from the affection of good out of the rational, or through the rational from the Divine; the affection of truth which through this influx comes forth in the natural man is not in the beginning the affection of genuine truth; for genuine truth comes by successive steps, and is also by successive steps substituted in place of former things that were not in themselves truths, but only means leading to genuine truth. From these few words it may be seen what is meant by its being said that the affection of truth is indeed therefrom, but from a new source.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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