3393. 'And Abimelech called Isaac and said' means the Lord's perception from doctrine. This is clear from the representation of 'Abimelech' as doctrine which has regard to rational concepts, dealt with in 2504, 2509, 2510, 2533, 3391; from the representation of 'Isaac' as the Lord's Divine Rational, dealt with above; and from the meaning of 'laying' as perceiving, dealt with in 1898, 1919, 2080, 2862. And because 'Abimelech' means that doctrine, in which the Divine was now perceived, 3392, Abimelech also represents the Lord in regard to that doctrine. For every single thing in the Word refers in the highest sense to the Lord. Indeed the Lord is doctrine itself, that is, the Word, not only as to the highest sense there, but also as to the internal sense, and even as to the literal sense.

[2] For the literal sense is the representative of, and carries all that is meant in the internal sense, and the internal sense in turn is representative of and carries all that is meant in the highest sense In the Word every representative or meaningful sign is in essence that which is represented or meant by it, and for that reason is the Lord's Divine. For a representative is nothing else than an image of the one who is being represented, and the image holds within itself the one who is presented. This may be seen from a person's speech and also from his gestures; that is to say, his speech and gestures are merely images of the things that are going on inwardly in that person's thought and will, so that speech and gestures are the thought and will expressed in outward form. Take away thought and will from them and you would be left with something wholly lifeless, and so with nothing human at all. From this one may see the true nature of the Word - that it is Divine, even in the letter.

1645. But angels' speech is beyond description. Being superior to the speech of angelic spirits it is far superior to the speech of spirits, and cannot in any way be understood by man as long as he lives in the body. Spirits in the world of spirits are unable to form any idea of it since it is above that which they are able to perceive in their thought. Angels' speech does not consist of things represented by means of any ideas like those which spirits and angelic spirits have, but consists of ends in view and of uses flowing from these, which are the first beginnings and the essentials of things. It is into these ends and uses that angelic thoughts are gently introduced, and there they undergo endless variation. And every single part of that speech has within it an interior and happy delight produced by the good of mutual love from the Lord, and that which is beautiful and delightful produced by the truth of faith originating in that good. Ends in view and the uses arising from them are so to speak very delicate recipient vessels, and are delightful and ever-varying spiritual realities existing in celestial and spiritual forms beyond comprehension. In these they are kept by the Lord, for the Lord's kingdom is wholly a kingdom of ends and uses. For this reason also the angels present with a person pay no attention to anything other than his ends and uses, and elicit nothing else from the person's thought. All other things, which belong to mental and material levels, they do not care about since these are far beneath their own sphere.