At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(Referenser: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

2836. 'Abraham called the name of that place' means the nature of their state, that is to say, the state of those who are spiritual, which was brought about by the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as knowing the nature of a person or thing, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009; from the meaning of 'place' as state, dealt with in 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 2625; and from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord as to the Divine Human, dealt with in 2833. From this it is evident that 'Abraham called the name of that place' means the nature of the state of those who are spiritual which was brought about by the Lord's Divine Human. It has been shown already that spiritual people are saved through the Lord's Coming into the world, in 2661, 2716, and that they receive enlightenment from His Divine Human, in 2716. Now in the present verse there follows the teaching that provision was made for those people to be saved in whom faith flowing from charity, that is, in whom charity, is present. This is the state meant by the words of this verse.