2559. 'It happened, when God caused me to depart from my father's house' means when He left behind factual knowledge and the appearances that arise from this, together with their delights, meant here by 'father's house'. This is clear from the meaning of 'departing' as leaving behind, and from the meaning of 'house' as good, 2233, here the good that consists in the delight received from the appearances that go with factual knowledge and rational concepts, for all delight appears as good. The reason 'father's house' here means the delights received from factual knowledge and rational concepts, and therefore from the appearances that go with these, is that they are spoken of in reference to Abraham when he departed from his father's house, for at that time, together with his father's house, Abraham worshipped other gods; see 1356, 1992. This explains why the verb in the clause God caused me to depart is plural. This clause, as is also in keeping with the original language, could be rendered, the gods caused me to wander, but because the Lord is represented by Abraham it must be rendered, 'God caused me to depart'. Now it is because the factual knowledge that existed initially with the Lord, and also the rational concepts formed from that knowledge, were human - steeped as they were in what had been inherited from the mother - and so were not purely Divine, that they are represented by 'Abraham's' first state. But how far representations go, see 665, 1097 (end), 1361, 1992.

617. 14:3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and before the elders. This symbolizes a celebration and glorification of the Lord in His presence and in the presence of the angels of the higher heavens.

Their singing a new song symbolizes an acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord as being the only Judge, Redeemer, and Savior, thus God of heaven and earth, as may be seen in no. 279 above. Before the throne means in the Lord's presence, because He alone sits upon the throne. Before the four living creatures and before the elders means in the presence of the angels of the higher heavens (no. 369).

As it were a new song symbolizes a celebration and glorification of the Lord in the New Christian Heaven. Here specifically it means that He was acknowledged as God of heaven and earth, as He is acknowledged in the ancient heavens. This is entailed in the phrase "as it were," for "as it were a new song" means that it was seemingly new, when in fact it was not new.

We have already said before that the new heaven spoken of in Revelation 21:1 is a new heaven formed of Christians, that the prior heavens were formed of ancient peoples and most ancient ones, and that in those heavens the Lord is acknowledged as God of heaven and earth.