9196. And a sojourner thou shalt not afflict, and shalt not oppress. That this signifies that those who wish to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith are not to be infested with falsities of faith and evils of life, is evident from the signification of “a sojourner,” as being one who wishes to be instructed in those things which are of the church, thus in the truths and goods of faith, and who receives these and lives according to them (see n. 1463, 8007, 8013); that “a sojourner” has this signification, is because “to sojourn” signifies to be instructed, and also to live (n. 2025, 3672, 6095); and from the signification of “not to afflict,” when said of those who wish to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith, as being that they are not to be infested with falsities of faith; and from the signification of “oppressing,” when said of the same, as being that they are not to be infested with evils of life; for they who infest such with falsities afflict them; and they who infest such with evils oppress them.

1463. That “to sojourn” means to be instructed, is evident from the signification of “sojourning” in the Word, as being to be instructed; and this for the reason that sojourning and migration, or proceeding from place to place, is in heaven nothing but change of state, as before shown n. 1376,1379); and therefore, whenever traveling, sojourning, and passing from place to place, occur in the Word, nothing else is suggested to the angels than such change of state as exists with them. There are changes of state of both the thoughts and the affections; changes of the state of the thoughts are knowledges, and in the world of spirits these changes are presented by means of instructions; which also was the reason why the men of the Most Ancient Church, having communication with the angelic heaven, by sojourning perceived nothing else. So in the passage before us, Abram’s going down into Egypt to sojourn, signifies nothing else than the instruction of the Lord.

[2] Similar, too, is the signification of Jacob and his sons’ going down into Egypt; as in Isaiah:

Thus hath said the Lord Jehovih, My people went down in the beginning into Egypt to sojourn there; and Assyria oppressed them without cause (Isaiah 52:4); where “Assyria” denotes reasonings. Hence also in the Jewish Church, those who were being instructed were called “sojourners, sojourning in the midst of them,” concerning whom it was commanded that they should be treated as the homeborn (Exodus 12:48-49; Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:13-16, 26, 29; 19:10). Of them it is thus written in Ezekiel:

Ye shall divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide it by lot, for an inheritance unto you and to the sojourners that sojourn in the midst of you; and they shall be unto you as the homeborn among the sons of Israel; with you shall they cast the lot for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel; and it shall come to pass that in what tribe the sojourner sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance (Ezekiel 47:21-23).

This is concerning the New Jerusalem, or the Lord’s kingdom; by “the sojourners sojourning” are meant those who suffer themselves to be instructed, consequently the Gentiles; that those are meant who are being instructed, is evident from its being said that in the tribe with which he has sojourned, there his inheritance should be given; “tribes” denote the things that are of faith.

[3] “Sojourning” has also nearly the same signification as “journeying,” and “dwelling.” By “journeying” are signified the arrangements and order of life, and by “dwelling” is signified to live (see above, n. 1293); on which account the land of Canaan is also called the land of the sojournings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 28:4; 36:7; 37:1; Exodus 6:4); and Jacob said unto Pharaoh:

The days of the years of my sojournings, few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their sojournings (Genesis 47:9); where “sojourning” denotes life and instructions.