As this chapter opens, Abraham is sitting in the doorway of his tent, which is pitched in the oak groves of Mamre. Jehovah appears to Abraham, in the guise of three men, three angels. Abraham bows in humiliation and says, “My Lord, if I pray I have found grace in thine eyes, pass not I pray from over thy servant”. He wants to mark the occasion of this visit with a feast, and goes about preparing a special meal for his Heavenly guests.

Jehovah has come to inform Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child in the coming year. Abraham and Sarah are both very old, and find it hard to believe that this could be true - the Jehovah says to them, "Shall any thing be too wonderful for Jehovah?"

Jehovah tells them that a great nation will descend from Abraham and carry his name.

After the feast, as the visitors are about to leave, they turn their faces toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Jehovah then says, “the cry has become great, and their sin has become very grievous.” Jehovah is about to tell Abraham of his plan to destroy these cities due to their sinfulness. Upon hearing this news asks, Abraham what will happen to those who have not sinned. Jehovah tells Abraham that if there are as few as five good and truthful people there, He will not destroy these cities.

Supplementary Material

Here are some additional excerpts from Swedenborg's "Arcana Coelestia" that help explain the inner meaning of this chapter:

AC 2136. In the first place, this chapter treats concerning the Lord’s state of perception in the Human and concerning the communication with the Divine at that time, before the perfect union of His Human Essence with the Divine Essence, which state is also that in regard to which the Lord says,

"No one hath seen God at any time, the Only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18).

AC 2137. The Lord‘s state of perception in the Human at that time is signified by the "oak-groves of Mamre" (verse 1); and that in this state He perceived the Divine which was manifesting itself before His Human (verse 2); at which He rejoiced (verse 3); and desired that the Divine should draw nearer to His Human by putting on something natural (verse 4), and His Human nearer to the Divine by putting on the celestial (verse 5). The celestial and the derivative spiritual, which He put on, are signified by the "three measures of meal of fine flour" of which the cakes were made (verse 6); and that He also put on a conforming natural, is signified by the "son of an ox" (verse 7); the result being conformation, and a communication of the Divine with the Human, and of the Human with the Divine (verse 8).

AC 2138. In the second place, this chapter treats concerning the Lord’s perception in that state respecting the rational with Him, in that it would put off the Human, and be made Divine.

AC 2139. That the rational would be made Divine, is signified by the "son" whom Sarah was to bear (verse 10). That the human rational truth that was with the Lord did not perceive this, and thus did not believe it, is signified by Sarah‘s "laughing" at the door of the tent that was behind him (verses 10-13, 15). It is confirmed that the Lord would put off this also, and would put on in its place truth Divine (verse 14).

AC 2140. In the third place, the chapter treats concerning the Lord’s grief and anxiety over the human race, because men were so greatly imbued with the love of self, and from this with the cupidity of exercising command over others from what is evil and false, for whom in that state He interceded, and obtained that those should be saved with whom there should be goods and truths; and who these are, is recounted in order.

AC 2141. The Lord‘s perception concerning the human race, that it was in evil and falsity, "Sodom" being the love of self and the derivative cupidity of exercising command from what is evil, and "Gomorrah" being the same from what is false (verses 16, 20). That this could not be concealed from the Lord in that state, because by Him and from Him is all salvation (verses 17 to 19); that is to say, they were to be visited when their wickedness reached its height (verses 20, 21). That when He was in this perception (verse 22), He interceded for them; first for those with whom there should be truths, and these truths full of goods, who are signified by the "fifty" (verses 23 to 26); also for those with whom there should be less of good, but this good nevertheless conjoined with truths, who are signified by the "forty-five" (verses 27, 28); next for those who have been in temptations, who are signified by the "forty" (verse 29); as likewise for those who have been in some combats against evils, who are signified by the "thirty" (verse 30); afterwards for those with whom there should be states of the affection of good from any other source, who are signified by the "twenty" (verse 31); lastly for those with whom there should be states of the affection of truth, who are signified by the "ten" (verse 32); and the constant answer was that they should be saved (verses 26, 28 to 32). These things being accomplished, the Lord returned into His former state of perception (verse 33). These are the arcana contained in the internal sense of this chapter, which are not manifest from the letter.

2136. Genesis 18

1. And Jehovah appeared to him in the oak-groves of Mamre, and he was sitting at the tent door, as the day was getting warmer.

2. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing over him. And he saw, and ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed down towards the ground. ¹

3. And he said, My Lord, if now I have found grace in your eyes, do not, I beg of you, pass from over your servant.

4. Let now a little water be taken, and [all of you] wash your feet, and recline under the tree.

5. And I will take a piece a bread, that you may refresh yourselves; ² after that you may pass on, for this is why you have passed over to your servant. And they said, Do as you have spoken.

6. And Abraham hastened towards the tent to Sarah, and said, Take quickly three measures of meal of fine flour, knead it, and make cakes.

7. And Abraham ran to the herd and took a young bull, ³ tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he hastened to make it ready.

8. And he took butter and milk, and the young bull, ³ which he made ready, and set it before them. And he stood before them under the tree, and they ate.

9. And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10. And he said, I will certainly return to you about this time next year, ⁴ and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah heard it at the tent door, and this was behind him.

11. And Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; ⁵ and it had ceased to be with Sarah in the way it is with women.

12. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have grown old, shall I have this pleasure, and my lord being old?

13. And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I really, in truth, bear a child, and I have grown old?

14. Will anything be too wonderful for Jehovah? At the set time I will return to you, about this time next year, ⁴ and Sarah will have a son.

15. And Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh.

16. And the men rose up from there and looked towards the face of Sodom; and Abraham went with them, to send them on their way.

17. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing?

18. And Abraham will certainly become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

19. For I know him that he will command his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah to do righteousness and judgement, in order that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him.

20. And Jehovah said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and their sin has become extremely grave.

21. I will go down now, and I will see whether they have brought it to a close according to the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.

22. And the men looked from there and went towards Sodom; and Abraham still stood before Jehovah.

23. And Abraham drew near and said, Will You also destroy the righteous and the wicked?

24. Perhaps there may be fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city. Will You also destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous persons who are in the midst of it?

25. Far be it from You to do such a thing as to make the righteous die with the wicked, so that the righteous will be as the wicked; far be it from You; will not the Judge of the whole earth execute judgement?

26. And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city, I will spare the whole place for their sakes.

27. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord, and I am [but] dust and ashes.

28. Perhaps the fifty righteous persons will lack five; will You for five destroy the whole city? And he said, I will not destroy it if I find forty five there.

29. And he spoke to Him yet again, and said, Perhaps forty will be found there. And He said, I will not do it for the sake of the forty.

30. And he said, Let not now my Lord be incensed and I will speak; perhaps thirty will be found there. And He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there.

31. And he said, Behold now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord; perhaps twenty will be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.

32. And he said, Let not now my Lord be incensed, and I will speak just once more; perhaps ten will be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.

33. And Jehovah departed, when He had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

CONTENTS

First, this chapter deals here with the state of the Lord's perception within the Human, and of the communication at that time with the Divine before the perfect union existed of His Human Essence with the Divine Essence, which state is also what the Lord is referring to when He says,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

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