6298. 'And he blessed them on this day' means Foresight and Providence continuing for ever. This is clear from the meaning of 'blessing' as a foretelling, dealt with in 6230, 6254, but in the highest sense the Lord's Foresight (and as Foresight is meant, so also is Providence since the one does not exist without the other; for evil belongs to Foresight, but good to Providence, and evil that is foreseen is turned by Providence towards good. The reason why 'blessing' here means Foresight and Providence is that in the highest sense 'Israel', who gives the blessing, is the Lord, 4286); and from the meaning of 'on this day' or today as that which is eternal, dealt with in 2838, 7998, 4304, 6165.

7998. 'And every man's slave' means the natural man up to now. This is clear from the meaning of 'slave' or 'servant' as the natural, dealt with in 3019, 3020, 3191, 3192, 3204, 3206, 3209, 5305, and so the natural man. The reason why the natural man is called 'a slave' is that it was made to minister to the spiritual, and also to obey it, as a slave obeys his master.