3274. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael. That this signifies a state representative by Ishmael of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, is evident from the signification of “years” and of “lives,” as here being representative states (n. 3251); and from the representation of Ishmael, as being the Lord’s spiritual kingdom (n. 2699, 3263, 3268).

2691. God heard the voice of the child. That this signifies help at that time, is evident from the signification of “God hearing a voice,” said in the historic sense, as being in the internal sense to bring help; and from the signification of the “child,” as being spiritual truth-explained before; here it is the state in which the spiritual was as to truth; for it is said that He heard the voice of the child, and again in this verse, that He heard the voice of the child where he was, that is, in what state; and in what precedes it was shown that it was in a state of the greatest grief on account of the privation of truth. The voice of the child, and not Hagar’s, is said to have been heard, because the state of the spiritual man is treated of. By the child, or Ishmael, is represented the man of the spiritual church; by his mother Hagar, the affection of the knowledges of truth, which is that which had grief. Man’s rational is born of the affection of memory-knowledges as a mother (n. 1895-1896, 1902, 1910, 2094, 2524); but his spiritual is born of the affection of the knowledges of truth from doctrine, especially from the Word. The spiritual itself is here the “child;” and the affection of the knowledges of truth is “Hagar.”