2552. 'Abraham said' means a perception, which constituted a reply. This is clear from the meaning in historical narratives of the Word of 'saying', dealt with many times already, as in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2061, 2080, 2238, 2260, 2271, 2287. As regards the Lord's thought from the doctrine of faith being meant by the expression 'Abimelech said to Abraham' but a perception which constituted a reply, by the expression 'Abraham said', the position is that perception is something higher, which in the Lord's case was from the Divine itself, whereas thought is something lower, which in the Lord's case was from the understanding itself. And because it was perception from which His thought sprang, so was the reply possessed by His thought derived from perception. This may be illustrated by means of something similar with man. The celestial man is unable to think except from perception, and the spiritual is unable to do so except from conscience, 2515. The perception of the celestial man, like the conscience [of the spiritual], originates in the Lord, though to the individual himself it is not apparent where it comes from; but his thought springs from the rational and seems to him to originate in himself. Thus again when he thinks about any matter from the rational the conclusion within his thought, or the reply, comes either from perception or from conscience. Consequently any reply which he receives from the Lord is conditioned by his own state of life, by his affection, and by the truth of doctrine implanted or imprinted in conformity with these.

2287. That 'Jehovah departed, when He had finished speaking to Abraham' means that this state of perception which existed with the Lord now ceased to be such is clear from the meaning of 'speaking' and from the representation of 'Abraham'. In the internal sense 'speaking' means thinking, as shown above in 2271. Here however it means perceiving because it is said of Jehovah that 'He finished speaking to Abraham'; for thought flowed from the perception, as stated already, and the perception from the Lord's internal, which was Jehovah. 'Abraham' however in this chapter represents the Lord when the human state existed with Him, as stated often above. From this it becomes clear that the words 'Jehovah departed, when He had finished speaking to Abraham' mean nothing else in the internal sense than that this state of perception which existed with the Lord now ceased to be. For the reason why in this chapter in the internal sense the Lord's perception and thought are dealt with so much, see above in 2249.