3364. 'There was a famine in the land, in addition to the previous famine that occurred in the days of Abraham' means an absence of cognitions of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'a famine' as an absence of cognitions, dealt with in 1460; and that an absence of cognitions of faith is meant is evident from what follows next - from the representation of 'Abimelech' and from the meaning of 'Gerar' as the things that belong to faith. 'The famine in the days of Abraham', which is mentioned in Chapter 12:10, and is dealt with in 1460, was an absence of cognitions that belong to the natural man, whereas the famine referred to here is an absence of cognitions that belong to the rational man. This is why it is said that 'there was a famine in the land, in addition to the previous famine that occurred in the days of Abraham'.

[2] The subject here in the internal sense is that the Lord received all matters of doctrine concerning faith from His own Divine; for no matter of doctrine exists, not even the smallest, that does not come from the Lord, for the Lord is doctrine itself. This is why the Lord is called the Word, for the Word is doctrine. But because everything in the Lord is Divine, and the Divine cannot be comprehended by any created being, matters of doctrine which come from the Lord, in that they present themselves before created beings, are not therefore wholly Divine truths but appearances of truth. All the same, appearances do include Divine truths within them, and because they include them, appearances also are called truths. These appearances are the subject in this chapter.

2509. 'And Abimelech king of Gerar sent' means the doctrine of faith. This is clear from what has been stated above in 2504 - that by 'Philistia' is meant knowledge of the cognitions of faith, 1197, 1198, by 'Gerar', which was situated in Philistia, is meant faith, 1209, 2504, and by 'king' the truth itself of faith, 1672, 2015, 2069; consequently by 'Abimelech' is meant the doctrine of faith, but the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational things, as will be evident from what follows next.