3017. And Jehovah blessed Abraham in all things. That this signifies when all things were disposed by the Lord into Divine order, or what is the same, when the Lord had disposed all things into Divine order, is evident from the fact that “Jehovah” is the Lord as to the Divine Itself (see n. 1343, 1736, 1815, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921); and that in this case Abraham represents the Lord as to the Divine Human (n. 2833, 2836); and therefore when it is said that “Jehovah blessed Abraham in all things,” in the internal sense is meant that the Lord from the Divine Itself in His Human disposed all things into Divine order; for to “bless,” when said of the Lord’s Human, signifies these things. For to “be blessed,” when predicated of man, means to be enriched with spiritual and celestial good (see n. 981, 1096, 1420, 1422); and he is enriched with it when the things in him are disposed by the Lord into spiritual and celestial order, thus into the image and likeness of Divine order (n. 1475); the regeneration of man being nothing else. But what is meant when it is said that all things were disposed by the Lord into Divine order in His Human, is evident from what follows in this chapter, namely, that His Divine rational, represented by Isaac, which was conceived from the Divine Good represented by Abraham, and was born of the Divine Truth represented by Sarah, was now disposed into such Divine order that Divine truths from the Human itself could be conjoined with it. These are the arcana contained in this chapter in the internal sense, concerning which the angels have clear light from the Lord. For in the light of heaven these things are open as in clear day; whereas in the light of the world in which man is, scarcely anything is so, except something in an obscure manner with one who is regenerate, for he also is in some light of heaven.

665. That to “set up a covenant” signifies that he would be regenerated, is very evident from the fact that there can be no covenant between the Lord and man other than conjunction by love and faith, and therefore a “covenant” signifies conjunction. For it is the heavenly marriage that is the veriest covenant; and the heavenly marriage, or conjunction, does not exist except with those who are being regenerated; so that in the widest sense regeneration itself is signified by a “covenant.” The Lord enters into a covenant with man when He regenerates him; and therefore among the ancients a covenant represented nothing else. Nothing can be gathered from the sense of the letter but that the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so many times with their descendants, was concerned with them personally, whereas they were such that they could not be regenerated; for they made worship consist in external things, and supposed the externals of worship to be holy, without internal things being adjoined to them. And therefore the covenants made with them were only representatives of regeneration. It was the same with their rites, and with Abraham himself, and with Isaac, and Jacob, who represented the things of love and faith. Likewise the high priests and priests, whatever their character, even those that were wicked, could represent the heavenly and most holy priesthood. In representatives the person is not regarded, but the thing that is represented. Thus all the kings of Israel and of Judah, even the worst, represented the royalty of the Lord; and even Pharaoh too, who set Joseph over the land of Egypt. From these and many other considerations-concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter-it is evident that the covenants so often entered into with the sons of Jacob were only religious rites that were representative.