2500. Abraham journeyed thence toward the land of the south. That this signifies the Lord’s progression in the goods and truths of faith, is evident from the signification of “journeying,” as being to progress (see n. 1457); and from the signification of the “land of the south,” as being the good and truth of faith (see n. 1458). It has already been stated concerning Abraham, in the twelfth chapter, that he “journeyed, going and journeying toward the south,” when he went into Egypt (verses 9-10); by which was signified in the internal sense that the Lord when a child progressed into goods and truths in respect to the memory-knowledge of knowledges (n. 1456, 1459); ¹ and here it is said that he journeyed “toward the land of the south,” by which there is signified a further and more interior progression, which is into goods and truths in respect to the doctrine of faith; on which account it is here said the “land” of the south, because “land” in its proper sense signifies the church, for the sake of which is doctrine (n. 566, 662, 1066, 2117, 2118).

[2] As regards the Lord’s instruction in general, the nature of it is very clear in the internal sense of this chapter; namely, that it was by continual revelations, and thus by Divine perceptions and thoughts from Himself, that is, from His Divine; which perceptions and thoughts He implanted in Divine intelligence and wisdom, and this even to the perfect union of His Human with His Divine. This way of growing wise is not possible with any man; for it flowed in from the Divine itself, which was His inmost, being of the Father, of whom He was conceived; thus from the Divine Love itself, which the Lord alone had, and which consisted in His desire to save the universal human race.

[3] It is an arcanum which is as yet known to scarcely anyone, that within love itself there are wisdom and intelligence; these being such as is the love. That wisdom and intelligence are within love comes from the fact that all influx takes place into the love, or what is the same, into the good, thus into man’s very life. This is the source of the wisdom and intelligence of the angels, which is ineffable. It is also the source of the wisdom and intelligence of men who are in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor; who, although they have no perception of it in themselves while they are living in the body, nevertheless come into it after death, for the reason that it is within this very love and charity (see n. 2494). But as regards the Lord’s love, it was infinitely above the love in which the angels are, for it was the Divine love itself; and therefore He had in Himself a supereminence of all wisdom and intelligence; into which however because He was born a man, and was to progress as a man according to Divine order, He introduced Himself by successive steps, in order that He might thus unite His Human to the Divine, and make it Divine; and this by His own power.

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1458. That “toward the south” signifies into goods and truths, and thus into a state of light as to the interiors, is evident from the signification of “the south.” That “the south” signifies a state of light, comes from the fact that there are neither quarters nor times in the other life, but states which are signified by quarters and times. The states of intellectual things are as the states of the times of the day and of the year, and also as the states of the quarters. The states of the day are those of evening, night, morning, and noon; the states of the year are those of autumn, winter, spring, and summer; and the states of the quarters are those of the sun, in its relation to the west, the north, the east, and the south. Similar to these are the states of intellectual things. And, what is wonderful, in heaven those are in light who are in a state of wisdom and intelligence, exactly according to their state; those being in the greatest light who are in a state of the highest wisdom and intelligence; but the wisdom there is that of love and charity, and the intelligence is that of faith in the Lord. That in the other life there is light to which the light of the world can scarcely be compared, is to me a fact established by much experience (concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter), and because there is in heaven such a correspondence between light and intellectual things, therefore in the Word, in this and in other passages, nothing else is signified in the internal sense by “the south.” “The south” here signifies the intelligence which is procured by means of knowledges. These knowledges are celestial and spiritual truths, which in heaven are so many radiations of light, and they are also presented visibly by means of the light, as before stated. As the Lord was now to be imbued with knowledges in order that as to the Human Essence also He might become the very Light of heaven, it is here said that “Abram journeyed, going and journeying toward the south.”

[2] That this is the signification of “the south,” may be seen from similar passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:

I will say to the north, Give; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth (Isaiah 43:6);

“the north” denotes those who are in ignorance; “the south” those who are in knowledges; “sons” truths; and “daughters” goods. Again:

If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness as the noonday [or, south-meridies] (Isaiah 58:10);

to “draw out the soul to the hungry and to satisfy the afflicted soul,” denotes the goods of charity in general; the “light rising in the darkness,” means that they shall have the intelligence of truth; and “the thick darkness as the south,” means that they shall have the wisdom of good; “the south,” from its heat, signifies good, and from its light, truth.

[3] In Ezekiel:

In the visions of God brought He me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the building of a city on the south (Ezekiel 40:2); concerning the New Jerusalem, or the Lord’s kingdom, which, because it is in the light of wisdom and intelligence, is “on the south.”

In David:

Jehovah shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday (Psalms 37:6).

Again:

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror of the night, for the arrow that flieth by day, for the pestilence that walketh in the thick darkness, for the destruction that wasteth at noonday [or, in the south] (Psalms 91:5-6 (Psalms 91:6)

“not to fear for the destruction that wasteth in the south,” means not to be afraid because of the damnation which comes upon those who are in knowledges and pervert them.

In Ezekiel:

Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop [thy word] to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field of the south, and say to the forest of the south, All faces from the south to the north shall be burned in her (Ezekiel 20:46-47);

“the forest of the south,” denotes those who are in the light of truths, and who extinguish it, and thus those of this character who are within the church.

[4] In Daniel:

Out of one of them there went forth a little horn, and it grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward beauty [decus], and it grew even to the army of the heavens (Daniel 8:9-10);

meaning those who fight against goods and truths.

In Jeremiah:

Give glory to Jehovah your God, before He maketh it grow dark, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight; and ye look for light, and He turn it into the shadow of death, He shall make it thick darkness; the cities of the south shall be shut, and there is none to open (Jeremiah 13:16; 13:19);

“the cities of the south” denote the knowledges of truth and good.

In Obadiah:

The captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the south (Obadiah 1:20);

“the cities of the south” denote in like manner truths and goods; hence the very truths and goods of which they are the heirs; the Lord’s kingdom is here treated of.

[5] That Abram’s journeying, going and journeying toward the south, signifies, as before said, the Lord’s progression into goods and truths, and thus into a state of light as to the interiors, is to be thus understood: knowledges are the things that open the way for seeing celestial and spiritual things; by means of knowledges the way is opened for the internal man to advance toward the external, in which latter are the receiving vessels, which are as many as are the knowledges of good and truth; into these knowledges, as into their vessels, do celestial things inflow.