A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.

2818. 'To slay his son' means until whatever originated in the merely human was dead. This becomes clear from the internal sense of these words, for they mean the Lord's severest and inmost temptations, in the last of which, that of the Cross, it is clear that the merely human also died. This could not be represented by 'Abraham's son' or Isaac because the sacrificing of sons was an abomination. Yet that death of the human was represented so far as this could be represented; that is to say, it was represented in the attempt to sacrifice Isaac but not in any actual sacrificing of him. From this it may become clear that these words about Abraham taking the knife to slay his son mean until all that was merely human was dead.

[2] The Lord's future coming into the world and His suffering of death had been known since most ancient times. The existence of that knowledge then may be recognized plainly from the custom prevalent among the gentiles of sacrificing their own children, which they did in the belief that by so doing they made atonement and satisfied God. They would never have made this abominable custom their major religious activity unless they had received from the ancients knowledge of a future coming of the Son of God, of whom, so they believed, a sacrifice would be made. The children of Jacob too inclined to this abominable practice, as also did Abraham, for nobody is tempted except through that to which he has an inclination. The fact that the children of Jacob had those inclinations is clear in the Prophets. But to prevent them plunging into that abominable practice the introduction of burnt offerings and sacrifices was permitted, 922, 1128, 1241, 1343, 2180.