2726. Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days. That this signifies that the Lord adjoined to the doctrine of faith very many things from the memory-knowledge of human knowledges is evident from the signification of “sojourning,” as being to instruct (see n. 1463, 2025); from the representation of Abraham, as being the Lord (see n. 1965, 1989, 2011, 2501); from the signification of the “land of the Philistines,” or Philistia, as being the memory-knowledge of knowledges (see n. 1197, 1198); and from the signification of “days,” as being the state of the thing which is treated of (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893); here, because knowledges from the things of memory and reason are treated of, and it is said “many days,” it signifies relatively very many things. Thus far, from verse 22, rational things from human memory-knowledges, added to the doctrine of faith, are treated of, as is manifest from the explication; and here is the conclusion of them. As regards the subject itself; as in itself it is deep, and as much is said about it in chapter 26, it may be well at present to defer further explication.

2026. That by “I will give unto thee” is meant that the things which are in the heavens and on the earth are His, follows from what has just been said. In the sense of the letter, the words “I will give unto thee” mean that God or Jehovah would give to the Lord; just as it is said in the Word of the Evangelists that the Father gave unto Him all things that are in heaven and on the earth. But in the internal sense, in which the truth itself is presented in its purity, it means that the Lord acquired them for Himself, because Jehovah was in Him, and in everything belonging to Him, as before said. This may be further illustrated by that which is like it; for it is as if the interior or rational man, or the thought, should say that the corporeal would have rest or tranquillity if it would desist from doing this or that: in this case he that speaks is the same man as he that is spoken to, for both the rational and the corporeal belong to the man, and therefore when mention is made of the former, the latter also is understood.

[2] Moreover that the things in the heavens and on the earth are the Lord’s, is evident from very many passages in the Word, both in the Old Testament, and also in the Evangelists (as Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 3:34, 35, 17:2; Matthew 28:18); and also from what has been shown in Part First (n. 458, 551, 552, 1607). And as the Lord rules the universal heaven, He also rules all things on earth; for they have been so connected together that He who rules the one rules all things; for on the heaven of angels depends the heaven of angelic spirits, on this the world of spirits, and on this again the human race. And in like manner on the heavens depend all things that are in the world and in nature, for without influx from the Lord through the heavens, nothing that is in nature and its three Kingdoms would come forth and endure (see n. 1632).