3119. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah the God of my lord Abraham. That this signifies from the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, is evident from what was said above (n. 3061), where the same words occur, except that the word “blessed” is here added. “Blessed be Jehovah” was a form of thanksgiving, thus also of joy and gladness, when wished-for events took place. (What the ancients meant by “blessing Jehovah,” may be seen above, n. 1096, 1422.)

289. It has also been shown above that by “wife” is meant the church, and in the universal sense the kingdom of the Lord in the heavens and on earth; and from this it follows that the same is meant by “mother.” In the Word the church is very frequently called “mother” as in Isaiah:

Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement ? (Isaiah 50:1).

In Jeremiah:

Your mother is greatly ashamed: she that bare you was suffused with shame (Jeremiah 50:12).

In Ezekiel:

Thou art thy mother’s daughter that loathed her man and her sons; your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite (Ezekiel 16:45),

where “man [vir]” denotes the Lord and all that is celestial; “sons” the truths of faith; a “Hittite” what is false: and an “Amorite” what is evil. In the same:

Thy mother is like a vine in thy likeness, planted near the waters; she was fruitful and full of leaves because of many waters (Ezekiel 19:10).

Here “mother” denotes the Ancient Church. The term “mother” is more especially applicable to the Most Ancient Church, because it was the first church, and the only one that was celestial, and therefore beloved by the Lord more than any other.