4576. 'And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you' means Divine Good when made over [to the Natural] as its own. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as good (for in the internal sense the land of Canaan, understood by 'the land' here, means the Lord's kingdom and consequently the Church, which is the Lord's kingdom on earth, 1607, 3481, 3705, 4447, 4517. And as these are meant good is meant, for good is the essential element in the Lord's kingdom and in the Church. But in the highest sense the land of Canaan means the Lord's Divine Good, for the good which exists in the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth originates in the Lord); from the representation of 'Abraham and Isaac' as the Lord's Divine, 'Abraham' being the Divine itself and 'Isaac' the Divine Human, in particular the Lord's Divine Rational (regarding Abraham, see 1989, 2011, 3245, 3251, 3439, 3703, 4206, 4207, and Isaac, 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 2774, 3012, 3194, 3210, 4180); and from the meaning of 'giving it (the land) to you' as making over to the Natural as its own, for Jacob, to whom 'you' refers here, represents the Lord's Divine Natural, as has often been shown. From all this it is evident that 'the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you' means Divine Good when made over [to the Natural] as its own.

3482. Although the language used in the Word appears to mankind to be simple, and in some places crude, it is angelic language itself, though in its lowest form. For when angelic language, which is spiritual, falls into human expressions it cannot fall into any other type of language than this. Individual things are representative, and individual expressions carry a meaning. Since they were in direct communication with spirits and angels the ancients possessed no other kind of language. Their language was full of representatives, and a spiritual sense was present in each expression. Also, the books of the ancients were written in the same fashion, for talking and writing in that fashion was the aim of their wisdom. How far mankind has since then retreated from heaven becomes clear from this as well. At present it does not even know that the Word includes anything apart from that which is seen in the letter, not even that there is a spiritual sense in it. Whatever is said to lie beyond the literal sense is termed mystical, which solely on these grounds is rejected. This also explains why at the present day communication with heaven has been interrupted, so much so that few believe in the existence of any heaven at all. Indeed, amazing to say, far fewer of the learned and scholarly than of the simple believe in it.