2218. That 'the men rose up [from there]' means that that perception came to an end becomes clear from the meaning of 'rising up' as going away, and from that of 'the men', dealt with above. The coming of the three men or of Jehovah to Abraham represented the Lord's Divine Perception, as shown above. The Lord's Perception from the Divine at that time was first His Perception regarding the Divine Trinity of the Divine itself, the Divine Human, and that which Proceeds from these, and then regarding His Human, that it was to put on the Divine. Now there follows His Perception from the Divine regarding the character of the human race at that time. These three considerations are what this chapter deals with, and they come in the following order - the Divine assumed the Human, and made this Divine, so that He might save the human race. Regarding the first two considerations it is said that the Perception came to an end, which is what is meant in the internal sense by the words 'the men rose up'. But that Perception regarding the character of the human race is meant in the internal sense by the words 'they looked towards the face of Sodom, and Abraham went with them'; and the fact that He had no wish to remain any longer in that Perception is meant by the words 'he went with them to send them on their way'. But a better sight of these matters may be gained from the preliminary Contents above, ¹ and also from the explanation given below of what follows.

फुटनोट:

2136. Genesis 18

1. And Jehovah appeared to him in the oak-groves of Mamre, and he was sitting at the tent door, as the day was getting warmer.

2. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing over him. And he saw, and ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed down towards the ground. ¹

3. And he said, My Lord, if now I have found grace in your eyes, do not, I beg of you, pass from over your servant.

4. Let now a little water be taken, and [all of you] wash your feet, and recline under the tree.

5. And I will take a piece a bread, that you may refresh yourselves; ² after that you may pass on, for this is why you have passed over to your servant. And they said, Do as you have spoken.

6. And Abraham hastened towards the tent to Sarah, and said, Take quickly three measures of meal of fine flour, knead it, and make cakes.

7. And Abraham ran to the herd and took a young bull, ³ tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he hastened to make it ready.

8. And he took butter and milk, and the young bull, ³ which he made ready, and set it before them. And he stood before them under the tree, and they ate.

9. And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10. And he said, I will certainly return to you about this time next year, ⁴ and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah heard it at the tent door, and this was behind him.

11. And Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; ⁵ and it had ceased to be with Sarah in the way it is with women.

12. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have grown old, shall I have this pleasure, and my lord being old?

13. And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I really, in truth, bear a child, and I have grown old?

14. Will anything be too wonderful for Jehovah? At the set time I will return to you, about this time next year, ⁴ and Sarah will have a son.

15. And Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh.

16. And the men rose up from there and looked towards the face of Sodom; and Abraham went with them, to send them on their way.

17. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing?

18. And Abraham will certainly become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

19. For I know him that he will command his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah to do righteousness and judgement, in order that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him.

20. And Jehovah said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and their sin has become extremely grave.

21. I will go down now, and I will see whether they have brought it to a close according to the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.

22. And the men looked from there and went towards Sodom; and Abraham still stood before Jehovah.

23. And Abraham drew near and said, Will You also destroy the righteous and the wicked?

24. Perhaps there may be fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city. Will You also destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous persons who are in the midst of it?

25. Far be it from You to do such a thing as to make the righteous die with the wicked, so that the righteous will be as the wicked; far be it from You; will not the Judge of the whole earth execute judgement?

26. And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city, I will spare the whole place for their sakes.

27. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord, and I am [but] dust and ashes.

28. Perhaps the fifty righteous persons will lack five; will You for five destroy the whole city? And he said, I will not destroy it if I find forty five there.

29. And he spoke to Him yet again, and said, Perhaps forty will be found there. And He said, I will not do it for the sake of the forty.

30. And he said, Let not now my Lord be incensed and I will speak; perhaps thirty will be found there. And He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there.

31. And he said, Behold now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord; perhaps twenty will be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.

32. And he said, Let not now my Lord be incensed, and I will speak just once more; perhaps ten will be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.

33. And Jehovah departed, when He had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

CONTENTS

First, this chapter deals here with the state of the Lord's perception within the Human, and of the communication at that time with the Divine before the perfect union existed of His Human Essence with the Divine Essence, which state is also what the Lord is referring to when He says,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

फुटनोट: