2213. About this time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. That this signifies that the Lord would then put off the human rational, and put on the Divine rational, is evident from the signification of “returning at this time of life,” or at this present time of the following year, as being the conjunction of the Lord’s Divine with His Human (spoken of above, n. 2193); and from the signification of Sarah’s “son,” as being the rational about to be Divine (also spoken of above, n. 2194). This time of life, or the present time of the following year, denotes the time when Abraham should enter upon his hundredth year, by which year is signified the unition of the Lord’s Human with His Divine and of His Divine with His Human (as shown above, n. 1988). There then intervened a year, because by a “year” in the Word is not signified a year, but an entire time, and thus a whole period, whether it be of a thousand years, or of a hundred, or of ten, or of hours (as was also shown before, n. 482, 487, 488, 493, 893; and also by a “week,” see above, n. 2044).

2044. And a son of eight days. That this signifies any beginning of purification whatever, is evident from the signification of “the eighth day.” A “week,” which is seven days, signifies an entire period of any state or time, as of reformation, of regeneration, of temptation, whether of man in particular, or of the church in general; thus a period is called a “week,” whether it be one of a thousand years, of a hundred, of ten, or of as many days, hours, minutes, and so on ((728) as may be seen from the passages cited in Part First, n. 728). And as the eighth day is the first day of a new week, it signifies any beginning whatever. This shows also that, as circumcision was itself a representative of purification, so also was the time of it, namely, the eighth day; not that they then entered into a purer state, and were purified on that account, but for the reason that, as “circumcision” signified purification, so “the eighth day” signified that this ought to be effected at all times, and thus always, as from a new beginning.