6373. Until Shiloh come. That this signifies the coming of the Lord, and the tranquillity of peace then, is evident from the signification of “Shiloh,” as being the Lord, who is called “Shiloh” from the fact that He pacified and made all things tranquil; for in the original, “Shiloh” is derived from a word which means tranquillity. The reason why the Lord is here called “Shiloh” is plain from what was said above (n. 6371, 6372) about the celestial kingdom and its sovereignty; for when the Divine was presented to view through that kingdom there was in tranquillity, because the things in heaven, and the things in hell, could not thereby be reduced into order, for the Divine which flowed through that kingdom could not be pure, because heaven is not pure; thus neither was that kingdom so strong that all things could by means of it be kept in order; and therefore also the infernal and diabolical spirits were then raising themselves up from the hells and were ruling over the souls who were arriving from the world. The result was that none could be saved but the celestial; and at last scarcely they, unless the Lord had taken on the Human and had made this in Himself Divine; whereby the Lord reduced all things into order, first those in heaven, and afterward those in the hells; thus producing the tranquillity of peace. That the spiritual, that is, they who were of the spiritual church, were saved by the Lord’s coming, may be seen above, n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834; and that the Lord, when in the world, reduced all things into order, n. 1820, 4286, 4287; that the Divine truth from Jehovah or the Lord flowed in through heaven into the human race, but because this did not suffice when man removed himself from good, the Lord came into the world and made the Human in Himself Divine, in order that from the very Divine Human of the Lord the Divine truth might proceed, and thus might save man, who should receive good through truth, may also be seen above, n. 4180, 6280.

2661. On account of his son. That this signifies on this account, that He loved it, namely, the first rational, is evident from the signification of the “son,” namely, that of the handmaid, as being the merely human or first rational, described before. Although the cause of this grief is not told, it is evident from what follows. That the cause is the love is plain enough, for it is said “on account of his son;” and the same son is treated of in what follows, from verse 13 to 21 verse 21. Nevertheless in order that it may be known why there was this grief, or on what account it is said that the word was very evil in Abraham’s eyes on account of his son; take these few things by way of illustration.

[2] The Lord did not come into the world to save the celestial, but the spiritual. The Most Ancient Church, called “Man,” was celestial; and if this church had remained in its integrity, the Lord would have had no need to be born a man. But as soon as this church began to decline, the Lord foresaw that the celestial church would wholly perish from the world; and on that account the prediction was then made concerning the Lord’s coming into the world (Genesis 3:15). After the time of that church there was no longer a celestial church, but a spiritual church; for the Ancient Church which was after the flood (spoken of many times in Part First) was a spiritual church; and this church, that is, those who were of the spiritual church, could not have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world. This is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:

They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13).

Also by these words in John:

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16).

Also by the parable of the hundred sheep, in Matthew 18:11-13.

[3] Now as by Isaac is represented the Lord’s Divine rational, and as by him are also signified the celestial who are called “heirs;” and as by Ishmael is represented the Lord’s merely human rational, and as by him are also signified the spiritual who are called “sons” (as is manifest from (2658) what was said above, n. 2658), this was the reason why the Lord felt grief from Divine love, as shown in the words of this verse; and also in those which follow from verse 13 to verse 21, where by Hagar’s son and the mother of that son is represented the spiritual church; and the state of this church, that is, the state of those who were of this church, is treated of (n. 2612). These arcana cannot as yet be set forth more fully; it may simply be said that with the Lord when in the world all the states of the church were represented, and also in what manner those who belonged to the church were to be saved by Him; and for this reason the same states of the church are likewise signified by these same names.