1054. And I will see it. That this signifies that he is such that he can be regenerated, is evident from the fact that to “see” anyone, when predicated of the Lord, means to know his quality. For the Lord knows all from eternity, and has no need to see what anyone is. When anyone is such that he can be regenerated, then it is said of the Lord that He “sees” him, as also that He “lifts up His countenance” upon him. But when he cannot be regenerated, it is not said that the Lord sees him, or lifts up His countenance upon him, but that He “turns away His eyes” or “His face” from him, although it is not the Lord who turns them away, but the man. Hence in the fourteenth verse (Genesis 9:14), where the whole human race was treated of, in which there are many who cannot be regenerated, it is not said, when “I” see the bow in the cloud, but when the bow “shall be seen” in the cloud. As regards the Lord, the case is the same with “seeing” as it is with “remembering” which in the internal sense signifies to have mercy. (Concerning this see above, n. 840,1049 and also n. 626.)

626. God saw the earth. That this signifies that God knew man, is evident to everyone; for God who knows all things and everything from eternity, has no need to see whether man is such. To “see” is human, and therefore-as has been said at the sixth verse and elsewhere-the Word is spoken in accordance with the appearance of things to man; and this to such a degree that God is even said to “see with eyes.”