Explanation of Deuteronomy 1
By Alexander Payne
Verses 1-8. A General Summary.
Verses 9-18. The selection of right principles in the mind.
Verses 19-21. Invitation to enter upon the heavenly life.
Verses 22-25. A search into what constitutes the heavenly life.
Verses 26-40. The unwillingness of the unregenerate heart to enter upon it.
Verses 41-46. The attempt to do so from selfhood and defeat in temptation.
Arcana Coelestia # 5535
5535. 'And Jacob their father said to them' means a perception that came to them from the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, often dealt with already; and from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of truth, dealt with just above in 5533.