2559. And it came to pass when God caused me to depart from my father’s house. That this signifies when He left what is of memory-knowledge, and the appearances therefrom, together with their delights, which here are the “house of his father,” is evident from the signification of “departing,” as being to leave; and from the signification of “house,” as being good (n. 2231, 2233), here the good of the delight from the appearances of the things of memory-knowledge and of rational things; for all delight appears as good. That by the “house of his father” are here signified the delights of memory-knowledges and of rational things, consequently of their appearances, comes from the fact that they are predicated of Abraham when he departed from the house of his father; for then Abraham together with the house of his father worshiped other gods (s ee n. 1356, 1992). Hence it is that it is said in the plural, “God [Elohim] caused me to depart.” It might also be rendered according to the original tongue, “the gods caused me to wander;” but as the Lord is represented by Abraham it must be rendered “God caused me to depart.” As with the Lord the first memory-knowledges and the rational things derived from them were human, being imbued with what was hereditary from the mother, and thus were not purely Divine, they are therefore represented by Abraham’s first state (but how far representations go, see n. 665, 1907 at the end, 1361, 1992).