The Bible

 

Genesis 1:17

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17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

Commentary

 

Return to Egypt

  

In Exodus 4:18, this signifies the continuation of the previous life. (Arcana Coelestia 7014)

In Exodus 13:17, this signifies to fall into falsities. (Arcana Coelestia 8097)

In John 13:3, this signifies to be conceived and to exist from the Divine in Himself, and to be united to Him as soul to body. (Arcana Coelestia 852[9])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4567

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4567. 'God was seen by Jacob again, when he was coming from Paddan Aram; and He blessed him' means interior natural perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'God was seen' as interior perception. 'Seeing' means understanding and perceiving, see 2150, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421, and therefore the words 'God was seen' used in reference to the Lord mean perception from the Divine, which is the same as interior perception. The possession by the natural of this perception is meant by 'God was seen by Jacob', for 'Jacob' represents the Lord's natural, as has been shown many times. 'Again, when he was coming from Paddan Aram' means after He had absorbed cognitions of good and truth, which, being meant by 'Paddan Aram', are dealt with in 3664, 3680, 4112. 'He blessed him' means progress towards the more interior aspects of the natural, and the joining together there of good and truth. For 'blessing' is used to refer to all the good which anyone has conferred on him by the Divine, 1420, 1422, 2846, 3017, 3406; in particular the expression refers to the joining together of good and truth, 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.