7. The first state is the state which precedes, both the state existing from earliest childhood onwards and that existing immediately before regeneration; and it is called a void, emptiness, and thick darkness. And the first movement, which is the Lord's mercy, is 'the Spirit of God hovering over the face ¹ of the waters'.

Footnotes:

1705. 'The brother of Eshkol and the brother of Aner, and these men were Abram's allies' means the state of the Rational Man in relation to the External Man as regards the nature of its goods and truths. This becomes clear from the meaning of these same men, discussed below at verse 24, where also they are mentioned by name. To put it briefly, Mamre, Eshkol, and Aner represent and mean the angels residing with the Lord when in earliest childhood He engaged in conflict, who were sufficiently equal to the goods and truths present with the Lord at that time. It is from goods and truths that angels receive their names. No angel in heaven has any personal name, but it is goods and truths from which names are bestowed on them, as with Michael and other angels mentioned in the Word. These are not angels possessing such personal names but angels so named because of the function they perform, whatever this may be. It is similar here with Mamre, Eshkol, and Aner, though these names are used representatively.