3854. 'Jehovah saw' means the Lord's foresight and providence. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' in reference to the Lord as foresight and providence, dealt with in the next verse where Reuben is the subject, who was so named from the expression 'to see' - 'Jehovah' being the Lord, see 1343, 1736, 1793, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035.

[2] As regards foresight and providence in general, foresight has reference more to man, providence more to the Lord. The Lord foresaw from eternity what the human race was going to be like in the future and what every member of it was going to be like, and that evil was going to increase all the time, so that at length man, of himself, would rush headlong into hell. That being so, the Lord has provided not only the means by which He makes it possible for him to be diverted from hell and led towards heaven, but also does in His providence divert and lead him all the time. The Lord also foresaw that it would be impossible for any good to take root in man except in his freedom, for that which does not take root in freedom is dispelled at the first sign of evil and of temptation. This the Lord foresaw, as well as the fact that of himself, that is, from his own freedom, man would be inclined towards the deepest hell. That being so, the Lord provided that if he would not allow himself to be led in freedom towards heaven he could still be diverted towards a milder hell; but if he would allow himself to be led in freedom towards good then he could be diverted towards heaven. From these considerations one may see what foresight is and what providence is, and that appropriate provisions are made for things that are foreseen.

[3] From this it may be seen how far someone errs who believes that the Lord has not foreseen and does not see the smallest individual thing with man, or that within the smallest individual thing He does not foresee and lead, when in fact the Lord's foresight and providence are present within the tiniest details of all the smallest individual things with him, and in details so tiny that it is impossible to comprehend in any manner of thought one in many millions of them. For every smallest fraction of a moment of a person's life entails a chain of consequences extending into eternity. Indeed every one is like a new beginning to those that follow, and so every single moment of the life both of his understanding and of his will is a new beginning. And since the Lord foresaw from eternity what man was going to be like in the future and even into eternity it is clear that providence is present in the smallest individual things, and, as has been stated, is governing him and diverting him so that he may be such, this being achieved by constant re-shaping of his freedom. But this subject will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed further later on.

2157. 'If now I have found grace in your eyes' means the respectful regard that became a feature of the Lord's state when He took notice of that perception. This becomes clear from the affection that produces the state of humility which these actual words imply and also those that follow immediately after, 'Do not, I beg of you, pass from over your servant', which also imply a state of humility. Within every individual part of the Word there are both affection and subject matter. Celestial angels perceive the Word as it exists in the internal sense as to the affection there, whereas spiritual angels perceive it as it exists in the internal sense as to the subject matter there. Those who perceive the Word in the internal sense as to the affection there do not pay any attention at all to the words, which are expressions of the subject matter, but instead form ideas for themselves from the affection and the consecutive details of that affection, and do so with endless variety. Here, for example, when they come to the words, 'If now I have found grace in your eyes, do not, I beg of you, pass from over your servant', they perceive the Lord's state of humiliation in the Human, yet only the affection that produces humility. From that affection - in a manner, variety, and profusion beyond words - they form celestial ideas for themselves which can hardly be called ideas. Rather they should be called so many 'lights' engendered by affections and perceptions - which follow one another in a continuous sequence according to the chain of affection that runs through the things present in the Word that is being read.

[2] From this it becomes clear that the perception, thought, and speech of celestial angels are more indescribable and far richer than the perception, thought, and speech of spiritual angels, the latter being limited to the subject matter, according with the sequence of expressions that are used. (That the nature of the speech of celestial angels is such, see Volume One, in 1647.) This explains why these words, 'If now I have found grace in your eyes', mean in the celestial sense the respectful regard that became a feature of the Lord's state when He took notice of that perception. What is more, 'finding grace in your eyes' was a customary phrase used in every expression of respect, as becomes clear from the respect offered by Laban to Jacob,

Laban said to him, If now I have found grace in your eyes. Genesis 30:27.

And from that offered by Jacob to Esau,

Jacob said, No, I beg of you; if now, I have found grace in your eyes. Genesis 33:10.

And similar examples occur elsewhere in the Word.