5628. And God Shaddai. That this signifies consolation after hardships, is evident from the signification of “Shaddai,” as being temptation and consolation after it (n. 1992, 4572); here therefore consolation after the hardships they had suffered in Egypt. That it is consolation after hardships is plain also from the words that follow in continuance—“give you mercies before the man.” That “Shaddai” signifies temptation and consolation after it, is because the ancients designated the One Only God by various names, according to the various things that were from Him; and as they believed that temptations were from Him, they then called God “Shaddai,” and by this name they did not mean another God, but the Only One in respect to temptations. But when the Ancient Church declined, they began to worship as many gods as there were names for the One Only God, and also of themselves added to them many more. This practice at last became so prevalent that every family had its own god, and they wholly distinguished him from the rest who were worshiped by other families.

[2] Terah’s family, of which was Abraham, worshiped Shaddai for its god (see n. 1356, 1992, 2559, 3667); and hence not only Abraham, but Jacob also, acknowledged Shaddai as his god, even in the land of Canaan; and this was permitted them lest they should be forced from their own religiosity; for no one is forced from what he regards as holy. But as the ancients understood by “Shaddai” Jehovah Himself, or the Lord, who was so styled when they underwent temptations, therefore Jehovah or the Lord regained this name with Abraham, as is plain from Genesis 17:1, and also with Jacob, Genesis 35:11. The reason why not merely temptation, but consolation also, is signified by “Shaddai,” is that consolation follows all spiritual temptations. This has been given me to know by experience in the other life; for when anyone there suffers hard things from evil spirits, through infestations, incitements to evils, and persuasions to falsities, after the evil spirits have been removed, he is received by angels, and is brought into a state of comfort by means of a delight conformable to his genius.

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).