1457. The symbolism of And Abram traveled, going and traveling, as further advancement can be seen from the symbolism of going and traveling. Among the ancients, journeys, travels, and immigration had no other meaning, so in the Word as well they have no other symbolism on an inner level.
This is where the Lord's advances into knowledge begin.
Like any other person, the Lord also learned by instruction. Luke demonstrates this:
The child grew and became strong in spirit. He was in the wastelands up to the day of his presentation to Israel. 1 (Luke 1:80)
In the same author:
The child grew and became strong in spirit and was filled with wisdom; and [God's] favor was on him. (Luke 2:40)
In the same author:
Joseph and Jesus' mother, after three days, found him in the Temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers and listening to them and asking them questions; everyone listening to him was astounded at his understanding and his answers. Seeing him, [Joseph and Mary] were amazed, but he said to them, "Why did you search for me? Didn't you know that I have to see to my Father's business?" (Luke 2:46-47, 48, 49)
Verse 42 of the same chapter says that he was then twelve years old. In the same author:
After that, Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and in favor with God and humankind. (Luke 2:52)
Footnotes:
1. The child mentioned in this verse was actually John the Baptist, as the third Latin edition (Swedenborg [1749-1756] 1949-1973) notes; it explains the discrepancy by reference to §1927, which explicitly states that the verse is about the Lord; and to §5620, which describes John the Baptist as representing the Lord. Swedenborg expands at length on this representation in §9372. Elsewhere (§§2708:9, 9818:10, for instance) Swedenborg demonstrates his awareness that the literal sense of the verse concerns John the Baptist. A similar interchangeability of symbolism may lie at the root of two other such substitutions: in the first editions a saying of John the Baptist in Luke 3:8-9 is ascribed to Jesus in Divine Providence 114, and a saying of Jesus in Mark 1:14-15 is ascribed to John in True Christianity 113:7. [LHC, SS]
