Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 17:23
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AC 2099
. Verse 23. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his silver, every male among the men of Abraham‘s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God spake with him. "Abraham took Ishmael his son," signifies those who are truly rational; "and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his silver, and every male among the men of Abraham’s house," signifies here as before those who are within the church, with whom the truths of faith are being conjoined with goods; "and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin," signifies their purification and righteousness from the Lord; "in the selfsame day," signifies the state that has been spoken of; "as God spake with him," signifies in accordance with the perception.
AC 2100
. Abraham took Ishmael his son. That this signifies those who are truly rational, is evident from the signification of "Ishmael," as being those who are rational from truth, that is, the spiritual (n. 2078, 2087, 2088).
AC 2101
. All that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his silver, every male among the men of Abraham‘s house. That this signifies those who are within the church, with whom the truths of faith are conjoined with goods, is evident from the signification of "those born in the house," as being the celestial; from the signification of "those bought with silver," as being the spiritual; and from these being within the church, as explained above (n. 2048, 2051, 2052); and also from the signification of a "male," as being those who are in the truth of faith (n. 2046), from all which it is evident that they are meant who are within the church, with whom the truths of faith are conjoined with goods.
AC 2102
. And circumcised the flesh of their foreskin. That this signifies their purification and righteousness from the Lord, is evident from the signification of being "circumcised," as being to be purified from the loves of self and of the world (n. 2039); also from the signification of "circumcising the flesh of the foreskin," as being the removal of these loves (n. 2041, 2053, 2057); where it was further shown that those loves are the sole obstacle to the influx and operation of the good and truth from the Lord, and consequently to the application of the Lord’s righteousness to man).
[2] This whole chapter has treated of the union of the Lord‘s Divine Essence with His Human Essence; and concerning the conjunction of the Lord with man by means of His Human Essence made Divine; and also concerning circumcision, that is, purification from the filthy things in man. All these things are in one series, and follow one from another; for the union of the Divine Essence with the Human Essence in the Lord was effected to the end that the Divine might be conjoined with man; and the conjunction of the Divine with man cannot be effected unless man is purified from those loves; but as soon as he is being purified from them, the Lord’s Divine Human flows in, and thus conjoins man with itself. This shows the nature of the Word, namely, that when what is signified in the internal sense is understood, the Word is all connected together in a becoming and beautiful series.
AC 2103
. In the selfsame day. That this signifies the state - that has been spoken of, is evident from the signification of "day," as being in the internal sense state (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893).
AC 2104
. As God spake with him. That this signifies in accordance with the perception, is evident from the signification of "God saying" and "speaking," as being to perceive (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2097).
GENESIS 17:23
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