Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 20:2
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AC 2505. Verse 2. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister; and Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. "Abraham said," signifies the Lord’s thought; "of Sarah his wife," signifies spiritual truth conjoined with the celestial; "she is my sister," signifies rational truth; "and Abimelech king of Gerar sent," signifies the doctrine of faith ("Abimelech" signifies the doctrine of faith that looks to rational things); "and took Sarah," signifies the affection of consulting the rational.

AC 2506. Abraham said. That this signifies thought, is evident from the signification of "saying," in the historicals of the Word, as being to perceive, as well as to think (n. 1898, 1919, 2061, 2080, 2238, 2260, 2271, 2287).

AC 2507. Of Sarah his wife. That this signifies spiritual truth conjoined with the celestial, is evident from the signification of "Sarah" as a wife, as being intellectual truth conjoined with the Divine good, or what is the same, spiritual truth conjoined with the celestial (n. 1468, 1901, 2063, 2065, 2172, 2173, 2198). What the spiritual is, and what the celestial, has often been stated before (n. 1155, 1577, 1824, 2048, 2088). That is called Celestial, which is of good, that is, which is of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor; and that Spiritual, which is of truth, that is, which is of faith derived from those loves.

AC 2508. She is my sister. That this signifies rational truth, is evident from the signification of a "sister," as being rational intellectual truth (n. 1495). That rational truth is a "sister," can be seen only from the heavenly marriage; for the things which descend from this have kinships among themselves like the relationships and connections on earth (n. 685, 917); and this with indefinite variety. The heavenly marriage itself exists solely between the Divine good and the Divine truth. From this there are conceived in man the intellectual, the rational, and the faculty of knowing; for without conception from the heavenly marriage man cannot possibly be imbued with understanding, with reason, or with knowledge, and consequently cannot be man. In proportion therefore as he receives from the heavenly marriage, in the same proportion is he man. The heavenly marriage is in the Lord Himself, thus the Lord is this marriage itself, for He is the Divine good itself and at the same time the Divine truth. Angels and men are in the heavenly marriage in so far as they are in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, and in so far as they are thence in faith; that is, in so far as they are in the Lord‘s good, and thence in truth; and they are then called "daughters and sons," and in their relation to one another "sisters and brothers;" but this with differences. The reason why rational truth is called a "sister" is that it is conceived from the influx of the Divine good into the affection of rational truths; the good which is thence in the rational is called a "brother," and the truth which is thence, a "sister." But this will be better seen from what is said by Abraham in (verse 12) of this chapter: "and moreover truly she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife."

AC 2509. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent. That this signifies the doctrine of faith, is evident from what was said above (n. 2504), namely, that by "Philistia" is signified the memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith (n. 1197, 1198); by "Gerar," which was in Philistia, faith (n. 1209, 2504); and by a "king," the truth itself of faith (n. 1672, 2015, 2069). Hence by "Abimelech" is signified the doctrine of faith, but the doctrine of faith looking to rational things; as will be manifest from what now follows.

AC 2510. That "Abimelech" is the doctrine of faith looking to rational thing, is evident from the fact that he looked upon Sarah, not as Abraham’s wife, but as his sister; and by Sarah as a sister is signified rational truth (n. 2508). The same is also manifest from what follows; for the doctrine of faith is there treated of, as to whether it has its origin from the rational, or from the celestial. Hence "Abimelech" signifies the doctrine of faith looking to rational things. Doctrine is said to look to rational things when nothing is acknowledged as truth of doctrine except what can be comprehended by the reason, so that the consideration of all the things which are of doctrine is from the rational. Yet that the doctrine of faith is not from a rational but from a celestial origin, is taught in the internal sense in what follows.

AC 2511. And took Sarah. That this signifies the affection of consulting the rational, is evident from the signification of Sarah as a "sister," as being rational truth (n. 2508); and also from the signification of "taking" her, as being from affection toward her; thus, in the internal sense, from the affection of consulting the rational. The things contained in this verse involve the Lord‘s first thought respecting the doctrine of faith, as to whether it would be well to consult the rational or not. The reason why the first thought was of such a character is that the Lord progressed according to all Divine order; and whatever was of the human into which He was born, and which He derived from the mother, must necessarily be put off in order that He might put on the Divine; thus also this human thought, namely, as to whether the rational was to be consulted in regard to the doctrinal things of faith.

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Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. www.BibleMeanings.info