Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 7194

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7194. And by My name Jehovah I was not known to them. That this signifies that they of the spiritual church in a state of temptations did not think of the Divine things of the church, is evident from the signification of the "name Jehovah," as being everything in one complex by which God is worshiped (see n. 2724, 3006, 6674), thus everything Divine in the church. By the "name Jehovah" is properly meant the Divine Human of the Lord (see n. 2628, 6887), and because by this and from it proceeds everything of faith and everything of love, which are the Divine things in the church, this is, in one complex, everything of Divine worship. And from the signification of "not being known," as being not to be known, or not to be thought of, that is to say, the Divine things of the church in the state of temptations which are signified by "God Shaddai"' and therefore it is said that He was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but not by His name Jehovah. This is the internal sense of these words; but the external or historic sense is different, and from this latter sense it is evident that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not worship Jehovah, but God Shaddai (n. 1992, 3667, 5628), and that Abraham knew not Jehovah (see n. 1356, 2559). But that "Jehovah" is named in the historicals concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is because that Word was written by Moses, to whom the name "Jehovah" was made known, and in these historicals "Jehovah" is named for the sake of the internal sense; for everywhere in the Word "Jehovah" is named when the subject treated of is the good of love, whereas "God" is named when it is the truth of faith (n. 709, 732, 1096, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4402).


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