Arcana Coelestia (Elliott): AC 2609

2609. But as regards commandments to do with life ^a - as all the Ten Commandments are, and as very many in the Law and the Prophets are because the service which these perform is to man's very life, they are of use in both senses, the literal sense and the internal. The things that exist in the literal sense were for the people and peoples of that period, who had no understanding of things that were internal, while the things that exist in the internal sense were for the angels, who have no interest in things that are external. Unless the Ten Commandments also contained internal things, they would never have been declared on Mount Sinai by means of so great a miraculous event; for everything contained in them, such as the commands to honour one's parents, not to steal, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to covet what belongs to another, is known to gentiles also and has been laid down for them in their laws. And the children of Israel too, being members of the human race, ought to have known the same without any such declaration from Sinai. But it was because those commandments in both senses were to be of service to man's life, and were as external forms produced from internal, which corresponded to one another, that they came down out of heaven on Mount Sinai by means of so great a miraculous event - being declared and heard in heaven in the internal sense and declared and heard on earth in the external sense.

GENESIS 21

And Jehovah visited Sarah as He had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as He had spoken.

And Sarah conceived and bore to Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time, as God had spoken to him.

And Abraham called the name of his son born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, a son eight days old, as God had commanded him.

And Abraham was a son a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone that hears will laugh for me.

And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons? For I have born [him] a son in his old age.

And the boy grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day when he weaned Isaac.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

And she said to Abraham, Cast out this servant-girl, and her son; for the son of this servant-girl shall not inherit together with my son, with Isaac.

And the matter was deeply distressing to Abraham ^a because of his son.

And God said to Abraham, Do not be distressed ^b about the lad and about your servant-girl. Everything which Sarah says to you, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac will your seed be called.

And also, the son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation, because he is your seed.

And in the morning Abraham rose up early, and took bread and a flask of water, and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulder, and the boy, and sent her away; and she went and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

And the water from the flask was used up, and she put the boy under one of the shrubs.

And she went and sat by herself some distance away, withdrawing herself about a bowshot, for she said, Let me not see the death of the boy. And she sat some distance away and lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the boy's voice, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy's voice where he is.

Rise up, lift the boy up, and strengthen your hand in him, for I will make him into a great nation.

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the flask with water, and gave the boy a drink.

And God was with the boy, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and was an archer.

And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

And so it was at that time, that Abimelech spoke, and Phicol the general of his army, to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you are doing.

And now swear to me here by God that you will not lie to me, and to my son, and to my grandson; according to the kindness which I have done to you, may you do to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.

And Abraham said, I will swear.

And Abraham reproached Abimelech on account of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized.

And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this thing; and you also did not point it out to me, and I too have not heard about it until today.

And Abraham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abimelech; and the two of them made a covenant.

And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.

And Abimelech said to Abraham, What are these seven ewe-lambs which you have set by themselves?

And he said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well.

Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.

And they made a covenant in Beersheba; and Abimelech rose up and Phicol the general of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

And he planted a grove in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of [Jehovah,] the God of Eternity. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Notes

^a lit. exceedingly evil in Abraham's eyes
^b lit. Let it not be evil in your eyes

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