<< Genesis 18: Heavenly Visitors >>  

 The Lord had changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sara 's name to Sarah. The "h" from the Lord's own name Jehovah was added to their names as a sign that they were the Lord's children.

The tents were still at Hebron. They were probably black tents of goats' hair, such as are pitched in the pastures of the South Country to-day. They are irregular in shape and sometimes very large and spreading. Abraham was chief of the tribe and he set his lent near the path by which travellers would pass, as is still the custom. He was sitting at the door ol' the tent in the heat of the day.

The Arabs are very polite when strangers come to their tents, and give them the best they have. Abraham seems also to have known from the first that the three men whom he saw when he looked up were angels of the Lord.

The first act of kindness was to bring water and pour over the feet of a traveller who had been wearing sandals on the hot, dusty paths. Meal very likely must be ground in the little hand-mill. The lower stone of the mill, a foot and a half or so across, lies on the ground; a pin rising from its centre passes loosely through a hole in the middle of the upper stone, and a pin near the edge of the upper stone gives a hold for the hands of two women who turn it. The sound of these little mills is heard in every Eastern village and camp. They were probably thin, round cakes which Sarah made, baked on the hot stones. The "butter" was perhaps curds.

Abraham stood while his visitors were eating. And as they ate they talked with him and promised that Sarah should have a son.

 The heavenly visitors rose up when they had eaten, to go towards Sodom, in the plain of Jordan, near the northern end of the Dead Sea. From the hills of Hebron there is a wide view across the barren country towards the plain and the cities which Lot had chosen for his home. The plain was rich and beautiful as the garden of the Lord; but the people were very wicked and the cities were to be destroyed. Perhaps two angels went on their way and one still stood with Abraham to speak the Lord's message to him. Abraham thought of Lot and prayed earnestly, that if there were fifty good people—forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, or even ten—in the city, it might be spared. But I must not tell you too much of the story before we read it.

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. ...

And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. ...

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.---Genesis XVIII 1-10; 16-33; XIX. 27-29.

Author: William L. Worcester 1904

Spiritual Correspondences

Three Men >> Trinity of Divine Love, Glorified Human Nature and Holy Spirit

Washing of Feet and Eating of Food >> Closer Union between Divine and Human

Birth of Isaac >> Lord's Gift of Regeneration

Fifty, Forty-five, Forty, Thirty, Twenty, Ten >> States of Life which can be reached by Salvation

Ten >> Remains of Childhood Innocence

Spiritual Meaning

 GENESIS XVIII

 l. And Jehovah appeared unto him in the oak groves of Mamre, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, as the day was growing hot.
 
  "Jehovah appeared unto him," signifies the Lord's perception; "in the oak-groves of Mamre," signifies the quality of the perception; "he was sitting at the door of the tent," signifies the holiness which at that time appertained to Him; "as the day was growing hot," signifies from love.
 
 2. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold three men standing over him; and he saw them, and ran to meet them from the door of the tent, and bowed himself toward the earth.
 
 "He lifted up his eyes," signifies that He saw within Himself; "and behold three men standing over him," signifies the Divine Itself, the Divine Human, and the Holy proceeding; "and he saw them," signifies when He observed this; "and ran to meet them," signifies that in thought He approached nearer to the things that were being perceived; "from the door of the tent," signifies from the holy which at that time appertained to the Lord; "and bowed himself toward the earth," signifies the effect of humiliation, from the consequent joy.
 
 3. And he said, My Lord, if I pray I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not I pray from Thy servant.
 
 "And he said," signifies that the Lord so thought; "My Lord," signifies the Trine in a One; "if I pray I have found grace in Thine eyes," signifies the deference of the Lord's state when He noticed that perception; "pass not I pray from Thy servant," signifies that He intensely desired that what He began to perceive should not pass away. The "servant" is the human that appertained to the Lord before it was made Divine.
 
 4. Let I pray a little water be taken, and wash ye your feet, and lie down under the tree.
 
 "Let I pray a little water be taken," signifies that they should draw near, and let themselves down from things Divine nearer to His intellectual things; "and wash ye your feet," signifies that they should put on something natural, in order that in the state in which He then was, He might the better perceive; "and lie down under the tree," signifies near to the perception of His state in which He was; "tree" is perception.
 
 Verse 5. And I will take a piece of bread, and support ye your heart; afterwards ye may pass on; for therefore have ye passed over unto your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast spoken.
 
 "I will take a piece of bread," signifies something celestial adjoined; "support ye your heart," signifies as much as is meet; "afterwards ye may pass on," signifies that when He had left off perceiving He would be content therewith; "for therefore have ye passed over unto your servant," signifies that they came for this purpose; "and they said, So do as thou hast spoken," signifies that it should be so done.
 
 6. And Abraham hastened toward the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of meal of fine flour, knead, and make cakes.
 
 "Abraham hastened toward the tent unto Sarah," signifies the Lord's rational good conjoined with His truth; "Abraham" is here the Lord in that state as to good; "Sarah," as to truth; the "tent," as to the holy of love: "and said," signifies the state of perception relatively at that time; "make ready quickly three measures of meal of fine flour, knead, and make cakes," signifies the celestial of His love in that state; "three" denotes what is holy; "meal of fine flour," is the spiritual and the celestial of the rational which were then with the Lord; "cakes" denote the same when both are conjoined.
 
 7. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and took a son of an ox tender and good, and gave it to the lad, and he hasted to make it.
 
 "Abraham ran unto the herd," signifies natural good; "and took a son of an ox tender and good" signifies the celestial natural which is conformable, and which the rational associated to itself in order that it might conjoin itself with the perception from the Divine; "and gave it to the lad, and he hasted to make it," signifies the conjunction of this good with rational good; "the lad" is here the natural man.
 
 8. And he took butter and milk, and the son of an ox that he had made, and set before them; and he stood before them under the tree, and they did eat.

  "He took butter and milk, and the son of an ox that he had made," signifies all those things thus conjoined together; "butter" is the celestial of the rational, "milk" is the derivative spiritual, a "son of an ox" is the corresponding natural; "and set before them," signifies that He so prepared Himself to receive; "and he stood before them under the tree," signifies derivative perception (the "tree," as before, is perception); "and they did eat," signifies communication in this manner.

  9. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
 
 "They said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife?" signifies rational truth, which did not then appear because it was in rational good; "and he said, Behold, in the tent," signifies that it was in what is holy.

 10. And He said, Returning I will return unto thee about this time of life; and behold Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard at the door of the tent, and it was behind him.
 
 "And He said," signifies perception; "Returning I will return unto thee about this time of life," signifies the conjunction of the Divine with the Lord's Human; "and behold Sarah thy wife shall have a son," signifies the rational that was to be Divine; "and Sarah heard at the door of the tent," signifies rational truth then near what is holy; "and it was behind him," signifies near the good in which the rational then was, and thus separated from it insofar as anything of the human was in it.
 
 16. And the men rose up thence, and looked toward the faces of Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them away.
 
 "The men rose up thence," signifies that that perception came to an end; "and looked toward the faces of Sodom," signifies the state of the human race; "Sodom" is all evil from the love of self; "and Abraham went with them," signifies that the Lord still remained with them in perception, but concerning the human race; "to send them away," signifies that He willed to withdraw from that perception.
 
 17. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?
 
 "And Jehovah said," signifies perception; "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?" signifies that nothing ought to be hidden before the Lord.
 
 18. And Abraham shall surely be for a nation great and numerous; and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.
 
 "Abraham shall surely be for a nation great and numerous," signifies that from the Lord will be all good and all the derivative truth; "and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," signifies that all who are in charity will be saved by Him.

 19. For I know him, because he will command his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah to do righteousness and judgment; that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.
 
 "For I know him," signifies that it is true; "because he will command his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah to do righteousness and judgment," signifies that all the doctrine of charity and faith is from Him; "sons" are they who are in truths, "house," they who are in goods, "way" is doctrine, "righteousness" has regard to good, "judgment" to truth; "that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him," signifies that the Human Essence will for this reason be adjoined to the Divine Essence.
 
 20. And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has become very grievous.
 
 "Jehovah said," signifies perception; "because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has become very grievous," signifies that the falsity and evil of the love of self have grown even to consummation. "Cry" is falsity, and "sin" is evil.
 
 21. I will go down, I pray, and I will see whether they have made a consummation according to the cry thereof which is come unto Me, and if not I will know.
 
 "I will go down, I pray, and I will see," signifies visitation; "whether they have made a consummation according to the cry thereof which is come unto Me, and if not I will know," signifies whether the evil has arrived at its height.
 
 22. And the men looked forth thence and went toward Sodom; and Abraham as yet he was standing before Jehovah.
 
 "The men looked forth thence," signifies the Lord's thought from the Divine; "and went toward Sodom," signifies concerning the human race as being in such great evil; "and Abraham as yet he was standing before Jehovah," signifies the Lord's thought from the Human which was adjoined in the manner stated above.
 
 23. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
 
 "Abraham drew near, and said," signifies the Lord's thought from the Human, which thought adjoined itself more closely to the Divine; "wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" signifies the Lord's grief from love toward the human race, and His intercession, urging that possibly there might be what is good joined to them, although they were evil.
 
 24. Peradventure there be fifty righteous in the midst of the city; wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in the midst of it?
 
 "Peradventure there be fifty righteous in the midst of the city," signifies that possibly the truths may be full of goods; "wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in the midst of it?" signifies intercession from love, that in such case they should not perish.
 
 25. Be it far from Thee to do according to this thing, to cause the righteous to die with the wicked, that so the righteous be as the wicked; be it far from Thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do judgment?
 
 "Be it far from Thee to do according to this thing," signifies the Lord's horror; "to cause the righteous to die with the wicked, that so the righteous be as the wicked," signifies that good cannot die, because evil can be separated from it; "be it far from Thee," signifies a greater degree of horror; "shall not the Judge of all the earth do judgment?" signifies that the Divine good cannot do this, after the manner of truth separated from good.
 
 26. And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, I will spare all the place for their sake.
 
 "Jehovah said," signifies perception; "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city," signifies here as before, if truths are full of goods; "I will spare all the place for their sake," signifies that they will be saved.
 
 27. And Abraham answered and said, Behold I pray I have taken upon me to speak unto my Lord, and I am dust and ashes.
 
 "Abraham answered and said," signifies the Lord's thought from the human; "Behold I pray I have taken upon me to speak unto my Lord, and I am dust and ashes," signifies the humiliation of the human as to its relative quality.

  28. Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for five? And He said, I will not destroy it if I find there forty and five.
 
 "Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous," signifies if there should be somewhat less; "wilt thou destroy all the city for five?" signifies, shall man perish for the little which is wanting? "and He said, I will not destroy it if I find there forty and five," signifies that he should not perish if good and truth could be conjoined together. 

29. And he added yet to speak unto Him, and said, Peradventure forty shall be found there; and He said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
 
 "He added yet to speak unto Him," signifies thought; "and said, Peradventure forty shall be found there," signifies those who have been in temptations; "and He said, I will not do it for forty's sake," signifies that they shall be saved.
 30. And he said, Oh let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure thirty shall be found there; and He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there.
 
 "And he said, Oh let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak," signifies anxiety concerning the human race; "peradventure thirty shall be found there," signifies somewhat of combat; "and He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there," signifies that these shall be saved.
 
31. And he said, Behold I pray I have taken upon me to speak unto my Lord: peradventure twenty shall be found there; and He said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
 
 "He said, Behold I pray I have taken upon me to speak unto my Lord," signifies here as before the humiliation of the human before the Divine; "peradventure twenty shall be found there," signifies if there be not anything of combat, but still there be good "and He said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake," signifies that they will be saved.
 
32. And he said, Oh let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there; and He said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
 
"He said, Oh let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak but this once," signifies anxiety still continued concerning the state of the human race; "peradventure ten shall be found there," signifies if there should still be remains; "and He said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake," signifies that they will be saved.
 
 33. And Jehovah went when He had completed His speaking unto Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.
 
 "Jehovah went when He had completed His speaking unto Abraham," signifies that this state of perception in which the Lord was, then ceased to be such; "and Abraham returned unto his place," signifies that the Lord returned into the state in which He had been before He perceived these things.

GENESIS XIX

27-29. And Abraham rose up early in the morning unto the place where he had stood before Jehovah. And he looked against the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah, and against all the faces of the land of the plain; and he saw and behold the smoke of the land went up, as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

 "Abraham rose up early in the morning," signifies the Lord's thought concerning the last time; Abraham here as before denotes the Lord in that state; "unto the place where he had stood before Jehovah," signifies the state of perception and thought in which He had been before; "place" denotes state. "And he looked against the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah," signifies thought concerning their interior state in respect to evil and falsity; "and against all the faces of the land of the plain," signifies all the interior states thence derived; "and he saw and behold the smoke of the land went up, as the smoke of a furnace," signifies a state of falsity (which is "smoke") from a state of evil (which is the "furnace") within the church (which is the "land"). "And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain," signifies when they perished through the falsities of evil, which are the "cities of the plain;" "that God remembered Abraham," signifies salvation through the unition of the Lord's Divine Essence with His Human Essence; "and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow," signifies the salvation of those who are in good, and of those who are in truth in which is good, all of whom are here meant by "Lot;" "when He over- threw the cities," signifies when those who were in falsities from evils perished; "in which Lot dwelt," signifies although they who were saved were also in such falsities.

It is not necessary to explain these things in detail, because for the most part they have been explained in the preceding chapter, and also previously to that. They have been here added and inserted to the end that it might be evident that the good were separated from the evil, the former being saved while the latter were condemned, solely through the unition of the Lord's Divine Essence with His Human Essence; for if this had not taken place all those who are here represented by Lot would have perished together with the rest; which is meant by these words: "And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt;" which in the internal sense denote that through the unition of the Lord's Divine Essence with His Human Essence, all who were in good were saved, and also those who were in truth in which there is good, here represented by Lot, while those who were in falsities from evils perished, although they who were saved were also in falsities and evils. In this way therefore are the things said in this chapter conjoined with those said in the preceding one; namely, that Abraham (that is, the Lord in that state) interceded for those people of Sodom and Gomorrah who are signified by the "fifty," the "forty-five," the "forty," the "thirty," the "twenty," and the "ten;" concerning whom it was there explained that these are all in their order who are in good, and also those who are in truth in which there is anything of good.

[AC 2142-2457]

Author: Emanuel Swedenborg