Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 3279

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3279. And these are the births of Isaac, the son of Abraham. That this signifies the Lord's Divine rational, from which is the Divine natural, is evident from the signification of "births" as being derivations (n. 1145, 1255, 1330), namely, derivations of faith when faith is treated of, and derivations of the church when the church is treated of, just as above the derivations of the spiritual church were signified by the "births" of Ishmael (n. 3263). But here, since the "births" are predicated of the Lord, it is Divine births that are meant, namely, that from the Divine Itself is born the Divine rational, which is signified by Isaac being begotten by Abraham; and that from the Divine rational is the Divine natural, which is signified by Esau and Jacob being from Isaac; for by Esau and Jacob the Lord's Divine natural is represented-by Esau as to good, and by Jacob as to truth-as will be shown in what now follows. This is what is here signified by the "births."


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