Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 29:25-26
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AC 3836. Verses 25, 26. And it came to pass in the morning that behold it was Leah; and he said unto Laban, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? and why hast thou defrauded me? And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. "And it came to pass in the morning," signifies enlightenment in that state; "that behold it was Leah," signifies that there was conjunction with external truth; "and he said unto Laban, What is this that thou hast done unto me?" signifies indignation; "did not I serve with thee for Rachel?" signifies that there had been study for the affection of internal truth; "and why hast thou defrauded me?" signifies greater indignation; "and Laban said, It is not so done in our place," signifies that the state is not such; "to give the younger before the firstborn," signifies that the affection of interior truth should precede the affection of external truth.

AC 3837. And it came to pass in the morning. That this signifies enlightenment in that state, is evident from the signification of "morning," as being enlightenment (n. 3458, 3723); and as all times signify states (n. 2625, 2788, 2837, 3356), so also does "morning-tide" or "morning." The enlightenment has reference to what presently follows, namely, that he acknowledged that there was conjunction with external truth only.

AC 3838. That behold it was Leah. That this signifies that there was conjunction with external truth, is evident from the representation of Leah, as being the affection of external truth (n. 3793, 3819). That these words signify conjunction with this affection is evident, because it was Leah who was given for a woman, instead of Rachel. What this involves is evident from what has been already said concerning conjunction with external truths previous to conjunction with internal truths (n. 3834), and from what will be said below (n. 3843).

AC 3839. And he said unto Laban, What is this that thou hast done unto me? That this signifies indignation, is evident from the affection in these words, and in those which follow. It is evident that it is an affection of indignation which according to the historical series falls into these words. There are two things which constitute the internal sense of the Word, namely, affections and actual things; the affections that lie hidden in the expressions of the Word are not manifest to man, but are stored up in its inmost recesses; nor can they be made manifest to him, because during his life in the body he is in worldly and corporeal affections, which have nothing in common with the affections in the internal sense of the Word; these latter being affections of spiritual and celestial love, which man is the less capable of perceiving because there are few who are in them, and these few are mostly simple persons, who are not able to reflect upon their affections, while all the rest do not even know what genuine affection is. These spiritual and celestial affections are contained in charity toward the neighbor, and in love to God. Those who are not in them believe that they are not anything, when yet they fill the whole heaven, and this with unspeakable variety. Such affections together with their varieties are what are stored up in the internal sense of the Word, and are there, not only in each series, but also in each expression, nay, in each syllable, and they shine forth before the angels when the Word is being read by those who are in simple good and who are at the same time in innocence; and this, as before said, with unlimited variety.

[4] The case is similar in regard to the other affections which are from good and truth, and which are of good and truth, as is also evident from the fact that the angels are solely in ends, and in the uses of ends (n. 1317, 1645, 3645). Ends are nothing else than loves or affections (n. 1317, 1568, 1571, 1909, 3425, 3796); for what a man loves, that he regards as an end. And this being the case, the angels are in the affections of the things that are in the Word; and this with all variety, according to the kinds of affections in which the angels are. From this it is sufficiently evident how holy the Word is; for in the Divine love, that is, in the love which is from the Divine, there is holiness, and therefore in the things contained in the Word.

AC 3840. Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? That this signifies that there had been study for the affection of internal truth, is evident from the representation of Rachel, as being the affection of internal truth (n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819); and from the signification of "serving," as being study (n. 3824).

AC 3841. And why hast thou defrauded me? That this signifies greater indignation, is evident from what has just been said (n. 3839).

AC 3842. And Laban said, It is not so done in our place. That this signifies that the state is not such, is evident from the signification of "place," as being state (n. 1273-1275, 1377, 2025, 2837, 3356, 3387). From this it is evident that the expression, it is not so done in our place," signifies that the state is not such.

AC 3843. To give the younger before the firstborn. That this signifies that the affection of interior truth should precede the affection of external truth, is evident from the representation of Rachel, who is here the younger," as being the affection of interior truth (n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819); and from the representation of Leah, who is here the firstborn," as being the affection of external truth (n. 3793, 3819). From this it is evident that "to give the younger before the firstborn" signifies that the affection of interior truth should precede the affection of external truth. How the case herein is was briefly explained above (n. 3834); and may be further seen from the following. He who knows not the state of man, may believe that there is conjunction with truths not only external but also internal when he is acquainted with both kinds, or has both in his memory. Nevertheless there is no conjunction until the man lives according to them, for the life shows the conjunction.

[2] Truth is in this respect like everything else that is implanted in man from childhood, namely, that it does not become his own until he acts according to it, and this from affection, in which case his will becomes imbued with it, and it is then no longer brought into act from memory-knowledge or doctrine, but from a certain delight that is unknown to him; and as it were from his disposition or nature; for everyone acquires for himself such a nature by frequent use or habit, and this from the things which he has learned. Therefore conjunction with truths cannot take place with a man until those things which he has learned by means of doctrines have been insinuated from the external man into the interior man. When they are in the interior man, the man no longer acts from the memory, but from his own nature, until at last the things thus insinuated flow spontaneously into act, being inscribed on the man‘s interior memory; and that which comes forth from this, appears as if it were innate. This may be seen from the languages a man has learned in childhood, and also from the faculty of reasoning, and likewise from conscience. Hence it is manifest that truths of doctrine, even those which are interior, are not conjoined with a man until they are of the life. But concerning these matters, of the Lord’s Divine mercy more shall be said elsewhere.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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