Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 30:19-20
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AC 3958. Verses 19, 20. And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my man dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun. "And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob," signifies reception and acknowledgment; "and Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my man dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons," signifies in the supreme sense the Divine Itself of the Lord and His Divine Human; in the internal sense, the heavenly marriage; and in the external sense, conjugial love; " and she called his name Zebulun," signifies the quality.

AC 3959. And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. That this signifies the reception and acknowledgment of truth, is evident from the signification of conceiving," as being to receive and of "bringing forth," as being to acknowledge (n. 3955) and from the signification of a son," as being truth (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373).

AC 3960. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry, now will my man dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons. That this signifies in the supreme sense the Divine Itself of the Lord and His Divine Human; in the internal sense, the heavenly marriage; and in the external sense, conjugial love, is evident from the signification of "dwelling with," and also from the rest of the words Leah then spoke. The reason why "dwelling with," or "cohabitation," is in the supreme sense the Divine Itself of the Lord and His Divine Human, is that the Divine Itself, called the " Father," is in the Divine Human, called the "Son of God," mutually and alternately, according to the words of the Lord Himself in John:--

That this union is the Divine marriage itself, may be seen above (n. 3211, 3952). Yet this union is not cohabitation, but is expressed by cohabitation" in the sense of the letter; for things which are one are presented as two in the sense of the letter, as the Father and the Son; and even as three, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and this for many reasons, concerning which of the Lord‘s Divine mercy elsewhere.

[2] That "dwelling together," or cohabitation," in the internal sense is the heavenly marriage, is from the same cause; for this marriage comes forth from the Divine marriage, which is the union of the Father and the Son, or of the Divine Itself of the Lord with His Divine Human. The heavenly marriage is that which is called the Lord’s kingdom, and also heaven; and this because it comes forth from the Divine marriage, which is the Lord. This then is what is signified in the internal sense by "cohabitation," and hence it is that heaven likewise is called the "habitation of God," as in Isaiah."

the "habitation of holiness" denotes the celestial kingdom; and the "habitation of adornment," the spiritual kingdom." Habitation" in this passage comes from the same word as that from which "dwelling together" and " Zebulun" are derived in the passage under consideration.

[3] The reason why "dwelling together" or " cohabitation" in the external sense is conjugial love, is that all genuine conjugial love comes forth from no other source than the heavenly marriage, which is that of good and truth; and this from the Divine marriage, which is the Lord as to His Divine Itself and His Divine Human. The heavenly marriage is from the Divine good which is in the Lord and the Divine truth which is from Him, (n. 2508, 2618, 2803, 3132); from it is conjugial love, (n. 2728, 2729); they who are in genuine conjugial love dwell together in the inmosts of their life, (n. 2732); and thus in the love of good and truth, for these are the inmosts of their life; conjugial love is the fundamental love of all the loves, (n. 2737-2739); there is a marriage of good and truth in heaven, in the church, in everyone in it, and in everything in nature, (n. 718, 747, 917, 1432, 2173, 2516, 2712, 2758); this marriage is in everything in the Word, (n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712); and thus in the supreme sense the Lord Himself is therein; by "Jesus Christ" is signified the Divine marriage, (n. 3004).

[4] These are the things signified not only by "dwelling together," or by the words, "now will my man dwell with me," but also by those which go before - "God hath endowed me with a good dowry;" by the former however the truth of good is signified; and by the latter, the good of truth; both together making the heavenly marriage. And as this is the conclusion, it is said: "because I have borne him six sons;" for "six" here signify the same as "twelve," namely, all things of faith and love; the half of a number and its double having the same signification in the Word, when the subject is similar.

AC 3961. And she called his name Zebulun. That this signifies its quality, is evident from the signification of "calling a name," as denoting the quality. He was named" Zebulun" from "dwelling together," and hence the name involves what has been said above about "dwelling together" (n. 3960); and at the same time what is signified by the rest of Leah’s words.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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