Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 30:21
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AC 3962. Verse 21. And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. "And afterwards she bare a daughter," signifies the affection of all these general truths; and also the church of faith in which there is good; "and called her name Dinah," signifies its quality.

AC 3963. And afterwards she bare a daughter. That this signifies the affection of all these general truths; and also the church of faith in which there is good, is evident from the signification of a "daughter," as being affection, and also the church (n. 2362); but the affection of what, and what kind of church, appears from what is added, as the celestial church when "Zion" is added, which is called the "daughter of Zion," and the spiritual church when "Jerusalem" is added, which is called the "daughter of Jerusalem;" and so in other cases. Here, where nothing is added, the church of faith in which there is good is signified by "daughter;" for up to this point the general truths of faith within which there is good have been described, and their reception and acknowledgment; these truths being signified by the "ten sons" of Jacob; and as immediately after them a daughter is said to have been born, it is evident from the series that this means the church in which are all these truths.

[2] Whether we speak of the church of faith in which there is good, or of the spiritual church, it is the same and also if we speak of the affection of all, that is, of all these general truths; for the church exists from the affection of truth in which there is good, and the affection of good from which is truth; but not from the affection of truth in which there is not good, nor from the affection of good from which is not truth. They who say that they are of the church, being in the affection of truth and not in the good of truth, that is, who do not live according to truths, are much mistaken. These are outside the church, although within its congregation; for they are in the affection of evil, with which truth cannot be conjoined. Their affection of truth is not from the Lord, but from themselves; for they have regard to themselves, to the intent that by the knowledges of truth they may gain reputation, and thereby honors and wealth; but they have no regard to the church, nor to the Lord‘s kingdom, and still less to the Lord. But they who are in the affection of good from which there is not truth, are not of the church, although within its congregation; for they are in natural and not spiritual good, and suffer themselves to be led into every kind of evil and falsity, if only the appearance of good is induced upon the evil, and the appearance of truth upon the falsity (n. 3470, 3471, 3518).

AC 3964. And called her name Dinah. That this signifies its quality, is evident from the signification of a "name" and of "calling a name," as being the quality. The quality which Dinah represents and signifies is all that which is of the church of faith in which there is good, as described just above. The same is also evident from the derivation of her name, for in the original language "Dinah" means "judgment." "Judgment" in the Word is predicated of the truth of faith, (n. 2235); and "judging" in the internal sense is the holy of faith, and in the external sense the good of life, (n. 3921). These things belong to the church.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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