2157. If I pray I have found grace in Thine eyes. That this signifies the deference of the Lord’s state when He observed that perception, may be seen from the affection of humiliation which there is in these very words; and also in those which directly follow—“Pass not I pray from over Thy servant”—in which likewise there is humiliation. In every particular in the Word there are both affection and subject matter. The celestial angels perceive the Word such as it is in the internal sense as to the affection; but the spiritual angels perceive it such as it is in the internal sense as to the matter. Those who perceive the Word in the internal sense as to the affection, pay no attention to the words which belong to the matter, but form for themselves ideas from the affection and its series, and this with endless variety. Here for example at the words, “If I pray I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not I pray from over Thy servant,” they perceive the Lord’s state of humiliation in the Human, but only the affection of the humiliation. From this, in a manner, variety, and abundance inexpressible, they form for themselves celestial ideas, which can scarcely be called ideas, but rather so many lights of affections and perceptions, which follow in a continuous series, in accordance with the series of the affection of the things contained in the Word that is being read.

[2] This shows that the perception, thought, and speech of the celestial angels are more ineffable and much richer than the perception, thought, and speech of the spiritual angels, the latter being simply determined to the subject matter [rem], in accordance with the series of the expressions. (That the speech of the celestial angels is of this nature, may be seen in Part First,n. 1647.) Hence it is that these words, “If I pray I have found grace in Thine eyes,” in the celestial sense signify the deference of the Lord’s state when He observed that perception. Moreover to “find grace in thine eyes” was a customary mode of speech for every expression of deference; as may be seen from Laban’s deference to Jacob:

Laban said unto him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes (Genesis 30:27);

also from Jacob’s deference to Esau:

Jacob said, Nay, I pray, if I pray I have found grace in thine eyes (Genesis 33:10); and in like manner elsewhere in the Word.