2523. “她是我妹子” 表当请教的是理性, 也就是说, 祂认为应当这样请教. 这从本章 “妹子” 的含义清楚可知, “妹子” 是指理性真理 (参看1495, 2508节). 主的整个生命, 就是诸如在世时它要成为的样子, 在圣言的内义中被描述出来, 甚至包括祂的直觉和思维. 这些事因来自神性, 故早已预见并规定了. 就内义而言, 对它们作出这种规定的另外一个原因是, 主在世时的生命事件可以被展示出来, 如同将真实情况呈现给根据内义领悟圣言的天使. 主以这种方式置于他们面前, 同时祂逐渐脱去人性, 披上神性的方式也置于他们面前. 若非这些事通过圣言, 以及通过犹太教会的一切宗教仪式如同呈现真实情况那样显现给天使, 那么被称为 “人” 或亚当的上古教会一没落, 主就必须降世. 因为上古教会一没落, 经上 (创世记 3:15) 就预言了主的降临. 而且, 若非如此, 那时的人类无法得救.

至于主的生命本身, 它是人性朝着神性不断发展, 直到完全合一 (如前面频繁所述) 的过程. 因为若要与地狱争战并战胜它们, 主必须通过这人身, 与地狱争战不会通过神性进行. 既然如此, 祂乐意象其他人那样披上人身, 乐意象其他人那样成为一个小孩子, 乐意在亚伯拉罕寄居埃及 (12章), 以及现在寄居基拉耳所代表和表示的知识和认知方面成长. 因此, 祂乐意象其他人那样发展理性, 驱散包裹它的幽暗, 将其带入光中, 并且凭祂自己的力量成就这一切. 仅仅考虑到以下事实, 也没人会质疑主以这样的方式从人性发展到神性: 即祂是一个小孩子, 和其他小孩子一样学习说话, 等等. 不过, 也有不同: 即神性本身在祂里面, 因为祂从耶和华成孕.

4823. 'And she conceived again and bore a son' means evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'a son' as truth and also good, dealt with in 264, and so in the contrary sense as falsity and also evil, though evil that arises out of falsity. Essentially this kind of evil is falsity, because it has its origin in this. For anyone who does what is evil arising out of false teaching does what is false; but because this falsity is realized in action it is called evil. The meaning which the firstborn carries of falsity and consequent evil is evident from the statement made here regarding this [second] son, to the effect that in action he did what was evil. The actual words are 'he spilled his seed on the ground, so that he should not provide seed for his brother; and what he had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah; and He caused him to die also', verses 9-10. The fact that this evil arose out of falsity is also evident at that point. What is more, in the ancient Churches the secondborn meant the truth of faith realized in action; therefore the second son here means falsity realized in action, which is evil. It may also be recognized that evil is meant by this son from the fact that the firstborn was named Er by his father or Judah, but this son, Onan, by his mother, the daughter of Shua, as may be seen in the original language. For 'man' in the Word means falsity and his wife (mulier) evil, see 915, 2517, 4510; and so also does 'the daughter of Shua' mean evil, 4818, 4819. Therefore because he was given his name by his father, 'Er' means falsity; and because Onan was given his name by his mother, evil is meant by him. Thus the first was so to speak the father's son, the second so to speak the mother's son.

[2] In the Word the expression 'man and wife' (vir et uxor) is used many times, as also is 'husband and wife' (maritus et uxor). When 'man and wife' is used, 'man' means truth and 'wife' good; or in the contrary sense 'men' means falsity and 'wife' evil. But when 'husband and wife' is used, 'husband' means good and 'wife' truth; or in the contrary sense 'husband' means evil and 'wife' falsity. The reason underlying this arcanum is this In the celestial Church good resided with the husband and the truth of that good with the wife; but in the spiritual Church truth resided with the man and the good of that truth with the wife: Such is and was the actual relationship between the two, for in human beings interior things have undergone this reversal. This is the reason why in the Word, when celestial good and celestial truth from this are the subject, they are called 'husband and wife', but when spiritual good and spiritual truth from this are dealt with, these are called 'man and wife', or rather 'man and woman' (vir et mulier). From this, as well as from the actual expressions used, one can come to know which kind of good and which kind of truth are being dealt with in the internal sense of the Word.

[3] Here also is the reason why it has been stated already in various places that marriages represent the joining of good to truth, and of truth to good. Furthermore conjugial love has its origin in these two joined together. Among celestial people conjugial love has its origin in good joined to truth, but among spiritual people in truth joined to good. Marriages also correspond in actual fact to these joinings together. From all this one may see what is implied by the father giving the first son his name, but the mother giving the second and also the third sons theirs, as is clear from the original language. The father named the first son because the first son meant falsity, while the mother named the second son because the second son meant evil.