3861. 'And she called his name Reuben' means the essential nature of it, which is described. This is clear from the meaning of 'name' and 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421. That nature itself is described by the statement, 'Because Jehovah has seen my affliction, for now my husband will love me', the literal meaning of the name Reuben. Spiritually however all names in the Word mean real things, as has been shown often, see 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888; and among me ancients when a name was given it meant some state, 340, 1946, 2643, 3422. Here it will be seen that the names of all the sons of Jacob mean the universal attributes of the Church. Also one specific universal attribute has been combined within each name, but what that attribute is no one can possibly know unless he knows the internal sense embodied in the words from which each son's name is derived. That is, he needs to know the internal sense embodied in 'has seen' from which Reuben is derived, and in 'has heard' from which Simeon is derived, and in 'has clung to' from which Levi is derived, and in 'to confess' from which Judah is derived, and so on with all the other sons.

3190. 'And they rode on the camels' means the understanding part of the mind, raised up above natural facts. This is clear from the meaning of 'riding' as the understanding when raised up, dealt with in 2761, 2762, and from the meaning of 'camels' as general facts in the natural man, dealt with in 3048, 3071, and so natural facts. The implications of this are that when truth from the natural is raised up into the rational it is borne out of the sphere of worldly light into that of heavenly light - so to speak from the obscurity of night into the brightness of day. For the things that belong to the light of the world, in which all natural objects exist, dwell so to speak in night, compared with things belonging to the light of heaven; but things that belong to the light of heaven, in which all spiritual objects exist, dwell so to speak in daylight, compared with things belonging to the light of the world. Consequently when truth from the natural is raised up towards the rational, the person is raised up at the same time into intelligence and wisdom. All the intelligence and wisdom present with man comes from this source. These are the things meant by the understanding part, raised up above natural facts.