4066. 'And Jacob saw Laban's face' means a change of state with that good when the good meant by Jacob was departing from it. This is clear from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of the Natural, and from the representation of 'Laban' as intermediate good, both of which have often been dealt with already; and from the meaning of 'the face' as things that are interior, 358, 1999, 2434, 3527, 3573, in this case as changes of such interiors, or what amounts to the same, changes of state, for it is said that he saw his face 'and behold, he was not at all friendly towards him as before'. The reason why in the Word the things that are interior are meant by 'the face' is that those things shine out of a person's face, and present themselves in his face as in a mirror or in an image; and so 'the face' or the countenance means the states in which a person's thoughts and those in which his affections reside.

358. 'The face ¹ falling' means change taking place as to interiors. This is clear from the meaning of 'the face' and from the meaning of 'falling'. Among the ancients the face meant internal things, for it is through the face that internal things shine forth. What is more, people in most ancient times were such that the face was in complete accord with internal things, so that anyone could see from another person's face the character of his disposition or mind (animus aut mens). They considered it something monstrous to express one thing in the face and to be thinking another; pretence and deceit in those times were abhorrent. Consequently the face meant things that were internal. When charity shone out of the face, the face was said to be 'lifted up', but when the reverse happened the face was said to 'fall'. This also explains why the Lord is referred to as lifting up His face upon man, as in the Blessing in Numbers 6:26 and Psalms 4:6, which means the Lord's gift of charity to man. What 'the falling of the face' means is clear in Jeremiah,

I will not cause My face to fall upon you, for I am merciful, said Jehovah. Jeremiah 3:12.

By 'Jehovah's face' is meant mercy. When He 'lifts up His face' on anyone, He is from His mercy imparting charity to him. The reverse is the case when He 'causes His face to fall', that is, when man's face falls.

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