4099. 'And also completely consumed our money' means it would destroy the truth belonging to those affections if they were not separated. This is clear from the meaning of 'consuming' as destroying, and from the meaning of 'money' or 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954. 'Our money' clearly means the truth belonging to those affections since 'Rachel' and 'Leah' represent affections for truth, as shown in various places already. No one can know what is implied in all this unless he knows about the implanting of goods and truths by means of intermediate good, that is, unless he knows the nature of those communities of spirits which serve as intermediate good. Communities of spirits which serve as intermediate good are interested in worldly things, whereas communities of angels which serve to introduce affections for truth are not interested in worldly things but in heavenly ones.

[2] These two types of communities are present with and active in a person who is being regenerated. To the extent he is introduced into heavenly things through the angels, the spirits who are interested in worldly things are removed. And if they are not removed truths are dispersed, for worldly things and heavenly things accord with one another in a person when the heavenly have dominion over the worldly, but they do not accord when the worldly have dominion over the heavenly. When they accord, truths within man's natural are in that case multiplied, but when they do not accord, they decrease in number, indeed they are destroyed since worldly things darken heavenly ones, and so make them subject to doubt. But when heavenly things have dominion they shed light on worldly ones, set them in clear light and dispel doubts. Those things have dominion that are loved more than anything else. From this one may see what is meant by the statement about the destruction of the truth belonging to affections if they were not separated, meant by 'he has completely consumed our money'.

2953. 'Even so, please hear me' means an interior influx. This becomes clear from the dialogue that took place - 'Abraham spoke to Ephron' meaning an influx, as stated just above in 2951. Here the dialogue continues, Ephron's interest being aroused by Abraham's saying, 'Even so, please hear me', by which an interior influx is therefore meant. The internal sense is such that the expressions and words are in themselves scarcely anything at all. Rather, the meaning they carry, flowing from the train of thought, leads to ideas, and indeed with angels to spiritual ideas - which the external or literal sense serves as the object from which those ideas can be grasped. For it is the ideas comprising man's thought that serve as the objects which angels need for spiritual thoughts, especially those ideas comprising his thought which primarily are obtained from the Word. For all things described in the Word are representative, and every single expression carries a spiritual meaning. And angels are instantly aware that those images come from the Word, because spiritual and celestial things in the Word follow one after another in a perfectly ordered sequence, holding that which is holy within them by virtue of the inmost sense which has to do solely with the Lord and His kingdom.