2503. That 'Kadesh' is the affection for interior truth coming from rational concepts, while 'Shur' is the affection for exterior truth deriving from factual knowledge, becomes clear from the meaning of 'Kadesh' and of 'Shur'. 'Kadesh' means truth over which there is strife, as has been shown in 1678; thus it means strife over truth regarding its origin, whether it comes from the rational, as is evident from what follows. But because with the Lord all truth came from a celestial origin, 'Kadesh' here means the affection for truth. Residing with every member of the Church there are rational truths and there are factual truths. Rational truths are interior, but factual truths exterior. The former are quite distinct and separate from the latter, altogether so as man's interior memory is from his exterior memory, dealt with in 2469-2473, and following paragraphs. From this it follows that there are two affections for truth, the first more interior, which is an affection for rational truths, the second more exterior, which is an affection for factual truths. The affection for interior truth deriving from rational concepts is meant here by 'Kadesh', while the affection for exterior truth deriving from factual knowledge is meant by 'Shur'. As regards 'Shur' meaning exterior truth, see 1928; and the fact that names in the Word mean nothing other than real things has been shown already in 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, and many times elsewhere.

1929. That such things as these are meant by the statement that 'the angel of Jehovah found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the road to Shur' cannot possibly be seen from the literal sense, still less when seen as an event in history; for this sense seems to be far removed from - meaning such things. Yet this is the very meaning which enters into the ideas present in the minds of angels when these descriptions are read by man. For angels have no idea in their minds of Hagar, or of a spring of water, or of a desert, or of a road, or of Shur. None of these come through to them, but perish at the threshold. It is that meant by Hagar, a spring, a desert, a road, or Shur, which they understand and from which they form heavenly ideas; and it is in this manner that they perceive the Word of the Lord, for to them the internal sense is the Word.