4125. 'And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night' means the obscure perception of that good when left to itself. This is clear from the representation of 'Laban' as intermediate good, dealt with already, also called 'the Aramean' when separated from the good represented by 'Jacob', 4112; and from the meaning of 'a dream by night' as obscurity, dealt with in 2514, 2528. Perception within that obscurity is the meaning of the statement 'God came in a dream by night'.

2514. 'In a dream in the night' means a perception that was obscure. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'a dream' and at the same time of 'the night'. When perception is the subject, 'a dream' means something obscure in contrast to wakefulness, and still more when the expression 'a dream in the night' is used. The reason the Lord's initial perception is called obscure is that it existed within the human which He was to cast off and from which He was to dispel the shadows. Though it originated in the Divine the Lord's ability to perceive nevertheless existed within the human, the nature of which is such that it does not immediately receive light itself but gradually as the shadows there are dispelled. The bringing of Himself into something less obscure as regards the doctrine of faith is what is meant in verse 6 by a second reference - but without mention of 'the night'- to God's coming to Abimelech 'in the dream'. And His entry after this into clear perception is what is meant in verse 8 by 'in the morning Abimelech rose up early.'