4609. 'And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant-girl: Gad and Asher' means those that serve the exterior ones. This is clear from the representation of 'Zilpah, Leah's servant-girl' as a secondary affection which, as a means, serves the affection for exterior truth, dealt with in 3835, 'a servant-girl' being a means that serves to effect a joining together, as immediately above in 4608. Her 'sons' are the same kinds of means, the essential characteristics of which are represented by 'Gad and Asher'. In the highest sense 'Gad' means Omnipotence and Omniscience, in the internal sense the good of faith, and in the external sense works, 3934, while 'Asher' in the highest sense means eternity, in the internal sense the happiness of eternal life, and in the external sense the delight that belongs to affection, 3938, 3939. These are the matters implied in the listing of Jacob's sons at this point. But how they all fit together, one following another and one included within another, cannot be seen in the light of the world unless this light is brightened by the light of heaven. Yet even then the things that can be seen are such that no words are adequate to express them. This is because human words are the product of ideas formed from things that exist within the light of the world. But ideas that are formed from the light of heaven are so superior to those worldly ideas that no words exist to express them, though they do to a small extent find a place in the thinking of people who are enabled to separate their minds from ideas formed from the senses.

3827. 'And they were in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her' means a state of love, that is to say, a state without any tedium. This is clear from the meaning of 'being in his eyes' as its appearing to be so, from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 893, 2788, 3462, 3785; therefore 'like a few days, because of his love for her' means a state of love. When anyone enters a state of love or heavenly affection he enters an angelic state; that is to say, it is as though time does not exist, provided that that affection holds no urge for change. That urge is a bodily affection; and insofar as anyone is subject to it time exists for him, but insofar as he is not subject to it time does not exist. This is reflected somewhat in the delights and glad feelings that go with affection or love. When someone experiences these he is not conscious of time, since he is living within the internal man during such experiences. By means of the affection that is an attribute of genuine love a person is drawn away from bodily and worldly interests, for his mind is lifted up towards heaven, and so he is drawn away from things that belong to time. Indeed it is reflecting on those things which are not the objects of one's affection or love, and so on things that are tedious, that gives rise to an apparent sense of time. From this one may also see what is meant by the seven years being in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her.