Arcana Coelestia # 3131
3131. 'And Laban ran to the man outside, to the spring' means its inclination, that is to say, the inclination of the affection for good towards truth that was to be introduced into Divine truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'running' as some leaning or inclination towards, as above in 3127; from the representation of 'Laban' as the affection for good, dealt with immediately above in 3129, 3130; from the meaning of 'men' as truth, dealt with in 265, 749, 1007; and from the meaning of 'a spring' also as truth, here Divine truth, dealt with in 2702, 3096, and below in 3137.
[2] These considerations and everything else dealt with show the nature of the internal sense and what arcana exist there. Except from interior exploration of the Word and at the same time from revelation, how can anyone know that these words - 'Laban ran to the man outside, to the spring' - mean the inclination of the affection for good towards truth that was to be introduced into Divine truth? Yet these are the things that angels perceive when these words are read by man. Indeed such are the correspondences between man's ideas and an angel's ideas that while man understands these words according to the sense of the letter and has the idea of Laban running to the man outside, to the spring, an angel perceives the inclination of the affection for good towards truth that was to be introduced into Divine truth. With angels there is no idea of Laban, or of running, or of a spring, but spiritual ideas corresponding to these. The existence of such correspondence between natural things and ideas based on these and spiritual things and ideas may also be seen from what has been stated about correspondences in 1563, 1568, 2763, 2987-3003, 3021.
[3] As to the specific matter dealt with here - that truth was to be introduced into Divine truth - the situation is that at first truth in the natural man was not Divine truth but truth that had the appearance of being Divine. For no truth in its earliest stages is the actual truth but an appearance of truth. In the course of time however it sheds the cloak of appearance and puts on the real essence of truth. To make this intelligible it can be illustrated by examples, for the moment by this alone: It is a Divine truth that the Lord is never angry, never punishes anyone, let alone does evil to anyone, and that from the Lord nothing but good ever comes. Nevertheless in its earliest stages this truth declares that the Lord is angry when someone sins, and that the Lord therefore punishes; indeed with some people it declares that evil comes from the Lord. But as a person progresses from early childhood, grows up, and matures in judgement he casts away that which from the appearance seemed to him to be the truth and gradually takes up the truth itself, which is that the Lord is never angry and does not punish, let alone perform evil. Accordingly it is by means of apparent truth that a person is introduced into actual truth; for it is a general concept that enters first, which in itself is obscure, containing scarcely anything that is to be seen until it has been enlightened by means of particular ideas, and these in turn by specific details. And once it has been enlightened interior things are discernible. In this way the delusions and appearances which are truths at the time of ignorance are dispersed and banished.
Genesis 9
1
God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2
The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.
3
Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.
4
But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.
5
I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.
6
Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
7
Be fruitful and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."
8
God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9
"As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10
and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
11
I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth."
12
God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13
I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14
It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15
and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16
The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17
God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."
18
The sons of Noah who went forth from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
19
These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.
20
Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
21
He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.
22
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23
Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn't see their father's nakedness.
24
Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25
He said, "Canaan is cursed. He will be servant of servants to his brothers."
26
He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
27
May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant."
28
Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.
29
All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.
