3085. These two verses describe the affection for truth - its origin, its nature, and the initial stage of its introduction. Its origin is described by the words 'Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother'. These words convey in the internal sense the whole origin of that affection, see 3077, 3078. Its nature is described by the words 'her pitcher was on her shoulder', and 'the girl was very good looking'. These words describe its nature, see 3079-3081. The initial stage of its introduction is described by the words 'she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher, and went up', as may be seen in 3082-3084. But these considerations, as stated above, are beyond the grasp not only of any ordinary human intellect but also of one that is more advanced. For such is the nature of the things contained in the internal sense in this chapter and in some of those that follow.

[2] The reason for this is that the idea can hardly enter anyone's head that there is a constant Divine influx by way of the internal man into the external man - that is, the idea that celestial and spiritual things flow by way of the rational man into the natural man, or what amounts to the same, into the natural things belonging to the external. Also, the idea that by means of that influx truths are constantly being summoned out of the natural man, raised up, and implanted in the good that is present in the rational can hardly enter in. And if not even these things are known to take place, what possibility is there of anyone knowing how the whole process takes place, a process involving wisdom so great, as it is from the Divine, that not the tiniest fraction can ever be explored? Only its most general aspects can be seen.

[3] This therefore being so, let no one be surprised that the things present here in the internal sense cannot be described intelligibly, and the things which are described are beyond human comprehension, for they have reference to and describe that process. Furthermore the internal sense exists chiefly for angels, to the end that by means of the Word communication may exist between heaven and man; and to the angels these things are among such as give them great delight, because food in heaven consists of everything that constitutes intelligence and wisdom. And to them the blessedness of wisdom and intelligence consists in whatever has the Lord as its subject.

4989. 'And said, Lie with me' means that it desired a joining together. This is clear from the meaning of 'lying with me' as a joining together, that is to say, of spiritual natural good, meant here by 'Joseph', and unspiritual natural truth, meant by 'his lord's wife'; but this would be an unlawful joining together. Joinings together of good and truth, and of truth and good, are described in the Word by means of marriages, see 2727-2759, 3132, 3665, 4434, 4837, and therefore unlawful joinings together are described by means of liaisons with prostitutes. Here therefore the joining of unspiritual natural truth to spiritual natural good is described by his lord's wife's wanting to lie with him. No joining together of these exists internally, only externally, where they appear to be joined together but in fact have no more than a mere association with each other. This also is the reason why it says that she took hold of him by his garment and that he left his garment in her hand; for in the internal sense 'a garment' means what is external, by means of which the two only appear to be joined, that is, they have no more than a mere association with each other, as will be seen below at verses 12-13.

[2] These meanings cannot be seen as long as the mind or thought concentrates solely on the historical details, for in that case there is no thought of anything else than Joseph, Potiphar's wife, and Joseph's flight after leaving behind his garment. But if the mind or thought were to concentrate on what is meant spiritually by 'Joseph', 'Potiphar's wife', and the 'garment', it would be seen that some spiritual but unlawful joining together was also meant here. When this is so, the mind or thought is able to concentrate on what is meant spiritually, provided the belief is present that the historical Word is Divine not by virtue of the mere historical narrative but by virtue of what is spiritual and Divine contained within it. If a person possessed such a belief he would know that its spiritual and Divine content was concerned with the goodness and truth present in the Church and in the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense with the Lord Himself. When a person enters the next life, which happens immediately after death, if he is one of those who are being raised up to heaven he will come to realize that he retains none of the historical details recorded in the Word. He knows nothing whatever about Joseph, nor anything about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but only about the spiritual and Divine realities which he has learned from the Word and made part of his own life. These therefore are the kinds of matters inwardly present in the Word, which are called its internal sense.