3049. 'And every good thing that was his master's was in his hand' means the goods and truths associated with those facts residing with the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'every good thing that was his master's' as both good and truth, for in itself truth is good since it springs from good - truth being the form that good takes, that is, when good receives a form so that it can be perceived in the understanding it is called truth; and from the meaning of 'the hand' as power, dealt with in 878. Thus the goods and truths residing with the natural man are meant here. General facts are not in themselves good, nor do they have any life; but the affection for them is what causes them to be good and to have life, for in that case they exist for the sake of their use. No one's affection is stirred by any fact or truth, except on account of the use it serves. The use is what makes it good, though the particular nature of the use determines the nature of the good.

Since this aligns so well with the meaning of "wonder" or "marvel" as a noun, it seems safe to conclude that "wondering" or "marveling" indicates a state of being in direct contact with the Lord's power and wisdom. Used as nouns, "marvels" and "wonders" are generally synonymous with miracles, which are expressions of the Lord's power in the world. In particular, the Lord tells Moses on Mt. Sinai that he will "do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation." This means that the Lord would use the Israelitish nation to create His Word, as contained in the Bible, and that the Word would be a spiritual document -- a marvel -- that will contain everything of the Lord. Overall, then, a wonder or marvel is something that brings us into contact with the Lord and His divine power. So what does this mean concerning "wondering" or "marveling" as verbs? There are just a few references to this in the Works of Swedenborg, most notably when Abraham's servant observes Rebekah at the well in Genesis 24:21, and "wonders" at the fact that she is performing all the signs that he had prayed for. This represents a state of perception -- an openness to the truth flowing in directly from the Lord.