3123. 'As for me, being on the way' means within a state of truth joined to good in the Rational. This is clear from the meaning of 'the way' as truth, dealt with in 627, 2333, here 'on the way' as the joining of truth to good within the Rational, for this is the subject in this chapter, see 3012, 3013. For someone is said to be 'on his way' when he makes progress in the direction he intends to go.

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.