3089. 'Let me sip now a little water from your pitcher' means to see whether it was possible for any truth from that source to be joined to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'sipping' as an activity similar to that meant by 'drinking', but taking in only a small amount because it was to be an investigation - for 'drinking' means perceiving, see 3069, and also in the internal sense being communicated and joined together, and has reference to what is spiritual just as 'eating' has reference to what is celestial, 2187, 2343; and from the meaning of 'water' as truth, dealt with in 680, 739, 2702. Here therefore 'let me sip now a little water from your pitcher' means an investigation to see whether it was possible for any truth from that source to be joined. 'A pitcher' is a recipient which has truth in it and from which truth is obtained, 3068, 3079. The reason for this investigation was that the initial affection for truth also carried with it something from the mother that was to be separated, 3040, 3078. With anyone who is to be regenerated his initial affection for truth is largely impure, for it holds within it the desire to satisfy a purpose and an end that have himself in view, the world, glory in heaven, and similar things which regard himself and not the common good, the Lord's kingdom, still less the Lord Himself. Such affection inevitably comes first. Nevertheless the Lord purifies it gradually so that at length falsities and evils are removed and banished so to speak to the circumference. But they have nevertheless served as means.

Like "say," the word "speak" refers to thoughts and feelings moving from our more internal spiritual levels to our more external ones -- and ultimately from the Lord, who is in a sense the most internal spiritual level of all. This is generally called "influx" and "perception" in the Writings, meaning they are thoughts and feelings that flow in in a complete way from the Lord, rather than being things we have to think about and figure out. On a number of occasions "speak" and "say" are used together; in these cases "speak" refers more to intellectual instruction in matters of thought and "say" refers more to feelings and affections that flow in directly.