3186. 'Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads' means infinite fruitfulness of the affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'sister', who is Rebekah, as the affection for truth, dealt with in 3077, 3179, 3182, and from the meaning of 'may you become thousands of myriads' as infinite fruitfulness. Here 'thousands of myriads' means that which is infinite because the subject is the Lord in whom every single thing is infinite. With man the situation is that goods are not fruitful with him and truths are not multiplied until truth and good have become joined together in his rational, that is, until he has been regenerated. For at that point fruits or offspring from the rightful or heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth, come into being. Prior to this the goods which he puts into practice, it is true, look like goods, and truths like truths; but these are not genuine, since the soul which is good that has innocence from the Lord within it is not present in them. Thus they do not stir any affection in him nor do they bring him happiness. The affection that accompanies love and charity, together with happiness, is the soul, and that affection is imparted by the Lord to a person when being regenerated.

[2] 'A thousand' meaning much, also that which is infinite - see 2575 - 'a myriad' means that which is even more, and 'thousands of myriads' that which is even more again, as also elsewhere. In Moses,

When the Ark came to rest he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel. Numbers 10:36.

Here also 'the myriads of thousands' means that which is infinite because it has reference to the Lord, who is Jehovah here. In the same author,

Jehovah dawned from Seir upon them, He shone from Mount Paran, and came out of myriads of holiness. Deuteronomy 33:2.

'Myriads' again stands for that which is infinite. In David,

The chariots of God are myriads of thousands of peacemakers. Psalms 68:17.

'The chariots of God' stands for things which belong to the Word and to doctrine drawn from it, 'myriads of thousands' for infinite things present there. In John,

I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, numbering myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands. Revelation 5:11.

This stands for the fact that they were countless.

3179. 'And they said, Let us call the girl and ask her personally' means consent solely of the affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the girl' as an affection that has innocence within it, dealt with in 3067, 3110, in this case the affection for truth because Rebekah is meant, who is 'the girl' before she gives her consent, but 'Rebekah' once she has given it, as in what follows immediately after ('Rebekah' being the affection for truth, see 3077); and from the meaning of 'asking her personally' as perceiving whether it does consent. Thus it is consent solely of the affection for truth that is meant here. For the situation is this: Truth itself which is to be introduced into good acknowledges its own good because good acknowledges its own truth - and from this comes consent. It is however a consent inspired into truth by good, see above in 3161. With man it is in no way apparent that truth for its part consents when introduced and joined to good, that is, when a person is being regenerated, or that good for its part knows its own truth, and introduces and joins it to itself. Yet this is exactly what happens; for a person is totally unaware of the things that take place while he is being regenerated. If he were to know merely one of the thousands of things that occur he would be dumbfounded. There are countless, indeed an endless number of hidden ways by which a person is at that time being led by the Lord, only some of which shine from the internal sense of the Word.

[2] The Ancient Church formed for itself an idea of these things from marriages. That is to say, they formed that idea from a virgin's state before betrothal; from her state after she had been betrothed; from her state when she was to be given away in marriage, and after that when she had been given away, and finally when she bore children to her husband. ¹ The fruits of truth produced from good, or of faith from charity, they called children; and so on. Such was the wisdom of the Ancient Church. Their books were written in this style too, and the custom of writing in this fashion spread from them to the gentiles themselves. For by means of those things that exist in the world they wished to give expression to things in heaven; indeed from natural things they wished to see spiritual. But today that wisdom is entirely lost.

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