3188. 'And Rebekah rose up' means a raising up of the affection for truth and the resulting separation, namely a raising up of it towards the rational, and the separation of it from the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'rising up' as implying a raising up, dealt with in 2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171, and because a raising up is meant a separation is meant also; and from the representation of 'Rebekah' as the affection for truth, dealt with in 3077, 3179. From this it is evident that 'Rebekah rose up' means a raising up of the affection for truth, and the separation of it from the natural, see 3182.

In general, mothers in the Bible represent the Lord's church on earth. In some cases "mother" more specifically refers to the truth of the church, the true teachings the church has about the Lord and about life. This makes sense if you think about it. Mothers are the vehicles through which new people are created; the church (in a broad sense) is the vehicle through which new ideas about the Lord and new good actions are created. And just as a mother is filled with love -- for her children and husband -- so also is the church filled with love, both for its ideas and uses and also for the Lord.