4151. 'And Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them' means that they belonged to the affection for interior truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819, and from the meaning of 'stealing' as taking away that which is cherished and holy, dealt with in 4112, 4113, 4133. It was stated above that Rachel's stealing the teraphim or Laban's gods meant a change as regards truth of the state represented by 'Laban', see 4111. That change of state is described further still in this verse and in those immediately following; for the change came about when the good represented by 'Laban' had been separated from the good meant by 'Jacob' and so through that separation passed into a different state. For the truths that had appeared to him to be his own when the two kinds of good were joined together were regarded in such a way that it seemed as though they had been taken away. This is the reason why Laban complained bitterly about the teraphim, and why he searched the tents for them, though he did not find them. For the truths which in the good sense are meant by 'the teraphim', 4111, were not his but belonged to the affection for truth meant by 'Rachel'.

[2] These matters cannot be made plain except from things that take place in the next life. For things taking place in the next life near a person in this life seem to him to occur within him. And virtually the same is so with spirits in the next life. When communities of spirits which are governed by intermediate good are in association with angels it seems to them, altogether so, as though they possessed as their own the truths and goods which are the angels'; indeed those spirits are not aware of them being anything other than their own. But when they are separated they then realize that this is not true. They too therefore complain bitterly, believing that those goods and truths have been taken away from them by the angels with whom they have been in association. These are the considerations that are meant in the internal sense by 'teraphim' in this verse and those immediately following.

[3] In general the situation is that no one ever possesses good or truth that is his own but that all good and truth flow in from the Lord, doing so both immediately and through angelic communities serving as intermediaries. Nevertheless it seems as though that good or truth is his own, and the reason for this is that these may be made over to him as his own until the time when he enters that state in which he may know, then acknowledge, and at length believe that they are not his but the Lord's. It is also well known from the Word and thereby in the Christian world that all good and all truth are derived from the Lord and nothing good at all from man. Indeed the teachings of the Church which are drawn from the Word declare that of himself man cannot even strive after good and so cannot will it, and as a consequence cannot do it, since the doing of good springs from the willing of it. They also declare that the whole of faith is received from the Lord, so that man cannot have the smallest measure of belief unless it flows in from the Lord.

[4] These ideas are declared in the teachings of the Church and are taught in sermons. But few, indeed very few people, really believe them, as is proven by their presumption that life in its entirety exists inherently within themselves, and by the fact that scarcely any believe that life is something inflowing. Man's life in its entirety consists in being able to think and being able to will, for if that ability to think and to will is taken away no life remains at all. And the very essence of life consists in his thinking what is good and willing what is good, and also in his thinking what is true and willing that which he thinks is true. Since these abilities, according to teachings from the Word, are not man's but the Lord's and they flow in from the Lord by way of heaven, people who have any power of judgement and who are capable of reflecting could from this fact deduce that life in its entirety is something which inflows.

[5] The same applies to evil and falsity. According to teachings drawn from the Word the devil is constantly trying to lead man astray and constantly breathing evil into him. This also is why, when anyone has committed a serious crime, it is said that he has allowed the devil to lead him astray. This again is the truth and yet few if any believe it. For just as all good and truth come from the Lord, so all evil and falsity come from hell, that is, from the devil - hell being the devil. This also shows that just as all good and truth are things that flow in, so too are all evil and falsity, and as a consequence every thought of evil or willing of it flows in too. Since these too are things that flow in, those who have any power of judgement and reflection may deduce that life is something which flows in, though it seems to exist inherently in man.

[6] The truth of this has been demonstrated on many occasions to spirits who had recently arrived in the next life from the world. But some of them have said, If all evil or falsity too is something that flows in, then no evil or falsity at all can be attributed to them and they are free from blame since such evil or falsity comes from somewhere else. But they were told in reply that they had made that evil and falsity their own through their belief that when they had thought or willed anything they had acted independently, by themselves. Yet if that which is truly so had been believed by them they would not then have made that evil and falsity their own. For in that case they would have believed also that all good and truth come from the Lord; and if they had believed this, they would have allowed themselves to be led by the Lord and so their state would have been different. In that case also the evil which had entered their thought and will would have had no effect on them; that is to say, evil would not have come out of them but good, since, according to the Lord's words in Mark 7:15, it is not the things going in which affect a person but those coming out of him.

[7] Many are able to know this but few believe it. Even those who are evil can do so, but they still do not believe it since they prefer their own ideas, which they love to such an extent that when it is demonstrated to them that everything is such that it flows in they become worried and demand fiercely that they be allowed to live according to their own ideas, saying that if these are taken away from them they could not go on living. Such is the belief even of people who do know. These matters have been stated so that people might know what it is like with those communities of spirits which are governed by intermediate good, both when they are joined to others and when they are separated from them. That is to say, when joined to others they are not aware of the goods and truths being anything other than their own, when in fact they are not theirs.

4005. 'And he removed on that day the variegated and spotted he-goats' means that the truths of good that were interspersed among and mingled with the evils and falsities belonging to the good meant by 'Laban' were singled out. This is clear from the meaning of 'removing' as singling out; from the meaning of 'he-goats' as the truths of good, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'variegated' as those which were interspersed among and mingled with evils, also dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'spotted' as those which were interspersed among and mingled with falsities, dealt with above. 'He-goats' are mentioned here and then 'she-goats' after them because 'he-goats' means the truths of good and 'she-goats' the goods of truth. For the nature of the difference between the two, see above in 3995.

[2] In the Word a careful distinction is made between the males and the females, as is evident from the sacrifices and the burnt offerings in which it was explicitly laid down whether a male lamb was to be offered or a ewe-lamb, a she-goat or a he-goat, a sheep or a ram, and so on. From these it becomes clear that one thing was meant by a male, another by a female. In general a male means truth and a female good. Here therefore 'he-goats' is used to mean the truths of good, and 'she-goats', mentioned immediately after, to mean the forms of good which are coupled with those truths. And this difference between males and females also explains why it is said that he removed the variegated he-goats but not, as in the reference to the she-goats, the speckled ones; for 'variegated' means truth interspersed among and mingled with evils, whereas 'speckled' means good interspersed among and mingled with them, dealt with above in 3993. Truth mingled with evils belongs specifically to the understanding, but good mingled with evils specifically to the will. This is how the two differ from each other. And they come from the good meant by 'Laban', as is evident from the fact that the he-goats and the she-goats were taken from Laban's flock. For 'a flock' in the Word means good and truth, or what amounts to the same, those in whom good and truth are present, and so those who belong to the Lord's Church.

[3] This arcanum is unable to be explained any further because it cannot become clear except to a mind that has been taught about truths and goods, and at the same time has been enlightened. Indeed one has to know what the truths of good are and what the kinds of good originating in these are, as well as the fact that from the one kind of good represented here by Laban so many varying forms of it can be singled out. Nor do people who are unaware of these matters know that each kind of good includes countless forms of it, so many indeed that these can hardly be arranged into general divisions by even the most knowledgeable mind. For there are forms of good which are acquired by means of truths, truths which are born from those forms of good, and forms of good acquired in turn by means of these truths. There are truths born from forms of good, which also exist in a connected series. Then there are forms of good mingled with evils, and truths with falsities, dealt with above in 3993, the minglings and mutual modifications of which are so varying and manifold that they exceed many millions. These are also made various by all the states of life through which people pass, and these states of life in general by the time of life which those people have reached, in particular by whatever affections reign in them. From all this one can comprehend to some extent that so many varying things were able to be singled out from 'Laban' good, some of which were joined to the truths meant by the sons of Jacob, and some left behind from which others were derived. But as has been stated, these matters are of such a nature that they cannot be understood unless the mind has been taught about goods and truths and has at the same time been enlightened.