3593. And Isaac shuddered with exceeding great shuddering. That this signifies a great alteration in respect to the inversion of the state, is evident from the signification of “shuddering,” as being an alteration; that it is in respect to the inversion of the state, is evident from what has been said above concerning the two states of the man who is being regenerated-the state before he has been regenerated, and the state after he has been regenerated-namely, that in the state before he has been regenerated, truths apparently have the dominion; while in the state after he has been regenerated, truths give place, and good receives the dominion (on which subject see what has been frequently shown above, n. 1904, 2063, 2189, 2967, 2979, 3286, 3288, 3310, 3325, 3330, 3332, 3336, 3470, 3509, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3579).

3288. And Rebekah his woman conceived. That this signifies from Divine truth as from a mother, is evident from the representation of Rebekah, as being the Divine truth of the rational, treated of in the preceding chapter; and from the signification of “conceiving,” as being the first beginning of the Divine natural as from a mother; for, as just said, the Divine natural had its origin from the Divine good of the rational as a father, and from the Divine truth of the rational as a mother. That this is the case is known to scarcely anyone, and this ignorance is the greater because few are aware that the rational is distinct from the natural; for only those know this who are truly rational, and they alone are truly rational who have been regenerated by the Lord; whereas they who have not been regenerated do not comprehend this, for to them the rational is the same as the natural.