162. Verse 21. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not, signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths nor by means of truths. This is evident from the signification of "repenting of whoredom," as being to turn oneself from falsities to truths; for "whoredom" is the falsification of truth, and "to repent" is to turn oneself away from falsities; for repentance is an actual turning from falsities to truths, and dissociation and separation from falsities (See above, n. 143); also from the signification of "she repented not," as being that they do not turn themselves from falsities to truths. These things are said of Jezebel, but those are meant who from the delight of the loves of self and the world have falsified truths and adulterated goods; for in the prophecies of the Word one person is named, and by that person are meant all of that character.

[2] Something shall be here said briefly about this statement that those who have falsified truths with themselves by applying them to the delights of self-love do not afterwards turn themselves to truths. Man sees from the Word the truths of the church from the spiritual or internal man and from its intellectual, but he does not receive them therein except to the extent that he loves them so as to wish to do them. When man so wills, his internal or spiritual man calls forth and elevates to itself, out of the natural man and its memory, the truths that are there, and conjoins them to the love that is of his will; thus the internal spiritual man, where man's interior and higher mind resides, is opened and is successively filled and perfected. But if man permits the natural delight, which is the delight of the love of self and the world, to have dominion, then he views all things from that delight; and if he then sees truths he applies them to his own love and falsifies them. When this is done the internal spiritual man is closed; for as this is suited only to the reception of such things as are in heaven, it cannot bear that truths should be falsified; consequently when truths are falsified it contracts itself and closes almost, as a fibril does when touched by a prickle. When the internal is once closed, the love of self reigns, or the love of the world, or both together; and they form the external or natural man altogether in opposition to the internal or spiritual man. For this reason those who have falsified truths by applying them to the delights of the love of self and the world are unable afterwards to turn themselves to truths. This is what is here meant by these words, "I gave to the woman Jezebel time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not."

4280. In that lower sense the words 'he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh' mean where conjugial love is joined to natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the hollow of the thigh' as the place where conjugial love is linked to it, see above in 4277. The reason why the place where it is linked to natural good is meant is that it is the place where the thigh is joined to the feet. 'The feet' in the internal sense means natural good, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986.

[2] As regards 'the thigh' meaning conjugial love and 'the feet' natural good, that is one of those realities known in the past which have grown old and died. The Ancient Church, which existed in an age of representatives and meaningful signs, was extremely well acquainted with these meanings, such knowledge of them constituting their intelligence and wisdom. Indeed it constituted the intelligence and wisdom not only of those who belonged to the Church but also of those outside the Church, as becomes clear from the oldest books written by gentiles and from the stories in them which are nowadays called myths - for meaningful signs and representatives spread from the Ancient Church to those gentiles. With these also 'the thighs and loins' meant that which belonged to marriage, and 'the feet' things that were natural. The origin of this meaning of 'the thighs and the feet' lies in the correspondences of all the members, organs, and viscera of the human being with the Grand Man, which - that is to say, such correspondences - are being dealt with now at the ends of chapters. The correspondences with the thigh and the feet will be discussed again further on, where actual experience will be used to corroborate that their meaning is as indicated above.

[3] These things are bound to seem like enigmas at the present day because, as has been stated, that knowledge has grown very old indeed and died. Yet how far that knowledge excels other types of knowledge becomes clear from the consideration that the internal sense of the Word cannot possibly be known without that knowledge, as well as for the reason that the angels present with man perceive the Word according to that sense. It becomes clear also from the consideration that by means of that knowledge man is provided with communication with heaven. And what is unbelievable, the internal man himself does not think in any other way; for when the external man understands the Word according to the letter the internal man does so according to the internal sense, though while living in the body a person is not at all conscious of doing so. This becomes particularly clear from the fact that when anyone enters the next life and becomes an angel he has no need to learn the internal sense but knows it instinctively, so to speak.

[4] What conjugial love is which is meant by 'the thighs' and also by 'the loins', see 995, 1123, 2727-2759; and conjugial love is the basic love of all loves, 686, 3021. Consequently people who have genuine conjugial love in them also have celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and spiritual love, which is charity towards the neighbour. For this reason the expression 'conjugial love' is used to mean not only that love itself but also all celestial and spiritual love. These kinds of love are said to be joined to natural good when the internal man is joined to the external, that is, the spiritual man to the natural - that joining together of them being meant by 'the hollow of the thigh'. The fact that with Jacob and his descendants in general no such conjunction existed will be evident from what follows, for this is the subject dealt with here in the internal historical sense.