3619. And Rebekah said to Isaac. That this signifies the Lord’s perception from Divine truth, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being to perceive; from the representation of Rebekah as being the Divine truth of the Lord’s Divine rational; and from the representation of Isaac as being the Divine good therein (concerning which see above); and whereas Divine good is being itself, and Divine truth is the derivative life, on which account the Lord is the Lord principally from Divine good, therefore it is said “the Lord’s perception from Divine truth.” Perception from the Divine truth of the rational is from the intellectual part, whereas perception from Divine good is from the will part; but perception from the intellectual part is not of this part, but is of the inflowing will part; for the intellectual part is nothing but the will part in form. Such is the intellectual part when conjoined with the will part; but before it is so conjoined the intellectual part appears to be by itself, and the will part by itself, although this is nothing but that the external separates itself from the internal; for when the intellectual part inwardly wills and thinks anything, there is an end from the will part which makes its life, and directs the thinking there. The reason why the intellectual part has life from the end, is that the end with man is his life (n. 1909, 3570); hence it may in some measure be evident what in the representative sense is anyone’s perception from truth, and what in the supreme sense is the Lord’s perception from Divine truth.

1910. And she conceived. That this signifies the first life of the rational, is evident from the signification of “conception,” as being the first life. As regards the rational, it receives its life, as before said, from the life of the internal man flowing into the life of the affection of knowledges [cognitiones et scientiae] in the exterior man. The life of the affection of these knowledges gives a sort of body to the rational, or clothes the life of the internal man as the body clothes the soul; for this is precisely the case with these knowledges. In everything appertaining to man, in everything of his affection and in everything of his thought, there is the idea or likeness of soul and body, for there is nothing, however simple it may appear, that is not composite, and that does not come forth from what is prior to itself.