4880. Verses 19-23 And she rose up and went, and took off her veil from upon her and put on the clothes of her widowhood. And Judah sent the kid of the she-goats by the hand of his companion the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; and he did not find her. And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the harlot in the fountains on the wayside? And they said, There has been no harlot there. And he returned to Judah and said, I did not find her; and also the men of the place said, There has been no harlot there. And Judah said, Let her keep [them]; maybe we shall be put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and you did not find her.

'She rose up' means a raising up. 'And went' means life. 'And took off her veil from upon her' means the obscurity. 'And put on the clothes of her widowhood' means intelligence. 'And Judah sent the kid of the she-goats' means a conjugial pledge. 'By the hand of his companion the Adullamite' means by means of falsity. 'To receive the pledge from the woman's hand' means instead of external pledges. 'And he did not find her' means because nothing of marriage existed on his side. 'And he asked the men of her place, saying' means that truths were consulted. 'Where is the harlot?' means as to whether it was something false. 'In the fountains on the wayside' means that had the appearance of being something true. 'And they said' means perception received from truths. 'There has been no harlot there' means that it was not something false. 'And he resumed to Judah' means reflection. 'And said, I did not find her' means that by falsity this cannot be discovered. 'And also the men of the place said, There has been no harlot there' means perception received from truths that it was not something false. 'And Judah said, Let her keep [them]' means that he was no longer interested. 'Maybe we shall be put to shame' means even though subject to reproach. 'Behold, I sent this kid' means it is enough that a pledge exists. 'And you did not find her' means even if nothing of marriage exists.

2927. 'Abraham rose up and bowed' means the Lord's joy at being received so kindly. This is clear from the meaning of 'rising up' as implying some kind of raising up, dealt with in 2401, 2785 - gladness and joy raise the mind up, and therefore the phrase 'he rose up' is used here; from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, often dealt with already; and from the meaning of 'bowing' as feeling joy, bowing being a movement of the body expressing both humiliation and joy. The fact that an expression of joy at being received kindly is meant here is evident from what comes before and after the words 'Abraham rose up and bowed down'.