Arcana Coelestia # 4918
4918. 'That behold, there were twins in her womb' means the two essentials of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'twins' as the two - good and truth - dealt with in 3299; and from the meaning of 'the womb' as the place where good and truth have been conceived and are lying, and consequently the place where the essentials of the Church are lying. In the genuine sense 'the womb' means the inmost centre of conjugial love where innocence is present, for the womb corresponds to that love in the Grand Man. Now because conjugial love has its origin in the love of good and truth, which love is at the heart of the heavenly marriage, and because this marriage is heaven itself or the Lord's kingdom, and the Lord's kingdom on earth is the Church, therefore 'the womb' also means the Church. For the Church exists where the marriage of good and truth exists. This explains why 'opening the womb' means the resulting doctrines taught by the Churches, 3856, as well as the ability to receive the truths and goods of the Church, 3967; while 'going out of the womb' means being born again or being regenerated, 4904, that is, becoming the Church since one who is born again or regenerated becomes the Church.
[2] Since 'going out of the womb' means rebirth, and therefore the Church, the Lord is called in the Word 'He who formed from the womb' and 'He who brought out of the womb', and those who have been regenerated and become the Church are said 'to have been carried from the womb', as in Isaiah,
Thus said Jehovah. your Maker. He who formed you from the womb, and who helps you. Isaiah 44:2.
In the same prophet,
Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, He who formed you from the womb. Isaiah 44:24.
In the same prophet,
Thus said Jehovah. who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring back Jacob to Him, and that Israel might be gathered to Him. Isaiah 49:5.
In David,
Jehovah who brought me out of the womb. Psalms 22:9.
In Isaiah,
Hearken to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel who have been carried from the womb, and borne from the belly. Isaiah 46:3.
In David,
The wicked are alienated from the womb, and go astray from the belly, with lying words. Psalms 58:3.
Here 'being alienated from the womb' means alienation from the good fostered by the Church, and 'going astray from the belly' straying from the truth. In Hosea,
The pains of childbirth will come upon him, he is an unwise son, for now he does not present himself at the womb of sons. Hosea 13:13.
'Not presenting himself at the womb of sons' stands for not coming to the good of truth fostered by the Church.
[3] In the same prophet,
Their glory will fly away like a bird, away from birth, from the belly, and from conception. Hosea 9:11.
This means that the truth of the Church will perish fully - 'from birth' being that to which birth is given, 'from the belly' that which is undergoing gestation, 'from conception' that which is taking rise. In Isaiah,
I knew that you would certainly act treacherously, and that you were called [a man] of transgression from the womb. Isaiah 48:8.
This means that from the time when the Church first began he was like this. In John,
A great sign was seen in heaven - a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet. and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Carrying in the belly however, she cried out in labour, and was in anguish to give birth. Revelation 12:1-2.
'The woman' is the Church, 252, 253, 255. 'The sun' with which she was clothed is the good of love, 30-38, 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, 4060, 4696; 'the moon' which was under her feet is the truth of faith, 30-38, 1529, 1530, 2120, 2495, 4696; 'the stars' are cognitions of good and truth, 2495, 2849, 4697 - there being 'twelve stars' because 'twelve' means all things, thus all aspects of faith, 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3858, 3913; 'carrying in the belly' is the truth of the Church that had been conceived; 'being in labour and in anguish to give birth' is the fact that it was received with difficulty.
Genesis 38
1
It happened at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
2
Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
3
She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
4
She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
5
She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.
6
Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7
Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him.
8
Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother."
9
Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.
10
The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also.
11
Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;" for he said, "Lest he also die, like his brothers." Tamar went and lived in her father's house.
12
After many days, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
13
It was told Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."
14
She took off of her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn't given to him as a wife.
15
When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16
He turned to her by the way, and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for he didn't know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
17
He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?"
18
He said, "What pledge will I give you?" She said, "Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
19
She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20
Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand, but he didn't find her.
21
Then he asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."
22
He returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found her; and also the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'"
23
Judah said, "Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven't found her."
24
It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute; and moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."
25
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man, whose these are, I am with child." She also said, "Please discern whose are these--the signet, and the cords, and the staff."
26
Judah acknowledged them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't give her to Shelah, my son." He knew her again no more.
27
It happened in the time of her travail, that behold, twins were in her womb.
28
When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This came out first."
29
It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Therefore his name was called Perez.
30
Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
