4360. 'And the servant-girls came near, they and their sons, and bowed down' means sensory knowledge and its truths, and their submission. This is clear from the meaning of 'the servant-girls' as affections for knowledge and for cognitions which belong to the external man, dealt with above in 4344, and therefore sensory knowledge, the nature of which is discussed below; from the meaning of 'sons' as truths, dealt with above in 4357; and from the meaning of 'bowing down' as submission. Sensory knowledge, meant by 'the servant-girls', is factual knowledge about external things which belong to the world, and is therefore the most general kind of all, 4345. It consists in the things which enter immediately through the external senses and which are perceived by that sensory awareness. The knowledge which everyone possesses in early childhood is sensory knowledge, and this serves as a basis not only for cognitions of interior natural things but also later on for cognitions of spiritual things. For spiritual things are founded on natural ones and are represented within them. It is because truths are joined to good in conformity with an ordering that begins with things that are quite general, as shown above in 4345, that the reference is made at this point to the servant-girls and their sons bowing down first, that is, they were submissive.

4358. 'And said, Who are these with you?' means acknowledgement. This becomes clear from the fact that questions in the sense of the letter are not such in the highest sense, for the Lord, who is the subject in that highest sense, has no need to ask man any questions since He knows every single thing. Consequently this question 'Who are these with you?' means acknowledgement, for 'Esau' represents the Lord as regards Divine Natural Good, and Divine Good acknowledges instantly the truths which it has to join to itself. What is more, all good does so, for good cannot exist without the things it calls truths, nor can truths exist without that which they call good. The two join together of their own accord; but as is the good so are the truths it joins to itself. It is good that acknowledges them and links itself to them like a husband to his wife; indeed the joining together of good and truths is a marriage in the spiritual sense, 2508, 2618. For good acknowledges its own truth, and truth its own good, and thereby they are joined together, see 3101, 3102, 3161, 3179, 3180.