8587. 'And he called the name of the place Massah' means the essential nature of the state of the temptation. This is clear from the meaning of 'name' and 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 3421, 6674, 6887; and from the meaning of 'the place' as the state, dealt with in 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381. The reason why the essential nature of the state of the temptation is meant is that the temptation is the subject. The essential nature of its state is meant by 'Massah'; also Massah in the original language means temptation. The essential nature of it will be stated in what follows next.

4912. 'And said, She is more righteous than I am' means that no joining of what was external to what was internal existed, only what was internal to what was external. This is clear from what has been stated above regarding the Church among the Jewish nation and within that nation, in 4899, namely that the Church existed among that nation, that is, what was internal was joined to what was external, but that no Church existed within that nation, that is, what was external was not joined to what was internal. For if a Church is to exist within a nation, a reciprocal relationship must exist.