'Waters' particularly signify the spiritual parts of a person, or the intellectual aspects of faith, and also their opposites.

'The waters above the firmament,' as in Genesis 1:7, signify the knowledges in the internal self, and 'the waters beneath the firmament' signify the knowledges of the external self.

'Waters,' as in Ezekiel 47:9, refer to the New Jerusalem, and they signify spiritual things from a celestial origin.

'Many waters,' as in Revelation 17:1, signify truths of the Word adulterated. 'Waters' or 'rivers' signify spiritual, rational, or scientific things pertaining to truth.

'Waters … that go softly,' as in Isaiah 8:6-7, signify spiritual things, and 'waters … strong and many,' signify falsities.

'Waters,' as in Psalms 104:3, signify divine truths.

'Waters' signify truths in the natural self, and in the opposite sense, falsities.

'The waters were dried up from off the earth,' as in Genesis 8:7, signifies the apparent dissipation of falsities.

(Referencias: Apocalypse Explained 17; Apocalypse Revealed 50; Genesis 8)

3906. “就嫉妒她姐姐” 表对它不像外在真理那样得到承认的愤慨. 这从 “嫉妒” 和 “姐姐” 的含义, 以及 “拉结” 的代表清楚可知: “嫉妒” 是愤慨的表达, 之所以愤慨是因为她没有像利亚那样生子; “拉结” 是指内在真理 (参看3905节); “姐姐”, 就是此处的利亚, 是指外在真理, 因为 “利亚” 表外在真理 (参看3793, 3819节) . 那些正经历重生之人的经历如下: 他们逐渐认识何为内在真理, 但一开始并非以照之生活的那种信仰承认它. 因为内在真理与属灵情感相结合, 这属灵情感无法流入进来, 除非外在真理预备与内在真理相对应.

以这一内在真理为例: 一切良善皆出自主, 凡源于人自我的, 都不是良善. 在重生之初, 该真理能被知晓, 却在信仰和行为上得不到承认; 因为信仰和行为上的承认就是拥有对该真理的确是真理的洞察, 和发自内心意愿它是真理的情感; 每当良善被付诸行动时, 情况就是这样. 这种承认还包含这样的洞察: 源于自我的良善必牵涉自我关注, 因而将自我置于他人之上, 因此蔑视他人, 并对人所行的良善具有一种自我功德感. 在内在真理与外在真理联结之前, 这些缺陷就存在于外在真理中; 并且在自我关注开始停止, 对邻舍的关注开始被感觉到之前, 这二者无法联结在一起. 由此可见, 对内在真理尚未像外在真理那样得到承认的愤慨是什么意思.