1385. Er zijn geesten, die tot de streek van de huid, vooral van de schubachtige huid behoren, die over alles willen redeneren en geenszins gewaarworden, wat goed en waar is, en die het zelfs hoe meer zij redeneren, des te minder gewaarworden, doordat zij in het redeneren de wijsheid stellen, en ook zo als wijs gezien te worden. Hun werd gezegd, dat de wijsheid van de engelen bestaat in het innerlijk gewaarworden of iets goed en waar is, zonder geredeneer; maar zij begrijpen niet, dat zo’n innerlijke gewaarwording kan bestaan Het zijn diegenen, die in het leven van het lichaam het goede en het ware verward hebben door wetenschappelijke en filosofische dingen, en zich vandaar voor geleerder hielden dan anderen en die van te voren niet enig beginsel van het ware uit het Woord hadden opgenomen; en zij hebben daarom minder gezonde rede.

2161. That 'let now a little water be taken' means that they were to draw near and bring themselves down from Divine things nearer to His intellectual concepts does not become clear so much from these words alone that they should take a little water, as from the whole train of thought in this verse and from its connection with what comes before and after. From the actual words used in this verse no one could possibly know that 'let now a little water be taken, and wash your feet, and recline under the tree' meant that the Divine was to bring itself down nearer to that state of perception which was the Lord's at that time and was to put on something natural so that His perception might be improved. Indeed not the smallest trace of this arcanum is evident in these words if understood historically. That such is nevertheless their meaning in the internal sense, and that angels perceive them in that way, I know for certain.

[2] This shows what great and deep arcana lie concealed in the Word. The same is further evident from the meaning of the words in the internal sense, that is to say, from the meaning of 'water' as intellectual concepts, from the meaning of 'feet' as natural things, and from the meaning of 'tree' as perception. Once these things are understood, then what is meant in the internal sense - namely that which has been stated - becomes clear from the train of thought and from its connection with what comes before and after. That 'waters' means factual knowledge and rational concepts, consequently intellectual concepts, has been shown in Volume One, in 28, 680, and may also become clear from very many other places in the Word, which would take up too much space if they were introduced here.