4112. And Jacob stole the heart of Laban the Aramean. That this signifies a change of the state signified by “Laban” in respect to good, is evident from the signification of “stealing,” as being to take away what is dear and holy, and thus to change the state (as just above, n. 4111); from the signification of the “heart,” as being that which proceeds from the will; and when the will is a will of good, the “heart” denotes good (see n. 2930, 3313, 3888, 3889); and from the representation of Laban, as being mediate good, which is now being separated; and because it is being separated, Laban is now called “the Aramean,” as also in the following verse, n. 24; for “Laban the Aramean” denotes such good, in which there is not Divine good and truth as before. The reason why this is signified, is that Aram, or Syria, was separated from the land of Canaan by the river Euphrates, and was therefore outside the land of Canaan, by which in the internal sense is signified the Lord’s kingdom, and in the supreme sense the Lord’s Divine Human (see n. 4108). “Aram” and “Syria” specifically signify the knowledges of truth and good (n. 1232, 1234, 3051, 3249, 3664, 3680), and this because the Ancient Church was there also, and the remains of it continued there a long time, as is evident from Balaam, who was from that country, and who had knowledge of Jehovah and also prophesied concerning the Lord. But after idolatry had grown there, and Abram had been called away, and the representative church had been instituted in the land of Canaan, Aram or Syria put on the representation of a region out of the church, or separate from the church, and therefore remote from the things of the Lord’s kingdom; although still retaining its signification of the knowledges of good and truth. The reason why Jacob is said to have “stolen the heart of Laban” by not telling him that he would flee, is that a change of state as to truth was spoken of just above, and here therefore a change of state as to good; for where truth is treated of in the Word, good is also treated of, because of the heavenly marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word (n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712).

24. Verse 6. And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it distinguish between the waters in the waters. After the spirit of God, or the Lord’s mercy, has brought forth into day the knowledges of the true and of the good, and has given the first light, that the Lord is, that He is good itself, and truth itself, and that there is no good and truth but from Him, He then makes a distinction between the internal man and the external, consequently between the knowledges [cognitiones] that are in the internal man, and the memory-knowledges [scientifica] that belong to the external man. ¹ The internal man is called an “expanse;” the knowledges [cognitiones] which are in the internal man are called “the waters above the expanse;” and the memory-knowledges of the external man are called “the waters beneath the expanse.”

[2] Man, before he is being regenerated, does not even know that any internal man exists, much less is he acquainted with its nature and quality. He supposes the internal and the external man to be not distinct from each other. For, being immersed in bodily and worldly things, he has also immersed in them the things that belong to his internal man, and has made of things that are distinct a confused and obscure unit. Therefore it is first said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters” and then, “Let it distinguish between the waters in the waters;” but not, Let it distinguish between the waters which are “under” the expanse and the waters which are “above” the expanse, as is afterwards said in the next verses:

And God made the expanse, and made a distinction between the waters which were under the expanse, and the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so. And God called the expanse heaven (Genesis 1:7-8).

[3] The next thing therefore that man observes in the course of regeneration is that he begins to know that there is an internal man, or that the things which are in the internal man are goods and truths, which are of the Lord alone. Now as the external man, when being regenerated, is of such a nature that he still supposes the goods that he does to be done of himself, and the truths that he speaks to be spoken of himself, and whereas, being such, he is led by them of the Lord, as by things of his own, to do what is good and to speak what is true, therefore mention is first made of a distinction of the waters under the expanse, and afterwards of those above the expanse. It is also an arcanum of heaven, that man, by things of his own, as well by the fallacies of the senses as by cupidities, is led and bent by the Lord to things that are true and good, and thus that every movement and moment of regeneration, both in general and in particular, proceeds from evening to morning, thus from the external man to the internal, or from “earth” to “heaven.” Therefore the expanse, or internal man, is now called “heaven.”

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