4358. And said, Who are these to thee? That this signifies acknowledgment, may be seen from the fact that interrogations in the sense of the letter are not interrogations in the supreme sense; for the Lord, who is treated of in this sense, has no need to interrogate man, because He knows all things both in general and in particular. Hence this interrogation, “Who are these to thee?” signifies acknowledgment. For by Esau is represented the Lord as to Divine good natural; and Divine good immediately acknowledges the truths that it conjoins with itself. And moreover all good does this, for good cannot have being without what it calls truths, nor can truths without that which they call good. They conjoin themselves of themselves; but such as the good is, such are the truths it conjoins with itself. It is good that acknowledges them, and couples itself as a husband with a wife; for the conjunction of good with truths is marriage in the spiritual sense (see n. 2508, 2618). (That good acknowledges its own truth, and truth its own good, and that they are conjoined see n. 3101, 3102, 3161, 3179, 3180.)

3102. And it came to pass when the camels had done drinking. That this signifies acknowledgment from enlightenment in general memory-knowledges, is evident from the fact that the two expressions, “it came to pass,” and “had done,” signify what is successive, and involve the end of the act that precedes and the beginning of the act that follows (see above, n. 3093); here therefore they signify acknowledgment, as shown just above. The same is evident also from the signification of “camels,” as being general memory-knowledges (see n. 3048, 3071); and from the signification of “drinking,” as being here the same as “drawing waters” (see n. 3097), and also the same as “giving to drink” (see n. 3058, 3071), namely, being enlightened. Hence it is evident that by these words, “and it came to pass when the camels had done drinking,” is signified the acknowledgment of truth Divine from enlightenment in general memory-knowledges.

[2] The case is really this: Every truth that is elevated out of the natural man, that is, out of memory-knowledges (or out of knowledges and doctrinal things, for these are of the natural man) into the rational, and there received, must first be acknowledged for what it is, and whether it is in agreement with the good that is in the rational or not; if it is in agreement, it is received; and if not, it is rejected. There are many apparent truths in a single company; but only those are conjoined which acknowledge the good there, and thus which mutually love each other. In order, however, that they may be acknowledged to be such, there must be enlightenment in the natural man, by which all things there both in general and in particular may be seen at one view, and that thus there may be choice. This enlightenment in the natural man is from good, but still is by means of truth (see n. 3094). It is this enlightenment that is signified by Rebekah’s drawing for the camels, and making them drink, or giving them to drink.