3392. 'And behold Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his wife' means that Divine Good was present within Divine Truth, that is, to Divine Good Divine Truth was allied. This is clear from the representation of 'Isaac' as the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, dealt with in 3012, 3194, 3210; from the meaning of 'laughing' as the love of truth or affection for it, dealt with in 2072, 2216; and from the representation of 'Rebekah' as the Divine Truth of the Lord's Rational, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077. From this it is evident that 'Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his wife' means that Divine Good was present together with Divine Truth. The meaning that these words have in the whole train of thought is that at first spiritual truth is received because it is called Divine, but that subsequently it is received because it holds within it that which is Divine and is clearly visible to those who are being regenerated and becoming members of the spiritual Church. These are the ones who are meant by 'Abimelech', that is, those who possess the doctrine of faith and have regard to the truths held within cognitions, dealt with just above in 3391.

2216. That 'He said, No, but you did laugh' means that nevertheless it was such is also clear without explanation. The situation with these matters becomes clear from what has been stated above in 2072 about the meaning of 'Laughing' or laughter - that by it is meant an affection belonging to the rational, and indeed the affection for truth or for falsity within the rational, which affection is the source of all laughter. As long as such an affection exists in the rational as displays itself in laughter there is something bodily or worldly and thus merely human attached to it. Celestial good and spiritual good do not laugh, but express their delight and cheer in a different manner in their face, speech, and movement of the body. For very much is contained within laughter, for the most part something of contempt which, though it does not show itself, is nevertheless lying underneath, and is easily distinguished from cheerfulness of the mind (animus) which also produces something that appears like laughter. The state of the human rational with the Lord is described by Sarah's laughter, by which is meant the kind of affection with which the truth belonging to the rational, at that time separated from good, regarded what was said, namely that it was to be cast off and the Divine put on. Not that the Lord laughed but that He perceived from the Divine what the nature still was of the rational with Him and how much of the human was still present in it, and which was to be expelled. This is what is meant in the internal sense by 'Sarah's laughter'.