4813. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-5. And it came to pass in this time and Judah went down from his brethren, and turned aside even to a man, an Adullamite, and his name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a man, a Canaanite, and her name was Shua; and he took her, and came to her. And she conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Er. And she conceived again and bare a son, and she called his name Onan. And she added again and bare a son, and she called his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib when she bare him. “And it came to pass in this time,” signifies the state of the things that follow; “and Judah went down from his brethren,” signifies the posterity of Jacob, specifically the tribe of Judah, which was separated from the rest; “and turned aside even to a man, an Adullamite,” signifies to falsity; “and his name was Hirah,” signifies its quality; “and Judah saw there a daughter of a man, a Canaanite,” signifies the affection of evil from the falsity of evil; “and her name was Shua,” signifies its quality; “and he took her, and came to her,” signifies that the tribe of Judah conjoined itself with these things; “and she conceived and bare a son,” signifies that the falsity of the church was thence derived; “and he called his name Er,” signifies its quality; “and she conceived again and bare a son,” signifies evil; “and she called his name Onan,” signifies its quality; “and she added again and bare a son,” signifies what is idolatrous; “and called his name Shelah,” signifies its quality; “and he was in Chezib when she bare him,” signifies the state.

3404. And Isaac sowed in that land. That this signifies interior truths which are from the Lord appearing to the rational, is evident from the signification of “sowing,” as being in the supreme sense Divine truth which is from the Lord who is the sower (n. 3038); and in the internal sense the truth and good with man thence derived (n. 3373); and from the signification of “land,” as being the rational things which when enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth (n. 3368); or what is the same, interior truths which are from the Lord appearing to the rational; which appearances, or which truths, are of a higher degree, being treated of in the internal sense as far as verse 14. The angels are in these appearances of truth, which are such that they immeasurably transcend the understanding of man during his life in the world.

[2] In order that it may be still more evident what these appearances of truth are, take also the following example. It is known that the Divine is infinite as to being, and eternal as to manifestation, and that the finite is not capable of comprehending the infinite, nor indeed the eternal, for the eternal is the infinite as to manifestation; and as the Divine Itself is infinite and eternal, all things which are from the Divine are also infinite and eternal, and being infinite cannot possibly be comprehended by angels, because these are finite. For this reason the things which are infinite and eternal are presented before the angels in appearances which are finite; but still in such appearances as are very far above the sphere of man’s comprehension. For example, man cannot possibly have any idea of the eternal except from time; and this being the case, he cannot possibly comprehend what is from eternity, thus what the Divine was before time, or before the world was created. And so long as there is in his thought anything of an idea from time, if he thinks on the subject he must necessarily fall into errors from which he cannot be extricated. But to the angels, who are not in the idea of time, but in the idea of state, it is given to perceive this most clearly, for the eternal with them is not the eternal of time, but the eternal of state, without the idea of time.

[3] Hence it is manifest in what appearances the angels are in comparison with man, and how much their appearances are above those with man; for man cannot have the smallest thought apart from time and space; whereas the angels derive nothing from these; but in their stead from state as to being and as to manifestation. From all this we can see what is the nature of the appearances of truth here treated of, and which are of a higher degree. In what follows, the appearances of truth of a lower degree are treated of in their order, even as they are adapted to mankind.