6803. 'And God heard their groaning' means help. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing' as obeying, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4652-4660, 5017, though when used of the Lord the word means making provision and bringing help, for the Lord brings help to the one He hears; and from the meaning of 'groaning' as grief on account of the endeavour by falsities to subdue them.

In most cases, the meaning of "before" is pretty straightforward, both as a way of assessing relative time, and in its use meaning "in someone's presence." It takes on a deeper significance, though, when used in connection with the Lord. To be "before" the Lord means not just in His presence, but also receiving the desire for good and the understanding of truth from Him, and living according to them. And when used as an assessment of time in connection with the Lord, "before" means "from eternity," and refers to a spiritual state rather than time as we experience it.

(참조: Apocalypse Revealed 366, 617; Arcana Coelestia 6983, 8439, 9888)