4862. 'For she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife' means the insight that it could not otherwise be joined to the semblance of religion existing among those descended from Jacob, specifically those descended through Judah. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as an insight, dealt with in 2150, 2325, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421. The reason this was the insight - that it could not otherwise be joined to the semblance of religion existing among the descendants of Jacob, specifically among those descended through Judah - is that 'Judah' means those descendants, 4815, 4842, 4852, and therefore the semblance of religion existing among them, to which it was joined because it could not be joined to Shelah. Also, 'Shelah' represents idolatry, 4825, 4826, 4845, to which the truth of the representative Church meant by 'Tamar' could not be joined.

2151. 'Abraham ran to meet them' means that He came closer in thought to the things that were perceived. This is clear from the train of thought in the internal sense, for reference is made in the previous verse to the perception which the Lord then had, and in this verse to His becoming aware that this perception came from the Divine; and in this particular part of the verse to His coming closer to that perception, represented and so meant by 'he ran to meet them'.