4066. 'And Jacob saw Laban's face' means a change of state with that good when the good meant by Jacob was departing from it. This is clear from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of the Natural, and from the representation of 'Laban' as intermediate good, both of which have often been dealt with already; and from the meaning of 'the face' as things that are interior, 358, 1999, 2434, 3527, 3573, in this case as changes of such interiors, or what amounts to the same, changes of state, for it is said that he saw his face 'and behold, he was not at all friendly towards him as before'. The reason why in the Word the things that are interior are meant by 'the face' is that those things shine out of a person's face, and present themselves in his face as in a mirror or in an image; and so 'the face' or the countenance means the states in which a person's thoughts and those in which his affections reside.

2434. That 'he said to him, Behold, I have accepted you as regards this matter also' means assent, provided that the interior aspects of that truth derive anything from good. This is clear from the meaning of 'face'. 'Face' occurs very many times in the Word and in those places it means the interiors, as shown in 358, 1999; and when the word 'face' is used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord it means mercy, peace, and good, 222, 223. Here therefore 'face' means good which is interiorly within truth, so that 'accepting the face' means assent, provided that the interior aspects of that truth derive anything from good. 'As regards this matter' means as regards this thing. Unless truth has good within it, it is not truth, see 1496, 1832, 1900, 1904, 1928, 2063, 2173, 2269, 2401, 2403, 2429; and the source of man's blessing and happiness after death is not truth but the good lying within truth, 2261. Consequently blessing and happiness are for him increased the more good there is lying within truth. That good lies within truth and causes it to be truth becomes clear also from goods and truths as they exist in worldly things. When a person takes in and acknowledges something within these as being good, then whatever regards that good with favour he calls the truth. But whatever does not regard it with favour he rejects and calls falsity. He may also call something the truth which does not regard that good with favour; but in that case he is pretending one thing and thinking another. The same also applies in spiritual things.