3077. And behold Rebekah came out. That this signifies the affection of truth from doctrinal things, is evident from the representation of Rebekah, as being the truth Divine that was to be conjoined with the Divine good of the rational; but here, before she was betrothed, she puts on the representation of the affection of truth from doctrinal things; for from this comes truth, truth not being truth unless it has life, and its life is affection which is of love. That Rebekah represents the truth Divine that was to be conjoined with the Divine good of the rational, is evident from the several things contained in this chapter in the internal sense, and also from the fact that Isaac represents the Lord’s Divine rational (n. 1893, 2066, 2083, 2630); thus Rebekah, who became wife to Isaac, represents that in the rational which was conjoined as a wife to a husband; and it may be seen that this is Divine truth. For in the same way Abraham represented the Divine good itself, and Sarah his wife the Divine truth itself conjoined with the Divine good (n. 1468, 1901, 2063, 2065, 2904); and it is the same with Isaac and Rebekah, but in the Lord’s Divine Human, namely, in His rational. In general, by a husband in the Word is signified good, and by a wife its truth (n. 1468, 2517). Moreover the essence of all marriage also (that is, conjugial love) is from the Divine marriage of good and truth, and of truth and good, in the the Lord, (n. 2508, 2618, 2728, 2729, 2803). That the affection of truth is from doctrinal things, is because it is said that she “came out,” that is, from the city; and that by a “city” are signified doctrinal things, may be seen above (n. 402, 2451). Moreover truths are from doctrinal things.

1468. He said to Sarai his wife. That this signifies that He so thought concerning the truths to which celestial things were adjoined, is evident from the signification of Sarai when she is called a wife. A “wife,” in the internal sense of the Word, signifies nothing else than truth conjoined with good; for the conjunction of truth with good is circumstanced precisely as is a marriage. In the Word, when a “husband” is mentioned, the husband signifies good, and the wife signifies truth; but when he is not called the husband, but the “man,” then he signifies truth, and the wife signifies good: this is the constant usage in the Word, as before said n. 915). In the passage before us, as Abram is named, Sarai his wife signifies truth. To say thus to Sarai his wife is, in the internal sense, to think so concerning the truths with which celestial things were conjoined. It is historically true that Abram so said to his wife, when journeying into Egypt; but as before said, all the historicals of the Word are representative, and all the words are significative. No other historicals are recorded in the Word, and in no other order, and no other words are used to express them, than such as in the internal sense may express these arcana.