624. It is clear that a state which is not a state of the Church is the subject here from the fact that in this verse and those that follow in chapter the name God is used, whereas in previous verses it was Jehovah. When the Church does not exist the name God is used, but when it does exist, it is Jehovah; for example in Genesis 1, when the Church did not exist, He was called God, but in the next chapter when it did, He was called Jehovah God. 'Jehovah' is the holiest of names, and belongs to the Church alone. Not so 'God', for no nation was without gods. Consequently the same holiness was not attached to the name God. Nobody was allowed to utter the name Jehovah except him who had knowledge of the true faith; but anyone was allowed to utter the name God.

2275. That 'he said, Let not now my Lord be incensed, and I will speak' means deep concern over the state of the human race becomes clear not so much from the actual words as from the affection which these words have within them. The internal sense of the Word consists of two distinct elements - the spiritual and the celestial. The spiritual involves a discernment - abstractedly, apart from the letter - of subject matter or real things, the literal sense serving these as an object, in the same way as things seen with the eye may serve as objects of thought regarding more exalted matters. The celestial involves pure perception of the affection present within the real things which belong to the internal sense. That discernment of real things exists with spiritual angels, whereas this pure perception of that affection exists with celestial angels. The latter, that is, those who are percipients of the affection, perceive immediately, purely from the affection there, what the letter embodies within itself when this is being read by man. And from this they form celestial ideas for themselves, doing so with unending variety and in an indescribable fashion in accordance with the sequence and harmony of the celestial things of love comprising the affection. This shows what the Word of the Lord contains in its inner recesses. When these words are being read therefore, 'Let not now my Lord be incensed, and I will speak', celestial angels perceive immediately a certain deep concern, and indeed that deep concern that is a manifestation of love towards the human race. At the same time countless and indescribable aspects regarding the deep concern which the Lord felt when He thought about the state of the human race are instilled into them.