3118. The man bent himself, and bowed himself down to Jehovah. That this signifies gladness and joy, is evident from the signification of “bending himself,” and of “bowing himself down,” as denoting to be glad and to rejoice. Bending and bowing down are gestures of humiliation, that is, they are humiliation in act, whether in a state of grief or in a state of joy-in a state of grief when that which is wished for does not come to pass, but in a state of joy when it does come to pass; as in this case, that Rebekah, according to the vow of his heart, gave him to drink out of her pitcher, and made his camels drink also. (That “bowing down” is a gesture of joy also, may be seen above, n. 2927, 2950.) The term “gladness” is used, and also “joy,” for the reason that in the Word “gladness” is predicated of truth, and “joy” of good. Moreover gladness is of the countenance, but joy of the heart; or what is the same, gladness is of spiritual affection or of truth, but joy is of celestial affection or of good; thus gladness is in a degree less than joy, as bending is likewise less than bowing down; which is also evident from the fact that the man of the spiritual church merely bends himself before the Lord, and invokes grace; whereas the man of the celestial church bows himself down before the Lord and implores mercy (see n. 598, 981, 2423). Both terms are used by reason of the marriage of truth and good in every single thing of the Word (n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712).

683. As regards the repetition of “did” that it involves both [good and truth], it should be known that in the Word, especially in the Prophets, one thing is described in a twofold manner. Thus in Isaiah:

He passed through in peace, a way that He had not gone with his feet; who hath wrought and done it? (Isaiah 41:3-4),

where one expression relates to good, and the other to truth; or, one relates to what is of the will, and the other to what is of the understanding; that is to say, “he passed over in peace” involves what is of the will, and “away he had not gone with his feet” involves what is of the understanding; and it is the same with the words “wrought” and “done.” Thus the things that pertain to the will and to the understanding, or to love and faith, or what is the same, celestial and spiritual things, are so conjoined together in the Word that in each and every thing there is a likeness of a marriage, and a relation to the heavenly marriage. It is so here, in that the one word is repeated.