8587. And he called the name of the place Massah. That this signifies the quality of the state of the temptation, is evident from the signification of “name” and of “calling by name,” as being the quality (see n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 3421, 6674, 6887); and from the signification of “the place,” as being the state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5606, 7381). That the quality of the state of the temptation is meant, is because temptation is the subject treated of; the quality of the state of it is signified by “Massah.” Moreover in the original tongue “Massah” means “temptation.” Its quality will be described in what now follows.

9003. Her food, her raiment, and her conjugial due, he shall not diminish. That this signifies no deprivation of the interior life which is “food,” nor of the exterior life which is “clothing,” thus no deprivation of conjunction which is the “conjugial due,” is evident from the signification of “food,” as being the sustenance of the interior life, for in the spiritual sense “food,” or meat and drink, denote the knowledges of good and truth, “meat,” the knowledges of good (n. 5147), and “drink,” the knowledges of truth (n. 3168, 3772); and therefore “food” denotes the things which nourish the spiritual life of man (n. 5293, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562); from the signification of “covering,” or “clothing,” as being the sustenance of the exterior life, for in the spiritual sense “covering,” or “clothing,” denotes lower memory-knowledges, because these are what sustain the external life of man (n. 5248, 6918); from the signification of the “conjugial due,” as being conjunction; and from the signification of “not to diminish,” as being not to deprive of.

[2] The case herein is that natural affection conjoined with spiritual truth, which is signified by “a maidservant betrothed to a son,” requires continual sustenance of life from the spiritual truth with which it has been conjoined; for affection without sustenance therefrom perishes. It is with the affection of man as it is with man himself-unless it is sustained with food it dies. Moreover in respect to his interiors man is nothing but affection; a good man the affection of good and the truth thence derived; but an evil man the affection of evil and the falsity thence derived. This is especially evident from a man when he becomes a spirit, for the sphere of life which then flows forth from him is a sphere either of the affection of good, or of the affection of evil. His nourishment or sustenance then is not from natural food and drink, but from spiritual food and drink, which are falsity from evil to an evil spirit, and truth from good to a good spirit. The nourishments of human minds during their life in the body in the world, are no other, and from this it is that all things which relate to food, such as bread, flesh, wine, water, and many other things, in the spiritual sense in the Word signify such things as belong to spiritual nourishment.

[3] From this it is also plain what is meant by these words of the Lord:

Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that goeth forth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Ye shall eat and drink upon My table in My kingdom (Luke 22:30).

I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29);

saying these words after He had instituted the Holy Supper, in which “the bread and the wine” denote those things which are of love and faith; in like manner also “the flesh and the blood.” From this it may be clearly known what is meant by “the flesh and blood” of the Lord in John 6:49-58; and also by these words in the same chapter:

My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed (John 6:55).

(That “flesh” in the Word denotes the good of love, see n. 3813, 7850 also that “blood” denotes the good of faith, n. 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850, 7877; in like manner “bread and wine,” n. 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915, 6118, 6377)

3404. And Isaac sowed in that land. That this signifies interior truths which are from the Lord appearing to the rational, is evident from the signification of “sowing,” as being in the supreme sense Divine truth which is from the Lord who is the sower (n. 3038); and in the internal sense the truth and good with man thence derived (n. 3373); and from the signification of “land,” as being the rational things which when enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth (n. 3368); or what is the same, interior truths which are from the Lord appearing to the rational; which appearances, or which truths, are of a higher degree, being treated of in the internal sense as far as verse 14. The angels are in these appearances of truth, which are such that they immeasurably transcend the understanding of man during his life in the world.

[2] In order that it may be still more evident what these appearances of truth are, take also the following example. It is known that the Divine is infinite as to being, and eternal as to manifestation, and that the finite is not capable of comprehending the infinite, nor indeed the eternal, for the eternal is the infinite as to manifestation; and as the Divine Itself is infinite and eternal, all things which are from the Divine are also infinite and eternal, and being infinite cannot possibly be comprehended by angels, because these are finite. For this reason the things which are infinite and eternal are presented before the angels in appearances which are finite; but still in such appearances as are very far above the sphere of man’s comprehension. For example, man cannot possibly have any idea of the eternal except from time; and this being the case, he cannot possibly comprehend what is from eternity, thus what the Divine was before time, or before the world was created. And so long as there is in his thought anything of an idea from time, if he thinks on the subject he must necessarily fall into errors from which he cannot be extricated. But to the angels, who are not in the idea of time, but in the idea of state, it is given to perceive this most clearly, for the eternal with them is not the eternal of time, but the eternal of state, without the idea of time.

[3] Hence it is manifest in what appearances the angels are in comparison with man, and how much their appearances are above those with man; for man cannot have the smallest thought apart from time and space; whereas the angels derive nothing from these; but in their stead from state as to being and as to manifestation. From all this we can see what is the nature of the appearances of truth here treated of, and which are of a higher degree. In what follows, the appearances of truth of a lower degree are treated of in their order, even as they are adapted to mankind.