4482. 'Behold, the land is broad and spacious before them' means extension, that is to say, of truth which is the truth of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as the Church, dealt with just above in 4480, and from the meaning of 'broad and spacious' as extension as regards truths, and so as regards those taught by doctrine. When in the Word the measurements of something are given, it is not those measurements that are meant in the internal sense but the essential characteristics of a state that is being described. For measurements involve spatial dimensions and in the next life there are no intervals of space, as there are no periods of time, but states which correspond to these, see 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 3404, 4321. That being so, lengths, breadths, and heights, which are spatial measurements, mean the aspects of a state - length meaning holiness, height good, and breadth truth, see 650, 1613, 3433, 3434. This then is why 'the land is broad and spacious' means the extension of truth which is the truth of doctrine within the Church.

[2] Anyone who does not know of the existence of anything spiritual in the Word other than that which stands out in the literal sense is bound to be amazed by the statement that 'the land is broad and specious' means the extension of truth which is the truth of doctrine within the Church. But the truth of this statement may be established from places where 'breadth' is mentioned in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Asshur will go through Judah, it will deluge it and pass through and will reach even to the neck; and the outstretchings of its wings will fill the breadth of the land. Isaiah 8:8.

In David,

O Jehovah, You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have made my feet stand in a broad place. Psalms 31:8.

In the same author,

Out of my distress I called on Jah; He answered me in a broad place. Psalms 118:5.

In Habakkuk,

I am rousing the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, marching' into the breadths of the earth. Habakkuk 1:6.

'Breadths' here means nothing other than the truth of the Church.

[3] The reason why breadth has this meaning is that in the spiritual world, that is, in heaven, the Lord is the centre of all, for He is the Sun there. Those in a state of good are more interior, their exact position towards the middle being determined by the character and the amount of the good present in them. This is why 'height' is used in reference to good. Those who are in a similar degree of good are also in a similar degree of truth, and so dwell so to speak at the same distance from the centre, or one might say, dwell on the same contour; and this is why 'breadth' is used in reference to truths. Therefore when a person reads the Word the angels present with him do not understand by 'breadth' anything other than truths. When in the Historical sections, for example, the ark, the altar, the temple, and the spaces outside cities are referred to, states of good and truth are perceived by the dimensions indicating the lengths, breadths, and heights of these. The same is so with the new earth, new Jerusalem, and new Temple - described in Chapters 40-47 of Ezekiel - by which heaven and a new Church are meant, as may be seen from the detailed descriptions in those chapters. So also in John where it is said of the New Jerusalem that it will be foursquare, 'its length being as great as its breadth', Revelation 21:16.

[4] Things which in the spiritual world are interior are described as those that are higher, while those that are exterior are described by those that are lower, 2148, for while in the world, no one can conceive of interior things and exterior ones in any other way, for the reason that he dwells within space and time, and things that belong to space and time have entered in among the ideas comprising his thought and have conditioned the majority of these. From this it is also evident that expressions which give the spatial measurements of things such as the height, length, and breadth of them, are in the spiritual sense expressions used to indicate the magnitude of affections for good and affections for truth.

3758. Genesis 29

1. And Jacob lifted up his feet and went to the land of the sons of the east.

2. And he saw, and behold, a well in the field, and behold, three droves of a flock there, lying nearby it; for out of that well they watered the droves; and there was a large stone over the mouth of the well.

3. And all the droves would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from over the mouth of the well and water the flock; and they would put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.

4. And Jacob said to them, My brothers, where are you from? And they said, We are from Haran.

5. And he said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do.

6. And he said to them, Does he have peace? ¹ And they said, [He has] peace; and behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the flock.

7. And he said, Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together; water the flock, and go and pasture them.

8. And they said, We cannot until all the droves are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from over the mouth of the well, and we water the flock.

9. While he was still speaking to them Rachel came with the flock which was her father's, for she was a shepherdess.

10. And so it was, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the flock of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob came near and rolled the stone from over the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

11. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

12. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father.

13. And so it was, when Laban heard the news about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

14. And Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. And he dwelt with him for a full month.

15. And Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my brother should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your reward be?

16. And Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel.

17. And Leah's eyes were weak; and Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.

18. And Jacob loved Rachel and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.

19. And Laban said, It is better for me to give her to you than to give her to another man; remain with me.

20. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her.

21. And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are completed, and I will go [in] to her.

22. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.

23. And so it was in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him; and he came [in] to her.

24. And Laban gave to her Zilpah his servant-girl - to Leah his daughter to be her servant-girl.

25. And so it was in the morning, that behold it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? And why have you cheated me?

26. And Laban said, It is not done that way in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27. Complete this week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you render with me for another seven years.

28. And Jacob did so and completed this week, and he gave him Rachel his daughter for his wife.

29. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his servant-girl, to her to be a servant-girl.

30. And he came [in] also to Rachel, and he loved Rachel also, more than Leah; and he served with him yet another seven years.

31. And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb; and Rachel was barren.

32. And Leah conceived and bore a son; and she called his name Reuben, for she said, Because Jehovah has seen my affliction; for now my husband (vir) will love me.

33. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, For Jehovah has heard that I was hated and has given me this one also; and she called his name Simeon.

34. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, Now this time my husband (vir) will cling to me, because I have borne him three sons; therefore she called his name Levi.

35. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, This time I will confess Jehovah; therefore she called his name Judah. And she left off bearing.

CONTENTS

In this chapter 'Jacob' refers, in the internal sense, to the Lord's Natural, the subject being how the Good of Truth in His Natural was joined to a kindred good from a Divine source, meant by 'Laban'. First these were so joined through the affection for external truth, meant by 'Leah', and then through the affection for internal truth, meant by 'Rachel'.

Fusnotat: