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.

3012. Genesis 24

1. And Abraham, being old, was advanced in years; ¹ and Jehovah blessed Abraham in all things.

2. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who administered all that he had, Put now your hand under my thigh.

3. And I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I am dwelling;

4. But that you go to my land and to the place of my nativity; and you shall take a wife for my son Isaac.

5. And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman is not willing to go after me to this land: Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?

6. And Abraham said to him, Beware that you do not by any chance take my son back there.

7. Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my nativity, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, To your seed I will give this land, He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

8. And if the woman is not willing to go after you, you are clear from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.

9. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10. And the servant took ten camels from his master's camels, and went; and every good thing that was his master's was in his hand; and he rose up and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

11. And he made the camels kneel down outside and away from the city near a well of water, at evening time, at the time that women go out to draw water.

12. And he said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, make it go right for me today ² and deal mercifully with my master Abraham.

13. Behold, I am standing beside a spring of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14. And let it be that the girl to whom I say, Let down now your pitcher and I will drink, and she says, Drink, and also I will give your camels a drink - let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And in this I shall know that You have dealt mercifully with my master.

15. And so it was, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother; and her pitcher was on her shoulder.

16. And the girl was very good looking, a virgin, and no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher, and went up.

17. And the servant ran to meet her and said, Let me sip now a little water from your pitcher.

18. And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hastened and lowered her pitcher on to her hand and gave him a drink.

19. And she finished giving him the drink and said, I will draw for your camels also until they have finished drinking.

20. And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

21. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether Jehovah had prospered his way or not.

22. And so it was, when the camels finished drinking, that the man took a gold nose-jewel, half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets to go on her hands, ten [shekels] of gold in weight.

23. And he said, Whose daughter are you? Tell me now, is there at your father's house a place for us to spend the night?

24. And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor.

25. And she said to him, There is both straw and also much fodder with us, and a place to spend the night.

26. And the man bowed, and bowed down to Jehovah.

27. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned His mercy and His truth towards my master. As for me, being on the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of my master's brethren.

28. And the girl ran and told [those of] her mother's house all about these things.

29. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran to the man outside, to the spring.

30. And so it was - when he saw the nose-jewel and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, who said, Thus the man spoke to me - that he went to the man, and behold, he was standing with the camels at the spring.

31. And he said, Come, O blessed of Jehovah; why do you stand outside? And I have swept the house, and there is a place for the camels.

32. And the man came to the house. And he ungirded the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33. And [food] was set before him to eat, and he said, I am not eating until I have spoken my words. And he said, Speak on!

34. And he said, I am Abraham's servant.

35. And Jehovah has blessed my master greatly and has made him great, and has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male and female servants, and camels and asses.

36. And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master in her old age; and to him he has given all that he has.

37. And my master made me swear, saying, You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am dwelling;

38. But you shall go to my father's house, and to my family, and you shall take a wife for my son.

39. And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman is not going to follow me.

40. And he said to me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and will prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.

41. Then you will be clear from my oath, because you have come to my family; and if they will not give her to you, you will be clear from my oath.

42. And I came today to the spring and said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if You will, prosper now my way which I am walking in.

43. Behold, I am standing at a spring of water; and let it be that the young woman going out to draw, to whom I say, Give me a drink now of a little water from your pitcher,

44. And she says to me, Drink, and I will also draw for your camels - let her be the woman whom Jehovah has appointed for my master's son.

45. I had scarcely finished speaking in my heart, and behold, Rebekah came out, with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, Give me a drink now.

46. And she hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon her, and said, Drink, and also I will give your camels a drink; and I drank, and she gave the camels also a drink.

47. And I asked her and said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milkah bore to him. And I put a jewel on her nose, and bracelets on her hands.

48. And I bowed, and bowed down to Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who led me into the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.

49. And now if you are going to show mercy and truth to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, and I will look to the right or to the left.

50. And Laban answered, then Bethuel, and they said, From Jehovah has this thing come; we cannot speak to you bad or good.

51. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as Jehovah has spoken.

52. And so it was, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth to Jehovah.

53. And the servant brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

54. And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed the night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me to my master.

55. And her brother said, and her mother, Let the girl stay with us a week or ten days; ³ after that you will go.

56. And he said to them, Do not delay me, since Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away and let me go to my master.

57. And they said, Let us call the girl and ask her personally. ⁴

58. And they called Rebekah and said to her, Are you going to go with this man? And she said, I will go.

59. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.

60. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the gate of those who hate you.

61. And Rebekah rose up, and her maids, and they rode on the camels and went after the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went.

62. And Isaac had come from ⁵ Beer Lahai Roi, and was dwelling in the land of the south.

63. And Isaac came out to meditate in the field towards evening, and lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels were coming.

64. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac, and dropped down from upon the camel.

65. And she said to the servant, Who is that man there walking in the field to meet us? And the servant said, He is my master. And she took a veil and covered herself.

66. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.

67. And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother; and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after [the death of] his mother.

CONTENTS

Described in the internal sense is the whole process by which truth was joined to good in the Lord's Divine Rational. In this chapter it is the process of introduction which precedes that joining together. Isaac is the good of the rational, Rebekah here is the truth that has to be introduced into good, and Laban the affection for good in the natural man.

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