2693. 'And said to her, What is the matter, Hagar?' means perception regarding one's state. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in historical parts of the Word as perceiving, dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'What is the matter, Hagar?' as its state at the time. Although He questions her and says, 'What is the matter, Hagar?' the meaning here is that the Lord knew its state. In the sense of the letter this is a question asked by the Lord, but in the internal sense the infinite perception of all things is meant. One reads in various places in the Word of people being questioned about their state, but the reason why they are questioned is this: Man has no other belief than that no one knows his thoughts, let alone the state of his affection. An added reason is that people may be helped by being able to express their feelings (sensa animi), which usually does them good, see 1701, 1931.

2691. 'God heard the boy's voice' means help at that point. This is clear from the meaning in the internal sense of 'God hearing the voice 'the words used in the historical sense - as bringing help, and from the meaning of 'the boy' as spiritual truth, dealt with already. Here a state is meant in which the spiritual as regards truth existed, for it is said that 'He heard the boy's voice' and soon after in this verse that 'He heard the boy's voice where he was', that is to say, where he was as to state. And, in the explanations of the verses immediately before, this state was shown to be one of utmost grief because truth had been taken away. The reason it was the boy's voice, not Hagar's, that God is said to have heard is that the state of the spiritual man is the subject. 'The boy', or Ishmael, represents the member of the spiritual Church, 'Hagar his mother' the affection for cognitions of truth, it being within this affection that the grief was felt. Man's rational is born from the affection for factual knowledge as a mother, 1895, 1896, 1902, 1910, 2094, 2524, but his spiritual is born from the affection for cognitions of truth acquired from doctrine, chiefly from the Word. Here the spiritual itself is 'the boy', and the affection for cognitions of truth is 'Hagar'.