3859. Verse 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.

'Leah conceived and bore a son' means spiritual conception and birth from what is external to what is internal. 'And she called his name Reuben' means the essential nature of it, which is described. 'For she said, Because Jehovah has seen' in the highest sense means foresight, in the internal sense faith, in the interior sense understanding, and in the external sense sight - faith received from the Lord being meant here. 'My affliction' means a state of arriving at good. 'For now my husband will love me' means that from this state would come the good of truth.

1299. 'They had bitumen for clay' means that they had evil springing from evil desire in place of good. This is clear from the meaning in the Word of 'bitumen' and of 'clay'. Since the subject here is the building of the tower of Babel, the materials mentioned are such as are used in building. Bitumen is mentioned because of its sulphurous and combustible qualities, which in the Word mean evil desires, chiefly those that belong to self-love. Here 'bitumen' means the evils springing from evil desires, as well as the resulting falsities, as these too are the evils from which the tower described below was constructed. That such things are meant is clear in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah's vengeance - her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into sulphur; and her land will become burning pitch. Isaiah 34:8-9.

'Pitch' and 'sulphur' stand for falsities and evils that spring from evil desires. And there are further examples besides these.