3819. The name of the elder was Leah. That this signifies the affection of external truth with its quality; and that the name of the younger was Rachel signifies the affection of internal truth with its quality, is evident from the representation of Leah, as being the affection of external truth; and of Rachel, as being the affection of internal truth (see n. 3793); and from the signification of “name,” as being quality (n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006). Leah is called the “elder” because external truth is first learned, and Rachel is called the “younger” because internal truth is learned afterwards, or what is the same, man is first affected with external truths, and afterwards with internal ones; for external truths are the planes of internal ones, being generals into which singulars ¹ are insinuated; for without a general idea of a thing man comprehends nothing that is singular. This is the reason why in the literal sense of the Word there are general, but in the internal sense singular, truths. The former are those called external truths; but the latter internal ones; and as truths without affection are not truths, because of no life, therefore when mention is made of external and internal truths, the affections of them are understood.

Mga talababa:

932. That “seed-time and harvest” signify man who is to be regenerated, and thus the church, there is no need to confirm from the Word, because it occurs so often that man is compared and likened to a field, and thus to a sowing or seed-time, and the Word of the Lord to seed, and the effect to the produce or harvest, as everyone comprehends from the forms of speech thus made familiar. In general every man is here treated of-that there never will be lacking to him the sowing of seed from the Lord, whether he be within the church or without; that is, whether he be acquainted with the Word of the Lord, or be not acquainted with it. Without seed sown by the Lord, man can do nothing of good. All the good of charity, even with the Gentiles, is seed from the Lord; and although with these there is not the good of faith, as there may be within the church, yet there may come the good of faith; for in the other life those Gentiles who have lived in charity, as Gentiles are wont to do in this world, when instructed by angels, embrace and receive the doctrine of true faith and the faith of charity much more easily than do Christians; concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter. Specifically, however, the subject treated of here is the man who is to be regenerated, that is to say that there will be no such thing as a failure of the church to come forth somewhere on the earth, which is here signified by there being seed-time and harvest all the days of the earth. That seed-time and harvest, or the church, will always come into existence, has regard to what was said in the preceding verse, namely, that man will no more be able so to destroy himself as was done by the last posterity of the Most Ancient Church.