4586. 'And Rachel gave birth, and suffered severely in giving birth' means the temptations endured by interior truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'giving birth' as the coming into being of spiritual entities, which are those of truth, and of celestial entities, which are those of good - for in the internal sense 'giving birth' does not mean anything else than things connected with spiritual birth, see 1145, 1255, 2584, 3860, 3868, 3905, 3915, 3919, 4070; from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819; and from the meaning of 'suffering severely' as undergoing temptations. For when used in reference to truths and goods, or spiritual and celestial entities, 'suffering severely' does not mean anything else, since nobody can come to those things except through temptations. Indeed in times of temptation interior goods and truths clash with the evils and falsities which are a product of a person's heredity and of his own actions. That is to say, at such times the Lord acts from within to preserve the goods and truths in him, while an attack is mounted by the evils and falsities which erupt from his heredity and are present as a result of his own actions. That is, the attack is mounted by spirits and genii who are present within those evils and falsities and who dwell with that person. This is how temptations arise, and they lead not only to the casting aside and removal of evils and falsities when these are conquered but also to the strengthening of goods and truths. These are the things which are meant by the statement that Rachel gave birth and suffered severely in giving birth.

3915. 'And let her bear [a child] upon my knees' means acknowledgement by the affection for interior truth, in which affection the joining begins. This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing' as acknowledging in action as well as in faith, dealt with above in 3905, and from the meaning of 'the knees' or the thighs as things which belong to conjugial love, dealt with in 3021, and so to things to do with the joining of the truth of faith to the good of love, since this joining of truth and good is the fundamental marriage in the Lord's kingdom. Thus 'bearing upon my knees' means an acknowledgement of interior truth represented by 'Rachel'. The custom among the ancients of acknowledging as legitimate sons and daughters those who, with the consent of the wife, were borne by servant-girls, and who were born upon their [wives'] knees so that they would be acknowledged as such, was a custom that derived from the Ancient Church whose worship consisted in religious practices which were representatives and meaningful signs of celestial and spiritual things. Since 'bearing' meant the acknowledgement of truth, and 'knees' conjugial love, and so the joining of good and truth from affection, such a practice was followed in that Church when a wife was childless, to prevent her representing the dead who do not rise again to life, in accordance with what was stated just above in 3908.

[2] These words mean in the internal sense a second degree of affirmation or acknowledgement resulting from affection, for affection has to be present in acknowledgement or affirmation if the joining together is to be effected. Indeed all conjunction is effected by means of affection, for without affection truths do not have any life. For example, knowing the truths that the neighbour ought to be loved, and that charity consists in that love, and spiritual life in charity, is no more than knowledge if affection is not present, that is, if there is no desire in the heart for any of this. Without affection these truths have no life, and no matter how well a person knows them he still does not love the neighbour but himself more than the neighbour, and is leading a natural life, not a spiritual one. In his case natural affection has dominion over spiritual affection, and as long as natural affection predominates a person is called 'dead', for the life he has in him is the reverse of heavenly life - heavenly life being true life.