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.

1145. That 'these are the generations of the sons of Noah' means derivative matters of doctrine and derivative forms of worship in the Ancient Church, which in general is Noah, is clear from the meaning of 'generations', dealt with already. In the external or literal sense, generations involve one being begotten from another, as is well known; but in the internal sense everything has regard to things that are celestial and spiritual, that is, to what are matters of charity and of faith. Thus 'generations' here means things of the Church, and therefore matters of doctrine, as will be better evident from what follows.