3970. Verses 25-26 And it happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, Send me away and let me go to my own place and to my own land. Give me my womenfolk and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you.

'It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph' means acknowledgement of the spiritual represented by Joseph. 'That Jacob said to Laban' means the good of natural truth turned to the parallel good from a Divine origin, by means of which good interior things are joined together. 'Send me away and let me go to my own place and to my own land' means that at that time there was in the natural represented by Jacob a strong desire to arrive at a state in which it would be joined to everything Divine in the Rational. 'Give me my womenfolk' means that the affections for truth belonged to that natural. 'And my children' means as did the truths born from those affections. 'For whom I have served you' means from His own power. 'And let me go' means to be joined to everything Divine in the Rational. 'For you know my service with which I have served you' means toil and endeavour from His own power.

3759. After that the birth of Jacob's four sons by Leah describes in the highest sense an ascent from external truth towards internal good; but in the representative sense it describes the condition of the Church, which is such that it does not acknowledge and welcome internal truths present in the Word, only the external truths there. That being so, the order according to which it ascends towards interior things is as follows: First of all it possesses truth which is called the truth of faith; then comes the application of that truth; after that charity arising out of it; and finally heavenly love. These four steps up are meant by the four sons Jacob had by Leah, namely Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.