7017. 'And I will see whether they are still alive' means a perception of that life. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding and perceiving, dealt with in 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the meaning of 'being alive' or 'living' as spiritual life, dealt with in 5407. A perception of that life means a perceiving before-hand, for when anyone proposes something to himself he envisages it as if it were a present reality. He must project his mind into the situation involving that thing, and from this come desires, and from it a feeling of delight such as would belong to that thing if it were a present reality. In this way intermediate ends link themselves to the last and lowest end and make so to speak a single end. ¹

脚注:

4567. 'God was seen by Jacob again, when he was coming from Paddan Aram; and He blessed him' means interior natural perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'God was seen' as interior perception. 'Seeing' means understanding and perceiving, see 2150, 2807, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421, and therefore the words 'God was seen' used in reference to the Lord mean perception from the Divine, which is the same as interior perception. The possession by the natural of this perception is meant by 'God was seen by Jacob', for 'Jacob' represents the Lord's natural, as has been shown many times. 'Again, when he was coming from Paddan Aram' means after He had absorbed cognitions of good and truth, which, being meant by 'Paddan Aram', are dealt with in 3664, 3680, 4112. 'He blessed him' means progress towards the more interior aspects of the natural, and the joining together there of good and truth. For 'blessing' is used to refer to all the good which anyone has conferred on him by the Divine, 1420, 1422, 2846, 3017, 3406; in particular the expression refers to the joining together of good and truth, 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584.