9961. 'From the loins even to the thighs they shall be' means the range of those things, that is to say, of those composing that more external level of conjugial love, meant by 'the linen undergarments'. This is clear from the meaning of 'the loins' and 'the thighs' as those things which constitute conjugial love, 'the loins' those that belong to the more internal levels of conjugial love, 'the thighs' those that belong to the more external levels, so that the range of that love from internal to external levels is meant. The reason why the more internal levels of that love are meant by 'the loins' is that these are above; and the reason why the more external levels are meant by 'the thighs' is that these are below. For parts of a person that are above mean things which are more internal, and parts that are below mean those which are more external; this is why in the Word more internal things are meant by higher ones, and more external by lower ones, see 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325. The higher parts of a person correspond to celestial and spiritual things, which are the more internal ones, and the lower parts correspond to natural things, which are the more external. This is why natural things are meant by 'the feet', 2162, 3147, 3986, 4382, 4938-4952. And since the lower part of the loins which leads down towards the feet is understood by 'the thighs' the more external or lower levels of conjugial love are meant by them, see 4277, 4280.

[2] The loins in general however mean conjugial love, 3021, 3294, 4575, 5050-5062; they have this meaning by virtue of their correspondence. Regarding the correspondence with heaven of everything present with a human being, see what has been shown abundantly in the places referred to in 9276(end), 9280. The words 'range of conjugial love from internal to external levels' are used because all aspects of love and all matters of faith, or what amounts to the same thing, all those of good and all those of truth, have a wide range in the heavens; for all who are there are joined together in accord with the degree of similarity between the truths of their faith and the forms of good of their love. A range such as this exists in each separate heaven. But the range in each heaven also extends into heavens that are below, because all the heavens make one. Indeed they extend right down to mankind, in order that mankind also may make one with the heavens. This range is what is meant by the range from higher or more internal levels to lower or more external ones. The higher or more internal levels are called celestial and spiritual, and the lower or more external ones are called natural or worldly.

[3] As regards conjugial love specifically, whose range is the subject here, this love is fundamental to all other kinds of love; it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens. And since the marriage of good and truth exists in and makes the heavens, truly conjugial love constitutes heaven itself with a person. But the marriage of good and truth in the heavens descends from the joining of the Lord to the heavens; for what emanates from the Lord and flows into the heavens is the good of love, and what is received there by the angels is the truth springing from it, thus truth which originates in good or in which there is good. This is why in the Word the Lord is called bridegroom and husband, and heaven together with the Church is called bride and wife.

[4] All this makes clear how holy marriages are in heaven, and how profane adulterous relationships are there. For in themselves marriages are so holy that there is nothing holier, and are so for the added reason that they are the seed-bed of the human race, and the human race is the seed-bed of heaven, since all people who have led an angelic life in the world go there. On the other hand adulterous relationships are so profane that nothing is more profane, because they are destructive of heaven and the Church with a person. For the truth of all this, see what has been stated and shown in 2727-2759 regarding marriages and regarding adulterous situations.

[5] All this once again makes it clear why foul and hellish things are meant by the kinds of 'nakedness' dealt with in 9960 above, and why it was commanded so strictly that when they ministered Aaron and his sons should be wearing the undergarments covering the loins, and that if they did not they would die, for it says,

Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh; from the loins even to the thighs they shall be. And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, that they may not bear iniquity and die. It shall be the statute of an age ⁶ for him and his seed after him.

[6] It should be recognized therefore that by conjugial love all celestial and spiritual love is meant, because truly conjugial love, as has been shown above, is fundamental to all other kinds of love. People therefore in whom that fundamental love is present have all other loves belonging to heaven and the Church present in them; for as has been stated, it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens, the marriage that makes heaven. This also explains why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and is also actually called a marriage. From this too it is evident why precautions were taken to prevent the nakedness of Aaron or his sons from being visible while they ministered; for their nakedness served to mean all loves contrary to heavenly loves, which in general are called self-love and love of the world when they are the ends in view, and are foul and hellish loves. People at the present day have no knowledge that all this is so because they are steeped in these loves and take delight in nothing except that which arises from them. So it is that when spiritual love and celestial love are mentioned they are perplexed, not knowing what they may be, nor consequently what heaven may be; and perhaps they are astonished when they hear and consider that spiritual and celestial love separated from self-love and love of the world holds eternal happiness within it that is indescribable.

3357. Genesis 26

1. And there was a famine in the land, in addition to the previous famine that occurred in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2. And Jehovah appeared to him, and said, Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I tell you.

3. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4. And I will cause your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your seed all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed,

5. Because Abraham hearkened to My voice and practiced My observances, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7. And the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, She is my sister. For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah; for she was good-looking.

8. And it happened, because his days were prolonged for him there, that Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through a window and saw, and behold, Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his wife.

9. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, But behold, she is your wife! So how did you come to say, She is my sister? And Isaac said to him, Because I said, Perhaps I may die because of her.

10. And Abimelech said, What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.

11. And Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, Anyone touching this man and his wife will surely die.

12. And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped ¹ in that year a hundred measures; and Jehovah blessed him.

13. And the man increased, and went on increasing, so much so that he became extremely prosperous. ²

14. And he had acquired flocks, and had acquired herds, and he had many servants; and the Philistines envied him.

15. And all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up and filled them up with dust.

16. And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from being with us, for you are much mightier than we are.

17. And Isaac went away from there, and camped in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there.

18. And Isaac came back and dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father and which the Philistines had been stopping up after Abraham's death; and he called them names, according to the names which his father had called them.

19. And Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of living water.

20. And the herdsmen of Gerar disputed with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21. And they dug another well and disputed over that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah

22. And he moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not dispute over that; and he called the name of it Rehoboth, and said, Because now Jehovah has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23. And he went up from there to Beersheba.

24. And Jehovah appeared to him that night, and said, I am the God of Abraham your father; do not fear, for I am with you, and I will bless you, and will cause your seed to multiply, for the sake of Abraham My servant.

25. And he built an altar there and called on the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And Isaac's servants dug a well there.

26. And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his companion, and Phicol the commander of his army.

27. And Isaac said to them, For what reason have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?

28. And they said, We saw clearly that Jehovah was with you, and we said, Let there be now a solemn agreement between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you.

29. If you do us no harm as we have not touched you and as we have done to you nothing but good, and sent you away in peace; you are now the blessed of Jehovah.

30. And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

31. And in the morning they rose up early, and swore, a man to his brother; and Isaac sent them away, and they went from being with him, in peace.

32. And so it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug; and they said to him, We have found water.

33. And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day.

34. And Esau was a son of forty years, and he took for a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35. And they were a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebekah.

CONTENTS

In this chapter the subject in the internal sense is how the three degrees of the appearances of truth were allied to Divine truth so that truths and matters of doctrine concerning these might be received and the Church come into existence.

Footnotes: