Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3774

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3774. Verses 4-6 And Jacob said to them, My brothers, where are you from? And they said, We are from Haran. And he said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do. And he said to them, Does he have peace?a And they said, [He has] peace; and behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the flock.

'Jacob said to them' means the truth of good. 'My brothers, where are you from?' means, What is the origin of the charity there? 'And they said, We are from Haran' means good that springs from a common stock. 'And he said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' means, Did they possess good from that stock? 'And they said, We do' means, Yes, they did. 'And he said to them, Does he have peace?' means, Does it come from the Lord's kingdom? 'And they said, [He has] peace' means, Yes, it does. 'And behold, Rachel his daughter' means the affection for interior truth. 'Is coming with the flock' means interior matters of doctrine.

Notes

a A Hebrew idiom used in inquiring after a person's welfare


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