Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3828

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3828. Verses 21-24 And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are completed, and I will go [in] to her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. And so it was in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him; and he came [in] to her. And Laban gave to her Zilpah his servant-girl - to Leah his daughter to be her servant-girl.

'Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife' means that general good was now to be joined to the affection for interior truth. 'For my days are completed, so that I may go [in] to her' means that that state had now been reached. 'And Laban gathered together all the men of the place' means all the truths belonging to that state. 'And made a feast' means the introduction. 'And so it was in the evening' means when the state was still obscure. 'That he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him; and he came [in] to her' means that as yet it was a joining merely to the affection for external truth. 'And Laban gave to her Zilpah his servant-girl - to Leah his daughter to be her servant-girl' means external affections or external bonds which are subservient means.


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