Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 6641

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6641. And all the soul that came out of the thigh of Jacob. That this signifies all things that were from general truth, is evident from the signification of soul," as being in the general sense man, here the man of the spiritual church (but in the internal sense "soul" denotes truth and good, because from this man is man, see n. 6605, 6626); from the signification of "thigh," as being conjugial love (n. 3021, 4277, 4280, 5050-5062); and as the "thigh" denotes conjugial love, it denotes all love both celestial and spiritual (n. 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575); hence to "come out of the thigh" signifies truth and good from the heavenly marriage, consequently the truth and good of the church, for these, when they are genuine, have been born of the heavenly marriage, which is that of good and truth; and from the representation of Jacob, as being truth and also good in the natural, but in general, because his "sons" are the distinct truths and goods in this general (n. 6637). That Jacob here represents truths in general, is because the spiritual church is treated of, for this church begins from truths in general, and by means of these is introduced to its good; for with the man of the spiritual church it is not known what spiritual good is, and so it is not acknowledged except through truth, because he has no perception of truth from good, as the man of the celestial church has.


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