3387、“原来他怕说我的女人；恐怕这地方的人为利百加的缘故杀我”表示祂不能透露或公开神性真理本身，因为这样神性良善就不会被接受。这从“怕说”、“女人”、“杀我”和“这地方的人”的含义清楚可知：“怕说”是指不能透露或公开；“女人”，即此处的利百加，是指主的神性理性的神性真理（3012， 3013， 3077节）；“杀我”是指良善不被接受，因为以撒，即此处的“我”，代表主的理性的神性良善（3012， 3194， 3210节），当良善不被接受时，就说它被杀，或灭亡，因为它在不接受它的人里面消亡了；“这地方的人”是指那些拥有信之教义事物的人（3385节）。从这些含义可以看出这些话的内义是什么，即：神性真理本身若被透露或公开，就不会被那些拥有信之教义事物的人接受，因为这些真理超出他们的一切理性理解能力，因而超出他们相信的一切能力。结果，良善根本无法从主流入，因为来自主的良善或神性良善，只能流入真理；真理是良善的器皿，如前面多次所示。
真理或真理的表象被赋予人，是为了使神性良善能形成他的理解力，从而形成这个人自己。真理存在的目的，就是使良善可以流入。事实上，没有器皿或容器，良善就无法为自己找到一个地点，或说无处可去，因为它找不到与自己相对应的状态；因此，哪里没有真理，或真理在哪里不被接受，哪里就没有任何理性良善或人性良善；结果，这个人就没有任何属灵生命。因此，为了使人可以拥有真理，由此拥有属灵的生命，真理的表象照各人的理解能力而被赋予每个人；这些表象被承认为真理，因为它们能持有神性事物在里面。
为了解表象是什么，知道它们就是作为神性真理而服务于人的事物，让我们举例说明。假如我说，天上没有地方的概念，因而没有距离的概念，取而代之的是状态的概念，人们永远不能理解这一点，因为这会使他们以为那里没有任何不同的事物；相反，一切事物都融为一体，也就是说，所有天使都在一个地方。而事实上，那里的一切事物都如此不同，以至于没有什么比这更不同的了。存在于自然界中的地方、距离和空间在天上作为状态存在（参看3356节）。由此明显可知，凡圣言论到地方和空间的话，以及从它们形成并通过它们来表达的观念都是真理的表象；除非每一个事物都藉着这些表象来说明，否则，它根本不会被接受，因而几乎什么都不是；因为只要一个人在这个世界上，也就是在时空之中，时空的观念就存在于他思维的几乎每一个细节中。
圣言照着涉及空间的表象说话，这一点从圣言的几乎每一个事物或部分清楚看出来，如马太福音：
耶稣对他们说，那么大卫怎么说，主对我主说，你坐在我的右手边，等我把你仇敌放在你的脚凳下。（马太福音22:43-44）
此处“坐在右手边”就源于空间的概念，因而是照着表象来说的；而事实上，此处描述的是主的神性大能的状态。又：
耶稣说，从今以后，你们要看见人子坐在那大能的右手边，驾着天上的云降临。（马太福音26:64）
此处“坐在右手边”，以及“驾着云降临”让世人想到的是地方，但让天使想到的是主的大能。马可福音：
西庇太的儿子们对耶稣说，赐我们在你的荣耀里，一个坐在你右手边，一个坐在你左手边。耶稣回答，只是坐在我的右手边或左手边，不是我可以赐的，乃是为谁预备的，就赐给谁。（马可福音10:37， 40）
由此明显可知门徒对主的国度持有哪种观念，就是坐在祂的右手边和左手边。由于他们是这样想的，所以主也根据他们的理解，因而根据他们所能看到的表象回答他们。
诗篇：
祂如同新郎出洞房，又如勇士欢然奔路。祂从天这边出来，绕到天那边。（诗篇19:5-6）
这论及主，其神性大能的状态在此通过诸如属于空间的那类事物来描述。以赛亚书：
路西弗，黎明之子啊，你何竟从天坠落！你心里曾说，我要升到诸天，我要高举我的宝座在天上众星以上；我要升到高云之上。（以赛亚书14:12-14）
此处“从天坠落”、“升到诸天”、“高举宝座在天上众星以上”、“升到高云之上”都是来源于空间或地方的概念和表象的词语，用来描述亵渎神圣事物的自我之爱。由于属天和属灵事物通过并照着这样的可见物体呈现给世人，所以天堂也被描述为在高处；而事实上，它不在高处，而是在内在之物中（450， 1380， 2148节）。
Potts(1905-1910) 3387
3387. Because he feared to say, She is my woman; lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah. That this signifies that He could not open Divine truths themselves, because thus Divine good would not be received, is evident from the signification of "fearing to say," as being not to be able to open; from the signification of "woman," who here is Rebekah, as being the Lord's Divine rational as to Divine truth (n. 3012, 3013, 3077); from the signification of "slaying me," as being that good is not received, for by Isaac, who here is "me," is represented the Divine good of the Lord's rational (n. 3012, 3194, 3210), for good is said to be slain, or to perish, when it is not received, because with him who does not receive it, it is nullified; and from the signification of the "men of the place," as being those who are in the doctrinal things of faith (n. 3385). From all this it now appears what is the internal sense of these words, namely, that if Divine truths themselves were to be opened, they would not be received by those who are in the doctrinal things of faith, because they surpass all their rational apprehension, thus all their belief, and consequently nothing of good from the Lord could flow in. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, can inflow solely into truths, because truths are the vessels of good, as often shown. [2] Truths or appearances of truth are given man to the intent that Divine good may be able to form his understanding, and thus the man himself. For truths exist to the end that good may flow in; for without vessels or receptacles good finds no place, because it finds no state corresponding to itself; and therefore where there are no truths, or where they are not received, there is no rational or human good, consequently the man has no spiritual life. In order therefore that man may nevertheless have truths, and thereby have spiritual life, appearances of truth are given to everyone according to his apprehension; which appearances are acknowledged as truths, because they are such that Divine things can be in them. [3] In order that it may be known what appearances are, and that they are such things as serve man instead of truths Divine, let us take examples for illustration. If it should be said that in heaven there is no idea of place, thus none of distance, but that instead of these there are ideas of state, this could not possibly be apprehended by man, for this would cause him to believe that there nothing is distinct, but that everything is confused, that is, all in one, or together; when yet all things there are so distinct that nothing can be more so. (That the places, distances, and spaces, which exist in nature, are in heaven states, may be seen above, n. 3356.) Hence it is manifest that whatever is said in the Word concerning places and spaces, and from them and by means of them, is an appearance of truth; and unless it were said by means of such appearances, it would not be received at all, consequently would be scarcely anything; for so long as he is in the world, that is, in space and time, the idea of space and of time is within almost everything of man's thought, both in general and in particular. [4] That the language of the Word is according to appearances of space appears from almost everything in it; as in Matthew:
Jesus asked them saying, How then doth David say, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand till I make Thine enemies Thy foot stool (Matt. 22:43, 44) where to "sit on the right hand" comes from the idea of place, thus according to appearance, when nevertheless what is here described is the state of the Lord's Divine power. Again:
Jesus said, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64);
here in like manner "sitting on the right hand," and also "coming upon the clouds," are derived from the idea of place with men; but with angels the idea is of the Lord's power. In Mark:
The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left hand, in Thy glory. Jesus answered, To sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, except to those for whom it hath been prepared (Mark. 10:37, 40). From this it is manifest what sort of an idea the disciples had concerning the Lord's kingdom, namely, that it was to sit on His right hand and on His left; and because they had such an idea, the Lord also answered them according to their apprehension, thus according to what appeared to them. [5] In David:
He is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course. His going forth is from the end of the heavens and His circuit unto the ends of it (Ps. 19:5-6);
speaking of the Lord, whose state of Divine power is here described by such things as are of space. In Isaiah:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawning! Thou saidst in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven;* I will ascend above the heights of the cloud (Isa. 14:12-14);
where "falling from heaven," "ascending into the heavens," "exalting the throne above the stars of heaven," "ascending above the heights of the cloud," all of which are expressions descriptive of the love of self profaning holy things, are all derived from the idea and appearance of space or place. Inasmuch as celestial and spiritual things are presented before man by means of such things as appear to men, and in accordance with such things, therefore heaven is also described as being on high, when yet it is not on high, but is in what is internal (n. 450, 1380, 2148). * The Hebrew is "stars of God;" and so Swedenborg renders the expression in Arcana Coelestia n. 257, 3708, 5313, 7375, 8678, and other places. The present reading therefore may be a slip of the pen, yet it is found also in Apocalypse Explained 1029, and 1108.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3387
3387. 'For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah' means that it was impossible for Divine Truths themselves to be disclosed, and so for Divine Good to be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid to say' as an inability to disclose; from the meaning of 'wife', who is Rebekah here, as the Lord's Divine Rational in respect to Divine Truth, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077; from the meaning of 'killing me' as good not being received, for 'Isaac', to whom 'me' refers here, represents the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210 - good being said 'to be killed' or to perish when it is not received, for it ceases to exist with that person; and from the meaning of 'the men of the place' as people who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith, dealt with just above in 3385. From these meanings it is now evident what the internal sense of these words is, namely: If Divine truths themselves were disclosed they would not be received by those who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith because those truths go beyond the whole range of their rational grasp of things, and so go beyond the whole of their faith, and as a consequence of this no good at all could flow in from the Lord. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, cannot flow in except into truths, for truths are the vessels for good, as shown many times.
[2] Truths or appearances of truth are given to a person to enable Divine Good to develop the understanding part of his mind, and so the person himself, for truths exist to the end that good may flow in. Indeed without vessels or receptacles good has nowhere to go, for it can find no condition answering to itself. Where no truths exist therefore, that is, where they have not been received, neither does any rational or human good exist; and as a consequence the person does not possess any spiritual life. Therefore, so that a person may nevertheless possess truths, and from these receive spiritual life, appearances of truth are given, to everyone according to his ability to grasp them; and these appearances are acknowledged as truths because they have the capacity to hold Divine things within them.
[3] So that it may be known what appearances are and that they are what serve a person as Divine truths, let the following be used by way of illustration: If man were told that in heaven angels have no concept of place, and so no concept of distance, but that instead they have concepts of state, he could not possibly grasp it, for he would suppose from this that nothing distinct and separate existed but that everything was fused together, that is to say, all the angels were together in a single place. Yet everything there is so distinct and separate that nothing could ever be more so. Places, distances, and intervals of space which exist in the natural order exist in heaven as states, see 3356. From this it is evident that all the things that are stated in the Word about places and intervals of space between objects, also ideas that are formed from these and expressed through them, are appearances of truth; and unless everything were stated by means of those appearances it would in no way be received and would as a consequence be scarcely anything; for the concept of space and time is present in almost every single detail of a person's thought as long as he is in the world, that is, living within space and time.
[4] The fact that the Word speaks according to appearances involving space is clear from almost every single part of it, as in Matthew,
Jesus said, How is it that David says, The Lord [said] to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matt 22:43, 44.
Here the expression 'sitting at the right hand' is derived from the concept of place and so according to the appearance - when in fact it is a state of the Lord's Divine power which is described by that expression. In the same gospel,
Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matt 26:64.
Here similarly 'sitting at the right hand' and also 'coming on clouds' are expressions derived from men's concept of place, whereas the concept angels have is one of the state of the Lord's power. In Mark,
The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus replied, To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:37, 40.
From this it is evident what kind of concept the disciples had of the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, one that involved sitting on the right hand and on the left. Such being the concept they had of it the Lord also replied to them in a way they could understand and so by an appearance that could be seen by them.
[5] In David,
Like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoices as a mighty man to run the course. From the end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit to the ends of them. Ps 19:5, 6.
This refers to the Lord, the state of whose Divine power is described by means of such things as belong to space. In Isaiah,
How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of Goda I will raise my throne. I will go up above the heights of the clouds. Isa 14:12-14.
'Falling from heaven', 'going up the heavens', 'raising a throne above the stars of God', 'going up above the heights of the clouds' are all expressions derived from the concept and appearance of space or a place, and are used to describe self-love profaning holy things. Since celestial and spiritual things are presented to man by means of and according to visual objects like these, heaven too is therefore described as being on high when in fact it is not on high but in that which is internal, 450, 1380, 2148.
Latin(1748-1756) 3387
3387. `Quia timuit dicere, Mulier mea; forte occidant me viri loci propter Rebeccam': quod significet quod non potuit aperire ipsa Divina Vera, sic Divinum Donum non reciperetur, constat ex significatione `timere dicere' quod sit {1}non posse aperire; ex significatione `mulieris,' hic Rebeccae, quod sit Divinum Rationale quoad Divinum Verum, de qua n. 3012, 3013, 3077; ex significatione `occidere me' quod sit non recipi bonum, per `Jishakum' enim, qui hic est `me,' repraesentatur Divinum Bonum Rationalis Domini, n. 3012, 3194, 3210; tunc enim bonum dicitur `occidi' seu perire cum non recipitur, nam fit nullum apud eum; et ex significatione `virorum loci' quod sunt illi qui in doctrinalibus fidei, de qua mox supra n. 3385; ex his nunc patet quis sensus internus illorum verborum est, nempe si aperirentur ipsa Vera Divina, quod ab illis qui in doctrinalibus fidei, non reciperentur, quia omnem eorum rationalem captum, ita omnem eorum fidem, excedunt, et consequenter nihil boni a Domino influere posset; bonum enim a Domino, seu Bonum Divinum, non influere potest nisi in vera, sunt enim vera vasa boni, ut multoties ostensum; [2] (m){2}vera seu apparentiae veri sunt homini data propterea ut Divinum Bonum queat intellectuale ejus formare, ita ipsum hominem, nam ob finem ut influere possit bonum, sunt vera; bonum enim absque vasis seu receptaculis non invenit locum, {3}quia non statum sibi correspondentem, (n) quapropter ubi non vera, seu ubi illa non recepta, ibi nec bonum rationale {4}aut humanum, consequenter non homini aliqua vita spiritualis; ut itaque usque homini sint vera, et illi inde vita spiritualis, dantur apparentiae veri, et quidem cuivis secundum suum captum, quae apparentiae agnoscuntur pro veris quia sunt tales ut in illis Divina possint esse. [3] Ut sciatur quid apparentiae et quod illae sint quae pro veris Divinis homini inserviunt, sint illustrationi exempla: si diceretur quod in caelo nulla idea loci, ita nulla distantiae sit, sed quod pro illis sint ideae status, hoc ab homine nequaquam capi posset, sic enim crederet quod nihil distinctum foret, sed confusum, omnes nempe in uno seu simul, cum tamen omnia ibi tam distincta sunt ut nusquam distinctius dari queat; quod loca, distantiae et spatia quae in natura, sint status in caelo, videatur n. 3356; inde patet quod quicquid usque in Verbo dicitur de locis et spatiis, et ex illis, (c)et per illa, sint apparentiae veri, et nisi per apparentias illas diceretur, nusquam reciperetur, consequenter vix aliquid, nam idea {5}spatii et temporis inest paene omnibus et singulis cogitationis apud hominem, {6}quamdiu est in mundo, hoc est, in spatio et tempore: [4] quod secundum apparentias spatii locutum sit in Verbo, constat paene ab omnibus et singulis ibi, ut apud Matthaeum, Dixit Jesus, Quomodo dicit David, Dominus Domino meo, Sede a dextris Meis, donec posuero inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum? xxii 41, 42 [A.V. 43, 44];ubi `sedere a dextris' est ex idea loci, ita secundum apparentiam, cum tamen est status potentiae Divinae Domini qui {7}sic describitur: apud eundem, Jesus dixit, Ex nunc videbitis Filium hominis sedentem ex dextris potentiae, et venientem super nubibus caeli, xxvi 64;
similiter hic `sedere a dextris' ut et `venire super nubibus' sunt ex idea loci hominibus, sed {8}est idea status potentiae Domini angelis: apud Marcum, Filii Zebedaei dixerunt ad Jesum, Da nobis ut unus a dextris Tuis, et alter a sinistris Tuis sedeamus in gloria Tua: Jesus respondit, Sedere a dextris Meis, et (c)a sinistris Meis, non est Meum dare, sed quibus paratum est, x 37, 40;
inde patet qualem ideam de regno Domini {9}habuerunt discipuli, quod nempe esset `sedere a dextris et a sinistris'; et quia illis talis idea, etiam Dominus secundum captum eorum respondit, ita secundum quod apparuit illis: [5] apud Davidem, Hic sicut sponsus exiens e conclavi suo, gaudet sicut heros ad currendum viam, a fine caelorum exitus Ipsius, et circuitio Ipsius ad fines eorum, Ps. xix 6, 7 [A.V. 5, 6];
ibi de Domino, Cujus Divinae potentiae status describitur per talia quae sunt spatii: apud Esaiam, Quomodo cecidisti de caelo, Lucifer, illi aurorae,...dixisti in corde tuo, In caelos ascendam, supra stellas {10}caeli exaltabo thronum meum,...ascendam super excelsa nubis, xiv 12-14;
`cadere de caelo, ascendere caelos, supra stellas caeli exaltare thronum. ascendere super excelsa nubis' sunt omnia ex idea et apparentia spatii seu loci, per quae amor sui profanans sancta describitur Quia caelestia et spiritualia per talia quae apparent, et secundum illa, coram homine sistuntur, ideo caelum quoque describitur sicut quod in alto sit, cum tamen non in alto sed in interno est, n. 450, 1380, 2148. @1 i in sensu interno$ @2 et$ @3 seu statum receptivum (or receptionis?) sui$ @4 seu$ @5 i vix nulla status sed$ @6 A had quando est in mundo, seu quando vivit in spatio et tempore, but deleted the whole passage, perhaps when recopying.$ @7 ita$ @8 after Domini$ @9 habuerint$ @10 so AI but Heb.=Dei, as in n. 8678, and other places.$