Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8992

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8992. Verses 7-11. And when a man shall sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out according to the going out of the menservants. If she be evil in the eyes of her master, so that he will not betroth her, then he shall let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange people he shall have no power in his acting treacherously against her. And if he shall betroth her to his son, he shall do to her according to the judgment of daughters. If he shall take him another; her food, her covering, and her conjugial due, he shall not diminish. And if he shall not do these three to her, then she shall go out free with no silver. "And when a man shall sell his daughter to be a maidservant," signifies the affection of truth from natural delight; "she shall not go out according to the going out of the menservants," signifies a state not like truth without affection; "if she be evil in the eyes of her master," signifies if the affection of truth from natural delight does not agree with spiritual truth; "so that he will not betroth her," signifies so that it cannot be conjoined; "then he shall let her be redeemed," signifies alienation from these truths; "to sell her to a strange people he shall have no power," signifies not to those who are not of the faith of the church; "in his acting treacherously against her," signifies this being contrary to the laws of Divine order; "and if he shall betroth her to his son," signifies if it agrees with any derived truth so that it can be conjoined therewith; "he shall do to her according to the judgment of daughters," signifies that it shall be as is the genuine affection of truth; "if he shall take him another," signifies conjunction with the affection of truth from another stock; "her food, her clothing, and her conjugial due he shall not diminish," signifies no deprivation of the interior life which is "food," nor of the exterior life which is "clothing," thus no deprivation of conjunction which is the "conjugial due;" "and if he shall not do these three to her," signifies the deprivation of these; "she shall go out free with no silver," signifies alienation therefrom without truth conjoined with it.


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