We read in Genesis that Jehovah God made a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, so that he went to sleep, and He then took one of his ribs and built it into a woman (Gen. 2:21, 22). The man's sleep and going to sleep mean his total ignorance of his wife being formed and, as it were, created out of him. This is plain from what was demonstrated in the last chapter, as well as from the natural prudence and carefulness which prevents wives revealing anything about their love, or how they take over the affections of their husbands' life, and copy their wisdom into themselves. It is clear from what was explained above (166-168 ff.) that this is done by the wife while her husband is unaware of it and, so to speak, asleep, that is, in secret ways. In that passage it was also made clear that women have the prudence to act like this instilled in them from creation, and so from their birth, for the very necessary reasons that this establishes conjugial love, friendship and trust, so that they can enjoy living together and have a happy life. To ensure that this duly takes place, the man is instructed to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4, 5).

[2] In the spiritual sense the father and mother whom the man is to leave mean selfishness in the will and in the intellect. Selfishness in a person's will is self-love, and selfishness in his intellect is loving his own wisdom. Clinging means devoting oneself to one's wife's love. These two forms of selfishness are fatal evils to the man, if they endure with him. The love of these two evils is changed into conjugial love to the extent that a man clings to his wife, that is, to the extent that he receives her love. On both these points see just above (193 and elsewhere). This is not the place for it, but it can be adequately confirmed from other passages in the Word, that sleeping means being unaware and uncaring, father and mother mean a person's two forms of selfishness, one in the will and the other in the intellect, and clinging means devoting oneself to someone's love.