3857.“拉结却不生育”表内层真理不被接纳。这从“拉结”的代表和“不生育”的含义清楚可知：“拉结”是指对内层真理的情感，如前所述；“不生育”是指不产生教义，因而不产生教会。这句话与论及利来的话相反，即“耶和华就开她的子宫”，意思是：她所代表的情感产生教会的教义。内层真理不被接纳的原因在于，内层真理超出人的信仰范围，也就是说，它们并不落入他的观念，也不符合外在表象，也就是感官幻觉，而每个人都让自己被这些表象或幻觉所引领。他并不相信内层真理，除非它们以某种方式与这些表象或幻觉一致。
例如，这是一个内层真理：来世并没有时间和空间，取而代之的是状态。而人活在世上时就在时间和空间内，并通过它们形成自己的一切观念，以至于如果没有时间和空间，他根本就无法思考（参看3404节）。所以，除非来世的状态通过人所熟悉的时空，或由时空所塑成的那类事物来描述，否则，他什么也感知不到，因而什么也不信，结果不会接受教导。在这种情况下，教义就不会生育，教会也不会由此产生。
再举一例。如果属天和属灵的情感不通过属于世俗和肉体情感的那类事物来描述，人什么也觉察不到。因为这些就是他所体验过的情感，正是通过它们，他才能对属天和属灵的情感拥有某种观点。然而，这两种类型的情感彼此截然不同，或犹如天与地那样相隔甚远。以天上或天上天使的荣耀为例（3839节）。人若不根据世上荣耀的观念来塑造自己对于天上荣耀的观念，根本就不会理解这个问题，从而不会承认它。这同样适用于其它所有内层或天上的事物。
因此，在圣言中，主照着人的认知，以及他们的理解所具有的表象说话。圣言的字义就具有这种性质，不过同时还具有这样的性质：它含有包含内层真理的内义在里面。于是，这便解释了为何论及利亚时，经上说“耶和华就开她的子宫”，而“拉结却不生育”。因为如前所述，“利亚”代表对外层真理的情感，“拉结”代表对内层真理的情感。但由于外层真理是人所学到的最初真理，故主规定，人可以藉着它们被引入内层真理。这个规定就是以下经文所表示的，“神顾念拉结，垂听了她，开了她的子宫”（创世记30:22）。
所有这一切的真相从古代的教会及其教义可以看出来，因为其教义就是通过外在真理形成的。大洪水后的古教会的教义事物绝大部分是外在的代表和有意义的符号，内在真理就储存在这些代表和符号中。该教会的绝大多数成员所具有的神圣敬拜就在于这些外在代表和符号。若有人告诉他们说，神性敬拜的本质要素不是这些代表和有意义的符号，而是它们所代表并表示的属灵和属天之物，他们就会完全拒绝这种教义，教会也因此不再存在。犹太教会尤其如此：若有人告诉教会的人说，他们的宗教仪式所具有的神圣性源自这些仪式里面主的神性事物，他们根本就不会承认。
主来到世间时，人类也是如此，甚至变得更加肉体化，尤其那些属教会的人。这一点从门徒们自己非常明显地看出来，尽管他们经常与主在一起，听了那么多有关祂国度的事，却还是不能领悟内层真理。对于主，除了如今犹太人对他们依然在期待的弥赛亚所持有的那种概念外，他们仍不能拥有任何其它概念。他们以为祂会高举这个民族，让它去统治全世界所有民族，并且其荣光也胜过它们。甚至从主那里听了那么多有关天国的事后，他们仍无法思考别的，还以为天国就像世上的国度，父神在那里是至高无上的，祂后面是圣子，然后就是他们这十二个人，因此他们会依次掌权。所以，雅各和约翰也要求赐他们一个坐在祂右边，一个坐在祂左边（马可福音10:35-37）；其他门徒则因这二人想比他们更大而恼怒（马可福音10:41；马太福音20:24）。由于同样的原因，在教导他们谁在天堂为大（马太福音20:25-28；马可福音10:42-45）之后，主仍照着他们的思维方式说话。也就是说，祂声称他们要坐在十二个宝座上审判以色列十二个支派（路加福音22:24，30；马太福音19:28）。
如果他们被告知，“门徒”这个词不是指他们自己，而是指处于爱与信之善的所有人（3354，3488节）；而且主的国度不像世上的国度，既有宝座，还有政府职位和统治权，他们甚至不能审判任何一个人的最小的那一面（2129，2553节），他们就会拒绝这种说法，各自离开主，回去重操旧业了。主之所以用这种方式说话，是为了他们能接受外在真理，并通过它们被引入内在真理。因为内在真理就隐藏在主所说的这些外在真理里面。随着时间推移，这些内在真理就会显露出来。一旦它们显露出来，外在真理就被驱散，仅充当用来思想内在真理的物体或工具。由此可知，此处所讲述的这些事是什么意思，即耶和华先开了利亚的子宫，她便给雅各生了儿子，而拉结后来才生了儿子。
Potts(1905-1910) 3857
3857. And Rachel was barren. That this signifies that interior truths were not received, is evident from the representation of Rachel, as being the affection of interior truth (concerning which see above); and from the signification of "barren," as being that there were no doctrines therefrom, consequently no churches; for this statement is opposed to what is said of Leah-that "Jehovah opened her womb," by which is signified that therefrom came the doctrines of churches. The reason why interior truths were not received, is that interior truths are such as to transcend man's faith, for they do not fall into his ideas, neither are they according to external appearances, that is, the fallacies of the senses, by which every man suffers himself to be led, and does not believe that which does not in some measure coincide with them. [2] For example: it is an interior truth that there are no times and spaces in the other life, but instead of these, states. Whereas during his life on earth, man-who is in time and space-has all his ideas from them, insomuch that without time and space he cannot think at all (see n. 3404); and therefore unless the states that are in the other life were described to man by means of times and spaces, or by means of such objects as derive therefrom their forms, he would perceive nothing, thus would believe nothing, and consequently would not receive the instruction; so that the doctrine would be barren and there would be no church from it [3] To take another example: unless celestial and spiritual affections were described by means of such things as belong to worldly and bodily affections, man would not perceive anything, for he is in these affections, and thereby is capable of having some notion of celestial and spiritual affections, when nevertheless they are as different, or as distinct from each other, as heaven is from earth (n. 3839). For instance-in regard to the glory of heaven, or of the angels in heaven-unless man formed for himself an idea of the glory of heaven in accordance with the idea of glory in the world, he would not apprehend the matter, thus neither would he acknowledge it. And so in all other cases. [4] For this reason the Lord spoke in the Word in accordance with man's apprehension, and in accordance with the appearances of the same. The literal sense of the Word is of this nature, but still it is such as to contain within it an internal sense, in which are interior truths. This then is the reason why it is said of Leah, that "Jehovah opened her womb," and of Rachel, that "she was barren;" for as before said by Leah is represented the affection of exterior truth, and by Rachel the affection of interior truth. But inasmuch as exterior truths are the first truths man learns, it is provided by the Lord that by means of them he may be introduced into interior truths, and this is what is signified when it is said that at last "God remembered Rachel, and hearkened to her, and opened her womb" (Gen. 30:22). [5] These matters may be substantiated from the churches which were of ancient time, and from their doctrinal things, in that these were formed from external truths. Thus with the Ancient Church that was after the flood, its doctrinal things were for the most part external representatives and significatives, in which internal truths were stored up. Most of the members of this church were in holy worship when in externals; and had anyone told them in the beginning that these representatives and significatives were not the essentials of Divine worship, but that the essentials were the spiritual and celestial things represented and signified thereby, they would have altogether rejected such a doctrine, and thus there would have been no church. This was still more the case with the Jewish Church: if anyone had told the men of this church that their rituals derived their sanctity from the Divine things of the Lord that were in them, they would not have acknowledged it at all. [6] Such also was man when the Lord came into the world, and still more corporeal had he become, and especially they who belonged to the church. This is very plain from the disciples themselves, who were continually with the Lord, and heard so many things concerning His kingdom, and yet were not able to perceive interior truths, not being able to form any other notion of the Lord than such as the Jews at this day entertain concerning the Messiah whom they expect; namely, that He will exalt their people to dominion and glory above all the nations in the universe. And even after they had heard so many things from the Lord respecting the heavenly kingdom, they still could not think otherwise than that the heavenly kingdom would be like an earthly kingdom, and that God the Father would be the highest therein, and after Him the Son, and then the twelve, and thus that they would reign in their order; wherefore also James and John asked that they might sit, the one on His right hand and the other on His left (Mark 10:35-37); and the rest of the disciples were angry at their desiring to be greater than they (Mark 10:41; Matt. 20:24). For the same reason also the Lord, after He had taught them what it was to be the greatest in heaven (Matt. 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45), still spoke according to their apprehension, saying that they should sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:24, 30; Matt. 19:28). [7] If they had been told that by "the disciples" are not meant themselves, but all who are in the good of love and faith (n. 3354, 3488); also that in the Lord's kingdom there are neither thrones, sovereignties, nor rule, as in the world, and that they could not even judge the least thing in a single man (n. 2129, 2553), they would have rejected the saying, and, leaving the Lord, would have returned everyone to his own occupation. The reason why the Lord so spoke was that they might receive external truths, and thereby be introduced into internal ones, for within those external truths which the Lord spoke, internal truths were concealed, which in course of time stand open; and when these stand open, the external truths are dissipated and serve only as objects or means of thinking about the internal truths. From this it may now be known what is meant by what is here related-that Jehovah first opened Leah's womb and she bare sons to Jacob, and that Rachel bare sons afterwards.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3857
3857. 'And Rachel was barren' means that interior truths were not received. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'barren' as not giving rise to doctrines, nor thus Churches. This statement expresses the opposite of what is said in reference to Leah, that is, that 'Jehovah opened her womb', meaning that the affection represented by her gave rise to the doctrines taught by the Churches. The reason interior truths were not received is that interior truths are such as go above the range of man's belief, that is to say, they do not fall into ideas he has and are not conditioned by the outward appearances or the illusions of the senses by which everyone allows himself to be led. He does not believe interior truths unless in some way they coincide with those appearances or illusions.
[2] For example, it is an interior truth that intervals of time and of space do not exist in the next life, but states instead. Man who is within time and space while he lives in the world forms all his ideas from these, so much so that he cannot have any thought without them, 3404. Consequently unless the states which exist in the next life were described by means of the intervals of time and space which man experiences, that is, by means of the kind of things that are moulded by time and space, he would perceive nothing and so believe nothing, and as a consequence would receive nothing. Doctrine would in that case be barren and no Church would arise from it.
[3] Take another example. Unless celestial and spiritual affections were described by means of such things as constitute worldly and bodily affections man would not perceive anything, for these are the affections he experiences, and it is from them that he is able to have notions about celestial and spiritual affections. Yet the two types of affections are as different from each other, or as far apart, as heaven from earth. Take for example the glory of heaven, that is, of the angels in heaven, 3839. Unless man modelled his idea of the glory of heaven on the idea of the glory which exists in the world he would not grasp it at all and so would not acknowledge it. The same applies to all other interior or heavenly things.
[4] For this reason the Lord has spoken in the Word in accordance with man's own ability to grasp things and with the appearances that go with that grasp of them. The literal sense of the Word is such, yet at the same time is of such a nature that it holds within it the internal sense which contains interior truths. This then explains why it is said in reference to Leah that 'Jehovah opened her womb', and that 'Rachel was barren'; for as has been stated, 'Leah' represents the affection for exterior truth, 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth. But because exterior truths are the first truths which a person learns, the Lord has provided that by means of them he can be introduced into interior truths. This provision is meant by the statement in Gen 30:22 that God at last remembered Rachel, hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
[5] The truth of all this may be seen from the Churches which existed in ancient times, and from their doctrinal teachings, namely that their teachings were formed from external truths. With the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood their doctrinal teachings were for the most part external representatives and meaningful signs which had internal truths stored within them. For the majority of its members holy worship consisted in those external representatives and signs. If anyone had told them that the essential ingredients of Divine worship were not those representatives and meaningful signs but the spiritual and celestial realities represented and meant by these, they would have rejected them altogether, and so the Church would have ceased to exist. This applied even more to the Jewish Church. If anyone had told them that their religious observances received their holiness from the Divine things that were the Lord's within them they would not have acknowledged them at all.
[6] Such also was mankind when the Lord came into the world. They had grown even more bodily-minded, especially so those who were members of the Church. This is quite evident even from the disciples who, though with the Lord constantly and hearing so many things about His kingdom, were as yet unable to perceive interior truths. They were still unable to have any other concept of the Lord than such as exists with the Jews at the present day about the Messiah whom they are still awaiting. They imagined that He would promote that people to a position of dominion and glory over all nations throughout the world. And after hearing so many things from the Lord about the heavenly kingdom the disciples were still unable to think anything else than that the heavenly kingdom would be like an earthly kingdom, where God the Father would be supreme, after Him the Son, and then themselves the twelve, and so would reign in this order. For the same reasons also James and John asked to sit one on His right and the other on the left, Mark 10:35-37; and the rest of the disciples were angry at these two wishing to be greater than the rest, Mark 10:41; Matt 20:24. For the same reason also, after teaching them what it was to be greatest in heaven, Matt 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45, the Lord still spoke in the way that they themselves thought. That is to say, He spoke of them sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:24, 30; Matt 19:28.
[7] If they had been told that the word 'disciples' was not used to mean themselves but all people in whom the good of love and faith dwells, 3354, 3488, and also that in the Lord's kingdom there are no thrones, nor positions of government and dominion, as in the world, and that they would not be able to pass judgement on even the smallest aspect of any one person, 2129, 2553, they would have rejected that saying, and each would have left the Lord and gone back to his own employment. The reason why the Lord spoke in the way He did was so that they would receive those things and through them be introduced into internal truths. For within the external truths which the Lord spoke internal truths lay stored away which in course of time are laid bare. And when these are laid bare those external truths are dispelled and serve solely as the objects or the means for thought about internal ones. From these considerations one may recognize what is meant by the fact that Jehovah opened Leah's womb first and she bore sons to Jacob, and that Rachel did so subsequently.
Latin(1748-1756) 3857
3857. `Et Rachel sterilis': quod significet quod interiora vera non reciperentur, constat ex repraesentatione `Rachelis' quod sit affectio veri interioris, de qua prius; et a significatione `sterilis' quod sit quod inde non doctrinae, ita nec Ecclesiae;opponitur enim illis quae de Leah dicuntur, nempe quod `Jehovah aperuerit uterum illius,' per quae significatum quod inde doctrinae Ecclesiarum: causa quod interiora vera non reciperentur, est quia interiora vera sunt talia ut transcendant fidem hominis, {1}quippe non cadunt in ideas ejus, et non sunt secundum apparentias externas seu fallacias sensuum. a quibus {2}omnis homo se duci patitur, nec credit nisi aliquo modo cum eis coincidant; [2]ut pro exemplo:
{3}interius verum est quod tempora et spatia non dentur in altera vita, sed loco illorum status; homo qui in tempore et spatio est dum vivit in terra, omnes suas ideas ab: illis habet, usque adeo ut absque illis nihil possit cogitare, n. 3404; quare nisi status qui in altera vita, describerentur per tempora et spatia coram homine, seu per talia quae inde trahunt {4}formas, nihil perciperet, ita nihil crederet, consequenter non reciperet, ita foret doctrina sterilis proinde nulla Ecclesia. [3]Sit quoque pro exemplo: nisi affectiones caelestes et spirituales describerentur per talia quae sunt affectionum mundanarum et corporearum, homo nec aliquid perciperet, nam in his est, et inde {5}notiones de affectionibus caelestibus et spiritualibus habere potest, cum tamen inter se ita differunt, aut ita distant, {6}prout caelum a terra, n. 3839; ut pro exemplo gloria caeli, seu angelorum in caelo; nisi homo secundum ideam gloriae quae est in mundo, sibi formaret ideam gloriae in caelo, non caperet, ita nec agnosceret; [4]similiter in omnibus reliquis; quapropter Dominus in Verbo locutus est secundum captum hominis et secundum apparentias ejus; sensu {7}Verbi litteralis est talis, sed usque talis ut sensum internum in se habeat, in quo interiora vera sunt; inde nunc est quod de Leah dicatur quod `Jehovah aperuerit uterum ejus,' et quod `Rachel sterilis'; per `Leam' enim repraesentatur affectio veri exterioris, et per `Rachelem' affectio veri interioris, ut dictum; sed a Domino provisum est, quia exteriora vera sunt prima vera quae homo discit, quod per illa possit in interiora vera; haec sunt quae significantur per quod Deus tandem recordatus sit Rachelis, et exaudiverit illam, et aperuerit uterum illius, Gen. xxx 22. [5]Haec constare possunt ab Ecclesiis quae ab antiquo tempore fuerunt, et ab earum doctrinalibus, quod nempe doctrinalia illarum ab externis veris formata fuerint; ut ab Ecclesia Antiqua quae fuit post diluvium; ejus doctrinalia quoad plurimam partem fuerunt externa repraesentativa et significativa {8}, in quibus interna vera recondita erant; maxima pars in cultu sancto fuerunt cum in externis {9}; si quis in principio dixisset illis quod repraesentativa et significativa illa non essent essentialia cultus Divini, sed spiritualia et caelestia quae repraesentabant et significabant, prorsus rejecissent, et sic nulla facta fuisset Ecclesia; adhuc magis Ecclesia Judaica, si quis dixisset illis quod ritualia suum sanctum haberent a Divinis Domini quae in illis, prorsus non agnovissent; talis etiam fuit homo cum Dominus venit in mundum, [6] et adhuc magis corporeus, et prae reliquis illi qui ab Ecclesia erant {10}; hoc patet manifeste ab ipsis discipulis qui continue apud Dominum fuerunt, et tam multa audiverunt de regno Ipsius, usque tamen nondum potuerunt percipere interiora vera, non enim aliam notionem habere potuerunt de Domino quam sicut hodie Judaei de Messia quem exspectant, quod populum illum ad dominatum et gloriam super omnes gentes in universo eveheret; et {11}postquam tam multa a Domino audiverunt de regno caelesti, usque nec aliud cogitare potuerunt quam quod regnum caeleste {12}foret sicut regnum terrestre, et quod ibi Deus Pater supremus esset, et post illum Filius, et postea illi duodecim, et sic ordine regnarent; quare etiam Jacobus et Johannes petierunt ut unus a dextris Ipsius sederet, et alter a sinistris, Marc. x 35-37, et quod indignarentur reliqui discipuli quod Illi iis majores esse vellent, Marc. x 41;
Matth. xx 24; quapropter etiam Dominus postquam docuit illos quid esset maximus esse in caelo, Matth. xx 25-28; Marc. x 42-45, usque secundum conceptum eorum locutus est, quod nempe sederent super duodecim thronis, et judicarent duodecim tribus Israelis, Luc. xxii 24, 30; Matth. xix 28; [7]si dictum illis fuisset quod per `discipulos' non illi intellecti sint, sed omnes illi qui in bono amoris et fidei, n. 3354, 3488, tum quoad {13}non in regno Domini sint throni, nec principatus et dominatus sicut in mundo, et quod ne quidem minimum unius hominis judicare possent, n. 2129, 2553, rejecissent verbum, et quisque ad negotium suum ivisset, relicto Domino; quod Dominus ita locutus sit, erat ut reciperent, et per illa introducerentur in vera interna, nam in externis illis quae Dominus locutus erat, recondita latuerunt interna quae patent tempore, et cum haec patent, externa illa dissipantur, et inserviunt solum pro objectis aut mediis cogitandi de internis. Inde nunc sciri potest quid intelligitur per id quod Jehovah primum aperuerit uterum Leae, et pepererit Jacobo filios, et quod Rachel postea. @1 quia$ @2 i paene$ @3 interiora vera sunt$ @4 i suam successionem et formam$ @5 notionem$ @6 ut A, procul I$ @7 ejus$ @8 i quae externa fuerunt$ @9 i illis$ @10 i nempe Judaei$ @11 tandem$ @12 i de quo talia audiverant$ @13 in Regno Domini non throni$