AC GENESIS Chapter32

AC 4229. A commencement was made with the explication of the Lord’s predictions in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew concerning the Last Judgment, the explication being given in (n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3897-3901, 4056-4060). The internal sense in a summary of these predictions of the Lord plainly appears from the explications already given, namely, that prediction is there made concerning the successive vastation of the church, and the ultimate setting up of a New Church, in the following order:

1. That the members of the church would begin not to know what good and truth are, and would dispute about them.

2. That they would hold them in contempt.

3. That at heart they would not acknowledge them.

4. That they would profane them.

5. And because the truth of faith and the good of charity would still remain with some, who are called the ”elect,“ a description is given of the state of the faith as it then existed.

6. Next of the state of the charity.

7. And finally the commencement of a New Church is treated of, which is meant by the words that were last explained:--

He shall send forth His angels with a trumpet and a great voice, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the heavens even to the end thereof (Matthew 24:31),

by which is meant the commencement of a New Church (n. 4060).

AC 4230. When the end of an old church and the beginning of a new church is at hand, then is the Last Judgment. This is the time that is meant in the Word by the ”Last Judgement“ (n. 2117-2133, 3353, 4057), and also by the ”coming of the Son of man.“  It is this very Coming that is now the subject before us, as referred to in the question addressed to the Lord by the disciples:--

Tell us when shall these things he, especially what is the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age (Matt. 24:3)?

It remains therefore to unfold the things predicted by the Lord concerning this very time of His Coming and of the Consummation of the age which is the Last Judgment; but in the preface to this chapter only those contained in Matthew:--

Now learn a parable from the fig-tree.  When her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh.  So also ye, when ye see all these things, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:32-35).

The internal sense of these words is as follows.

AC 4231. Now learn a parable from the fig-tree. When her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; signifies the first of a new church; the ”fig-tree“ is the good of the natural; her ”branch“ is the affection of this; and the ”leaves“ are truths.  The ”parable from which they should learn“ is that these things are signified.  He who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word, cannot possibly know what is involved in the comparison of the Lord‘s coming to a fig-tree and its branch and leaves; but as all the comparisons in the Word are also significative (n. 3579), it may be known from this signification what is meant.  A ”fig-tree“ wherever mentioned in the Word signifies in the internal sense the good of the natural (n. 217); that her ”branch“ is the affection of this, is because affection springs forth from good as a branch from its trunk; and that ”leaves“ are truths may be seen above (n. 885).  From all this it is now evident what the parable involves, namely, that when a new church is being created by the Lord, there then appears first of all the good of the natural, that is, good in the external form together with its affection and truths. By the good of the natural is not meant the good into which man is born, or which he derives from his parents, but a good which is spiritual in respect to its origin.  Into this no one is born, but is led into it by the Lord through the knowledges of good and truth. Therefore until a man is in this good (that is, in spiritual good), he is not a man of the church, however much from a good that is born with him he may appear to be so.

[2] So also ye, when ye see all these things, know that it is nigh, even at the doors signifies that when those things appear which are signified in the internal sense by the words spoken in (Matt. 24:29-31), and by these concerning the fig-tree, then it is the consummation of the church, that is, the Last Judgment, and the Coming of the Lord; consequently that the old church is then being rejected, and a new one is being set up. It is said, ”at the doors,“ because the good of the natural and its truths are the first things which are insinuated into a man when he is being regenerated and is becoming the church. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished; signifies that the Jewish nation shall not be extirpated like other nations, for the reason shown above (n. 3479).

[3] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away; signifies that the internals and the externals of the former church would perish, but that the Word of the Lord would abide. ”Heaven“ is the internal of the church, and ”earth“ its external, (n. 82, 1411, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355). By the Lord’s ”words“ are plainly meant not only these now spoken respecting His coming and the consummation of the age, but also all that are in the Word. These words were said immediately after what was said about the Jewish nation, because that nation was preserved for the sake of the Word, as may be seen from the number already cited (n. 3479). From all this it is now evident that the beginnings of a New Church are here foretold.

1. And Jacob went to his way, and the angels of God ran to meet him.

2. And Jacob said when he saw them, This is the camp of God; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3. And Jacob seat messengers before him, to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

4. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now.

5. And I had ox and ass, flock and manservant and handmaid; and I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes.

6. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

7. And Jacob feared exceedingly, and was distressed; and he halved the people that was with him, and the flock, and the herd, and the camels, into two camps.

8. And he said, If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then there will be a camp left for escape.

9. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, that saith unto me, Return unto thy land, and to thy birth, and I will do well with thee;

10. I am less than all the mercies, and all the truth, which Thou hast done with Thy servant; for in my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am in two camps.

11. Rescue me I pray from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother upon the sons.

12. And Thou saidst, I will surely do well with thee, and I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude.

13. And he passed the night there in that night, and he took of that which came into his hand a present for Esau his brother:

14. Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams:

15. Thirty milch camels and their colts, forty heifers and ten bullocks, twenty she-asses and ten foals.

16. And he gave into the hand of his servants each drove by itself; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.

17. And he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

18. Then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob-‘s this is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold he also is behind us.

19. And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

20. And ye shall also say, Behold thy servant Jacob is behind us.  For he said, I will expiate his faces in a present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his faces; peradventure he will lift up my faces.

21. And the present passed over before him, and he passed the night in that night in the camp.

22. And he rose up in that night, and took his two women, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the passage of Jabbok.

23. And he took then, and caused them to pass the river, and caused to pass what he had.

24. And Jacob remained alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the dawn arose.

25. And he saw that he prevailed not over him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint in his wrestling with him.

26. And he said, Let me go, for the dawn ariseth. And he said, I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.

27. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28. And he said, Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou contended with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29. And Jacob asked and said, Tell I pray thy name.  And he said, Wherefore is this that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God faces to faces, and my soul is delivered.

31. And the sun arose to him as he passed over Penuel, and he halted upon his thigh.

32. Therefore the sons of Israel eat not the nerve of that which was displaced, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, even unto this day, because he touched in the hollow of Jacob‘s thigh the nerve of that which was displaced.

AC 4232. The subject here treated of in the internal sense is the inversion of state in the natural, in order that good may be in the first place, and truth in the second.  The implantation of truth in good is treated of (verses 1 to 23); and the wrestlings of the temptations which are then to be sustained (verses 24 to 32).  At the same time the Jewish nation is also treated of, because although that nation could receive nothing of the church, it nevertheless represented the things of the church.

AC 4233. Verses 1, 2.  And Jacob went to his way, and the angels of God ran to meet him. And Jacob said when he saw them, This is the camp of God; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.  ”And Jacob went to his way,“ signifies the successive advance of truth toward its conjunction with spiritual and celestial good; ”and the angels of God ran to meet him,“ signifies enlightenment from good; ”and Jacob said when he saw them, This is the camp of God,“ signifies heaven; ”and be called the name of that place Mahanaim;“ signifies the quality of the state.

AC 4234. And Jacob went to his way. That this signifies the successive advance of truth toward its conjunction with spiritual and celestial good, is evident from the representation of Jacob, as being here the truth of the natural. What Jacob represented has been already stated, namely, the Lord’s natural; and as where Jacob is treated of in the historical narrative, in the internal sense the Lord is treated of, and how He made His natural Divine, therefore Jacob first represented the truth in that natural, and then the truth to which was adjoined the collateral good which was ”Laban;“ and after the Lord had ad-joined this good, Jacob represented it; but such good is not the good Divine in the natural, but is a mediate good by means of which the Lord could receive good Divine; and this mediate good was the good that Jacob represented when he withdrew from Laban. Nevertheless in itself this good is truth which from its mediate character possesses the capacity of conjoining itself with the good Divine in the natural. Such then is the truth that Jacob now represents.

[2] But the good with which this truth was to be conjoined is represented by Esau. Esau is the Divine good of the Lord‘s Divine natural, (n. 3300, 3302, 3494, 3504, 3527, 3576, 3599, 3669, 3677). It is this very conjunction of truth Divine with the good Divine of the Lord’s Divine natural, that is now treated of in the supreme sense. For after Jacob withdrew from Laban and came to the Jordan, thus to the first entrance into the land of Canaan, he advances into the representation of this conjunction; for in the internal sense the land of Canaan signifies heaven, and in the supreme sense the Lord‘s Divine Human (n. 3038, 3705). It is for this reason that by the words, ”and Jacob went to his way,“ is signified the successive advance of truth toward conjunction with spiritual and celestial good.

[3] But these things are of such a nature as to prevent their being fully set forth to the apprehension; the cause of which is that the most general things of this subject are unknown in the learned world, even among Christians. For it is scarcely known what the natural in man is, and what the rational, and that these are altogether distinct from each other; and scarcely even what spiritual truth is, and what its good, and that these also are most distinct from each other.  Still less is it known that when man is being regenerated, truth is conjoined with good, in one distinct way in the natural, and in another distinct way in the rational, and this by innumerable means. It is not even known that the Lord made His Human Divine according to the same order as that in which He regenerates man.

[4] Since therefore these most general things are unknown, it must needs be that whatever is said about them will appear obscure.  Nevertheless they have to be stated, because otherwise the Word cannot he unfolded as to its internal sense.  At the very least this may be the means of showing how great angelic wisdom is, and also of what kind it is, for the internal sense of the Word is chiefly for the angels.

AC 4235. And the angels of God ran to meet him.  That this signifies enlightenment from good, is evident from the signification of the ”angels of God,“ as being something of the Lord; here, the Divine which was in the Lord; for in the Lord was the Divine Itself which is called the ”Father.“ The very essence of life (which in man is called the soul) was therefrom, and was Himself.  This Divine is what is called in common speech the Divine nature, or rather the Lord’s Divine essence. Something of the Divine of the Lord is signified in the Word by the ”angels of God,“ (n. 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039, 4085). By ”the angels of God running to meet him“ is signified in the proximate sense the influx of the Divine into the natural, and the consequent enlightenment; for all enlightenment is from the influx of the Divine. As the subject treated of is the inversion of state in the Lord‘s natural, in order that good might be in the first place, and truth in the second; and as the subject treated of in this first part of the chapter is the implantation of truth in good therein (n. 4232), and as this could not be effected without enlightenment from the Divine, therefore the first thing treated of is the enlightenment effected by the good into which truth was to be implanted.

AC 4236. And Jacob said when he said them, This is the camp of God. That this signifies heaven, is because the ”camp of God“ signifies heaven, for the reason that an ”army“ signifies truths and goods (n. 3448), and truths and goods are marshalled by the Lord in heavenly order; hence an ”encamping“ denotes a marshalling by armies; and the heavenly order itself which is heaven, is the ”camp.“ This ”camp“ or order is of such a nature that hell cannot possibly break in upon it, although it is in the constant endeavor to do so. Hence also this order, or heaven, is called a ”camp,“ and the truths and goods (that is, the angels) who are marshalled in this order, are called ”armies.“ This shows whence it is that the ”camp of God“ signifies heaven. It is this very order, and thus heaven itself, which was represented by the encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness; and their dwelling together in the wilderness according to their tribes was called the ”camp.“ The tabernacle in the midst, and around which they encamped, represented the Lord Himself. That the sons of Israel encamped in this manner, may be seen in (Numbers 1:1-54; 33:2-56) as also that they encamped around the tabernacle by their tribes-toward the east Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; toward the south Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; toward the west Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin; toward the north Dan, Asher, and Naphtali; and the Levites in the middle near the tabernacle (Numbers 2:2-34).

[2] The tribes signified all goods and truths in the complex (n. 3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4060). It was for this reason that when Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, and the spirit of God came upon him, he uttered his enunciation, saying:--

How good are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, thy dwelling places, O Israel, as the valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river (Num. 26:5, 6).

That by this prophecy was not meant the people named Jacob and Israel, but that it was the heaven of the Lord that was represented, is very manifest. For the same reason their marshallings in the wilderness, that is, their encampings by tribes, are called ”camps“ in other passages of the Word; and by a ”camp“ is there signified in the internal sense heavenly order; and by ”encamping“ a marshalling in accordance with this order, namely, the order in which goods and truths are disposed in heaven, as in (Lev. 4:12; 8:17; 13:46; 14:8; 16:26, 28; 24:14, 23; Num. 4:5-33; 5:2-4; 9:17; 10:1-10, 28; 11:31, 32; 12:14, 15; 31:19-24; Deut. 23:10-14).

[3] That the ”camp of God“ denotes heaven may also be seen in Joel:--

The earth quaked before Him, the heavens trembled, the sun and the moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their brightness, and Jehovah uttered His voice before His army, for His camp is exceeding many, for numerous is he that doeth His word (Joel 2:10,  11).

In  Zechariah:--

I will encamp at my house from the army, on account of him who passeth by, and on account of him who goeth away, lest the extortioner should pass over them (Zech. 9:8).

In John:--

Gog and Magog went up over the plain of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; but fire came up from God and consumed them (Rev. 20:9);

”Gog and Magog“ denote those who are in external worship that is separated from internal and made idolatrous (n. 1151); the ”plain of the earth“ denotes the truth of the church. A ”plain“ is the truth which is of doctrine (n. 2450); and the ”earth“ is the church, (n. 556, 662, 1066, 1067, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355); the ”camp of the saints“ denotes the heaven or kingdom of the Lord on the earth, which is the church.

[4] As most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so likewise has a ”camp,“ which then signifies evils and falsities, consequently hell; as in David:--

Though the evil should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear (Ps. 27:3).

In the same:--

God hath scattered the bones of them that encamp against me thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them (Ps. 53:5).

By the camp of Assyria, in which the angel of Jehovah smote a hundred and eighty-five thousand (Isa. 37:36), nothing else is meant; and the same by the camp of the Egyptians (Exod. 14:20).

AC 4237. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim. That this signifies the quality of the state, is evident from the signification of ”calling a name,“ as being quality (n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3421); and from the signification of ”place“ as being state (n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387). In the original language ”Mahanaim“ means ”two camps;“ and ”two camps“ signify both heavens, or both kingdoms of the Lord, the celestial and the spiritual; and in the supreme sense the Lord’s Divine celestial and Divine spiritual. Hence it is evident that the quality of the Lord‘s state when His natural was being enlightened by spiritual and celestial good, is signified by ”Mahanaim.“ But this quality of the state cannot be described, because the Divine states which the Lord had when He made the human in Himself Divine, do not fall into any human apprehension, nor even into angelic, except by means of appearances enlightened by the light of heaven which is from the Lord; and by means of the states of man’s regeneration; for the regeneration of man is an image of the Lord‘s glorification (n. 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490).

AC 4238. Verses 3-5. And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, This shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now. And I had ox and ass, flock, and manservant and handmaid; and I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes. ”And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother,“ signifies the first communication with celestial good; ”unto the land of Seir,“ signifies celestial natural good; ”the field of Edom,“ signifies the derivative truth; ”and he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau,“ signifies the first acknowledgment of good as being in the higher place; ”I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now,“ signifies that He had imbued Himself with the good signified by ”Laban;“ ”and I had ox and ass, and flock, and manservant and handmaid,“ signifies acquisitions therein in their order; ”and I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes,“ signifies instruction concerning His state, and also the condescension and humiliation of truth in the presence of good.

AC 4239. And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother. That this signifies the first communication with celestial good, is evident from the signification of ”sending messengers,“ as being to communicate; and from the representation of Esau, as being celestial good in the natural (n. 3300, 3302, 3494, 3504, 3527, 3576, 3599, 3669). As before said (n. 4234), the subject here treated of is the conjunction of the truth Divine of the natural (which is ”Jacob,“) with the good Divine therein (which is ” Esau“), and therefore the enlightenment of the natural from the Divine was first treated of (n. 4235); and here there is treated of the first communication, which is signified by Jacob’s sending messengers to Esau his brother. In the Word good and truth are called ”brothers,“ (n. 367, 3303).

AC 4240. Unto the land of Seir.  That this signifies celestial natural good, is evident from the signification of the ”land of Seir,“ as being in the supreme sense the Lord‘s celestial natural good.  The reason why the ”land of Seir“ has this signification, is that Mount Seir was a boundary of the land of Canaan on one side (Josh. 11:16, 17); and all boundaries, such as rivers, mountains, or lands, represented those things which were ultimates (n. 1585, 1866, 4116); for they put on their representations from the land of Canaan, which was in the midst, and represented the Lord’s heavenly kingdom, and in the supreme sense His Divine Human (n. 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705). The ultimates, which are boundaries, are those things which are called natural; for it is in natural things that spiritual and celestial things are terminated.  Thus is it in the heavens; for the inmost or third heaven is celestial, because it is in love to the Lord; the middle or second heaven is spiritual, because it is in love toward the neighbor; and the ultimate or first heaven is celestial and spiritual natural, because it is in simple good, which is the ultimate of order there.  It is similar with the re-generate man, who is a little heaven.  From all this can now be seen whence it is that the ”land of Seir“ signifies celestial natural good.  Esau also, who dwelt there, represents this good, as was shown above; and hence the same is signified by the land where he dwelt; for lands take on the representations of their inhabitants (n. 1675).

[2] From all this it is now evident what is signified in the Word by ”Seir.“ As in Moses:--

Jehovah came from Sinai, and arose from Seir unto them, He shore forth from Mount Paran and He came from the ten thousand of holiness (Deut. 33:2, 3).

In the song of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges:--

O Jehovah, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds also dropped water‘, the mountains flowed down, this Sinai, before Jehovah the God of Israel (Judges 5:4, 6).

In the prophecy of Balaam:--

I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not nigh; there shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise up out of Israel; and Edom shall be an inheritance Seir also shall be an inheritance of his enemies, and Israel maketh strength (Num. 24:17, 18).

Everyone can see that in these passages ” Seir“ signifies some-thing of the Lord, for it is said that Jehovah ” arose from Seir,“ that He ”went forth out of Seir, and marched out of the field of Edom,“ and that ”Edom and Seir shall be an inheritance.’s Yet what of the Lord it signifies, no one can know except from the internal sense of the Word; but that it is the Lord‘s Divine Human, and specifically the Divine natural as to good, may be seen from what has been said above. To “arise,” and to “go forth out of Seir” denote that He made even His natural Divine, in order that from this also there might be light, that is, intelligence and wisdom; and that in this way He might become Jehovah, not only as to His Human Rational, but also as to His Human Natural; and therefore it is said, “Jehovah arose from Seir,” and “Jehovah went forth out of Seir.” The Lord is Jehovah (n. 1343, 1736, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035). The “prophecy concerning Dumah” in Isaiah involves a like meaning:--

He calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watch-man, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night (Isa. 21:11, 12).

[3] By the “land of Seir” in the relative sense is properly signified the Lord’s kingdom with those who are out of the church, that is, with the Gentiles, when the church is being set up among them, on the former or old church falling away from charity and faith. That those who are in darkness then have light is evident from many passages in the Word. This is properly signified by “arising from Seir,” and “going forth out of Seir, and marching out of the field of Edom,” and by “Seir being an inheritance;” as also by the above words in Isaiah: “He calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night;” “the morning cometh” denotes the Lord‘s advent (n. 2405, 2780), and the consequent enlightenment to those who are in night (that is, in ignorance), but enlightenment from the Lord’s Divine natural (n. 4211).  As most of the things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so likewise has “Seir;” as in (Ezekiel 25:8, 9; 35:2-15); and occasionally in the historicals of the Word.

AC 4241. The field of Edom.  That this signifies the derivative truth (that is, truth from good) is evident from the signification of the “field of Edom,” as being the Lord‘s Divine natural as to good, with which are conjoined the doctrinal things of truth, or truths (n. 3302, 3322). The“ derivative truths,” or those which are from good, are distinct from the truths from which is good.  The truths from which is good are those with which man imbues himself before regeneration; but the truths which are from good are those with which he imbues himself after regeneration, for after regeneration truths proceed from good, because the man then perceives and knows from good that they are true.  Such truth, thus the truth of good, is what is signified by the “field of Edom;” as also in the passage cited above from the book of Judges: “O Jehovah, when Thou wentest forth out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom” (Judges 5:4).

AC 4242. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau.  That this signifies the first acknowledgment of good as being in the higher place, may be seen from the signification here of “commanding the messengers to say,” as being reflection and the consequent perception that it is so (n. 3661, 3682), consequently acknowledgment; and from the representation of Esau, as being good (n. 4234, 4239). That good was in the higher place is signified by his not calling Esau his “brother,” but his “lord,” and also (as follows) by his calling himself his “servant,” and afterwards speaking in the same manner. While man is being regenerated truth is apparently in the first place and good in the second; but good is in the first place and truth in the second when he has been regenerated, (n. 1904, 2063, 2189, 2697, 2979, 3286, 3288, 3310, 3325, 3330, 3332, 3336, 3470, 3509, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3579, 3603, 3701). This is also what is meant by the prophetic utterance of Isaac the father to Esau his son:--

By thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck (Gen. 27:40).

It is the inversion of state foretold in these prophetic words which is treated of in the present chapter.

AC 4243. I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now. That this signifies that He had imbued Himself with the good signified by “Laban,” is evident from the representation of Laban, as being mediate good, that is, good not genuine, but still serving to introduce genuine truths and goods (n. 3974, 3982, 3986, 4063); from the signification of “sojourning,” as being to be instructed (n. 1463, 2025); and from the signification of “tarrying” or “staying,” as being predicated of a life of truth with good (n. 3613); here being to imbue with. Hence it is evident that by the words, “I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now,” is signified that He had imbued Himself with the good signified by Laban.

[2] The case herein is this: Truth cannot be implanted in good except by mediate things, such as have been treated of in the preceding chapters, in which is described Jacob’s sojourning and tarrying with Laban, and his acquisition of a flock there. In the present chapter is described the process of conjunction, and thus the inversion of state, in the order which exists when truth is being made subordinate to good.  Truth is apparently in the first place, when a man is learning truth from affection, but does not yet live so much in accordance with it. But good is in the first place when he lives according to the truth which he has learned from affection; for truth then becomes good, inasmuch as the man then believes it to be good to do according to the truth. They who have been regenerated are in this good; and they also who have conscience, that is, who no longer reasoned whether a thing is true, but do it because it is true, and thus have imbued themselves with it in faith and in life.

AC 4244. And I had ox and ass, flock and manservant and hand maid.  That this signifies acquisitions therein in their order, is evident from the signification of “ox and ass, flock and man-servant and handmaid,” as being instrumental goods and truths both exterior and interior, thus acquisitions in their order. An “ox” is exterior natural good, and an “ass” exterior natural truth, (n. 2781); and that a “flock” is interior natural good, a “manservant” its truth, and a “hand-maid” the affection of this truth, is evident from the signification of each, as explained several times above.  These goods and truths are the acquisitions here treated of, and that they are named in their order, is manifest; for the exterior are the ox and the ass; and the interior are the flock, the manservant, and the handmaid.

AC 4245. And I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes. That this signifies instruction concerning His state, and also the condescension and humiliation of truth in the presence of good, is evident from the signification of “sending to tell,” as being to instruct concerning one‘s state.  That there then follow condescension and humiliation of truth in the presence of good, is manifest; for Jacob calls him his lord,“ and says, ”to find grace in thine eyes,“ which are words of condescension and humiliation.  There is here described the nature of the state when the inversion is taking place, that is, when truth is being made subordinate to good, or when they who have been in the affection of truth are beginning to be in the affection of good. But that there is such inversion and subordination is not apparent to any but those who have been regenerated, and to those only of the regenerated who reflect.  There are few at this day who are being regenerated, and still fewer who reflect; for which reason the things here said about truth and good cannot but be obscure, and perchance of such a nature as not to be acknowledged; especially with those who put the truths of faith in the first place, and the good of charity in the second; and who consequently think much about doctrinal things, but not about the goods of charity; and think of eternal salvation as being from the former, but not from the latter.  They who think in this manner can in no wise know, still less perceive, that the truth of faith is subordinated to the good of charity. The things which man thinks, and from which he thinks, affect him. If he should think from the goods of charity, he would then plainly see that the truths of faith are in the second place and he would then also see the truths themselves as in light; for the good of charity is like a flame that gives light, and thus enlightens each and all things which the man had before supposed to be true; and he would also perceive how falsities had intermingled themselves, and had put on the appearance of being truths.

AC 4246. Verses 6-8. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. And Jacob feared exceedingly, and was distressed; and he halved the people that was with him, and the flock, and the herd, and the camels, into two camps. And he said, If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then there will be a camp left for escape. ” And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee,“ signifies that good flows in continually, so as to appropriate to itself; ”and four hundred men with him,“ signifies its state now, that it may take the prior place; ”and Jacob feared exceedingly, and was distressed,“ signifies the state when it is being changed; ”and he halved the people that was with him, and the flock, and the herd, and the camels, into two camps,“ signifies the preparation and disposal of the truths and goods in the natural to receive the good represented by Esau; ”and he said, If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then there will be a camp left for escape,“ signifies according to every event.

AC 4247. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy’ brother, to Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee. That this signifies that good flows in continually, so as to appropriate to itself (namely, truths), is evident from the signification of ”brother,“ here Esau, as being good, (namely, that of the Lord‘s Divine natural, of which above); and from the signification of ”coming to meet,“ as being to flow in; and as influx is signified, so is appropriation.

[2] From what has been said several times before on this subject, it may be seen how the case is with good and truth, and with the influx of good into truth, and with the appropriation of truth by good, namely, that good is continually flowing in, and that truth receives it, for truths are the vessels of good.  The Divine good cannot be applied to any other vessels than genuine truths, for they correspond to each other.  When a man is in the affection of truth (in which he is in the beginning before he begins to be regenerated), even then good is continually flowing in, but as yet has no vessels (that is, truths) into which to apply itself (that is, to be appropriated); for in the beginning of regeneration man is not as yet in knowledges.  At that time however, as good is continually flowing in, it produces the affection of truth; which is from no other source than the continual endeavor of Divine good to flow in. From this it is evident that even at that time good is in the first place, and acts the principal part, although it appears as if it were truth that did this.  But when a man is being regenerated (which takes place in adult age when he is in knowledges), good then manifests itself; for the man is not then so much in the affection of knowing truth, as in the affection of doing it. Heretofore truth had been in his understanding, but now it is in his will; and when it is in the will, it is in the man; for the will constitutes the man himself. Such is the constant circle in man that everything of knowledge is insinuated through the sight or through the hearing into the thought, and from this into the will, and from the will through the thought into act.  Or again from the memory, which is like an internal eye, or internal sight, there is a similar circle-from this sight through the thought into the will, and from the will through the thought into act; or if anything hinders, into the endeavor to act, which, as soon as that which hindered is removed, goes forth into act.

[3] From this it is evident how the case is with influx, and with the appropriation of truth by good, namely, that first of all the truths of faith are insinuated through the hearing or through the sight, and are then stored up in the memory; from which they are successively elevated into knowledge, and at last flow into the will, and when in this they proceed thence through thought into act; and if they cannot go into act, they are in endeavor, which is itself an internal act, and whenever there is an opportunity this becomes an external act.  Be it known however that while there is this circle, nevertheless it is good which produces the circle; for the life which is from the Lord does not flow in except into good, thus through good, and this from the inmosts. That the life which flows in through the inmosts  produces this circle, may be seen by everyone, for without life nothing is produced; and as the life which is from the Lord does not flow in except into good and through good, it follows that good is that which produces; and that it flows into truths, and appropriates them to itself, in so far as the man is in the knowledges of truth, and is at the same time desirous to receive them.

AC 4248. And four hundred men with him. That this signifies its state now, that it may take the prior place, is evident from the signification of ”four hundred,“ as properly being temptations and their duration (n. 2959, 2966). This is the state which is meant, as may be seen from what follows, namely, that ”he feared exceedingly, and was distressed,“ and therefore ”halved his camp into two“ (verses 7, 8); and also that out of fear be made ardent supplication to Jehovah (verses 9-12); and finally wrestled with an angel, by which wrestling is signified temptation, as will be evident from the explication of this wrestling in what follows in this chapter. When the state with the man who is being regenerated is being inverted, that is, when good takes the first place, then come temptations. Before this time the man cannot undergo them, because he is not yet in the knowledges wherewith to defend himself, and to which he may have recourse for comfort. For this reason also no one undergoes temptations until he has arrived at adult age. Temptations are what unite truths to good (n. 2272, 3318, 3696, 3928). From this it is manifest that by the ”four hundred men with him“ is signified the state, that good may take the prior place.

AC 4249. And Jacob feared exceedingly’, and was distressed. That this signifies the state when it is being changed, is evident from the fact that fear and distress are what is first in temptations, and that when the state is being inverted or changed these take precedence. The arcana which lie hidden more at large in what is here said that Esau went to meet Jacob with four hundred men, and that Jacob therefore feared and was distressed-cannot easily be set forth to the apprehension, for they are too interior.  This only may be presented: that when good is taking the prior place and is subordinating truths to itself, which takes place when the man is undergoing spiritual temptations, the good that then flows in from within is attended with very many truths which have been stored up in his interior man.  These cannot come to his mental view and apprehension until good acts the first part, for then the natural begins to be enlightened by good, whence it becomes apparent what things in it are in accord, and what are discordant, from which come the fear and distress that precede spiritual temptation. For spiritual temptation acts upon the conscience, which is of the interior man; and therefore when he enters into this temptation the man does not know whence come such fear and distress, although the angels with him know this well; for the temptation comes from the angels holding the man in goods and truths while evil spirits are holding him in evils and falsities.

[2] For the things that come forth with the spirits and angels who are with a man are perceived by the man exactly as if they were in him; for while a man is living in the body, and does not believe that all things flow in, he supposes that the things which come forth interiorly are not produced by causes outside of him, but that all the causes are within him, and are his very own; yet such is not the case. For whatever a man thinks and whatever he wills (that is, his every thought and his every affection) are either from hell or from heaven.  When he thinks and wills evils, and is delighted with the consequent falsities, he may know that his thoughts and affections are from bell; and while he is thinking and willing goods, and is delighted with the derivative truths, he may know that they are from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord.  But the thoughts and affections that appertain to a man appear for the most part under another aspect; as for example, the combat of evil spirits with angels that arises from the things which appertain to a man who is to be regenerated, appears under the aspect of fear and distress, and of temptation.

[3] These statements cannot but appear to man as paradoxes, because almost every man of the church at this day believes that all the truth which he thinks, and the good which he wills and does, are from himself, although he says otherwise when he speaks from the doctrine of faith. Nay, of such a nature is man that if anyone should say to him that there are evil spirits from hell who are flowing into his thought and will when he thinks and wills evils, and angels from heaven when he thinks and wills goods, he would stand amazed that anyone should maintain such a thing; for he would say that he feels life in himself, and thinks from himself and wills from himself. From this feeling in himself he forms his belief, and not from his doctrine; when yet the doctrine is true, but the feeling fallacious. It has been given me to know this from an almost continual experience of many years, and so to know it that no doubt whatever remains.

AC 4250. And he halved the people that was with him, and the flock, and the herd, and the camels, into two camps. That this signifies the preparation and disposal of the truths and goods in the natural to receive the good represented by Esau, is evident from the signification of ”people,“ as being truths, and also falsities (n. 1259, 1260, 3581); from the signification of ”flock,“ as being interior goods, and also things not good; from the signification of ”herd,“ as being exterior goods, and also things not good (n. 2566, 4244); from the signification of ”camels,“ as being exterior or general truths, and also things not true (n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145); and from the signification of ”camps,“ as being order in a good sense genuine order, and in the opposite sense order not genuine (n. 4236). That by ”to halve“ is here meant to divide into two, and thus to dispose one‘s self to receive, is manifest. How these things are circumstanced is evident from what was said just above, namely, that when good flows in, as is the case when the order is being inverted and good is taking the prior place, the natural is then enlightened, and it is seen what is genuine truth and good therein, and what not genuine; and the one kind is also discerned from the other, and thus some are retained, while others are removed; and hence the order becomes altogether different from what it had been before. For when good rules it is attended with this effect, because truths are then nothing but ministers and servants, and are disposed more and more nearly in accordance with heavenly order, according to the reception of good by truths, and also according to the quality of the good; for good takes its quality from truths.

AC 4251. And he said, If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then there will be a camp left for escape.  That this signifies according to every event, is evident from the signification of a ”camp,“ as being order; from the signification of ”smiting,“ as being to destroy; and from the signification of ”there will be a camp left for escape,“ as being that order should not perish in the natural, but that something should remain; and thus that there should be preparation and disposal in accordance with every event.  For so long as truth has the dominion in the natural, it cannot see what is genuine truth and what not genuine, nor what is good; but when the good which is of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor has the dominion therein, then it sees this; and hence it is that when that time or state is at hand in which good takes the dominion, the man is almost in ignorance of what good and truth are, and thus of what is to be destroyed and what retained-as is plainly manifest in temptations.  When a man is in such ignorance, then are made preparation and disposal, not by the man, but by the Lord; in the present case, by the Lord in Himself, because the Lord by His own power disposed and reduced all things in Himself into Divine order.

AC 4252. Verses 9-12.  And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, that saith unto me, Return unto thy land, and to thy birth, and I will do well with thee; I am less than all the mercies, and all the truth which Thou hast done with Thy servant; for in my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am in two camps.  Rescue me I pray from the hand of my brother’, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother upon the sons.  And Thou saidst, I will surely do well with thee, and I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude. ”And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah,“ signifies the holy of preparation and disposal; ”that saith unto me, Return unto thy land, and to thy birth, and I will do well with thee,“ signifies for conjunction with Divine good and truth; ”I am less than all the mercies, and all the truth, which Thou hast done with Thy servant,“ signifies humiliation in that state as to good and as to truth; ”for in my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am in two camps,“ signifies that from little there was now much. ”Rescue me I pray from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him,“ signifies the state relatively, because it made itself prior; ”lest he come and smite me, the mother upon the sons,“ signifies that it is about to perish; ”and Thou saidst, I will surely do well with thee,“ signifies that nevertheless it would then obtain life; ”and I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude,“ signifies that there would then be fructification and multiplication.

AC 4252a. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah. That this signifies the holy of preparation and disposal, is evident from the signification of ”God of my father Abraham,“ as being the Divine Itself of the Lord (n. 3439); and from the signification of ”God of my father Isaac,“ as being His Divine Human (n. 3704, 4180). And because each is Jehovah, it is said, ”O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah.“ But here is signified the holy which proceeds from the Divine, for all the holy is therefrom. That the holy is signified is because it was in the natural which is represented by Jacob wherein the good represented by Esau was not yet conjoined with truth. For the subject is now the state of the reception of good; here, the state of preparation and disposal for its being received Jacob‘s supplication involves nothing else; and therefore by these words is signified the holy of preparation and disposal.

AC 4253. That saith unto me, Return unto thy land, and to thy birth, and I will do well with thee. That this signifies conjunction with Divine good and truth, is evident from what was said before (n. 4069, 4070), where are nearly the same words.

AC 4254. I am less than all the mercies, and all the truth, which Thou hast done with Thy servant. That this signifies humiliation in that state as to good and as to truth, is evident from ”mercy“ being predicated of the good of love, and from ”truth“ being predicated of the truth of faith (n. 3122). That these are words of humiliation is manifest, and from this it is evident that by them is signified humiliation in that state as to good and as to truth.

AC 4255. For in my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am in two camps.  That this signifies that from little there was much, is evident from the signification of a ”staff,“ as being power, and as being predicated of truth (n. 4013, 4015); from the signification of ”Jordan,“ as being initiation into the knowledges of good and truth, concerning which in what follows; and from the signification of ”two camps,“ as being goods and truths (n. 4250); for the two camps here are the people, the flock, the herd, and the camels, which he halved.  From this it is evident what is signified by these words in the proximate sense, namely, that he who is represented by Jacob had but little truth when he was being initiated into knowledges, and that he afterwards had many truths and goods; or what is the same, that from little he had much. From the explications already given, it is manifest that in the internal sense the subject treated of has been the Lord, how He made the human in Himself Divine-and this by successive steps according to order-and thus His progress into intelligence and wisdom, and at last into what was Divine.  From this is manifest what is meant by ”from little to much.“

[2] That the ”Jordan“ denotes initiation into the knowledges of good and truth, is because it was a boundary of the land of Canaan.  That all the boundaries of that land signified things that are first and last of the Lord’s kingdom, and those also that are first and last of His church, and thus those that are first and last of the celestial and spiritual things which constitute His kingdom and His church, may be seen above (n. 1585, 1866, 4116, 4240).  Hence the Jordan, because it was a boundary, signified initiation into the knowledges of good and truth, for these are first; and at last, when the man becomes a church, or a kingdom of the Lord, they become last.

[3] That the ”Jordan“ signifies these things is also evident from other passages in the Word, as in David:--

O my God, my soul is bowed down upon me, therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the Hermons, from the mountain of littleness (Ps. 42:6);

”to remember from the land of Jordan“ denotes from what is last, thus from what is low.  Again:

Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion; the sea saw it and fled, Jordan turned itself away backwards (Ps. 114:2, 3, 5);

where ”Judah“ denotes the good of celestial love, and ”Israel“ the good of spiritual love (n. 3654); the ”sea“ denotes the knowledges of truth (n. 28); ”Jordan“ the knowledges of good, which are said to ”turn themselves backwards“ when the good of love obtains the dominion; for then knowledges are regarded from this good, but not good from them-according to what has been often shown above.

[4] In the book of Judges:--

Gilead dwelleth in the passage of the Jordan, and Dan why shall be fear ships? (Judges 5:17);

”Gilead“ denotes sensuous good, or pleasure, by which man is first initiated when being regenerated (n. 4117, 4124); ”to dwell in the passage of the Jordan“ denotes in those things which are for initiation, and which are thus the first and the last of the church and kingdom of the Lord.  These were also represented by the Jordan when the sons of Israel entered into the land of Canaan (Josh. 3:14-17; 4:1-24).  For by the land of Canaan was represented the kingdom of the Lord (n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705).  And by the Jordan‘s being divided, and their passing over on dry ground, was signified the removal of evils and falsities, and the admission of those who are in goods and truths.  Similar is the meaning of the waters of the Jordan being divided by Elijah when he was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:8); and by Elisha when he entered upon the prophetic office in Elijah’s place (2 Kings 2:14).

[5] Naaman‘s being healed of his leprosy by washing himself seven times in the Jordan according to the command of Elisha (2 Kings 5:1-14), represented baptism; for baptism signifies initiation into the church and into those things which are of the church; thus regeneration and the things of regeneration.  Not that anyone is regenerated by baptism, but that this is the sign of it, which he should remember.  And as the things of the church are signified by baptism, and the same by the Jordan, as stated above, the people were therefore baptized in the Jordan by John (Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5).  And the Lord also willed to be Himself baptized in it by John (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9).

[6] Because the Jordan signifies the things which are first and last of the Lord’s kingdom and church, such as the knowledges of good and truth (for by these man is introduced), the Jordan is also mentioned as a boundary of the New Earth or Holy Land, in (Ezekiel 47:18). That the New Earth or Holy Land is the Lord‘s kingdom, and also the New Church, which is the Lord’s kingdom on the earth, may be seen above (n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355).

AC 4256. Rescue me I pray from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him.  That this signifies the state relatively, because it made itself prior, is evident from what has been said occasionally above, especially when treating of the birthright which Jacob procured for himself by the pottage of lentiles, and of the blessing which he took away from Esau by craft.  What was thereby represented and signified may be there seen, namely, that when man is being regenerated truth is apparently in the first place, and good in the second; but that good is actually in the first place and truth in the second, and is manifestly so when he is regenerate (n. 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247).  When therefore the order is being Inverted, and good is taking its prior place manifestly (that is, when it is beginning to have the dominion over truth), the natural man is in fear and distress (n. 4249), and also enters into temptations.  The reason is that when truth was in the first place, that is, when it seemed to itself to have the dominion, falsities intermingled themselves; for from itself truth cannot see whether it is truth, but must see this from good; and where falsities are, there is fear at the approach of good.  Moreover all who are in good begin to fear when falsities appear in light from good; for they fear falsities, and will them to be extirpated; but this is impossible if the falsities stick fast, except by Divine means from the Lord. This is the reason why those who are to be regenerated, after fear and distress come also into temptations, for temptations are the Divine means for removing the falsities.  This is the most secret cause why man when being regenerated undergoes spiritual temptations.  But this cause is in no way apparent to the man, because it is above the sphere of his observation, as is everything which moves, harasses, and torments the conscience.

AC 4257. Lest he come and smite me, the mother upon the sons. That this signifies that it is about to perish, is evident without explication.  ”To smite the mother upon the sons“ was a form of speech among the ancients who were in representatives and significatives, signifying the destruction of the church and of all things that are of the church, either in general or in particular with the man who is a church.  For by ”mother“ they understood the church (n. 289, 2691, 2717), and by ”sons“ the truths that are of the church (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373). Hence ”to smite the mother upon the sons“ denotes to perish altogether. Man also perishes altogether when the church and what belongs to the church in him perishes, that is, when the affection of truth, which is properly signified by ”mother,“ and which produces the church in man, is destroyed.

AC 4258. And Thou saidst, I will surely do well with thee. That this signifies that nevertheless it would then obtain life, is evident from the signification of ”doing well,“ as being to obtain life. For by Jacob is represented truth; and truth has not life from itself, but from the good which flows into it, as frequently shown above. Hence it is that ”doing well“ here signifies obtaining life. The life of truth from good is also here treated of.

AC 4259. And I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude. That this signifies that there would then be fructification and multiplication, is evident from the signification of ”seed,“ as being the faith of charity, and also charity itself (n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 2848, 3373). That ”to make this as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude,“ is multiplication, is manifest. Fructification is predicated of good, which is of charity; and multiplication of truth, which is of faith (n. 913, 983, 2846, 2847).

AC 4260. Verses 1-15. And he passed the night there in that night, and he took of that which came into his hand a present for Esau his brother: two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and their colts, forty heifers and ten bullocks, twenty she-asses and ten foals.  ”And he passed the night there in that night,“ signifies in that obscure state; ”and he took of that which came into his hand a present for Esau his brother,“ signifies things Divine to be initiated into celestial natural good; ”two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,“ signifies goods and thence truths Divine; ”thirty milch camels and their colts, forty heifers and ten bullocks, twenty she-asses and ten foals,“ signifies things of service, general and special.

AC 4261. And he passed the night there in that night. That this signifies in that obscure state, is evident from the signification of ”passing the night,“ and also of ”night,“ as being an obscure state (n. 1712, 3693).

AC 4262. And he took of that which came into his hand a present for Esau his brother.  That this signifies things Divine to be initiated into celestial natural good, is evident from the signification of ”taking of that which came into his hand,“ as being from those things which befell from forethought, and thus those which were from Divine Providence; and as those things which are of the Divine Providence are Divine, by ”taking of that which came into his hand“ are here signified things Divine;-from the signification of a ”present,“ as being initiation; and from the representation of Esau, as being the Divine natural as to good (n. 3302, 3322, 3504, 3599), here as to celestial good, because the natural was not yet made Divine.

[2] That a ”present“ signifies initiation, is because it was given to gain good will and favor; for in old time the presents which were given and offered had various significations; those which were given on approaching kings and priests signified one thing, and those which were offered upon the altar, another; the former signified initiation, but the latter, worship (n. 349). For all sacrifices in general, of whatever kind, were called ”presents;“ but the meat offerings which were bread and wine, or cakes with a libation, were specifically so called; for in the original language ”meat offering“ signifies a ”present.“

[3] That they gave presents to kings and priests on approaching them, is evident from many passages in the Word, as when Saul consulted Samuel (1 Sam. 9:7, 8); when they who despised Saul did not offer him a present (1 Sam. 10:27); when the queen of Sheba came to Solomon (1 Kings 10:2);and also all the others of whom it is said:--

All the earth sought the faces of Solomon, to hear his wisdom; and they offered every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and arms, and spices, horses, and mules (1 Kings 10:24, 25).

And as this was a holy ritual, signifying initiation, the wise men from the east also, who came to Jesus just after His birth, brought presents-gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11); ”gold“ signified celestial love; ”frankincense,“ spiritual love; and ”myrrh,“ these loves in the natural.

[4] That this ritual was commanded, is evident in Moses:--

The faces of Jehovah shall not be seen empty (Exod. 23:15; Deut. 16:16, 17);

and that the presents given to priests and kings were as if given to Jehovah, is evident from other places in the Word. That presents which were sent signified initiation, is manifest from the presents which the twelve princes of Israel sent to initiate the altar, after it was anointed (Num. 7); where their presents are called ”the initiation“ (Num. 7:88).

AC 4263. Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams. That this signifies goods and thence truths Divine, is evident from the signification of ”she-goats“ and of ”ewes,“ as being goods (n. 3995, 4006, 4169); and from the signification of the ”he-goats“ and ”rams,“ as being truths (n. 4005, 4170); here, goods and truths Divine.  That goods and truths are mentioned so many times, and are signified by so many various things, is because all the things of heaven and of the church have reference thereto; the things of love and charity to goods, and the things of faith to truths. But still the differences among them as to genera and as to species are innumerable, and indeed endless, as is evident from the fact that all who are in good are in the Lord‘s kingdom; and yet no society there, nor indeed an individual in a society, is in the same good as another.  For one and the same good is never possible with two, and still less with many, for in this case these would be one and the same, and not two, still less many.  Everyone consists of various things, and this by heavenly harmony and concord.

AC 4264. Thirty milch camels and their colts, forty heifers and ten bullocks, twenty she-asses and ten foals.  That this signifies things of service general and special, is evident from the signification of ”camels and their colts,“ and of ”heifers and bullocks,“ also of ”she-asses and their foals,“ as being the things which are of the natural man. As to camels, (n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145); bullocks, (n. 1824, 1825, 2180, 2781, 2830); and she-asses, (n. 2781).  The things which are of the natural man are relatively things of service, (n. 1486, 3019, 3020, 3167).  Hence it is that by these animals are signified things of service general and special.  As regards the number, of she-goats two hundred, of he-goats twenty, of ewes two hundred, of rams twenty, of camels and their colts thirty, of heifers forty, of bullocks ten, of she-asses twenty, and of their foals ten, these are arcana which cannot be opened without much explication and ample deduction; for all numbers in the Word signify actual things (n. 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252); and what they signify has been shown in the foregoing pages where they have occurred.

[2] I have sometimes wondered that when the speech of the angels fell down into the world of spirits, it fell also into various numbers; and also that where numbers were read in the Word, real things were understood by the angels. For number never penetrates into heaven, because numbers are measures of both space and of time, these being of the world and of nature, to which in the heavens correspond states and changes of states.  The most ancient people, who were celestial men and had communication with angels, knew what was signified by every number, even by the compound ones; and from them their signification was handed down to their posterity, and to the sons of the Ancient Church.  These are things which will hardly be credited by the man of the church at this day, who believes nothing to have been stored up in the Word more holy than what appears the letter.

AC 4265. Verses 16-23. And he gave into the hand of his servants each drove by itself; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove. And he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob’s; this is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold he is behind us. And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And ye shall also say, Behold thy servant Jacob is behind us; for he said, I will expiate his faces in a present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his faces; peradventure he will lift up my faces. And the present passed over before him, and he passed the night in that night in the camp. And he rose up in that night, and he took his two women, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the passage of Jabbok. And he took them, and caused them to pass the river, and caused to pass what he had. ”And be gave into the hand of his servants each drove by itself; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove,“ signifies an orderly arrangement in regard to the way in which they were to be initiated; ”and he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob‘s; this is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold he also is behind us,“ signifies submission; ”and he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him,“ signifies a continuation; ”and ye shall also say, Behold thy servant Jacob is behind us; for he said, I will expiate his faces in a present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his faces; peradventure he will lift up my faces,“ signifies preparation for what follows; ”and the present passed over before him,“ signifies the effect; ”and he passed the night in that night in the camp,“ signifies the things which follow; ”and he rose up in that night, and took his two women, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the passage of Jabbok,“ signifies the first insinuation of the affections of truth together with the truths acquired; ”the passage of Jabbok“ is the first insinuation; ”and he took them, and caused them to pass the river, and caused to pass what he had,“ signifies further insinuation.

AC 4266. And he gave into the hands of his servants each drove by itself; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.  That this signifies an orderly arrangement in regard to the way in which they were to be initiated, is evident from the signification of ”giving into the hand,“ as being to instruct with power; the ”hand“ denotes power, (n. 878, 3091, 3387, 3563); from the signification of ”servants,“ as being the things of the natural man (n. 3019, 3020), for all things of the natural or external man are subordinated to the spiritual or internal man, and hence all things in it are relatively things of service, and are called ”servants;“-from the signification of a ”drove,“ as being memory knowledges, and also knowledges, thus doctrinal things (n. 3767, 3768), which so long as they are in the natural or external man (that is, in its memory), and are not yet implanted in the spiritual or internal man, are signified by the ”droves given to the hand of the servants;“-from the signification of ”each by itself,“ as being to everyone according to classes, or according to genera and species; from the signification of ”passing over before me,“ and of ”putting a space between drove and drove,“ as being to prepare the way for the good which was to be received; for the subject here treated of is the reception of good by truth, and the conjunction of these in the natural man.  From these several particulars it is manifest that by all these things in general is signified an orderly arrangement in regard to the way in which they were to be initiated. As regards the initiation of truth into good in the natural man, this cannot possibly be set forth to the apprehension; for the man of the church at this day does not even know what the internal or spiritual man is, although he very often speaks of it.  Neither does he know that in order to become a man of the church, truth must be initiated into good in the external or natural man; still less that there is any orderly arrangement by the Lord in that man in order to effect its conjunction with the internal man.  These things, which are most general, are at this day so hidden that they are not known to exist; and therefore to set forth the particulars which are here contained in the internal sense respecting orderly arrangement and initiation, would be speaking nothing but arcana, and thus things merely incredible; consequently it would be speaking in vain, or like throwing seed upon water or sand. This is the reason why the particulars are passed over, and why here, as also in what follows in these verses, the generals only are set forth.

AC 4267. And he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob’s; this is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold he also is behind us. That this signifies submission, is evident in like manner from the internal sense of the several words, from which this general sense results. That this is submission, and that things relating to submission are signified, is manifest; for he commanded his servants to call his brother ”lord,“ and himself ”servant,“ and to say that a present was sent as by a servant to his lord. That good is relatively a lord, and truth relatively a servant, and that they are nevertheless called ”brethren,“ has been shown many times. They are called ”brethren“ because when good and truth have been conjoined, good is then presented in truth as in an image, and they afterwards act in conjunction to produce the effect. But good is called ”lord“ and truth ”servant“ before they have been conjoined, and still more so when there is a dispute about the priority.

AC 4268. And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. That this signifies a continuation, namely, of the orderly arrangement and submission, is evident from what was said just above without further explication (n. 4266, 4267).

AC 4269. And ye shall also say, Behold thy servant Jacob is behind us; for he said, I will expiate his faces in a present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his faces; peradventure he will lift up my faces. That this signifies preparation for what follows, and that the present passed over before him signifies the effect, and also that he passed the night in that night in the camp signifies the things which follow, is evident from the several words in the internal sense, which manifestly imply preparation for his being kindly received.  But how the case is with the particulars, cannot be unfolded to the apprehension, for so long as the generals are not known, the singulars of the same subject cannot fall into any light, but into mere shade.  General notions must precede; and unless there are these, the singulars find no hospice where they may enter. In a hospice where there is mere shade, they are not seen; and in a hospice where there are falsities, they are either rejected, or suffocated, or perverted; and where there are evils, they are derided.  It is sufficient that there be received these generals - that man must be regenerated before he can enter into the Lord‘s kingdom (John 3:3); that until he is being regenerated, truth is apparently in the first place and good in the second; but that when he is being regenerated the order is inverted, and good is in the first place and truth in the second; also, that when the order is being inverted, the Lord so disposes and arranges in order in the natural or external man, that truth is there received by good, and submits itself to good, so that the man no longer acts from truth, but from good (that is, from charity); and further, that he acts from charity when he lives according to the truths of faith, and loves doctrine for the sake of life.  The process of these things which are here contained in the internal sense in regard to the orderly arrangement, initiation, and submission of truth before good, appears before the angels in clear light; for such things are of angelic wisdom, although man sees nothing of them.  Nevertheless they who are in simple good from simple faith are in the faculty of knowing these things; and if on account of worldly cares and gross ideas arising therefrom they do not apprehend them in the life of the body, they nevertheless do so in the other life, where worldly and bodily things are removed; for they are then enlightened and come into angelic intelligence and wisdom.

AC 4270. And he rose up in that night, and took his two women, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the passage of Jabbok. That this signifies the first insinuation of the affections of truth together with the truths acquired, is evident from the signification of the ”two women,“ here Rachel and Leah, as being affections of truth (n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819); from the signification of the ”two handmaids,“ here Bilhah and Zilpah, as being exterior affections of truth that serve as means (n. 3849, 3931); from the signification of the ”sons,“ as being truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); and from the signification of the ”passage of Jabbok,“ as being the first insinuation. That the ”Jabbok“ denotes the first insinuation, is because it was a boundary of the land of Canaan. That all the boundaries of that land were significative of the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord’s kingdom, according to their distance and situation, (n. 1585, 1866, 4116, 4240); and thus also the ford or passage of the Jabbok, which was such relatively to the land of Canaan beyond Jordan, and was the boundary of the inheritance of the sons of Reuben and Gad, as is evident from (Num. 21:24; Deut. 2:36, 37; 3:16, 17; Josh. 12:2; Judges 11:13, 22). That that land fell to these as an inheritance was because by Reuben was represented faith in the understanding, or doctrine, which is the first of regeneration, or truth of doctrine in the complex by which the good of life is attained (n. 3861, 3866); and by Gad were represented the works of faith (n. 3934). These truths of faith or doctrinal things, and the works of faith which are first exercised, are the things through which the man who is being regenerated is insinuated into good. It is for this reason that by the ”passage of Jabbok“ is signified the first insinuation.

AC 4271. And he took them, and caused them to pass the river, and caused to pass what he had. That this signifies further insinuation, is evident from what has been said just above; for he caused to pass not only the women, the handmaids, and the sons, but also the herd and flock, thus all that he had, into the land of Canaan, in which he met Esau. And as the subject treated of in the internal sense is the conjunction of truth with good in the natural, by passing over the river nothing else is signified than the first insinuation; and here where the same things are still said, and it is also added that he caused to pass all that he had, there is signified further insinuation.

AC 4272. Verses 24, 25. And Jacob remained alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the dawn arose. And he saw that he prevailed not over him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob‘s thigh was out of joint in his wrestling with him. ”And Jacob remained alone,“ signifies the good of truth procured, which was in this case the last or ultimate; ”and there wrestled a man with him,“ signifies temptation as to truth; ”until the dawn arose,“ signifies before the conjunction of the natural good signified by ”Jacob“ with the celestial spiritual or the Divine good of truth; ”and he saw that he prevailed not over him,“ signifies that He overcame in temptations; ”and he touched the hollow of his thigh,“ signifies where celestial spiritual good is conjoined with the natural good signified by Jacob; ”and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint in his wrestling with him,“ signifies that as yet truth had not the power of completely conjoining itself with good. These same two verses relate also to Jacob himself and his posterity, and in this case the quality of these is signified. In this sense, by ”touching the hollow of his thigh,“ is signified where conjugial love is conjoined with natural good; and by ”the hollow of Jacob‘s thigh being out of joint in his wrestling with him,“ is signified that in the posterity of Jacob this conjunction was wholly injured and displaced.

AC 4273. And Jacob ”remained alone.  That this signifies the good of truth procured, which was in this case the last or ultimate, is evident from the representation here of Jacob, as being the good of truth.  What Jacob had represented has been shown in the preceding pages, and also that he represented various things in the natural, because the state of truth and good is of one kind in the beginning, of another in its progress, and still another in the end (n. 3775, 4234) here, he represents the good of truth.  The reason of this representation is that his wrestling is presently treated of, by which in the internal sense is signified temptation; and because he was named “Israel,” by whom is represented the celestial spiritual man; and also because in what next follows his conjunction with Esau is treated of, by which conjunction is signified the initiation of truth into good. These are the reasons why Jacob now represents the last or ultimate good of truth in the natural.

AC 4274.