himself, so far he fixes upon himself the character of a spiritual thief, or the mark of spiritual theft; and also as far as he does evil, that is, acts contrary to what is just and equitable, and contrary to what is good and true, so far a king puts off the representative of holy royalty, and a priest the representative of holy priesthood, and represents the opposite. For this reason in the representative Jewish Church there were so many laws enjoined concerning the holiness in which priests especially should be during their ministration — on which subject, by the Divine mercy of the Lord, more will be said in what follows.

3671. To thee and to thy seed with thee. That this signifies with the good and truth therefrom, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who here is meant by "thee," as the good of truth, or the good which is from truth concerning which see above; and from the signification of seed, as the good and truth of faith (n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 2848, 3373). "With thee" signifies that it was adjoined to the good of truth, which is Jacob. With good and truth the case is the same as with seeds and the ground; interior good is as the seed which brings forth, but only in good ground; exterior good and truth are as ground in which the seed brings forth; this seed, that is, interior good and truth, cannot otherwise be rooted. For this reason man's rational is first of all regenerated, for therein are seeds, and afterward the natural, that it may serve as ground (n. 3286, 3288, 3321, 3368, 3493, 3576, 3620, 3623); and since the natural is as ground, good and truth are capable of being made fruitful and multiplying in the rational, which could not be the case unless they had ground somewhere, in which they might take root like seed. From this comparison, as in a mirror, it may be seen how the case is with regeneraation and with many of its arcana. To understand good 2 and truth and to will them is of the rational; the perceptions of good and truth therefrom are as seed; but to know them and bring them into act, is of the natural. Outward

knowledges themselves and works are like ground, and when man is affected with the knowledges which confirm good and truth, and especially when he perceives enjoyment in bringing them into act, then seeds are therein and grow as in their ground. By this means good is made fruitful, and truth is multiplied, and they continually ascend from that ground into the rational, and perfect it. The case is otherwise when man understands good and truth, and also inwardly perceives some inclination of will thereto, but yet does not love to know them, and still less to do them; in this case good cannot be made fruitful, nor truth be multiplied in the rational.

3672. To cause thee to inherit the land of thy sojournings. That this signifies the life of instructions, is evident from the signification of inheriting, as having the life of another (n. 2658, 2851); in the present case, life from the Divine, which is signified by the words which presently follow; and from the signification of sojournings, as instructions (n. 1463, 2025); land signifies where life is. The life of instructions here treated of, is the life of good from truth, which is here represented by Jacob; for when man lives according to the truths in which he is instructed, he is then in the life of instructions.

3673. Which God gave unto Abraham. That this signifies which is from the Divine, is evident from the representation of Abraham, as the Lord as to the Divine which in the Word is called the Father (n. 2011, 3251, 3439). That "God gave" signifies that it was appropriated to the Lord, may be evident, for that which is given is his to whom it is given. Hence it is manifest that by these words, "Which God gave unto Abraham," is signified life which is from the

Divine.

3674. And Isaac sent away Jacob. That this signifies the beginning of existence, is evident from this, that Jacob now begins to represent the good of truth, thus the beginning of the existence of the Lord's Divine natural, for this

is contained in what follows concerning Jacob sojourning with Laban. Wherefore by Isaac's sending away Jacob is signified the beginning of existence.

3675. And he went to Paddan-Aram. That this signifies the knowledges of that truth, is evident from the signification of Paddan-Aram, as the knowledges of truth (see n. 3664).

3676. To Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean. That this signifies collateral good, is evident from the representation of Laban, as collateral good of a common stock, of which see also above (n. 3665); and from the representation of Bethuel, as the good of the gentiles of the first class (see n. 2865, 3665); from which as from a common stock comes the good which is represented by Laban. That Bethuel is here surnamed Aramean, is because by Aram or Syria are signified the knowledges of good and truth (see n. 1232, 1234, 3249), which are here treated of. External truth, from which is the good here represented by Jacob, is nothing else than knowledges; for these are the truths which are first of all imbibed, and also are accounted as truths, by those who are in the beginning of regeneration. Yet knowledges are not truths in themselves, but from the Divine things contained in them; and when these Divine things shine forth, they then first become truths. In the mean time they are as common vessels, by which and in which truths may be received, like those spoken of above (n. 3665), and like all knowledges when they are first learned.

3677. The brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. That this signifies the affinity from the mother, of the good of truth which is Jacob, with the truth of good which is Esau, is evident from the representation of Rebekah, as the Lord's Divine rational as to Divine truth, of which frequent mention has been made above; and from the representation of Jacob, as the good of truth, or the good which is from truth in the natural; and from the rep

resentation of Esau, as the truth of good, or good from which is truth in the natural-see above (n. 3669). And because all goods and truths which are in the natural or external man, are conceived and born of the rational or internal man, that is, of the good of the rational as a father, and of the truth thereof as a mother (n. 3314, 3573, 3616), therefore by the above words is signified the affinity from the mother, of the good of truth which is Jacob, with the 2 truth of good which is Esau. And there is really such an affinity; but to explain these things to the apprehension is very difficult, because even the most general facts in regard to the subject are at this day unknown-as for instance, what spiritual good is and what its truth, and that there are innumerable genera of good and its truth, and still more innumerable species, also that they are conjoined with each other by degrees, as it were, of consanguinity and affinity. These most general things being unknown, a description of degrees and affinities would fall into mere shade, and the more so on this account, that the learned at this day do not wish to know such things, loving only to wander on the outer surface, and to dispute, not concerning the quality of things, but whether they exist or not; and so long as they are in this state, they are unwilling to know anything at all concerning these innumerable kinds of good and truth.

3678. Verses 6-9. And Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob, and sent him to Paddan-Aram, to take him from thence a wife, and in blessing him commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. And Jacob hearkened to his father and to his mother, and went to Paddan-Aram. And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father. And Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, over his women to himself to wife. "And Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob" signifies the thought of natural good con

cerning conjunction by the good of truth, which is Jacob; "and sent him to Paddan-Aram" signifies the beginning of existence by the knowledges of that good; "to take him from thence a wife" signifies thereby conjunction by affection for truth; "and in blessing him commanded him, saying" signifies, in order that conjunction might be effected, reflection, and thence perception; "Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan " signifies that he should not be conjoined to affections for falsity and evil. "And Jacob hearkened to his father and to his mother" signifies obedience and affection; "and went to Paddan-Aram" signifies here, as above, to imbibe those knowledges of good and truth. "And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father" signifies the Lord's foresight and providence, that affections for that truth with which natural good had been heretofore conjoined, would not conduce to conjunction. "And Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son" signifies the conjunction of that good with truth, from a Divine origin; "the sister of Nebaioth, over his women to himself to wife " signifies affection for truth more interiorly celestial.

3679. And Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob. That this signifies the thought of natural good concerning conjunction by the good of truth, which is Jacob, is evident from the signification of seeing, as thinking; for thinking is nothing else than seeing inwardly, or internal sight; and from the representation of Esau, as the good of the natural (see n. 3300, 3302, 3322, 3494, 3504, 3576, 3599); from the signification of being blessed, as conjunction (n. 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584); and from the representation of Isaac as the Lord's Divine rational as to Divine good — treated of above; and from the representation of Jacob, as the good of truth (n. 3669, 3677). From this it is manifest that by Esau's seeing that Isaac blessed Jacob, is signified the thought of natural good concerning conjunction by