. 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.
. 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.
. 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).
. 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.
. 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.
. 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.
GENESIS 32:16-23previous
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