the new earth or holy land is the Lord's kingdom, and also the new church, which is the Lord's kingdom in the earths, see n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355.

4256. Ver. 11. Deliver me, I pray thee, out of the hand of my brother, out of the hand of Esau, because I fear him.-That hereby is signified the state respectively, because he made himself prior, may appear from what has been frequently said above, especially in treating of the primogeniture which Jacob procured to himself by the pottage of lentiles, and of the blessing which he took away from Esau by craft. What was represented and signified by those circumstances, may be seen in the passages where they are treated of, viz., that apparently truth is in the first place during the process of man's regeneration, and good in the second; but that actually, good is in the first place, and truth in the second, and that it is manifestly so when he is regenerated, see n. 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247. When, therefore, the order is inverted, and good takes its prior place manifestly, that is, when it begins to have dominion over truth, then the natural man is in fear and straitness (n. 4249), and also enters into temptations; the reason is, because when truth was in the first place, that is, when it seemed to itself to have dominion, then falses intermixed themselves; for truth of itself cannot see whether it be truth, but must see it from good, and where false principles are, there is fear when good approaches. All likewise who are principled in good, begin to be afraid when false principles appear in the light derived from good, for they fear false principles, and are desirous that they may be extirpated, which if they are inherent, is impossible, except by divine means from the Lord and hence it is, that they who are about to be regenerated, after fear and straitness come into temptations also, for temptations are the divine means of removing those false principles. This is the most secret cause why man, during the process of regeneration, undergoes spiritual temptations; but this cause in nowise appears to man, for, like everything which moves, provokes, and torments the conscience, it is above the sphere of his perception.

4257. Peradventure he may come and smite me, and the mother upon the children.-That hereby is signified that he might perish, is evident without explanation. To smite the mother upon the children, was a form of speaking in use amongst the ancients who were principled in representatives and significatives, signifying the destruction of the church and of all things appertaining to the church, either in general or in particular with man who is the church; for by mother they understood the church, see n. 289, 2691, 2717, and by sons the truths appertaining to the church, see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373; hence to smite the mother upon the children,

denotes to perish utterly. Man also perishes utterly, when the church, and what appertains to the church, perishes in him, that is, when the affection of truth, which is properly signified by mother, and which constitutes the church in man, is destroyed.

4258. Verse 12. And thou hast said, In doing well, I will do well with thee.-That hereby is signified, that still in such case he should gain life, appears from the signification of doing well, as denoting to gain life; for by Jacob is represented truth, and truth has not life from itself, but from the good which flows into it, as has been frequently shewn above; hence, to do well here signifies to gain life: the life of truth derived from good is also here treated of.

4259. And I will place thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude.-That hereby is signified fructification and multiplication in such case, appears from the signification of seed, as denoting the faith of charity, and also charity itself, see n. 1025, 1447, 1610, 2848, 3373; that to place it as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered for multitude, denotes multiplication, is evident: fructification is predicated of good, which is of charity, and multiplication is predicated of truth, which is of faith, see n. 913, 983, 2846, 2847.

4260. Verses 13-15. And he passed the night there in that night; and 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 cows and ten oxen, twenty she-asses and ten foals. He passed the night in that night, signifies in that obscure state: and 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 hegoats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, signifies goods, and thence truths divine: thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten oxen, twenty she-asses and ten foals, signifies things of service (or things subservient) both general and special.

4261. Verse 13. He passed the night there in that night. -That hereby is signified in that obscure state, appears from the signification of passing the night, and also of night, as denoting an obscure state, see n. 1712, 3693.

4262. And took of that which came into his hand, a present for Esau his brother. That hereby are signified things divine to be initiated into celestial natural good, appears (1.) from the signification of taking of that which came into his hand, as denoting of those things which were providentially presented, thus which were of the Divine Providence; and whereas those things which are of the Divine Providence are divine, therefore, by taking of that which came into his hand, divine things are here signified; (2.) from the signification of a present, as denoting

initiation, of which we shall speak presently; and (3.) from the representation of Esau, as denoting the Divine Natural principle as to good, see n. 3302, 3322, 3504, 3599, in the present case as to celestial good, because the Natural principle was not as yet made Divine. The reason why this present signifies initiation, is, because it was made to secure good-will and favour; for the presents which in old time were given and offered, had various significations. Those which were given to kings and priests, on coming before them, had one signification, and those which were offered up on the altar had another; the former signified initiation, but the latter worship, see n. 349. All sacrifices in general, of whatsoever sort, were called presents, or gifts, and particularly the offerings consisting of bread and wine, or cakes with a libation; for in the original tongue, offering (mincha) signifies present, or gift. That presents were given to kings and priests, on going to them, appears from several passages in the Word, as when Saul consulted Samuel (1 Sam. ix. 7, 8); and when they, who despised Saul, did not offer him a present (1 Sam. x. 27); when the queen of Sheba came to Solomon (1 Kings x. 2); and also when the rest came, of whom it is written, "All the earth sought the faces of Solomon to hear his wisdom, . . . and they offered every one his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and arms, and spices, horses and mules," (x. 24, 25;) and as the ritual was holy, signifying initiation, therefore also the wise men from the east, who came to Jesus at his birth, brought presents, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. ii. 11); gold signifying celestial love, frankincense spiritual love, and myrrh those loves in the natural principle. That the above ritual was commanded, appears from Moses, "The faces of Jehovah shall not be seen empty," (Exod. xxiii. 15; Deut. xvi. 16, 17;) and that the presents which were given to priests and kings should be as those given to Jehovah, may be proved from other passages in the Word. That the presents, which were sent, signified initiation, is evident from those which the twelve princes of Israel sent to initiate the altar, after it had been anointed (Numb. vii. 1 to the end); where their presents are called initiation (verse 88.)

4263. Verse 14. Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams.-That hereby are signified divine goods, and thence truths, appears (1.) from the signification of she-goats and of ewes, as denoting goods, see n. 3995, 4006, 4169; and (2.) from the signification of he-goats and of rams, as denoting truths, see n. 4005, 4170, in the present case divine goods and truths. The reason why goods and truths are so frequently mentioned, and signified by so many various things, is, because all things appertaining to heaven and to the church have reference thereto; the things which are of love and charity having reference to good, and those which are of

faith to truths: but still their differences as to genera and species are innumerable, yea indefinite; as may appear from this consideration, that all who are principled in good are in the Lord's kingdom, and yet no two societies therein are in like good, nor even one individual in a society in like good with another. For one and the same good appertaining to two persons can in nowise be given, still less that appertaining to several, for in such case they would be one and the same, and not two, still less several. Every single [thing or principle] consists of various [things or principles]; and this by celestial harmony and concord.

4264. Thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten oxen, twenty she-asses and ten foals.-That hereby are signified things of service (or things subservient) both general and special, appears from the signification of milch camels and their colts, of cows and oxen, and of she-asses and their foals, as denoting those things which are of the natural man, of which frequent mention has been made above; concerning camels, see n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145; concerning cows, see n. 1824, 1825, 2180, 2781, 2830; concerning she-asses, see n. 2781. That those things which are of the natural man are respectively things of service (or things subservient), see n. 1486, 3019, 3020, 3167; hence it is, that by the above things are signified things of service, both general and special. As to their numbers, that of the she-goats being two hundred, of the he-goats, twenty, of the sheep, two hundred, of the rams, twenty, of the camels and their colts, thirty, of the cows, forty, of the oxen, ten, of the she-asses, ten, and of their foals, ten, they are arcana which cannot be opened without much explanation and ample deduction; for all numbers in the Word signify things, see n. 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252; and what they signify, was shewn where they occur in the preceding pages. I have also occasionally been surprised, that when the discourse of the angels comes down into the world of spirits, it has likewise fallen into various numbers; also that where numbers are read in the Word, things are understood by the angels; for number does not in any way penetrate heaven, because numbers are measures both of space and of time, and these belong to the world and to nature, to which in the heavens states and changes of states correspond. The most ancient people, who were celestial men, and had communication with angels, knew what was signified by the single numbers, and also by the compound; hence the signification thereof was derived to their descendants, and to the sons of the ancient church. These are things which will hardly be credited by the men of the church at the present day, who believe that nothing more holy is stored up in the Word, than what appears in the letter.

4265. Verses 16-23. And he delivered them into the hand

of his servants, every drove by themselves, and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and set a space between drove and drove. And he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother shall meet thee, and shall ask thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? And thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's: it is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold also he is behind us. And he commanded the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word ye shall speak unto Esau when ye find him. And ye shall say also, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will expiate his faces in the present going 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 arose in that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and caused them to pass over the river; and caused what he had to pass over. He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and set a space between drove and drove, signifies orderly arrangement in the manner in which they should be initiated: and he commanded the first, saying, When Esau my brother shall meet thee, and shall ask thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? and thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's: it is a present unto my lord Esau; and behold, also he is behind us, signifies submission: and he commanded the second, and the third, and all that went after the droves, saying, According to this word ye shall speak unto Esau when ye find him, signifies continuation: and ye shall say also, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will expiate his faces in the present going before me, peradventure he will lift up my faces, signifies preparation for what follows: and the present passed over before him, signifies effect: and he passed the night in that night in the camp, signifies the things which follow: and he arose in that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok, signifies the first insinuation of the affections of truth with the truths acquired; the ford Jabbok is the first insinuation: and he took them, and caused them to pass over the river, and he caused what he had to pass over, signifies further insinuation.

4266. Verse 16. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and set a space between drove and drove.— That hereby is signified orderly arrangement in the manner in which they should be initiated, appears (1.) from the signification of delivering into the hand, as denoting to instruct with ability; that hand denotes ability, see n. 878, 3091, 3387, 3563: (2.)