5581. And their father said unto them. That this signifies perception from the things of the church, is evident from the signification of “saying” in the historicals of the Word, as being perception (of which often above); and from the representation of Israel, who here is the “father,” as being the church (that “Israel” is the internal spiritual church, and “Jacob” the external, may be seen above, n. 4286, 4292, 4570). He is called “father” because by “father” in the Word is also signified the church, and likewise by “mother;” but by “mother” the church as to truth, and by “father” the church as to good. The reason of this is that the church is a spiritual marriage, which is from good as the father, and from truth as a mother.

4570. But Israel shall be thy name. That this signifies the quality of His internal natural, or the quality of the spiritual of this natural, which is “Israel,” and that “and He called his name Israel” signifies His internal natural, or the celestial spiritual of the natural, is evident from the signification of “name,” as being quality (see just above, n. 4568); and from the signification of “Israel,” as being the internal of the Lord’s natural. No one can know why Jacob was called Israel unless he knows what the internal natural is, and what the external natural, and further, what is the celestial spiritual of the natural. These things have indeed been explained above, when Jacob was called Israel by the angel; but as they are of such a nature that very little if anything is known about them, it is necessary to explain again what they are.

[2] There are two things in man that are most distinct from each other, namely, the rational and the natural. The rational constitutes the internal man, and the natural the external; but the natural, like the rational, has also its own external and internal. The external of the natural is from the senses of the body, and from what flows in from the world immediately through these senses. By these man has communication with worldly and bodily things. They who are exclusively in this natural are called sensuous men, for in thought they scarcely go beyond this. But the internal of the natural is constituted of the conclusions drawn analytically and analogically from these things in the external, and yet it draws and deduces its conclusions from the senses. Thus the natural has communication through the senses with worldly and bodily things, and through things analogical and analytical with the rational, and thus with the things of the spiritual world. Such is the natural. There also exists an intermediate which communicates with both the external and the internal, thus by the external with what is in the natural world, and by the internal with what is in the spiritual world. This natural is what Jacob specifically represents, and the internal natural is what Israel represents. The case is the same with the rational, namely, that it is external and internal, and also intermediate; but of the Lord’s Divine providence this subject shall be spoken of in connection with Joseph, for Joseph represents the external of the rational.

[3] But what the celestial spiritual is has already been stated, namely, that the celestial is that which is of good, and the spiritual that which is of truth; thus the celestial spiritual is that which is of good from truth. Now as the Lord’s church is external and internal, and as by the descendants of Jacob must be represented the internals of the church by means of externals, Jacob could therefore no longer be named Jacob, but Israel (see what has been said of this above, n. 4286,4292). Be it known moreover that both the rational and the natural are called celestial and spiritual, celestial when they receive good from the Lord, and spiritual when they receive truth from Him; for the good that inflows from the Lord into heaven is called celestial, and the truth is called spiritual. Jacob’s being called “Israel” signifies in the supreme sense that the Lord, advancing to interior things, made the natural in Himself Divine, both as to its external and as to its internal; for in the supreme sense what is represented has reference to Him.