3302. 'And they called his name Esau' means its essential nature, that is to say, of the Natural as regards good. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' or calling by name, as knowing the essential nature of a person or thing, and so knowing that nature itself, dealt with in 144, 145, 440, 768, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, and from the fact that names in the Word, however many these may be, in the internal sense mean spiritual realities, 1224, 1888, so that 'Esau' is some spiritual reality. That reality is the Lord's Divine Natural as regards Divine Good when first conceived, as is clear from what has been stated and from what follows concerning Esau, as well as from other places in the Word. But as Esau and Edom are very similar in meaning - the difference being that 'Edom' is the Divine Natural as regards good to which doctrinal matters concerning truth have been allied - confirmation from places in the Word will in the Lord's Divine mercy therefore be provided at verse 30 below, where Esau is called Edom.

5219. 'And behold, it was a dream' means in that obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'a dream' as a state that was obscure, dealt with in 1838, 2514, 2528, 5210. The word obscure is used because truths have been banished; indeed where there are no truths obscurity exists. The light of heaven flows solely into truths, that light being Divine Truth received from the Lord, the source of truths residing with angels and spirits, and with men too. They are subsidiary lights; but they derive their light from Divine Truth through the good present within those truths. For unless truths are rooted in good, that is, unless truths have good present within them, they cannot acquire any light from the Divine. They acquire it through good, for good is like a fire or flame, and truths are like lights radiating from it. In the next life there are also some truths that shine which are devoid of good; but the light shining from them is a wintry light which turns into thick darkness on the arrival of the light of heaven.

[2] From all this one may now see what is meant here by obscurity, namely a natural state when facts that are good are banished by those that are useless. Such obscurity is one that can receive a general enlightenment, 5208, 5218. But obscurity caused by falsities can by no means receive any enlightenment, for falsities are so many masses of darkness which blot out the light of heaven and in so doing bring obscurity which cannot be lightened until those falsities have been removed.