4580. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place in which He spoke with him, a pillar of stone. That this signifies the holy of truth in that Divine state, is evident from the signification of a “pillar,” as being the holy of truth (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “in the place in which He spoke with him,” as being in that state (see just above, n. 4578). Something shall first be said with regard to the origin of the setting up of pillars, and of the pouring a drink-offering upon them, and of pouring oil upon them.

[2] The pillars set up in ancient times were either for a sign, or for a witness, or for worship. Those for worship were anointed, and were then holy, and worship was also held there, thus in temples, in groves, in forests under the trees, and in other places. This ritual derived its representation from the fact that in the most ancient times stones were set up on the boundaries between families of nations, lest they should pass over the boundaries to do one another evil (as for instance in the case of Laban and Jacob, Genesis 31:52). That they should not pass the boundaries to do evil was to them a law of nations. And as the stones were on the boundaries, when the most ancient people (who in everything on the earth saw a corresponding celestial and spiritual thing) saw these stones as boundaries, they thought about the truths which are the ultimates of order. But their descendants, who beheld in objects less of what is spiritual and celestial, and more of what is worldly, began to think of them with sanctity merely from the veneration derived from old time. And at last the descendants of the most ancient people who lived immediately before the flood, and who no longer saw anything spiritual and celestial in earthly and worldly things regarded as objects, began to regard these stones as holy, pouring drink-offerings upon them, and anointing them with oil; and they were then called “pillars,” and were used for worship.

[3] This remained after the flood in the Ancient Church, which was representative, but with the difference that the pillars served these people as a means for attaining to internal worship; for the infants and children were instructed by their parents in regard to what they represented, and were thus brought to know holy things, and to be affected with the things which the pillars represented. It is for this reason that the ancients had pillars for worship in their temples, groves, and forests, and upon hills and mountains. But when the internal of worship altogether perished with the Ancient Church, and they began to hold the externals as holy and Divine, and thus to worship them idolatrously, they then erected pillars for their several gods. And as the posterity of Jacob were most prone to idolatrous things, they were forbidden to erect pillars, and also to have groves, and even to hold any worship upon mountains and hills; but they were to be gathered together to one place, where the ark was, and afterwards where the temple was, thus to Jerusalem; otherwise each family would have had its own externals and idols that they would have worshiped, and consequently a representative of a church could not have been instituted with that nation. (See what was above shown concerning pillars, n. 3727.) All this shows what was the origin of the pillars, and what they signified, and that when they were employed in worship they represented holy truth, and therefore it is here said “a pillar of stone,” for a “stone” signifies truth in the ultimate of order (n. 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798). Be it known moreover that what is holy is especially predicated of Divine truth; for the Divine is in the Lord, and Divine truth proceeds from Him (n. 3704, 4577), and is called the Holy.

3519. And take me from thence two good kids of the she-goats. That this signifies the truths of this good, is evident from the signification of “kids of the she-goats,” as being the truths of good, concerning which in what follows. The reason there were two, is that as in the rational, so in the natural, there are things which are of the will and things which are of the understanding. The things in the natural that have relation to the will are delights, and those which have relation to the understanding are memory-knowledges, and in order to be something these two must be conjoined together.

[2] That “kids of the she-goats” signify the truths of good, may be seen from those passages of the Word where “kids” and “she-goats” are mentioned. Be it known that in the genuine sense all the tame and useful beasts mentioned in the Word signify the celestial things of good and the spiritual things of truth (see n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 2180, 2781, 3218); and because there are various kinds of celestial things or goods, and consequently various kinds of spiritual things or truths, one kind is signified by one beast, and another by another; thus one kind is signified by a “lamb,” another by a “kid,” another by a “sheep,” by a “she-goat,” a “ram,” a “he-goat,” a “bullock,” an “ox;” another also by a “horse” and by a “camel;” another likewise by birds; and also another by the beasts of the sea, as by “whales” and “fishes.” There are more genera of celestial and spiritual things than can be enumerated, consequently of goods and truths, although when the celestial or good is mentioned, and also the spiritual or truth, it appears as if it were not manifold, but only one. But how manifold they both are, or how innumerable their genera are, may be seen from what has been said concerning heaven (n. 3241), namely, that it is distinguished into innumerable societies, and this according to the genera of celestial and spiritual things, or of the goods of love and thence of the truths of faith; and moreover every single genus of good, and every single genus of truth, has innumerable species into which the societies of each genus are distinguished, and every species in like manner.

[3] The most universal genera of good and truth are what were represented by the animals that were offered in the burnt-offerings and sacrifices; and because the genera are most distinct from one another it was expressly enjoined that such and no other should be offered-in some cases, for instance, male and female lambs, also male and female kids; in some cases rams and sheep, and also he-goats; but in others, calves, bullocks, and oxen; also pigeons and turtle-doves (n. 922, 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3218). What was signified by “kids” and “she-goats” may be seen both from the sacrifices in which they were offered, and also from other passages in the Word; whence it is evident that male and female “lambs” signified the innocence of the internal or rational man, and that “kids” and “she-goats” signified the innocence of the external or natural man, thus the truth and good thereof.

[4] That the truth and good of the innocence of the external or natural man is signified by “kids” and “she-goats” is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Isaiah:

The wolf shall abide with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the sheep ¹ together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6); where the Lord’s kingdom is treated of, and a state of no fear from evil, or of no dread on account of hell, because one of presence with the Lord. The “lamb” and the “kid” denote those who are in innocence, and because these are the safest of all, they are mentioned first.

[5] When all the firstborn of Egypt were smitten, it was commanded that they should slay perfect and male young of the flock, of lambs or of kids, and should put some of the blood on the door-posts and on the lintel of the houses, and thus there should not be a plague on them from the destroyer (Exodus 12:5, 7, 13). The “firstborn of Egypt” denotes the good of love and charity extinct (n. 3325); “lambs” and “kids” are states of innocence; and those who are in these states are safe from evil, for all in heaven are protected by the Lord through states of innocence; and this protection was represented by the slaying of a lamb or kid, and by the blood upon the door-posts and lintel of the houses.

[6] When Jehovah appeared to anyone through an angel, a kid of the goats was sacrificed, lest the man should die-as when he appeared to Gideon (Judges 6:19), and to Manoah (13:15-16, 19). The reason was that Jehovah or the Lord cannot appear to anyone, not even to an angel, unless he to whom He appears is in a state of innocence; and therefore as soon as the Lord is present with anyone he is let into a state of innocence; for the Lord enters through innocence, even with the angels in heaven. On this account no one can come into heaven unless he has somewhat of innocence, according to the words of the Lord in Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17. That men believed they should die when Jehovah appeared, unless they offered such a burnt-offering may be seen in Judges 13:22-23.

[7] Inasmuch as genuine conjugial love is innocence (see n. 2736), it was customary in the representative church to enter in unto a wife by a present of a kid of the she-goats; as we read of Samson (Judges 15:1); likewise of Judah when he went in unto Tamar (Genesis 38:17, 20, 23). That a “kid” and a “she-goat” signified innocence, is also evident from the sacrifices of guilt, which they were to offer when anyone had sinned through error (Leviticus 1:10; 4:28; 5:6); sin through error is a sin of ignorance in which is innocence. The same is evident from the following Divine command in Moses:

The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk (Exodus 23:19; 34:26); where by the “first-fruits of the ground, which they were to bring into the house of Jehovah,” is signified the state of innocence which is in infancy; and by “not seething a kid in its mother’s milk,” that they should not destroy the innocence of infancy. Because these things are signified, in both passages the one command follows the other without a break; and yet in the literal sense they appear to be altogether different; but in the internal sense they cohere together.

[8] Because as before said “kids” and “she-goats” signified innocence, it was also commanded that the curtain of the tent over the tabernacle should be made of the wool of she-goats (Exodus 25:4; 26:7; 35:5-6, 23, 26; 36:14), for a sign that all the holy things therein represented derived their essence from innocence. By the “wool of she-goats” is signified the ultimate or outermost of the innocence that is in ignorance, such as exists with the Gentiles; and who in the internal sense are the “curtains” of the tabernacle. From all this it is evident what and of what quality are the truths of good that are signified by the “two good kids of the she-goats” concerning which Rebekah his mother spoke unto Jacob her son, namely, that they are those of innocence or of infancy, being in fact those which Esau was to bring to his father Isaac; concerning which above (n. 3501, 3508); and which indeed were not these truths of good, but at first appeared as if they were; and it is for this reason that by means of these Jacob simulated Esau.

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