4667. 'Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan' means the Lord's Divine Natural, which existed in accord with and beneath Divine Rational Good. This is clear from the meaning of 'dwelling' as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451; from the representation of 'Jacob' in the highest sense as the Lord's Divine Natural, dealt with in 3305, 3509, 3525, 3544, 3576, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4286, 4538, 4570; from the representation of Isaac, to whom 'father' refers here, as the Lord's Divine Rational as regards good, dealt with in 1893, 2066, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210; and from the meaning of 'the land of Canaan' in the highest sense as the Lord's Divine Human, dealt with in 3038, 3705. From all this one may now see that 'Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan' means the Lord's Divine Natural living together with, or in accord with and beneath, Divine Rational Good, within the Divine Human. The fact that the Lord's Natural now had everything Divine within it has been dealt with already at Chapter 35:22-26, see 4602-4610; and the fact that the Lord's Divine Natural was joined to His Divine Rational, at verses 27-29 of that same chapter, see 4611-4619. What is said now forms a conclusion, namely that the Divine Natural led a life in accord with and beneath Divine Rational Good.

[2] The phrase 'beneath Divine Rational Good' is used because the Natural lives beneath that Good. For the Rational is higher or more internal - or prior, to use the customary expression - whereas the Natural is lower or more external, and therefore posterior. Thus the Natural is subordinate to the Rational; indeed when they accord with each other the Natural is nothing else than the general outline of the Rational, for whatever the Natural possesses does not belong to it but to the Rational, the only difference between the two being like that between particular aspects and their general outline, or like that between individual details and the form in which those details are seen as a single whole. It is well known to the learned that the end in view constitutes the whole within the cause, and the cause the whole within the effect so that the cause is the outward form given to the end, and the effect the outward form given to the cause. Consequently the effect altogether ceases to exist if you take away the cause, and the cause altogether ceases to exist if you take away the end. Also, the cause comes beneath the end, and the effect beneath the cause. The relationship between the Natural and the Rational is similar to all this.

4611. Verses 27-29 And Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, Kiriath Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. And Isaac breathed his last, and died, and was gathered to his peoples, old and full of days. And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

'Jacob came to Isaac his father' means that at this point the Divine Rational was joined to the Divine Natural. 'To Mamre, Kiriath Arba' means its state. 'Which is Hebron' means the state when they were joined together. 'Where Abraham and Isaac sojourned' means Divine life together with it. 'And the days of Isaac were' means the state of the Divine Rational at this point. 'A hundred and eighty years' means the nature of this state. 'And Isaac breathed his last, and died' means an awakening within the Divine Natural. 'And was gathered to his peoples' means that it was now among the things which belonged to the Divine Natural. 'Old and full of days' means newness of life. 'And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him' means that it rose again within the good of the Natural and within the good of truth in the Natural.