402. Verse 13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, signifies that the knowledges of good and truth perished. This is evident from the signification of "stars" as being the knowledges of good and truth (See above, n. 72); also from the signification of "falling unto the earth," as being to perish; for when stars fall to the earth they perish. The same is signified by:

The stars shall fall from heaven (Matthew 24:29; and Mark 13:25).

Anyone can see that "stars" here do not mean stars, for these cannot fall from heaven, for they are fixed or established in their place, and cannot fall to the earth, because they are larger than the earth; consequently by them are signified such things as belong to heavenly light, and give light, which are the knowledges of good and truth. Moreover, stars appear in the angelic heaven, but they are appearances from the knowledges of good and truth, therefore they appear about those who are in such knowledges, especially when they turn them over in the mind, and are desirous of knowing them.

4085. 'And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob. And I said, Behold, here I am' means perception from the Divine, and presence within that obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in historical narratives of the Word as perceiving - often dealt with already; from the meaning of 'the angel of God' as from the Divine (for when mentioned in the Word 'an angel' means something essentially the Lord's, that is, something belonging to the Divine, 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039, the reason being that no angel speaks from himself but from the Lord, especially when he does so in a dream, as he does here to Jacob. What is more, angels are such that they are annoyed if anything of what is good and true spoken by them is attributed to themselves; and so far as possible they remove any such ideas existing in others, especially in man. For they know and perceive that everything good and true which they think, will, and carry into effect originates in the Lord, and so in the Divine. And from this it may be seen that in the Word something essentially the Lord's, that is, something Divine, is meant by 'angels'); and from the meaning of 'in a dream' as within obscurity, dealt with in 2514, 2528. Presence within the natural, where it dwells in obscurity, is the meaning of Jacob's reply.