151. Verse 22 And Jehovah God built the rib which He took from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man.

'Building means reconstructing that which has fallen down, 'rib' the proprium that has not been given life, 'woman the proprium that has been given life by the Lord, 'bringing her to the man' that a proprium was granted to him. Since the descendants of this Church, unlike their ancestors, did not wish to be the celestial man, but to be their own guides and so set their heart on the proprium, they were allowed to have one. It was however a proprium given life by the Lord, which is why it is called 'a woman', and after that 'a wife'.

4583. 'And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke to him, Bethel' means the Divine Natural and its state. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421, and from the meaning of 'Bethel' as the Divine Natural, dealt with in 4559, 4560. The state of that Natural is what is meant by 'the place where God spoke to him', as above in 4578.