3279. 'These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son' means the Lord's Divine Rational, from which the Divine Natural sprang. This is clear from the meaning of 'generations' as derivatives, dealt with in 1145, 1255, 1330, that is to say, derivatives of faith when faith is the subject, and derivatives of the Church when the Church is the subject, as above where derivatives of the spiritual Church are meant by the generations of Ishmael, 3263. Here however since 'generations' has reference to the Lord, Divine generations are meant. That is to say, the Divine Rational came into being from the Divine itself, which is meant by Isaac who was begotten by Abraham; and the Divine Natural came into being from the Divine Rational, which is meant by Esau and Jacob who were begotten by Isaac. For Esau and Jacob represent the Lord's Divine Natural, Esau as regards good, and Jacob as regards truth, both being dealt with in what follows next. These are the things meant here by 'generations'.

1255. That 'according to their generations' means insofar as they were capable of being reformed is clear from the meaning of 'a generation' as reformation. When someone is born again or regenerated by the Lord, every single thing he receives anew is in that case a generation. So also here, since the Ancient Church is the subject, 'generations' means insofar as they were capable of being reformed. As for the reformations of these nations, the latter did not all have the same form of worship, nor did they all have the same doctrine, the reasons being that they were not all of the same disposition, and had not all been brought up in the same ways and from early childhood been taught the same things. The Lord in no way destroys the basic attitudes a person acquires from early childhood, but modifies them. And if these are held sacred by the person and are such as do not stand contrary to Divine and natural order but are in themselves of little importance, the Lord lets them alone and allows them to remain with that person, as He did with many things in the second Ancient Church, which things will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on.