3575. 'And he smelled the odour of his clothes' means the pleasing emanation from the truth of good which he perceived. This is clear from the meaning of 'odour' as that which is pleasing, dealt with in 925, and of 'smelling' as perceiving that which is pleasant, and from the meaning of 'clothes' as truth, dealt with in 297, 1073, 2576. Because the clothes were Esau's, to whom 'his' refers here, and 'Esau' represents the good of the natural, it is the truth of good that is meant. The truth of good is that which is produced in the natural through the direct and indirect influx of the rational, dealt with above in 3573. This was the truth that was being sought. But because it could not be produced by means of direct influx from the good of the rational without indirect influx simultaneously, that is, influx through the truth of the rational, and this was not possible except through the many intermediate things which Esau and Jacob are used to describe here in the internal sense, 'smelling the odour of his clothes' therefore means the truth of good which was perceived.

1074. 'The middle of the tent' is the chief thing of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the middle' and from the meaning of 'a tent'. In the Word 'the middle' means that which is inmost, and 'tent' charity, or worship deriving from charity. Charity is the inmost, that is, the chief thing of faith and worship, and so is 'the middle of the tent'. That 'the middle' means that which is inmost has been shown already, and that 'tent' means the holiness of love, which is charity, see what has appeared already in 414.