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.

1686. 'Four kings with five' means the union existing with the latter four and the lack of union with the other five. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'four' and from the meaning of 'five'. Consisting of two pairs, 'four' means union, as also does two when it has regard to things that are married, as also noted in 720. 'Five' however means disunity because it is associated with fewness, as shown in 649. All things depend for their particular meanings on the subjects to which they refer.