3607. The days of mourning for my father draw near, and I will kill Jacob my brother. That this signifies the inversion and privation of the self-derived life of truth, is evident from the signification of “days of mourning,” as being the inversion of the state; and from the signification of “killing Jacob his brother,” as being to deprive truth of self-derived life. The case herein is similar to what was just now said concerning the signification of “hatred” in the internal sense, namely, that it is not hatred; and the same may be seen from what is continually taking place in the other life, where all the good that flows down from heaven to those who are in evil is turned into evil, and with the infernals into the opposite; in like manner truth into falsity (see n. 2123); and therefore on the other hand the evil and falsity that is with such spirits is in heaven good and truth; and in order that it may become good there are spirits in the way who reject the ideas of evil and falsity, so that the idea of good and truth may be presented (concerning which rejection see above, n. 1393, 1875). And moreover when that which is evil and false approaches those who are in good and truth, it does not appear as evil and falsity, but under another form in accordance with the nature and state of their goodness.

[2] From this it is evident that in the internal sense to “kill Jacob the brother” is not to kill, but is a privation of that life which is not compatible with truth; for truth has no life of itself, but from good, inasmuch as truth is only a vessel recipient of good (see n. 1496, 1832, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269, 2697, 3049, 3068, 3128, 3146, 3318, 3387); and that in good there is life, but not in truth, except that which is from good (see n. 1589, and frequently elsewhere). Wherefore the privation of the self-derived life of truth is not the extinction of truth, but its vivification; for when truth appears to itself to have life from itself, then it has no life, except such life as in itself is not life; but when it is deprived of this, it is then gifted with real life, namely, through good from the Lord, who is life itself.

[3] This plainly appears from those who are in the other life. With such as are in truth alone, the ideas appear closed, so that those things which are of heaven cannot flow in, except only in a manner so general that the influx is scarcely known to be from heaven; whereas with such as are at the same time in good, their ideas appear open, so that the things which are of heaven flow in as into a heaven in miniature, or as into an image of themselves; for they flow in by means of the good that is in them through truths (see n. 1869, 2425). That truth is deprived of self-derived life when good begins to be in the prior place, or to have the dominion, may be seen from what has been said and shown above concerning the apparent priority of truth at first, and concerning the subsequent priority of good; this privation of the self-derived life of truth is what is here signified. The reason why these things are called the “mourning for a father,” is that days of mourning signify inversion of state, which inversion of state was signified above by the exceeding great shuddering with which Isaac shuddered (verse 33, n. 3593), and by the great and exceeding bitter cry with which Esau cried out (verse 34, n. 3597).

3597. Verses 34-40. When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with fraud, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is it not that his name is called Jacob? And he hath supplanted me these two times; he hath taken away my birthright, and behold now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold I have made him thy master, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and new wine have I sustained him; and what then shall I do for thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but this one blessing, my father? Bless me, me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold of the fat things of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above. And upon thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion that thou shalt break his yoke from upon thy neck.

[2] “When Esau heard the words of his father” signifies the observation of natural good from Divine good; “he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry” signifies its great alteration in respect to the inversion of the state; “and said unto his father, Bless me, me also, O my father” signifies that it longed for conjunction, even although by what had gone before truth had been conjoined; “and he said, Thy brother came with fraud” signifies what is inverted of order; “and hath taken away thy blessing” signifies conjunction in that manner.

[3] “And he said, Is it not that his name is called Jacob” signifies its quality; “and he hath supplanted me these two times” signifies that it had inverted order; “he hath taken away my birthright” signifies the loss of the priority; “and behold now he hath taken away my blessing” signifies the loss of the conjunction; “and he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me” signifies whether there was for it anything in respect to conjunction in that former state.

[4] “And Isaac answered and said unto Esau” signifies instruction; “behold I have made him thy master” signifies that in that state it should have the dominion; “and all his brethren have I given to him for servants” signifies that to the affection of truth at that time there had apparently been subordinated the affections of good; “and with corn and new wine have I sustained him” signifies, as before, its good and truth; and “what then shall I do for thee, my son” signifies that in that state there is nothing else for good.

[5] “And Esau said unto his father” signifies the observation of natural good; “hast thou but this one blessing, my father” signifies whether in that case anything else could be adjoined from natural good; “bless me, me also, O my father” signifies that it longed for conjunction even although thereby truth had been conjoined; and “Esau lifted up his voice and wept” signifies a further state of alteration.

[6] “And Isaac his father answered and said unto him” signifies perception concerning natural good, that it would be made Divine; “behold, of the fat things of the earth shall be thy dwelling” signifies that life is from the Divine good; “and of the dew of heaven from above” signifies that it is from the Divine truth.

[7] “And upon thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother” signifies that so long as truth is being conjoined with good, good will in appearance be in a lower place; “and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion” signifies that it shall be in the prior place; “that thou shalt break his yoke from upon thy neck” signifies that the conjunction would then be through good, and that truth would be of good.