6434. The blessings of thy father shall prevail above the blessings of my progenitors. That this signifies that this church has spiritual good from the natural, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the spiritual church (see n. 6417); from the representation of Israel, here the “father,” as being spiritual good from the natural (n. 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833); and from the representation of Isaac and Abraham, here the “progenitors,” as being in the supreme sense the Lord’s internal Divine—“Isaac,” the internal Divine Human, or the Lord’s Divine Rational (n. 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 3012, 3194, 3210); and “Abraham” the Lord’s Divine Itself (n. 2011, 3251, 3439, 4615); but in the relative sense “Abraham and Isaac” denote the internal of the Lord’s kingdom and church (n. 6098, 6185, 6276). From all this it may in some measure be seen what is signified by “the blessings of thy father shall prevail over the blessings of my progenitors,” namely, that the spiritual church should have good from the natural or external man, but not from the rational or internal man; for the good of the man of the spiritual church is in the natural, nor does it go further; but the good of the celestial church is in the rational. That this is the meaning cannot possibly be known unless it is known what Israel and Abraham and Isaac represent, and also where and whence is the good of the spiritual church.

4598. And Israel journeyed. That this means the celestial spiritual of the natural at this time, is evident from the signification of “journeying,” as being what is successive or continuous (see n. 4375, 4554), here more toward interior things; and from the representation of “Israel” here, as being the celestial spiritual of the natural (n. 4286). What the celestial spiritual of the natural is, has been explained before, namely, that it is the good of truth, or the good of charity procured by means of the truth of faith. What advancement toward interior things is, is little known in the world. It is not an advancement into memory-knowledges, for this frequently exists without any advancement toward interior things, and very frequently with a departure from them. Neither is it an advancement into the judgment of manhood, for this also sometimes exists together with a departure from interior things. Nor is it an advancement into knowledges of interior truth, for these knowledges avail nothing unless the man is affected with them. An advancement toward interior things is an advancement toward heaven and the Lord by means of the knowledges of truth implanted in the affection of them, thus by means of affections.

[2] What is the nature of an advancement toward interior things is not apparent to anyone in this world; but in the other life it is plainly apparent, for there it is an advancement from a kind of mist into light, because they who are in exterior things alone are relatively in a mist, and by the angels are seen to be in one; whereas they who are in interior things are in light, and consequently are in wisdom, for the light there is wisdom; and wonderful to say, they who are in a mist cannot see those who are in light as in light, but they who are in light can see those who are in a mist as in a mist. As the subject here treated of is the advancement of the Lord’s Divine toward interior things, Jacob is here called “Israel,” but at other times he is called “Jacob,” as in the preceding verse of this chapter, and in the last verse.