3610. 'Behold, Esau your brother is consoling himself concerning you [by planning] to kill you' means, the intention to invert the state and to remove from truth the life from itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'consoling oneself concerning somebody' as calming a turbulence of mind with a hope concerning some person or thing - the pronoun 'you' embodying an inversion of the state of truth; and from the meaning of 'killing you (Jacob)' as removing from truth the life from itself, dealt with just above in 3607, where it has been shown that removing from truth the life [from itself] is not destroying that truth but giving it life. For the situation with the life of truth is that when people with whom truth or the affection for truth is present do not live according to the truth they know and have an affection for, there is in that case a certain satisfaction and delight, stemming from self-love or love of the world, which attaches itself to the affection for truth. That satisfaction and delight seems to be like good, but it is not good except if considered in relation to the use it serves of enabling truths to be brought in and learned, which subsequently can be of service to good itself and to the life of good. When this is the state in which truth dwells, that is, when the affection for truth exists with people, truth is said to have life from itself. But this is not life, as is clear from the fact that life does not dwell in self-love and love of the world, that is, in the satisfaction and delight that goes with these loves, but in celestial and spiritual love and the delight and satisfaction that belongs to that love. Consequently when truth is removed - that is, when those with whom such an affection for truth is present have that life removed from them - then for the first time they receive life, that is, are given life.

[2] These matters cannot be grasped at all by those whose affection is for themselves and the world, for they believe that no other kind of life can possibly exist, and consequently that if that life were removed they would have no life at all. For people possessing that life cannot by any means know what spiritual and celestial life is. But the truth of the matter is that when that life is removed, that is to say, the life belonging to an affection for self and the world, life flows in from the Lord such as is angelic and heavenly, bringing with it wisdom and intelligence that are beyond description. From the point of view of this life from the Lord, the previous life seems to be none at all or to be like the abject life of beasts, for it entails nothing Divine at all apart from being able to think and to talk, and so to have an outward form like everyone else has.

[3] As regards the intention on the part of good to invert the state and to remove from truth the life from itself, meant by the words 'Esau is consoling himself concerning you [by planning] to kill you', the position is that with someone who is being regenerated good intends constantly to bring about an inversion of state and to produce that order in which truth does not occupy the prior position but, in conformity with the state of heaven, the secondary position. This intention however lies concealed deeply within it and is not discerned until it is actually carried into effect. It is like conjugial love, which does not show itself in infancy and childhood but nevertheless lies concealed within, and does not emerge until every single thing has been properly ordered to enable it to manifest itself. During all that time however it is producing all the means suited to it, that is, they are produced from it. Something similar may be seen in the vegetable kingdom in which within every tree and young plant there lies concealed inmostly the effort to produce fruit or seeds. But that effort cannot manifest itself until all the means have been produced first, that is to say, shoots, leaves, and blossom; and when these have been produced, that effort comes into act.

[4] It is the same with those who are being born anew. The conjugial relationship which exists between good and truth lies concealed for a long time but is nevertheless present as the effort within the efficient cause and from this within the effect itself. But it does not appear until everything has been properly ordered, and once everything has been properly ordered only then does it emerge and manifest itself. This effort is what is meant by the intention to invert the state and to remove from truth the life from itself. From this it is evident that the note which is sounded in the internal sense is altogether different from that in the sense of the letter; that is to say, it speaks of truth being brought into order and receiving life, not of the destruction and removal of life from it.

3240. 'And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan' means the derivatives from the first division. This is clear from the representation of 'Jokshan' and his sons 'Sheba and Dedan' dealt with below. Since they are mere names here and they mean states and derivatives of the Lord's spiritual Church, something about what they are in general must be stated. The celestial Church differs from the spiritual Church in that in those who belong to the celestial Church and who are called celestial, love - that is to say, the good and truth of love - is present; but in those who belong to the spiritual Church and who are called spiritual, faith - that is to say, the good and truth of faith - is present. Good as it exists with those who are celestial consists in love to the Lord, and truth as it exists with them in love towards the neighbour. But good as it exists with those who are spiritual consists in charity towards the neighbour, and truth as it exists with them in faith insofar as this is doctrine concerning charity. From this it may be seen that good and truth are present in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as they are in His celestial kingdom, yet are considerably different.

[2] It should be recognized in addition that the inhabitants of those kingdoms are distinguished from one another by means of good and truth for the reason that some are governed more by good, others more by truth. And it is from this that derivatives arise, that is to say, derivatives of good and derivatives of truth. The derivatives of good in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are those which are represented by the sons of Jokshan, who are referred to in this verse, but the derivatives of truth there are those which are represented by the sons of Midian, who are referred to in the next verse. Now because there are two categories of spiritual people - those governed more by good and those governed more by truth - two varieties of doctrine therefore exist among them, namely matters of doctrine concerning charity and matters of doctrine concerning faith. Matters of doctrine concerning charity exist for the sake of those governed by the good of faith, who are meant here by the sons of Jokshan. But matters of doctrine concerning faith exist for the sake of those governed by the truth of faith, who are meant by the sons of Midian.

[3] Sheba and Dedan are those who constitute the first category, that is, people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom who are governed by the good of faith and with whom matters concerning charity exist. This explains why Sheba and Dedan mean the cognitions of celestial things, or what amounts to the same, those with whom such cognitions exist, that is, with whom matters of doctrine concerning charity exist, for matters of doctrine are cognitions, and that which is celestial with the spiritual man is charity. For Sheba and Dedan mean those cognitions, as has been shown in Volume One, in 117, 1168, 1171, 1172, though there they are the great-grandsons of Ham, and are called the sons of Raamah. It should be realized however that Ham, like Japheth and Shem also, never was an actual person, but that those who belonged to the Church after the Flood called Noah were distinguished as regards goods and truths into three groups, and these groups were referred to by those names, 736, 1062, 1065, 1140, 1141, 1162, and in various other places. Nevertheless there were nations which were so called, but these were descended from different individuals, as is evident here from Sheba and Dedan who were descended from Jokshan, Abraham's son by Keturah.

[4] As regards 'Sheba' meaning those with whom cognitions of celestial things exist - thus those governed by the good of faith - this is clear from the places introduced in 117, 1171. 'Dedan' has a similar meaning, as is clear from the texts quoted in 1172, as well as from the following: In Isaiah,

The prophecy concerning Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will spend the night, O bands of Dedanites. To the thirsty bring water; O inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet with his bread the fugitive, for they will flee before the swords, before the drawn sword. Isaiah 21:13-15.

'Spending the night in the forest in Arabia' stands for being made desolate as regards good. For 'Arabia' means those with whom celestial things exist, that is, the goods of faith, so that 'spending the night there in the forest' is when goods exist no longer, and therefore means desolation, which is also described by 'fleeing before the swords, before the drawn sword'. Celestial things, that is, the goods of faith - or what amount to the same, the works of charity - which are theirs, are meant by 'bringing water to the thirsty, and with bread meeting the fugitive'.

[5] In Jeremiah,

I took the cup from Jehovah's hand and made all the nations to whom Jehovah sent me drink it - Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its princes, to turn them into a desolation; Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon; Dedan and Tema, and Buz, and all who have cut the corners [of their hair] all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media, and all the kings of the north. Jeremiah 25:17-19, 22-23, 25-26.

This also refers to the desolation of the spiritual Church, different elements of which Church are mentioned in order and are meant by Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Zimri, Elam, and Media.

[6] In Ezekiel,

Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, and all its young lions will say to you, Have you come to seize the spoil? Have you assembled your company to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, and to take cattle and possessions, and seize great spoil? Ezekiel 38:13.

This refers to Gog who means external worship separated from internal, which is idolatrous, 1151. 'Sheba and Dedan' stands for the internal aspects of worship, namely the goods of faith, 'Tarshish' for corresponding external worship. The silver, gold, cattle, possessions, and spoil which Gog - or external worship separated from the internal - wishes to 'carry away' are the cognitions of good and truth, which those who are meant by Sheba and Dedan fight for and defend, and who are on that account called 'young lions'. In the proper sense 'Sheba' is those with whom cognitions of good exist, 'Dedan' those with whom cognitions of truth derived from good are present.