28. The first-born from the dead. That this signifies from whom is all good in heaven, is evident from the signification of first-born, when said of the Lord, as denoting the Divine good in heaven, thus all good there. The reason why this is signified by first-born, is, because by generations, in general and in particular, are signified spiritual generations, which are those of good and truth, or of love and faith. Therefore, by father, mother, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and sons' sons, are signified the goods and truths which generate, and which are generated, in their order (Arcana Coelestia 10490). For in heaven there are no other nativities; and, this being the case, by first-born is not meant first-born, but the good of heaven and the church, because this is in the chief place. Now, because all good in heaven exists from the Lord, therefore He is called the First-born.

[2] The reason why He is called the first-born from the dead, is because, when He rose from the dead, He made His Human Divine Good by union with the Divine which was in Him from conception. This is why He is called the first-born from the dead; and why He says of Himself in David,

"I will make him the first-born, higher than the kings of the earth" (Psalm 89:27).

What is meant by His being higher than the kings of the earth, will be seen in the subsequent article. (That the Lord, when He departed out of the world, made His Human Divine Good, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 3194, 3210, 6864, 7499, 8724, 9199, 10076, thus that He came forth from the Father and returned to the Father, n. 3194, 3210; and that after the union, the Divine truth, which is the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, goes forth from Him, n. 3704, 3712, 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398, 9407. But this mystery may be seen more fully explained in the small work, The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295; and in the passages from Arcana Coelestia there cited, n. 303-305.)

Since the Lord as to His Divine Human is called the first-born, because all good goes forth from Him, therefore all the first-born in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah; and therefore also the Levites were taken in the place of all the first-born in Israel. For by the sons of Levi were represented those of the church who are in the good of charity. On this account, also, a double portion of the inheritance fell to the first-born. All this, because the first-born signified good from the Lord, and, in the highest sense, the Lord Himself as to the Divine Human, from which all good comes; for all the things commanded in the Israelitish church were representative of spiritual and celestial Divine things.

[3] That all the first-born in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah is evident from Moses, in the following passages:

"Sanctify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, in man and in beast; it is mine" (Exodus 13:2).

"Thou shalt cause to pass over unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling that cometh of a beast as many as thou hast, the males shall be Jehovah's" (13:12).

"Thou shalt not delay the first fruits of thy produce, and the first fruits of thy wine; the first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. And ye shall be men of holiness unto me" (Exodus 22:29-31).

The reason why they were to give also the first-born of beasts, was, because these also were representative; on which account, also, they were made use of in burnt-offerings and sacrifices. (What the various beasts in these services represented, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1823, 3519, 9280, 10042.) The Levites were accepted in place of all the first-born in Israel (concerning which, see Numbers 3:12, 13, 41, 45; 8:15-19), because, as observed above, the sons of Levi represented, and thence signified, the good of charity, and Levi, in the highest sense, represented the Lord as to that good (as may be seen, n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 10017). The reason why a double portion of the inheritance fell to the first-born (Deuteronomy 21:17), was, because a double portion signified the good of love (n. 720, 1686, 5194, 8423).

3712. 'And will bring you back to this ground' means conjunction with doctrine that is Divine. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing back' as joining together once again, and from the meaning of 'the ground' as the doctrine of good and truth within the natural man, dealt with in 268, 566, 990, in this case Divine doctrine since Jacob's sojourning with Laban represents the intervening means through which the Lord made Divine the Natural, and Jacob's being brought back or resumed to the land of Canaan represents the end of the intervening means, that is to say, when He had made the Natural Divine. Accordingly 'I will bring you back to this ground' means conjunction with Divine doctrine. Divine doctrine is Divine Truth, and Divine Truth is the Word of the Lord in its entirety. Divine doctrine itself constitutes the Word in the highest sense, in which the only subject is the Lord. As a consequence Divine doctrine also constitutes the Word in the internal sense, in which the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth is the subject.

[2] Divine doctrine constitutes in addition the Word in the literal sense, in which things in the world and on earth are the subject. Now because the literal sense contains the internal sense, and this in turn contains the highest sense, and because the literal corresponds entirely by means of representatives and meaningful signs, doctrine drawn from that sense too is therefore Divine. Since 'Jacob' represents the Lord's Divine Natural he also represents the literal sense of the Word, for as is well known the Lord is the Word, that is, Divine Truth in its entirety. The natural degree of the Word does not present itself as anything other than the literal sense of the Word, for in relation to the other senses the literal is the cloud, see the Preface to Chapter 18. The rational degree of the Word however, that is, the interior spiritual degree of it, presents itself as its internal sense; and insomuch as the Lord is the Word it may be said that this sense is represented by 'Isaac'. But the highest sense is represented by 'Abraham'. This shows what conjunction with Divine doctrine is where the Lord's Divine Natural which is represented by 'Jacob' is concerned. These distinct degrees of truth do not however exist in the same way within the Lord because everything in Him is Divine Good, not Divine Truth, still less Divine Natural Truth. Divine Truth is the manifestation of Divine Good to angels in heaven and to men on earth. Though only the manifestation it is nonetheless Divine Truth because it flows from Divine Good, even as light is a manifestation of the sun because it flows from the sun, see 3704.