3308. 'The boys grew up' means the initial state, that is to say, of the joining together of good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of growing up' when it has reference to the birth and development of good and truth, as the initial state of such development, dealt with in what follows; and from the meaning of 'the boys' as good and truth, for good is represented by the boy Esau, and truth by the boy Jacob, as shown above. Good and truth are like offspring, in that they are conceived, lie in the womb, are born, grow up, and also advance in years until they reach their final years. Their conception, lying in the womb, and being born belong to the state of birth, whereas their growing up and advancing in years until they reach their final years belong to the state of development. The state of development follows actual birth and is a state when good and truth are joined together. The initial phase of this state is what is meant here by 'growing up'. This state begins immediately after actual birth and continues through to the end of life; and with those in whom good is present it continues for ever following the life of the body. Angels go on being perfected constantly in this manner.

Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to meet Esau, and the angel tells him that his name will be changed. After he is reconciled with Esau, they go their separate ways. Jacob moves to Shechem and then on to Bethel, where he builds an altar to the Lord. The Lord appears to him there, renews the covenant He first made with Abraham and again tells him that his name will be Israel (Genesis 35). The story goes on to tell of Benjamin's birth and Rachel's death in bearing him, and then of Jacob's return to Isaac and Isaac's death and burial. But at that point the main thread of the story leaves Israel and turns to Joseph, and Israel is hardly mentioned until after Joseph has risen to power in Egypt, has revealed himself to his brothers and tells them to bring all of their father's household down to Egypt. There, before Israel dies, he blesses Joseph's sons, plus all his own sons. After his death he is returned to the land of Canaan for burial in Abraham's tomb. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob represents truth, and Esau good. Jacob's stay in Padan-Aram, and the wealth he acquired there, represent learning the truths of scripture, just as we learn when we read the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. The change of name from Jacob to Israel represents the realization that what we learn should not simply be knowledge, but should be the rules of our life, to be followed by action. This action is the good that Esau has represented in the story up to that time, but after the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, Jacob as Israel now represents the truth and the good, together. It is interesting that even after his name change Jacob is rarely called Israel. Sometimes he is called one and sometimes the other, and sometimes he is called both Jacob and Israel in the same verse (Genesis 46:2, 5, & 8 also Psalm 14:7). This is because Jacob represents the external person and Israel the internal person, and even after the internal person comes into being, we spend much of our lives living on the external level.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 4274, 4292, 4570, 5595, 6225, 6256, Genesis 2:5, 46:8)