9538. 'Which are on its four feet' means in the natural sphere. This is clear from the meaning of 'four' as that which implies a joining together, dealt with in 1686, 8877; and from the meaning of 'feet' as the natural, dealt with in 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328. The firmness resides in the natural sphere because everything spiritual reaches down to and rests on that which is called natural truth, and everything celestial down to and on that which is called natural good. So it is that the natural is their foundation and consequently firm support. Few as yet know of this; therefore something will in the Lord's Divine mercy be said from experience about it elsewhere.

3987. 'And now, when shall I, even I, provide for my own house?' means that now its own good will be made fruitful from this. This is clear from the meaning of 'house' as good, dealt with in 2231, 2233, 3128, 3652, in this case 'my own house' as the good meant by Jacob. 'Providing for his own house' means that the good from this is to be made fruitful, as is evident from the fact that the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth is the subject now because the joining of the interior man to the external has taken place; for 'Joseph', the one born last, means that fruitfulness, 3965, 3969, 3971, and 'the flock' which Jacob acquired to himself by means of Laban's flock, dealt with below, describes that fruitfulness. As regards good not being made fruitful nor truth being multiplied until the external man has been joined to the internal, this becomes clear from the consideration that the desire that another shall have what is good, and consequently the thought of good, belong to the interior man, whereas doing good and consequently making known what is good belong to the external man. Unless doing good has been joined to the desire for what is good, and making good known to the thought of good, a person possesses no good at all. For the wicked can desire what is evil and yet do good, and also think evil and yet declare what is good, as anyone can well know. Hypocrites and unholy persons are more bent on this and better at it than others, so much so indeed that they are able to pass themselves off as angels of light, when in fact they are devils within. This proves that good cannot be made fruitful with anyone unless doing what is good has been joined to the desire for good, and making good known to the thought of it; that is, unless the external man has been joined to the internal.