10262. 'A hin' means how far things are joined together. This is clear from the meaning of 'a hin' - which was a liquid measure, at this point a measure of oil - as the extent to which things are joined together. 'Oil' means the Lord's celestial Divine Good, which is the essential power that binds all things together in heaven; consequently the measure of the oil means how far things are joined together, and the fullness of their being joined together. The reason why the Lord's celestial Divine Good is the essential power that binds all things together is that it is the essential being (ipsum esse) of the life that all things have. For that Divine Good imparts life to all things through the Divine Truth emanating from itself; and it imparts life in accordance with the specific character of whatever receives it. Angels are recipients; so too are people in the world. The truths and forms of good they have form their specific character, and this conditions the reception that takes place within them, and so conditions any joining together.

[2] Two measures which were used for sacred purposes are mentioned in the Word; one was for liquids, which was called the hin, the other was for dry substances, which was called the ephah. The hin served to measure oil and wine, and the ephah to measure flour and fine flour. The hin, used for oil and wine, was divided into four, whereas the ephah was divided into ten. The reason why the hin was divided into four was in order that it might mean that which binds things together; for 'four' means a joining together. But the reason why the ephah was divided into ten was in order that it might mean reception, the nature of which was indicated by the numbers; for 'ten' means much, all, and what is complete.

'Four' means a joining together, see 8877, 9601, 9674, 10136, 10137.

'Ten' means much, all, and what is complete, as 'a hundred' does, 1988, 3107, 4400, 4638, 8468, 8540, 9745, 10253.

[3] The fact that the hin was used for the oil and wine in the sacrifices, and was divided into four, whereas the ephah was used for the flour and fine flour, which were for the minchah in the sacrifices, and that it was divided into ten, becomes clear in Exodus 29:40; Leviticus 5:11; 23:13; Numbers 15:3-10; 28:5, 7, 14. From these verses it is evident that 'a hin' means the extent to which things are joined together, and 'an ephah' the amount of reception. Furthermore the oil served to bind the fine flour together, and the fine flour to receive the oil; for a minchah consisted of oil and fine flour.

[4] In addition there were other measures that were used for ordinary purposes, both for dry substances and for liquids. The measures for dry substances were called the homer and the omer, and the measures for liquids the cor and the bath. A homer contained ten ephahs, and an ephah ten omers, whereas a cor contained ten baths, and a bath ten smaller parts; regarding all these, see Exodus 16:36; Ezekiel 45:11, 13, 24.

[5] But where the new temple is dealt with in Ezekiel a different division of the ephah and the bath occurs. There the ephah and the bath are divided not into ten but into six, and the hin corresponds to the ephah, as is evident in the same prophet, in Ezekiel 45:13-14, 24; 46:5, 7, 11, 14. The reason for this is that in those places the subject is not celestial good and its ability to bind things together, but spiritual good and its ability to do so; and the numbers 'twelve', 'six', and 'three' have their correspondence in the spiritual kingdom, because they mean all and, when used in reference to truths and forms of good, mean all aspects of truth and good in their entirety. The fact that these are meant by 'twelve', see 3272, 3858, 3913, 7973, also by 'six', 3960(end), 7973, 8148, 10217; and in like manner 'three', by which from beginning to end, thus what is complete, is meant, and - in respect of real things - all, 2788, 4495, 5159, 7715, 9825, 10127. The reason why these numbers imply similar things is that larger numbers are similar in meaning to the simple ones which when multiplied produce them, 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.

[6] Since 'a hin' also means how far something is joined to spiritual truth, a third part of a hin of oil was taken for the minchah in the sacrifices of a ram, and a third part of wine for the drink offering, Numbers 15:6-7; for spiritual good is meant by 'a ram', 2830, 9991. From all this it is again plainly evident that numbers are used in the Word to mean real things. What other reason could there be for the numbers used so often in Moses, Ezekiel, and elsewhere to specify amounts and measures?

4639. Genesis 36

1. And these are the generations of Esau, he being Edom.

2. Esau took his wives (femina) from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

3. And Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.

4. And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; and Basemath bore Reuel;

5. And Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6. And Esau took his wives (femina), and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his purchase which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from Jacob his brother.

7. For their acquirements were too many for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.

8. And Esau dwelt on Mount Seir, Esau himself being Edom.

9. And these are the generations of Esau the father of Edom on Mount Seir.

10. These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau; Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.

11. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

12. And Timna was a concubine belonging to Eliphaz the son of Esau; and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.

13. And these were the sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

14. And these were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon; and to Esau she bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

15. These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,

16. Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, Chief Amalek; these were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, these were the sons of Adah.

17. And these were the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, Chief Mizzah; these were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom, these were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

18. And these were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, Chief Korah; these were the chiefs of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

19. These were the sons of Esau, and these were their chiefs - he being Edom.

20. These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

21. And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan; these were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and the sister of Lotan was Timna.

23. And these were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

24. And these were the sons of Zibeon: Both Aiah and Anah, this being the Anah who found the mules in the desert while he was feeding the asses for Zibeon his father.

25. And these were the children of Anah: Dishan, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.

26. And these were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

27. These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.

28. These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29. These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,

30. Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31. And these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before a king reigned over the children of Israel.

32. And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33. And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in place of him.

34. And Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in place of him.

35. And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in place of him; and the name of his city was Avith.

36. And Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in place of him.

37. And Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth on the river reigned in place of him.

38. And Saul died, and Baal Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in place of him.

39. And Baal Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in place of him; and the name of his city was Pau. And his wife's name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred the daughter of Mezahab.

40. And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

41. Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

42. Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

43. Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom according to their habitations, in the land of their possession, Esau himself being the father of Edom.

CONTENTS

The subject now in the internal sense is the Lord's Divine Natural Good. The entire order which that Good possesses is described by the names that are given, the Lord's Divine Natural Good being meant by 'Esau'.