3550. 'I am Esau your firstborn' means that it believed itself to be natural good itself. This is clear from the representation of 'Esau' and from the meaning of 'firstborn' as good, and indeed natural good, represented by 'Esau'. For the truth which a person possesses prior to regeneration is believed by him to be good itself. People who have perception know that it is not good but truth appearing under the form of good; but those who do not have perception are not aware of any such difference, as will also be more evident from what follows below.

A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.