4277. 'And he touched the hollow of his thigh' means where celestial-spiritual good is joined to natural good meant by 'Jacob'. This is clear from the meaning of 'the thigh' as conjugial love, and consequently as all celestial and spiritual love, since these are derived from conjugial love as offspring from their parent, dealt with in 3021; and from the meaning of 'the hollow' or socket or cavity of it - that is to say, of the thigh - as the place where the joining together exists, and here therefore where celestial-spiritual good is joined to natural good meant by 'Jacob'. But no one can be told anything about that conjunction unless he knows first of all what celestial-spiritual good, meant by 'Israel', is, and what natural good, meant by 'Jacob', is. It will be told below at verse 28 where Jacob, who at that point is named Israel, is the subject and also further on where Jacob's descendants are the subject.

10488. 'Put everyone his sword on [his] thigh' means truth springing from good engaged in conflict against falsity arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'sword' as truth engaged in conflict against falsity, dealt with in 2799, 8294; and from the meaning of 'the thigh' as the good of love, dealt with in 3021, 4277, 4280, 5050-5062, 9961. The words 'sword on the thigh' are used because truth that is engaged in conflict against falsity and evil and is overcoming them must spring from good. All the power truth possesses is derived from it. Without good truth is not even truth, for it is no more than lifeless factual knowledge; consequently truth without good possesses no power at all. By truth springing from good a life in keeping with truth should be understood, for good is connected with life. From this it is evident why it says that the sword was to be put on the thigh, as also in David where what is said refers to the Lord,

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Hero, in Your glory and Your honour! Psalms 45:3.

3584. 'Cursed be those cursing you' means that the person who separates himself will be separated, while 'blessed be those blessing you' means that the person who joins himself will be joined. This is clear from the meaning of 'being cursed' as being separated from, and of 'being blessed' as being joined to, dealt with in 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565. These expressions have reference to truths - 'those cursing' meaning falsities, which sever themselves from truths, and 'those blessing' meaning truths, which link themselves to all other truths. For truths and goods are such that they form themselves into a community and at length constitute so to speak a single political unit. In the same way also such units group themselves together. The origins of all this lie in the form heaven takes. Within that form angels are positioned according to the blood relationships and relationships by marriage that exist between good and truth. In this way all the angels together constitute one kingdom or a single political unit. It is from this heavenly form that truths and goods flow in with man and become so positioned there that a similar form is produced, all of which is effected by the Lord alone. But what is involved here will be seen far more clearly from the correspondence of the Grand Man, which is heaven, with every single thing that exists with man. This correspondence will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with at the ends of chapters. From these considerations it is now evident what Isaac's blessing, pronounced over Jacob but meant for Esau, embodies, namely the fruitfulness of good through the multiplication of truth, and of further fruitfulness of the latter.