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Genesis 33

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1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.

6 Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7 And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord.

9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine.

10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.

12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find favor in the sight of my lord.

16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city.

19 And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.

20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-israel.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #4337

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4337. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Where Jacob is referred to in previous chapters, the subject in the internal sense has been the acquisition of truth within the Natural, an acquisition which is made there so that such truth may be joined to good; for all truth exists for the sake of that end. In the internal sense 'Jacob' is that truth, and 'Esau' is the good to which it is joined. Before the two are joined together truth seems to occupy first place, but after they have been joined good in fact does so, see 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 3995.

This is also what is meant by Isaac's prophecy addressed to Esau,

By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; and it will be, when you have dominion over him, that you will break his yoke from your neck. Genesis 27:40.

That state foretold there is the actual subject now. And this is why in verses 5, 8, 13-14 of the present chapter Jacob calls Esau his lord and himself Esau's servant

[2] It should be recognized that 'Jacob' at this point represents the good of truth. But regarded in itself such good is simply truth, for as long as truth exists solely in the memory it is referred to as truth. But once it exists in the will and as a consequence in action it is called the good of truth, for the performance of truth is nothing else. Whatever proceeds from the will is called good since in essence the will consists in love and in affection flowing from love, and everything that is done from love and attendant affection is termed good. Nor is truth able to be joined to good which flows in by way of the internal man and is Divine in origin - which good is represented here by 'Esau' - until truth exists as truth in will and action, that is, as the good of truth. For good which flows in by way of the internal man and is Divine in origin flows into the will, and there meets the good of truth which has been introduced by way of the external man.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.