4565. 'And its name was called Allon Bacuth' means the essential nature of the natural which was cast out. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421. In the original language 'Allon Bacuth' means an oak of weeping; and that place was called this because 'an oak' means the lowest part of the natural, into which and finally outside which hereditary evil was cast. As regards 'an oak' meaning the lowest part of the natural and also that which lasts for ever, see 4552. But 'weeping' means the final farewell - hence the custom to weep for the dead when they were being buried, even though people recognized that through burial merely the corpse was cast away, and those who had lived in what was now their corpse were still alive so far as the interior aspects of them were concerned. From this one may see what the essential nature is that is meant by 'Allon Bacuth' or an oak of weeping.

4553. Verses 5-7 And they travelled on; and the terror of God was on the cities which were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan - that is, Bethel - he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, for there the gods were revealed to him, when he was fleeing from before his brother.

'They travelled on' means a continuation. 'And the terror of God was on the cities which were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob' means that falsities and evils were unable to come near. 'And Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan' means the natural as it was in the previous state. 'That is, Bethel' means the Divine Natural. 'He and all the people who were with him' means with all things there. 'And he built an altar there' means through being made holy. 'And called the place El Bethel' means a holy natural. 'For there the gods were revealed to him' means holy truths. 'When he was fleeing from before his brother' means after truths were placed above good.