3809. 'And brought him to his house' means to their being joined together. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing to the house' as taking to oneself, for in the internal sense a person himself is called 'a house', see 3128, 3242, 3538. He is so called by virtue of good, which strictly speaking is 'the house', 2233, 2331, 3652, 3720. In this case therefore a bringing to the good represented by 'Laban' is meant. That being so, 'bringing to his house' here means a joining together. This verse in the internal sense describes the whole process by which natural good meant by 'Jacob' is joined to a parallel good meant by 'Laban'. The following five phases constitute that process: Mutual acknowledgement, agreement, affection, an initial stage to a joining together, and actual joining together. Mutual acknowledgement was meant by 'Rachel ran and told her father' and by 'Laban heard the news about Jacob his sister's son', dealt with in 3804, 3805: agreement by 'Laban ran to meet him', dealt with in 3806: affection by 'Laban embraced him', dealt with in 3807: the initial stage to a joining together by 'he kissed him', dealt with in 3808: and the joining together by 'he brought him to his house', dealt with in this paragraph.

2971. 'The field and the cave which was in it' means as regards the good and truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the field' as the Church and also good itself which constitutes the Church (that which is celestial - or good that stems from love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour - is compared to 'the ground' as well as to the field, and is actually called these, because that which is celestial - or good - is the recipient of the truths of faith; and these truths are compared to and are also actually called 'seeds'); and from the meaning of 'a cave' as the truth of faith which is enveloped in obscurity, dealt with in 2935. It is said to be in obscurity because it is with spiritual people, see 1043, 2708, 2715.