4270. 'And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two servant-girls, and his eleven sons, and passed over at the passage of Jabbok' means the first instillation of the affections for truth, together with truths that had been acquired. This is clear from the meaning of 'the two wives', who in this case are Rachel and Leah, as affections for truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819; from the meaning of 'the two servant-girls', who in this case are Bilhah and Zilpah, as exterior affections for truth that serve as means, dealt with in 3849, 3931; from the meaning of 'sons' as truths, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373; and from the meaning of 'the passage of Jabbok' as the first instillation. The reason why 'Jabbok' means the first instillation is that it was a boundary to the land of Canaan. All the boundaries of that land were signs meaning the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom, the distance and position of them determining their exact meanings, see 1585, 1866, 4116, 4240. The same applies to 'the ford (or passage) of Jabbok', which in relation to the land of Canaan was across the Jordan and was the boundary of the inheritance of the children of Reuben and Gad, as becomes clear from Numbers 21:24; Deuteronomy 2:36-37; 3:16-17; Joshua 12:2; Judges 11:13, 22. The reason why that territory had fallen to them as an inheritance was that Reuben represented faith in the understanding, or doctrine, which is the first stage of regeneration, or the truth of doctrine as a whole, by means of which the good of life is arrived at, see 3861, 3866; while Gad represented the works of faith, 3934. That is to say, those truths of faith or matters of doctrine, and these works of faith which are the works performed first, are the ones by means of which a person who is being regenerated is led on into good. This is why 'the passage of Jabbok' means the first instillation.

4241. 'The field of Edom' means truth derived from this, that is to say, from good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the field of Edom' as the Lord's Divine Natural as regards good to which truths, or matters of doctrine regarding truth, were joined, dealt with in 3302, 3322. Truths derived from this, that is, from good, are quite different from truths which are the source of good. Truths which are the source of good are those which a person takes to himself before regeneration, whereas truths which are derived from good are those which he takes to himself after regeneration. For after regeneration truths are the product of good since good is now the source of his perception and knowledge that they are truths. Such truth - truth which is the product of good - is that which is meant by 'the field of Edom', as also in the place quoted above from the Book of Judges,

O Jehovah, when You went forth from Seir, when You set out from the field of Edom. Judges 5:4.