3707. 'And your seed will be as the dust of the earth' means that Divine natural Truth would be as natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as truth, dealt with immediately above in 3706, 'your seed' - that is, Jacob's - consequently meaning Divine natural Truth, for as shown above 'Jacob' represents the Lord's Divine Natural; and from the meaning of 'the dust of the earth' as good, dealt with in 1610. Consequently 'your seed will be as the dust of the earth' means in the internal sense that Divine natural Truth will be as Divine natural Good. The reason 'the dust of the earths means good is that 'the earth' means the Lord's kingdom and accordingly good, as shown just above in 3705. 'The dust of the earth' therefore means good, though natural good since the earth, as also shown in that place, means that which is lower in the Lord's kingdom, thus the natural, while heaven when mentioned as well means that which is interior, or the rational. This is why the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth are described in various places by means of expressions stating that someone's seed will be as the stars of heaven and as the dust of the earth. 'The stars of heaven' in that case means rational concepts, and 'the dust of the earth' natural images, which will increase in this fashion. What is meant by natural truth becoming as natural good will in the Lord's Divine mercy be explained later on.

9648. 'And for the other side of the dwelling-place - on the north side' means towards the more external parts of that heaven, where truth dwells in obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'the dwelling-place' as heaven, dealt with in 9594; and from the meaning of 'the north' as more external parts, where truth dwells in obscurity, dealt with in 3708. From these meanings it is evident that 'the side of the dwelling-place - on the north side' means towards the more external parts of heaven, where truth dwells in obscurity. There are four states to which the four quarters in the world - east, west, south, and north - correspond. East corresponds to a state in which good is on the rise, and west to a state in which good is on the decline; south corresponds to a state in which truth dwells in light, but north to a state in which truth dwells in shade, 3708. The state of good which the east corresponds to, and the state of truth which the south corresponds to, are more internal states, while the state of good which the west and that of truth which the north correspond to are more external states. For the more internal every state is, the more perfect it is; and the more external it is, the less perfect and so more obscure it is. This is why the higher a person can be raised towards more internal things, the more he advances into the perception of good and the light of truth. When therefore a person lays aside things of the body, which are truly external things, as happens when he leaves this world, he enters into intelligence and wisdom, and so into the perception of all forms of happiness. He does so provided that he has been leading a life of truth and goodness. And the more he has allowed himself to be raised towards the more internal parts of heaven by leading a good life based on teachings about the truth, the greater is that perception.