3542. And upon the smooth of his neck. That this signifies that disjoining truth should not appear is evident from the predication of “smooth,” or of “smoothness” as being concerning truth (n. 3527); and from the signification of the “neck” as being that which conjoins (concerning which below); here, therefore, because the appearance was upon the smooth of his neck, the signification is that disjoining truth should not appear. How the case herein is can be seen from what was said and shown above (n. 3539), namely, that that good and those truths which flow forth from the understanding, and not at the same time from the will, are not good and not truths, however much they may so appear in the outward form; and if the will is of evil, the good and the truths disjoin instead of conjoining; but if anything of the will is of good, then they do not disjoin, but conjoin, although they are disposed in an inverted order, for by their means the man is being regenerated; and because when thus disposed they serve at first for the regeneration of man, it is said that thus disjoining truth should not appear; but more concerning these things below.

[2] The reason why the “neck” signifies that which conjoins, is that the higher things in man, which are of the head, communicate through the intervening neck with the lower things which are of his body; hence it is that both influx and communication, and consequently conjunction, are signified by this intermediate part; as may be seen still more conclusively from the correspondences of the grand man with the things of the human body, treated of at the ends of the chapters. From this comes a like signification of the “neck” in the Word, as in Isaiah:

His breath as an overflowing stream will divide even unto the neck (Isaiah 30:28); where an “overflowing stream” denotes falsity thus overflowing; “dividing even unto the neck” denotes falsity closing up and thus intercepting the communication and thus the conjunction of higher things with lower ones; which conjunction is precluded and intercepted when spiritual good and truth are not received.

[3] In Habakkuk:

Thou hast smitten the head out of the house of the wicked, laying bare the foundation even unto the neck (Hab. 3:13); where “smiting the head out of the house of the wicked” denotes destroying the principles of falsity; “laying bare the foundation even unto the neck” denotes intercepting the conjunction thereby.

In Jeremiah:

Transgressions knit together are come up upon my neck; he hath overthrown my forces; God hath given me into their hands, I am not able to rise up (Lam. 1:14);

“transgressions knit together ascending upon my neck” denote falsities ascending toward interior or rational things.

[4] Inasmuch as by the “neck” was signified this communication and conjunction, therefore by the bonds of the neck was signified interception, consequently the desolation of truth which comes forth when the spiritual things that continually flow in from the Lord are no longer admitted into the rational of man, and consequently not into his natural. This interception, or desolation, is what is represented in Jeremiah by the command that he should make unto himself bonds and yokes, and should put them upon his neck, and send them to the peoples, and should say that they were to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and that they who did not yield their necks under his yoke should be visited by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence; but that those who bowed down their necks should be left upon the land (Jeremiah 27:2-3, 8, 11). To “put the neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him,” signifies to be desolated as to truth, and to be vastated as to good (that it is “Babel” which vastates, may be seen above, n. 1327; and that they are vastated lest holy things should be profaned, n. 301-303vvv2, 1327, 1328, 2426, 3398, 3399, 3402); and because when the influx of good and truth is intercepted, what is evil and false is served, therefore also to “put the neck under the yoke” signifies to serve.

[5] Again in the same Prophet:

Thus saith Jehovah, Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon within two years of days from off the neck of all the nations (Jeremiah 28:11);

signifying that they should be delivered from vastation.

In Isaiah:

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit thee down, O Jerusalem; open the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (Isaiah 52:2); where “to open the bonds of the neck” signifies to admit and receive good and truth.

In Micah:

Behold against this family do I devise an evil from which ye shall not draw forth your necks, and ye shall not walk erect, for it is an evil time (Micah 2:3).

“Not to draw forth the neck from evil” is not to admit truth; “not to walk erect” is thereby not to look to higher things, that is, to those which are of heaven (n. 248).

3527. And I am a smooth man. That this signifies the quality of natural truth relatively, is evident from the representation of Jacob who is here speaking, as being the natural as to truth (see n. 3305); and from the signification of a “smooth man,” as being its quality, concerning which something shall now be said. Before it can be known what these things signify, it must be known what is meant by “hairy,” and what by “smooth.” The interiors in man present themselves in a kind of image in his exteriors, especially in his face and its expression; at the present day his inmosts are not seen there, but his interiors are in some measure seen there, unless from infancy he has learned to dissemble, for in this case he assumes to himself as it were another lower mind, and consequently induces on himself another countenance; for it is the lower mind that appears in the face. More than others, hypocrites have acquired this from actual life, thus from habit; and this the more in proportion as they are deceitful. With those who are not hypocrites, rational good appears in the face from a certain fire of life; and rational truth from the light of this fire. Man knows these things from a certain connate knowledge, without study; for it is the life of his spirit as to good and as to truth which thus manifests itself; and because man is a spirit clothed with a body, he has such knowledge from the perception of his spirit, thus from himself; and this is the reason why a man is sometimes affected with the countenance of another; although this is not from the countenance, but from the mind which thus shines forth. But the natural appears in the face in a more obscure fire of life, and a more obscure light of life; and the corporeal hardly appears at all except in the warmth and fairness of the complexion, and in the change of their states according to the affections.

[2] Because the interiors thus manifest themselves in especial in the face, as in an image, the most ancient people who were celestial men and utterly ignorant of dissimulation, much more of hypocrisy and deceit, were able to see the minds of one another conspicuous in the face as in a form; and therefore by the “face” were signified the things of the will and of the understanding; that is, interior rational things as to good and truth (n. 358, 1999, 2434); and in fact interior things as to good by the blood and its redness; and interior things as to truths by the resultant form and its fairness; but interior natural things by the outgrowths thence, such as the hairs and the scales of the skin, namely, the things from the natural as to good by the hairs, and the things from the natural as to truth by the scales. Consequently they who were in natural good were called “hairy men,” but they who were in natural truth, “smooth men.” From these considerations it may be seen what is signified in the internal sense by the words, “Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man,” namely, the quality relatively to one another of natural good and natural truth. From all this it is evident what Esau represents, namely, the good of the natural, for he was called “Esau” from being hairy (Genesis 25:25), and “Edom” from being ruddy (Genesis 25:30). Mount Seir, where he dwelt, has the same meaning, namely, what is hairy; and because it had this meaning there was a mountain by which they went up to Seir that was called the bare or smooth mountain (Josh. 11:17; 12:7); which was also representative of truth ascending to good.

[3] That “hairy” is predicated of good, and thence of truth, and also in the opposite sense of evil, and thence of falsity, was shown above (n. 3301); but that “smooth” is predicated of truth, and in the opposite sense of falsity, is evident also from the following passages in the Word.

In Isaiah:

Ye that inflame yourselves with gods under every green tree; in the smooth things of the valley is thy portion (Isaiah 57:5-6

where “inflaming” is predicated of evil; and the “smooth things of the valley,” of falsity. Again:

The workman strengthens the smelter, him that smoothes with the hammer along with the beating on the anvil, ¹ saying to the joint, It is good (Isaiah 41:7); where the “workman strengthening the smelter” is predicated of evil; and “smoothing with the hammer,” of falsity.

In David:

They make thy mouth smooth as butter; when his heart approacheth his words are softer than oil (Psalms 55:21); where a “smooth or flattering mouth” is predicated of falsity; and the “heart and its soft things,” of evil. Again:

Their throat is an open sepulcher, they speak smooth things with their tongue (Psalms 5:9);

“the throat an open sepulcher” is predicated of evil; “the tongue speaking smooth things,” of falsity.

In Luke:

Every valley shall be filled up; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places level ways (Luke 3:5); where “valley” denotes what is lowly (n. 1723, 3417); “mountain and hill,” what is lifted up (n. 1691); “the crooked become straight,” the evil of ignorance turned into good, for “length” and what belongs thereto are predicated of good (n. 1613); the “rough places made level ways,” the falsities of ignorance turned into truths. (That “way” is predicated of truth, see n. 627, 2333.)

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