6236. They are mine. That this signifies that they are in me, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who says this of himself, as being the truth of the natural (of which below); and from the representation of Manasseh and Ephraim, as being the will and the intellectual of the church in the natural (see n. 5354, 6222). That these words, “they are mine,” denote that they are in me, is because Jacob is the truth of the natural, thus also the natural as to truth, and in the natural are the intellectual and the will which are represented by Ephraim and Manasseh; and therefore as they are in this natural, by their “being mine” is signified that they are in me. That “Jacob” is the natural, in the supreme sense the Lord’s Divine natural, may be seen above (n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3576, 4009, 4538, 4570, 6098), and in the relative sense truth in the natural, thus also the natural as to truth (n. 3509, 3525, 3546); and as “Jacob” in general is truth in the natural, therefore his “ten sons” are the truths of the church there in particular (n. 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512), thus now also the “sons of Joseph.” By Pharaoh also is represented the natural, yet not as to truths, but as to memory-knowledges, which are lower, and into which truths can be initiated and insinuated, which was represented by the coming of Jacob and his sons into Egypt.

3509. And Rebekah said unto Jacob her son. That this signifies the Lord’s perception from Divine truth concerning natural truth, is evident from the representation of Rebekah, as being the Divine truth of the Lord’s Divine rational (see n. 3012, 3013, 3077); from the signification of “saying” as being to perceive (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2506, 2515, 2552, 2619); and from the representation of Jacob, as being the Lord’s natural as to truth (n. 3305); from all which it is manifest that by “Rebekah said unto Jacob her son,” is signified the Lord’s perception from Divine truth concerning natural truth. That the Lord from the Divine good of the Divine rational which is represented by Isaac, willed to procure truth for Himself through the good of the natural which is represented by Esau, whereby He might glorify or make Divine His natural; but that the Lord from the Divine truth of the Divine rational which is represented by Rebekah willed to procure for Himself through the truth of the natural which is represented by Jacob the truth by means of which the rational might be glorified or made Divine, cannot be apprehended unless it is illustrated by the things that come to pass in man while being regenerated or made new by the Lord; nor indeed even by this unless it is known how the case is with the rational as to the good and as to the truth therein-which must therefore be briefly stated.

[2] The rational mind is distinguished into two faculties, one faculty being called the will, and the other the understanding. During man’s regeneration, that which proceeds from the will is called good, and that which proceeds from the understanding is called truth. Before man has been regenerated the will does not act as one with the understanding; but the former wills good, while the latter wills truth; insomuch that an effort of the will is perceived as being quite distinct from one of the understanding. This however is perceived only by those who reflect, and who know what the will is and the things that belong thereto, and what the understanding is and the things that belong thereto; but it is not perceived by those who do not know these things and therefore who do not reflect, for the reason that the natural mind is regenerated through the rational mind (see n. 3493), and this according to an order such that the good of the rational does not flow immediately into the good of the natural and regenerate it, but through the truth which is of the understanding, thus in appearance from the truth of the rational. These are the things treated of in this chapter in the internal sense; for “Isaac” is the rational mind as to the good which is of the will, “Rebekah” being the same with respect to the truth which is of the understanding; “Esau” is the good of the natural that comes forth from the good of the rational; and “Jacob” is the truth of the natural that comes forth from the good of the rational through the truth therein.

[3] From these things it may be seen what arcana are contained in the internal sense of the Word; but still there are very few which can be described to human apprehension; while those which transcend it, and cannot be described, are without limit; for in proportion as the Word penetrates more deeply, that is, more interiorly, into heaven, the more innumerable and ineffable the arcana become, not only to man, but also to the angels of the lower heaven; and when it reaches the inmost heaven, the angels there perceive that the arcana are infinite, and are altogether incomprehensible to them, because they are Divine. Such is the Word.