860. From these considerations it also becomes clear that all regeneration advances from evening to morning, as is mentioned six times in Genesis 1 where the regeneration of man is the subject. Here the evening is described in verses 2-3, the morning in verses 4-5. The present verse describes the first ray of light or the morning of this state as 'the tops of the mountains appearing'.

3505. 'Before I die' means the first state of awakening in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as rising again or awakening into life, dealt with in 3326, 3498. That this is the first state is evident from the consideration that it is the good of early childhood and therefore the good of life which comes first in regeneration, which first state up to now has been represented by 'Esau'. Subsequent states, dealt with consecutively, form the subject in this chapter.