3678. Verses 6-9 And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him away to Paddan Aram to take a wife for himself from there, and in blessing him had commanded him, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan; and that Jacob had listened to his father and to his mother, and had gone to Paddan Aram. And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father. And Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, as a wife (mulier) in addition to the wives (femina) he had.

'Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob' means the thought which natural good had regarding the joining [to the Divine Rational] through the good of truth, represented by 'Jacob'. 'And had sent him away to Paddan Aram' means the beginning of the manifestation [of the Natural] through cognitions of that good. 'To take a wife for himself from there' means a joining together thereby through the affection for truth. 'In blessing him had commanded him, saying' means reflection and consequent perception so that the joining together might be effected. 'You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan' means that it had not to be joined to affections for falsity and evil. 'And that Jacob had listened to his father and to his mother' means obedience and affection. 'And had gone to Paddan Aram' means here, as previously, so as to be furnished with those cognitions of good and truth. 'And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father' means the Lord's foresight and provision that the affections for that truth - the affections to which natural good had been joined until then - would not be suitable for such conjunction. 'And Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son' means the joining of that good to truth from a Divine source. 'The sister of Nebaioth, as a wife in addition to the wives he had' means an affection for celestial truth more internally.

3565. 'And he blessed him' means resulting conjunction. This is clear from the meaning of 'being blessed' as conjunction, dealt with in 3504, 3514, 3530. In this state however the conjunction was none other than that described in 3563. Inmost, but not intermediate, conjunction existed with truth represented by Jacob, so that it was a conjunction through the end in view, which is inmost good and which could be actualized in this way and no other way. When such an end exists a conjunction of inmost things with outermost ones is effected first. Intermediate conjunction comes gradually. This the end brings about, for all progress lies with the end. Indeed the Lord acts through ends, and by means of them gradually re-arranges intermediate things into proper order. This is the origin of the conjunction meant by the reference to Isaac blessing Jacob.