4298. En Jakob noemde de naam van de plaats Peniël; dat dit de staat van de verzoekingen betekent, staat vast uit de samenhang; oudtijds werden aan plaatsen waar iets bijzonders voorviel, namen gegeven en deze namen waren tekenend voor de zaak die daar voorviel en voor de staat ervan, nrs. 340, 2643, 3422; aan deze plaats werd een naam gegeven die de staat van de verzoekingen betekende, want de staat van de verzoekingen wordt hier beschreven door de worsteling en het kampen van Jakob; Peniël betekent in de oorspronkelijke taal ‘de aangezichten van God’ ; dat ‘de aangezichten van God’ zien, wil zeggen, de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstaan, zal in wat volgt worden ontvouwd.

2465. Verses 31-36 And the firstborn said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come to us, according to the way of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him and let us keep seed alive by our father. And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up. And so it was on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine again tonight, and come, lie with him, and let us keep seed alive by our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger rose up and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up. And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.

[2] 'The firstborn said to the younger' here, as previously, means affections - 'the firstborn' meaning the affection for that kind of good, 'the younger' the affection for that kind of falsity. 'Our father is old, and there is no man in the land' means that it is no longer known what good is and what truth is. 'To come to us' means to which those affections might be joined. 'According to the way of all the earth' means according to matters of doctrine, 'earth' being the Church. 'Come, let us make our father drink wine' means that they might saturate such good with falsities, meant by the wine. 'And let us lie with him' means that in this way they would be joined together.

[3] 'And let us keep seed alive by our father' means that in this way a new kind of a Church would emerge. 'And they made their father drink wine' means that they saturated such good with falsities. 'That night' means when all things were enveloped in so much obscurity. 'And the firstborn came' means the affection for that kind of good. 'And lay with her father' means that in this way the two were brought together. 'And he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up' means that such general good knew no other than that it was so. 'And on the next day' means afterwards. 'The firstborn said to the younger' means that the affection for such good persuaded the falsity. 'Behold, I lay last night with my father' means that thus they had been joined together. 'Let us make him drink wine again tonight' means here, as previously, that they saturated such good with falsities, at a time when everything was enveloped in so much obscurity. 'And come, lie with him' means that these might be joined together as well.

[4] 'And let us keep seed alive by our father' here, as previously, means that in this way a new kind of a Church would emerge. 'And they made their father drink wine that night also' means that in that obscure state they saturated such good with falsities. 'And the younger rose up and lay with him' means that the affection for falsity acted in a similar fashion, so that falsities looked like truths, and the two were in this way joined together. 'And he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up' here, as previously, means that such a general type of good knew no other than that it was so. 'And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father' means that this was how such a religion as that meant by 'Moab' and 'the son of Ammon' arose.