Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to meet Esau, and the angel tells him that his name will be changed. After he is reconciled with Esau, they go their separate ways. Jacob moves to Shechem and then on to Bethel, where he builds an altar to the Lord. The Lord appears to him there, renews the covenant He first made with Abraham and again tells him that his name will be Israel (Genesis 35). The story goes on to tell of Benjamin's birth and Rachel's death in bearing him, and then of Jacob's return to Isaac and Isaac's death and burial. But at that point the main thread of the story leaves Israel and turns to Joseph, and Israel is hardly mentioned until after Joseph has risen to power in Egypt, has revealed himself to his brothers and tells them to bring all of their father's household down to Egypt. There, before Israel dies, he blesses Joseph's sons, plus all his own sons. After his death he is returned to the land of Canaan for burial in Abraham's tomb. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob represents truth, and Esau good. Jacob's stay in Padan-Aram, and the wealth he acquired there, represent learning the truths of scripture, just as we learn when we read the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. The change of name from Jacob to Israel represents the realization that what we learn should not simply be knowledge, but should be the rules of our life, to be followed by action. This action is the good that Esau has represented in the story up to that time, but after the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, Jacob as Israel now represents the truth and the good, together. It is interesting that even after his name change Jacob is rarely called Israel. Sometimes he is called one and sometimes the other, and sometimes he is called both Jacob and Israel in the same verse (Genesis 46:2, 5, & 8 also Psalm 14:7). This is because Jacob represents the external person and Israel the internal person, and even after the internal person comes into being, we spend much of our lives living on the external level.

(参照: Arcana Coelestia 4274, 4292, 4570, 5595, 6225, 6256, Genesis 2:5, 46:8)

4648. Verses 20-28 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan; these were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and the sister of Lotan was Timna. And these were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho and Onam. And these were the sons of Zibeon: Both Aiah and Anah, this being the Anah who found the mules in the desert while he was feeding the asses for Zibeon his father. And these were the children of Anah: Dishan, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. And these were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

[2] 'These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land' means derivative truths in their proper order. 'Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan' means the essential nature of these. 'These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir' means the leading truths of good which are secondary to the truths mentioned above. 'In the land of Edom' means within the Lord's Divine Human. 'And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and the sister of Lotan was Timna' means a second group of truths. 'And these were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho and Onam' means a third group and its essential nature.

[3] 'And these were the sons of Zibeon: Both Aiah and Anah' means a third group and its essential nature. 'This being the Anah who found the mules in the desert' means truths arising out of factual knowledge. 'While he was feeding the asses for Zibeon his father' means when He was occupied with factual knowledge. 'And these were the children of Anah: Dishan, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah' means a third group and its essential nature. 'And these were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran' means a fourth group and its essential nature. 'These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan' means a fourth group and its essential nature. 'These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran' means a fifth group and its essential nature.