4387. And Esau returned in that day unto his way, unto Seir. That this signifies the state then of the Divine good natural to which the goods of truth were adjoined, is evident from the signification of “day,” as being state (see n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462), whence his returning in that day denotes the state which it then put on; from the representation of Esau, as being Divine good natural (see n. 4340); from the signification of “way,” as being truth in the will and act (n. 4337, 4353); and from the signification of “Seir,” as being the conjunction of truth with good (see above,n. 4384); from all which, brought together into one sense, it is evident that by these words is signified the state then of Divine good natural to which the goods of truth were adjoined.

[2] That these things are signified by these words is by no means apparent from their historical sense, but nevertheless these are the things involved in the spiritual or internal sense. For heaven, which is in man, that is, the angels who are with him, care nothing whatever for worldly historicals, neither do they know what Esau was, nor Seir, and neither do they think of the day which Esau returned, nor of the way to Seir; but from the spiritual things which correspond to them they receive ideas, and instantly draw from them such a sense; for this is effected by the correspondences, which are circumstanced almost as when anyone is speaking in a foreign tongue, and his hearer instantly understands the meaning as if from his own; nor is he hindered by the words having a foreign sound and articulation. So is it with the internal sense of the Word, which coincides altogether with the universal language in which the angels are, or with the spiritual speech of their thought. Their speech is spiritual, because their thought is from the light of heaven, which is from the Lord.

487. That by “days” are signified times and states in general, was shown in the first chapter, where the “days” of creation have no other signification. In the Word it is very usual to call all time “days” as is manifestly the case in the present verse, and in those which follow, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31 (5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31); and therefore the states of the times in general are likewise signified by “days;” and when “years” are added, then by the seasons of the years are signified the qualities of the states, thus states in special. The most ancient people had their numbers, by which they signified various things relating to the church, as the numbers “three” “seven” “ten” “twelve” and many that were compounded of these and others, whereby they described the states of the church; wherefore these numbers contain arcana which would require much time to explain. It was an account or reckoning of the states of the church. The same thing occurs in many parts of the Word, especially the prophetical. In the rites of the Jewish Church also there were numbers, both of times and measures, as for instance in regard to the sacrifices, meat-offerings, oblations, and other things, which everywhere signify holy things, according to their application. The things here involved, therefore, in the number “eight hundred” and in the next verse, in the number “nine hundred and thirty” and in the numbers of years in the verses following-namely, the changes of state of their church as applied to their own general state-are too many to be recounted. In a future part of this work, of the Lord’s Divine mercy we shall take occasion to show what the simple numbers up to “twelve” signify, for until the signification of these is known, it would be impossible to apprehend the signification of the compound numbers.