6273. 'For Manasseh was the firstborn' means since good does indeed occupy the first place. This is clear from the representation of 'Manasseh' as good belonging to the will, dealt with before; and from the meaning of 'the birthright' as the prior and higher position, dealt with in 3325, so that 'the firstborn' is the one who occupies the first place. Is anyone incapable of seeing from natural light alone, provided a superior light brightens it a little, that good occupies the first place, as also do the intentions in a person's will, and that truth occupies the second, as also do the thoughts in his mind? Is anyone also incapable of seeing that the intentions in a person's will cause him to think in one particular way and no other, consequently that the good he possesses causes him to think that this or that is true; so that truth occupies the second place and good the first? Think and reflect on whether truth that composes faith can take root anywhere else than in good, or whether faith other than that which has taken root there is faith. From this you will be able to decide which is the primary or essential element for the Church, that is, for the person in whom the Church exists.

4272. Verses 24-25 And Jacob remained alone; and a man wrestled with him until dawn came up. And he ¹ saw that he did not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him.

'Jacob remained alone' means the good of truth, which had now been arrived at and was at this point the ultimate form of good. 'And a man wrestled with him' means temptation that concerns truth. 'Until dawn came up' means before natural good, meant by 'Jacob', was joined to the celestial-spiritual, that is, to the Divine good of truth. 'And he saw that he did not prevail against him' means that in temptations He conquered. 'And he touched the hollow of his thigh' means where celestial-spiritual good is joined to natural good meant by 'Jacob'. 'And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him' means that truth did not as yet have the power to join itself completely to good.

[2] The same statements used here also have regard to Jacob and his descendants, in which case they are used to mean the essential nature of those people. Regarded in this sense the words 'he touched the hollow of his thigh' mean where conjugial love is joined to natural good, while the words 'the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him' mean that in the descendants of Jacob that conjunction had been thoroughly damaged and the two loves pulled apart.

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