3143. And there is room for the camels. That this signifies a state for all things that would be serviceable to Him, is evident from the signification of “room,” as being state (see above, n. 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 2625); and from the signification of “camels,” as being general memory-knowledges (see n. 3048, 3071). That these are things for service may be seen above (n. 1486, 3019, 3020); for all things that belong to the natural man are for no other use than to serve the spiritual; wherefore also menservants, maidservants, camels, and asses, in the internal sense chiefly signify the things which belong to the natural man.

3651. Everyone may see that these words contain arcana, and that unless these arcana are disclosed it is impossible to know what is meant by “them that are in Judea fleeing to the mountains;” by “him that is upon the housetop not going down to take anything out of his house;” and by “him that is in the field not returning back to take his garment.” Unless the internal sense were to teach what these words signify and enfold within them, the investigators and interpreters of the Word might be led away and fall into opinions altogether foreign to the truth; or it might even happen that those who at heart deny the holiness of the Word might come to the conclusion that such expressions merely describe flight and escape on the approach of an enemy; consequently that there is nothing more holy contained therein; when yet by these words of the Lord there is fully described a state of the devastation of the church in respect to the goods of love and the truths of faith; as may be seen from the following explication of the words in question.

3508. And Esau went to the field to hunt for a hunting, to bring it. That this signifies the endeavor of the affection of good to procure truth which might be conjoined with the Divine rational, is evident from the representation of Esau, as being the good of the natural (concerning which see above); hence comes the affection of good of the rational in the natural, for the good which is in the natural is not of the natural, but is of the rational in the natural (n. 3498); and from the signification of “going to the field to hunt for a hunting, to bring it,” as being the endeavor to procure truth for itself; for a “field” is where there is good ground (n. 3500); a “hunting” is truth which is from good (n. 3501); and “to bring it,” is to procure it, thus to adjoin it to the Divine rational. As before said, in the supreme sense the glorification of the Lord’s natural is here treated of; and in the representative sense the regeneration of the natural in man (n. 3490). It is according to order that this should be accomplished through truth, that is, through the knowledges of good and truth, for without these the natural cannot be enlightened by the rational, or through the rational; thus it cannot be regenerated, knowledges being the vessels recipient of the good and truth flowing in from the rational; and according to the quality and quantity which the vessels receive, such is the enlightenment. The vessels which receive good and truth from the rational are the very truths of the natural, which are nothing else than memory-knowledges, knowledges, and doctrinal things. Goods come from the order of the things which flow in, and from the order among themselves of the things which are there; hence comes the good of the natural.