3686. And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father. That this signifies the Lord’s foresight and providence, that the affections of that truth with which natural good had been heretofore conjoined would not conduce to conjunction, is evident from the signification here of “seeing,” as being foresight and providence (see n. 2837, 2839); and from the representation of Esau, as being the Lord in respect to the Divine good of the natural (concerning which see above); from the signification of the “daughters of Canaan,” here the daughters of Heth, as being the affections of truth from a ground not genuine (n. 3470, 3620-3621, 3622); and from the signification of “being evil in the eyes of Isaac his father,” as being not to conduce to conjunction, namely, through the good of the natural, which is “Esau,” with the good of the rational, which is “Isaac.” From all this it is evident that by these words is signified the Lord’s foresight and providence, that the affections of that truth, because not from a genuine ground, would not conduce to conjunction. How the case herein is, may be seen from the explication at chapter 26, verses 34-35, where the daughters of Heth are treated of whom Esau had taken to himself for women; and at chapter, 27 verse 46, where it is said of Jacob that he should not take to himself a woman of the daughters of Canaan [Heth]. That by the “daughters of Canaan” are here signified the affections of truth from a ground not genuine, and above by the “daughters of Canaan,” the affections of falsity and evil (n. 3662, 3683), is because the Hittites were of the Church of the Gentiles in the land of Canaan, and were not so much in falsity and evil as were the other nations there-the Canaanites, Amorites, and Perizzites. Hence also by the Hittites there was represented the Lord’s spiritual church among the Gentiles (n. 2913, 2986).

[2] That the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial and existed before the flood, was in the land of Canaan, may be seen above (n. 567); and that the Ancient Church, which was after the flood, was also in that land, and moreover in a number of other kingdoms, see above (n. 1238, 2385). From this it came to pass that all the nations in that land, and likewise all the regions and all the rivers thereof, became representative; for the most ancient people, who were celestial men, by means of all the objects which they saw, perceived such things as are of the Lord’s kingdom (n. 920, 1409, 2896, 2897, 2995); thus also by means of the regions and rivers of that land. After their times these representatives remained in the Ancient Church, thus also the representatives of the places in that land. The Word in the Ancient Church (n. 2897-2899), also had thence the names of places representative, as had also the Word after their time which is called “Moses and the Prophets;” and because this was so, Abraham was commanded to go thither, and a promise was made him that his posterity should possess that land; and this not because of their being better than other nations, for they were among the worst of all (n. 1167, 3373), but in order that by them a representative church might be instituted, in which no attention should be paid to person or to place, but to the things that were represented (n. 3670); and that thereby also the names used in the Most Ancient and the Ancient Church might be retained.

3620. I loathe my life because of the daughters of Heth. That this signifies the adjunction of natural truth from another source, is evident from the signification of “loathing one’s life,” as being no adjunction, namely, of natural truth to the truth of the rational, for when there is not adjunction, then to the rational its life appears as if it were no life, as may be seen from what was said above (n. 3493); and from the signification of the “daughters of Heth,” as being the affections of truth from what is not genuine; here, the affections of natural truth, because spoken of Jacob, by whom natural truth is represented, as before shown. (That “daughters” are affections may be seen above, n. 2362; and that “Heth” or “Hittite” is truth from what is not genuine, n. 3470.) Hence it is evident that by “I loathe my life because of the daughters of Heth,” is signified that there could be no adjunction of the natural through truth which is not from what is genuine; thus that there must be the adjunction of natural truth from another source.

The adjunction of natural truth is treated of in what follows, where mention is made of Jacob’s stay with Laban, namely, that truths from a common stock were adjoined thereto; and by the truths which the daughters of Heth represent, because they were not from that stock, no adjunction could be effected, since there was disparity and discordance; for by the sons of Heth is represented the spiritual church among the Gentiles (n. 2913, 2986), in which, as they have not the Word, the truths are not from that origin.