4349. Verse 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.

'Esau ran to meet him' means the influx of Divine Natural Good. 'And embraced him' means a first joining together effected by love. 'And fell on his neck' means a second joining together involving everything included within that universal embodiment of truth. 'And kissed him' mean an interior joining together brought about by love. 'And they wept' means the outward expression.

4358. 'And said, Who are these with you?' means acknowledgement. This becomes clear from the fact that questions in the sense of the letter are not such in the highest sense, for the Lord, who is the subject in that highest sense, has no need to ask man any questions since He knows every single thing. Consequently this question 'Who are these with you?' means acknowledgement, for 'Esau' represents the Lord as regards Divine Natural Good, and Divine Good acknowledges instantly the truths which it has to join to itself. What is more, all good does so, for good cannot exist without the things it calls truths, nor can truths exist without that which they call good. The two join together of their own accord; but as is the good so are the truths it joins to itself. It is good that acknowledges them and links itself to them like a husband to his wife; indeed the joining together of good and truths is a marriage in the spiritual sense, 2508, 2618. For good acknowledges its own truth, and truth its own good, and thereby they are joined together, see 3101, 3102, 3161, 3179, 3180.