4020. 'And the flocks brought forth variegated, speckled, and spotted ones' means that as a consequence natural good itself possessed such things, from the intermediate good meant by Laban. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing forth' as acknowledgement and a joining together, dealt with in 3911, 3915; from the meaning of 'variegated ones' as truths with which evils have been mingled, 4005; from the meaning of 'speckled ones' as goods with which evils have been mingled; and from the meaning of 'spotted ones' as truths with which falsities have been mingled, dealt with in 3993, 3995, 4005. These are the things meant here which passed from the good meant by 'Laban' to the good of natural truth represented by 'Jacob'.

3910. 'And he said, Am I in God's place' means that that good was powerless. This is clear from the meaning of 'not being in God's place' as powerlessness, for the name 'God' is derived from potentiality (posse) or power (potentia), whereas the name 'Jehovah' is derived from being (esse) or essence (essentia), see 300. Consequently 'God' is used when truth is the subject and 'Jehovah' when good is the subject, 2769, 2807, 2822, since potentiality (posse) is used in reference to truth, and being (esse) to good. Indeed it is through truth that good has any power, for it is through truth that good can effect anything that comes into being. From this it may be seen that the words 'Am I in God's place' in the internal sense mean that natural good was powerless.