3712. And I will bring thee back to this ground. That this signifies conjunction with Divine doctrine, is evident from the signification of “bringing back,” as being to conjoin again; and from the signification of “ground,” as being the doctrine of good and truth in the natural man (see n. 268, 566, 990); in the present case Divine doctrine, because by the sojourning of Jacob with Laban are represented the intervening means by which the Lord made His natural Divine: and by the “bringing back” of Jacob, or his return to the land of Canaan, is represented the end of the intervening means; namely, that the Lord had now made His natural Divine: thus by the words “I will bring thee back to this ground,” is signified conjunction with Divine doctrine.

[2] Divine doctrine is Divine truth; and Divine truth is all the Word of the Lord; Divine doctrine itself is the Word in the supreme sense, in which the Lord alone is treated of; and from this, Divine doctrine is the Word in the internal sense, in which the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens and on earth is treated of. Divine doctrine is also the Word in the literal sense, in which the things that are in the world and upon earth are treated of. And whereas the literal sense contains within it the internal sense, and this the supreme sense, and as the literal sense altogether corresponds thereto by means of representatives and significatives, therefore also the doctrine therefrom is Divine. As Jacob represents the Lord’s Divine natural, he represents also the Word as to the literal sense; for it is well known that the Lord is the Word, that is, all Divine truth.

[3] The natural of the Word is circumstanced no otherwise than is its literal sense, for this is relatively a cloud (see the preface to chapter 18); whereas its rational-that is, the interior spiritual of the Word-is circumstanced as is the internal sense; and as the Lord is the Word, it may be said that the internal sense is represented by Isaac, but the supreme sense by Abraham. From this we can see what is meant by conjunction with Divine doctrine, when this is predicated of the Lord’s Divine natural which is represented by Jacob. Nevertheless these things are not so in the Lord, for all in Him is Divine good, and not Divine truth, and still less Divine natural truth; but Divine truth is the Divine good appearing in heaven before the angels, and on earth before men; and although it is an appearing, still it is Divine truth, because it is from the Divine good; just as light is of the sun, because from the sun (see n. 3704).