Arcana Coelestia #4118
4118. Verses 22-25 And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. And he took his brothers with him and pursued him for seven days; 1 and he caught up with him on mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care not to speak to Jacob either good or evil. And Laban overtook Jacob, and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban pitched with his brothers in mount Gilead.
'It was told to Laban on the third day' means an ending. 'That Jacob had fled' means a separation. 'And he took his brothers with him' means forms of good replacing those which it had lost. 'And pursued him' means a continuing intense desire to be joined. 'For seven days' means the holiness of truth. 'And he caught up with him on mount Gilead' means a kind of joining together was thereby effected. 'And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night' means the obscure perception of that good when left to itself. 'And said to him, Take care not to speak to Jacob either good or evil' means that no communication existed any longer. 'And Laban overtook Jacob' means a kind of joining together. 'And Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain' means a state of love, the state in which the good now meant by 'Jacob' dwelt. 'And Laban pitched with his brothers in mount Gilead' means the state of the good existing to some extent in that joining together.
Footnotes:
1. literally, pursued him a way of seven days
Numbers 32:26-41
26
Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;
27
but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says."
28
So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel.
29
Moses said to them, "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Yahweh, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
30
but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."
31
The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, "As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.
32
We will pass over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance [shall remain] with us beyond the Jordan."
33
Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities of it with [their] borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.
34
The children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35
and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,
36
and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
37
The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
38
and Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah: and they gave other names to the cities which they built.
39
The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.
40
Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.
41
Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth Jair.
