3775. 'Jacob said to them' means the truth of good. This is clear from the representation of 'Jacob' as the Lord's Divine Natural; dealt with already. Since every single thing, wherever it may be, has reference to good and truth, 3166, 3513, 3519, so also does everything in the natural; and since during a person's regeneration good and truth in the natural exist in a different state at the beginning from the state in which they exist during the process of regeneration and at the end of it, 'Jacob' therefore represents truth and good present in the natural, in a relationship to each other determined by the particular state; here he represents the truth of good. But to explain their varying relationship to each other every time they occur would cast the subject into obscurity, especially with people who have no distinct concept of truth and good, let alone of truth through which good comes, and of truth which stems from good.

142. Verses 19-20 And Jehovah God formed out of the ground every beast of the field, and every bird of the air, ¹ and He brought it to the man to see what he would call it; and whatever the man called it, the living creature, ² that was its name. And the man gave names to every beast, and to the birds of the air, ¹ and to every wild animal of the field; but for man there was not found a help suitable for him.

'Beasts' means celestial affections, 'birds of the air' ³ spiritual ones; that is, 'beasts' means things that belong to the will, and 'birds' those that belong to the understanding. 'Bringing them to the man to see what he would call them' means enabling him to know their nature. 'He gave them names means that he did recognize their nature. But even though he knew the nature of the affections for good and the cognitions of truth which the Lord had granted him, he still set his heart on the proprium, which is expressed in the same way as before - 'there was not found a help suitable for him'.

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