4556. 'And Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan' means the natural as it was in the previous state, while 'that is, Bethel' means the Divine Natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'Luz' as the natural as it was in the previous state, that is, the actual natural which was human. But this was made Divine, and that is the meaning of 'that is, Bethel'; for 'Bethel' is the Divine Natural, see 4089, 4539. This also explains why, when Bethel is referred to by name elsewhere in the Word, the expression 'Luz, that is, Bethel' or 'Bethel, formerly Luz' is used, as in Joshua,

The boundary of the lot of the children of Benjamin between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph went out to Luz, to the side of Luz southwards, that is, Bethel. Joshua 18:13.

And in the Book of Judges,

The house of Joseph went up to Bethel and spied out Bethel; and the name of the city formerly was Luz. Judges 1:23.

3295. 'And [one] people will prevail over [the other] people' means that at first truth must be superior to the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'people' as truth, dealt with immediately above in 3294, and from the meaning of 'prevailing over' as being superior to. The 'people' mentioned first means truth, whereas the 'people' mentioned second means the good of truth. The good of truth is good which arises out of truth, and, as it exists first of all, is truth. It is called good however because it looks like good. Consequently 'people' also means this good, which is called the good of truth as it is when it first arises.

[2] To have any concept of this good it should be recognized that until he has been regenerated a person does good from truth, but after he has been regenerated he does it from good. Or to make the point clearer still, before he has been regenerated the good he does is a product of the understanding, but after he has been regenerated it is a product of the will. Good therefore which is a product of the understanding is not in itself good but truth, whereas good that is a product of the will is good. For example, when a person does not honour his parents but then learns from the Ten Commandments to do so, his honouring of them is at first a product of the commandment. Such honouring however, being a product of the commandment, is not in itself good because it does not flow from love. It flows either from obedience to the law or from fear of the law, but is nevertheless called the good of truth. When it first arises however it is truth, for at that time it is not good that he performs but truth. When however his honouring of them is the product of love it is in that case good. The same is so in every other example that could be taken.