165. The nakedness of which they were not ashamed means innocence. This is quite clear from what follows. When integrity and innocence left them they were then ashamed of their nakedness, and it seemed disgraceful to them, and so they hid themselves. It is additionally clear from the things represented in the world of spirits that the nakedness of which they were not ashamed means innocence. Indeed when spirits wish to exonerate themselves and prove that they are blameless they present themselves naked to witness their innocence. This is particularly clear with the innocent in heaven, who look like young children, naked, and wearing garlands round them that accord with their particular variety of innocence. But those who do not possess so much innocence appear clothed in splendid and shining clothes - you might call them brightest silk - like angels when seen from time to time by the prophets.

4559. 'And called the place El Bethel' means a holy natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'Bethel' as the Divine Natural, dealt with in 4089, 4539, 4556. But when this place is called El Bethel it is not the Divine Natural that is meant but a holy natural, for when He made His Human Divine the Lord first of all made it holy. The difference between making Divine and making holy is that what is Divine is Jehovah Himself, whereas what is holy is from Jehovah. The former is the Divine Being (Esse) itself, the latter that which comes into being from this. When the Lord glorified Himself, He made even His Human the Divine Being (Esse) or Jehovah, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035; but before He made His Human Divine He made it holy. It was by a process such as this that the Lord glorified His Human. This also is why in this verse Bethel is called El Bethel, to which the phrase 'for there the gods were revealed to him' is added, to explain what El means. In the original language El means God, but in this explanatory phrase the plural 'gods' is used because in the internal sense 'gods' means holy truths, 4402. In what follows however that place is called simply Bethel. That is, verse 15 says, 'Jacob called the name of the place Bethel', then adds, 'where God spoke to him', the singular 'God' being used this time. In the original language Bethel is 'the house of God', whereas El Bethel is 'the God of the house of God', and therefore El Bethel means a holy natural, Bethel the Divine Natural.