4445. 'Because he had done something disgraceful in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing that ought not to be done' means a joining together which in their eyes was not permissible, going against the truth which they possessed. This is clear from the meaning of 'doing something disgraceful by lying with Jacob's daughter' as a joining together that was not permissible. As regards lying with her and defiling her meaning a wrongful joining together, see above in 4439. The expression 'in Israel' is used because 'Israel' means the internal Church, and after that the expression 'Jacob's daughter' because 'Jacob' means the external aspect of the Church. For 'Israel' means the internal aspect of the Church and 'Jacob' the external, see 4286, 4292, 4439. Its seeming in their eyes to be a joining together that was not permissible, though in fact it was permissible, becomes clear from what has been stated and shown immediately above in 4444 and elsewhere.

4164. 'Jacob was incensed and wrangled with Laban' means the zeal of the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'being incensed' or being angry, and as a result 'wrangling', as zeal; and from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of the natural, dealt with already. The reason why 'being incensed', or being angry, and as a result 'wrangling', means zeal is that in heaven or among angels no anger exists, but instead of anger zeal. For anger is different from zeal, in that anger contains evil but zeal contains good. Or to put it another way, a person who is filled with anger intends evil to another with whom he is angry, whereas someone who is filled with zeal intends good to another for whom he is zealous. For this reason also a person who is filled with zeal is able to be good in an instant, and in what he is actually doing to be good towards others. Not so with a person who is filled with anger. Although in outward form zeal has a similar appearance to anger, in inward form it is altogether dissimilar.