Arcana Coelestia, Vol. VI

In the original language “Mahanaim” means “two camps;” and “two camps” signify both heavens, or both kingdoms of the Lord, the celestial and the spiritual; and in the supreme sense the Lord’s Divine celestial and Divine spiritual. Hence it is evident that the quality of the Lord’s state when His natural was being enlightened by spiritual and celestial good, is signified by “Mahanaim.” But this quality of the state cannot be described, because the Divine states which the Lord had when He made the human in Himself Divine, do not fall into any human apprehension, nor even into angelic, except by means of appearances enlightened by the light of heaven which is from the Lord; and by means of the states of man’s regeneration; for the regeneration of man is an image of the Lord’s glorification (n. 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490).

4238. Verses 3–5. And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now. And I had ox and ass, flock, and manservant and handmaid; and I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes. “And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother,” signifies the first communication with celestial good; “unto the land of Seir,” signifies celestial natural good; “the field of Edom,” signifies the derivative truth; “and he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau,” signifies the first acknowledgment of good as being in the higher place; “I have sojourned with Laban, and have tarried until now,” signifies that He had imbued Himself with the good signified by “Laban;” “and I had ox and ass, and flock, and manservant and handmaid,” signifies acquisitions therein in their order; “and I send to tell my lord, to find grace in thine eyes,” signifies instruction concerning His state, and also the condescension and humiliation of truth in the presence of good.

4239. And Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother. That this signifies the first communication with celestial good, is evident from the signification of “sending messengers,” as being to communicate; and from the representation of Esau, as being celestial good in the natural (see n. 3300, 3302, 3494, 3504, 3527, 3576, 3599, 3669). As before said (n. 4234), the subject here treated of is the conjunction of the truth Divine of the natural (which is “Jacob,”) with the good Divine therein (which is “Esau”), and therefore the enlightenment of the natural from the Divine was first treated of (n. 4235); and here there is treated of the first communication, which is signified by Jacob's sending messengers to Esau his brother. (That in the Word good and truth are called “brothers,” see n. 367, 3303).