8. But seeing Esau's reason did not understand this, he said to Jacob: Lo, I must even die, what then is this first birth to me: so very lightly did reason pass over it, and knew not what the poor soul stood in need of. But the spirit of Moses played here in the inward figure, and does secretly hint hereby at what this externally signified.
9. And Jacob said, Swear unto me this day. That is, the life of Adam in Esau should freely give itself out of the fiery might, and wholly give itselfup to the divine ens, and forsake the fiery right of ownhood; and it should do it this day, that is, from henceforward for ever. And this is said, to swear in God, viz. wholly, deeply and fully to cast, immerse, give up, and resign one's self into the divine power, and not resist upon pain of God's rejection.
10. And he sware unto him; and when as he had sworn he was called Edom. For the fiery soul's nature did dive and immerse itself into the lubet of the divine ens; whence this lentil pottage is said to be reddish. For here in this oath the fiery essence entered into the lubet of the divine ens; and thus the light's ens received the fire's ens. And the spirit of Moses plays here in the figure, [alluding] how the soul's property in the fire's essence must wholly resign up and eternally immerse itself into the incarnation of Christ, in the divine light and love ens in the Covenant, viz. into the divine lubet; and how the light's ens would receive and take pity on the corrupted, miserable, fiery soul's nature, [and cause it to repent] and quit itself of its lust; and also how the poor soul would give up its natural right for this red pottage.
11. For this is even a figure, showing how God the Father gives his nature, viz. the soul, to his Son Christ, in the love ens, wholly for his own propriety, where the fiery right is made subject to the love in the light. For thus it goes also in our new birth: the soul longs after this pottage; but ifit will taste it, it must give its birthright for it; and moreover it must swear to God this day, that is, for ever, to forsake and quit its,nature's right: which the outward reason looks upon as ridiculous and foolish, (I mean the children of the earthly lust), that when a man gives honour, goods, and also the temporal life, for this pottage, they even call him a fool, as here they do Esau.
12. There is in this figure a twofold understanding, viz. inwardly it is the figure of Christ and Adam, as it is above mentioned; and outwardly it is the figure of the earthly man, showing how carelessly and slightly he passes over it, and sells and gives away the heavenly substance to fill his carnal belly, and to satiate his lustful will. The poor soul indeed longs in its essence after this red pottage, but the earthly reason desires only a lentil pottage for the lusting belly; as the like also is here to be understood in Esau.
13. The soul of Esau longed after Jacob's heavenly ens; but the earthly Esau, according to the outward soul, minded only the earthly power; the kingdom of nature was so very &trong and earthly in him, that he neither understood nor regarded the eternal, but said, What profit shall this birthright do unto me, seeing I must even die. And he sat down, and did eat and drink the earthly food for the heavenly.
14. And Moses says, that when he had eat and drunk, he rose up and went away; that is, he filled his belly with the pottage of lentils, and sold Jacob his nature-right, and went with the earthly man away from the divine enjoyment.
The inward divine figure is thus:
8. But seeing Esau's reason did not understand this, he said to Jacob: Lo, I must even die, what then is this first birth to me: so very lightly did reason pass over it, and knew not what the poor soul stood in need of. But the spirit of Moses played here in the inward figure, and does secretly hint hereby at what this externally signified.
9. And Jacob said, Swear unto me this day. That is, the life of Adam in Esau should freely give itself out of the fiery might, and wholly give itselfup to the divine ens, and forsake the fiery right of ownhood; and it should do it this day, that is, from henceforward for ever. And this is said, to swear in God, viz. wholly, deeply and fully to cast, immerse, give up, and resign one's self into the divine power, and not resist upon pain of God's rejection.
10. And he sware unto him; and when as he had sworn he was called Edom. For the fiery soul's nature did dive and immerse itself into the lubet of the divine ens; whence this lentil pottage is said to be reddish. For here in this oath the fiery essence entered into the lubet of the divine ens; and thus the light's ens received the fire's ens. And the spirit of Moses plays here in the figure, [alluding] how the soul's property in the fire's essence must wholly resign up and eternally immerse itself into the incarnation of Christ, in the divine light and love ens in the Covenant, viz. into the divine lubet; and how the light's ens would receive and take pity on the corrupted, miserable, fiery soul's nature, [and cause it to repent] and quit itself of its lust; and also how the poor soul would give up its natural right for this red pottage.
11. For this is even a figure, showing how God the Father gives his nature, viz. the soul, to his Son Christ, in the love ens, wholly for his own propriety, where the fiery right is made subject to the love in the light. For thus it goes also in our new birth: the soul longs after this pottage; but ifit will taste it, it must give its birthright for it; and moreover it must swear to God this day, that is, for ever, to forsake and quit its,nature's right: which the outward reason looks upon as ridiculous and foolish, (I mean the children of the earthly lust), that when a man gives honour, goods, and also the temporal life, for this pottage, they even call him a fool, as here they do Esau.
12. There is in this figure a twofold understanding, viz. inwardly it is the figure of Christ and Adam, as it is above mentioned; and outwardly it is the figure of the earthly man, showing how carelessly and slightly he passes over it, and sells and gives away the heavenly substance to fill his carnal belly, and to satiate his lustful will. The poor soul indeed longs in its essence after this red pottage, but the earthly reason desires only a lentil pottage for the lusting belly; as the like also is here to be understood in Esau.
13. The soul of Esau longed after Jacob's heavenly ens; but the earthly Esau, according to the outward soul, minded only the earthly power; the kingdom of nature was so very &trong and earthly in him, that he neither understood nor regarded the eternal, but said, What profit shall this birthright do unto me, seeing I must even die. And he sat down, and did eat and drink the earthly food for the heavenly.
14. And Moses says, that when he had eat and drunk, he rose up and went away; that is, he filled his belly with the pottage of lentils, and sold Jacob his nature-right, and went with the earthly man away from the divine enjoyment.
The inward divine figure is thus:
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.