4668. These are the births of Jacob. That this signifies the things which follow, is evident from the signification of "births," as being the derivations of those things which are of the church, namely, of truth from good, or of faith from love; for no other births are meant in the internal sense of the Word. These are also treated of in what follows, wherefore it is said that the "births of Jacob" denote the things which follow. That such is the signification of "births" is evident also from the fact that no genealogical births are mentioned in what follows; but only Joseph, his dreams, the conspirings of his brothers against him, and at last his being carried away into Egypt. (That "births" denote such derivations, see n. 1145, 1255, 1330, 3263, 3279, 3860, 3868, 4070.)
