[2] The reason why 'Jacob' here represents the good of that truth is that by now he had taken Esau's birthright, and also his blessing, and in so doing had assumed Esau's identity; yet it was still no more than the good of that truth, which truth he had represented previously. For every kind of truth that exists holds good within it, because truth is not truth unless it arises out of good and for this reason is called truth. By means of the birthright which he took, and by means of the blessing, Jacob acquired for his descendants, in precedence over Esau, a succession to the promise made to Abraham and Isaac concerning the land of Canaan. In so doing he represented the Lord's Divine Natural, even as 'Isaac' represented the Divine Rational, and 'Abraham' His Divine itself. In order therefore that the representative might rest on one person he was thus allowed to take away the birthright from Esau, and after that the blessing. This is why Jacob now represents the good of the natural, though at first in this chapter he represents the good of that truth, which truth he represented immediately before. Esau is also dealt with further still, as in verses 6-9 below, to the end that the good of truth and the interior truth of good of the Lord's Natural - which cannot as yet be represented by 'Jacob' - may nevertheless be represented. What the good of truth, represented here by 'Jacob' is, and the nature of it, will be clear from what follows.