3296、“大的必服侍小的”表示有一段时间，真理之良善必处于劣势。这从“大的”、“服侍”和“小的”的含义清楚可知：“大的”是指良善；“服侍”是指处于劣势；“小的”是指真理。这个问题从后面通过以扫和雅各来描述它的经文可以看出来。如前所述，“以扫”代表良善，“雅各”代表真理。关于优先权和统治权的冲突或争战是存在的，这一点在内义上由雅各窃取以扫的长子名分和祝福来描述。然而，这种情况只持续了一段时间，这一事实从以撒关于以扫的预言明显看出来：
你必靠着你的剑生活，又必服侍你的兄弟；到你掌权的时候，你必从你颈项上折断他的轭。（创世记27:40）
很明显，这些话，即“两族在你的子宫里，两民要从你腹中分立；这民必强于那民，大的必服侍小的”拥有一个内义；没有这内义，没有人能知道它们表示什么。它们表示前面所阐述的那些事，这一点从下文大量论述这个主题的地方清楚看出来。此外，读者很难相信这些话包含这种意义，除非他知道良善和真理是如何相互关联的，这一个是如何从那一个出生的，以及当人正在重生时，他的状态是如何改变的。内义上的主题的确是主，此处是主如何将祂的属世层变成神性。但代表意义上的主题是人的重生，因为人的重生就是主荣耀的一个形像（3043， 3138， 3212节）；换句话说，一个人在重生中如同在一个形像中看到主如何荣耀祂的人身或人性，或也可说，如何将它变成神性。事实上，祂怎样把祂的人身或人性状态完全改变成神性状态，当祂使人重生时，就怎样完全改变此人的状态，因为主将他的旧人变成新人。
Potts(1905-1910) 3296
3296. And the elder shall serve the younger. That this signifies that for a time the good of truth should be inferior, is evident from the signification of the "elder," as being good; from the signification of "serving," as being inferior; and from the signification of the "younger," as being truth. How the case herein is may be seen from what follows, where it is described under the representation of Esau and Jacob; for as before said by Esau is represented good, and by Jacob, truth. That there was struggling or combat concerning priority and dominion, is described in the internal sense by Jacob's taking away from Esau the birthright, and also his blessing; yet that this was done only for a time is manifest from Isaac's prophecy concerning Esau. And upon thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck (Gen. 27:40). [2] That these things have an internal sense, and that what they signify cannot be known without the internal sense (namely, what is signified by two nations being in the womb, and by two peoples being separated from the bowels, and by one people prevailing over the other, and the elder serving the younger), is evident; and that they signify what has been said, is evident from what follows, where much will be said on this subject. Moreover it can with difficulty be believed that these expressions involve such things unless it is known how the case is with good and truth, and concerning the birth of the one from the other, and the change of state in man when he is being regenerated. In the internal sense indeed the Lord is treated of, and here how He made His natural Divine; nevertheless in the representative sense the regeneration of man is also treated of; for man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification (n. 3043, 3138, 3212); that is, in regeneration as in a certain image it appears how the Lord glorified His Human, or what is the same, made it Divine. For as the Lord altogether changed His human state into the Divine, so also in man, when He regenerates him, the Lord utterly changes the man's state, for He makes his old man new.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3296
3296. 'And the greater will serve the less' means that the good of truth must for a time be subordinate. This is clear from the meaning of 'the greater' as good, from the meaning of 'serving' as being subordinate, and from the meaning of 'the less' as truth. This matter may be seen from what follows, being described there by means of Esau and Jacob. For as has been stated, 'Esau' represents good, and 'Jacob' truth. The rise of a struggle or conflict over priority and over lordship is described in the internal sense by Jacob's stealing the birthright from Esau and also the blessing. But the fact that this situation would last for a time only is evident from Isaac's prophecy concerning Esau,
And by your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; and it will be, when you have dominion over him, that you will break his yoke from above your neck. Gen 27:40.
[2] The fact that the things said in this verse have an internal sense, and that without that internal sense nobody can know what they mean, is quite evident, that is to say, what is meant by 'two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from your bowels', and by '[one] people will prevail over [the other] people, and the greater will serve the less'. The fact that they do mean the things that have been stated is clear from what follows where the subject is dealt with extensively. Furthermore one can scarcely credit that these statements embody such things unless one knows about good and truth, about the birth of the first from the second, and about the change of state with a person when being regenerated. In the internal sense the subject is indeed the Lord, here how the Lord made His Natural Divine. But in the representative sense the subject is the regeneration of man, for man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification, 3043, 3138, 3212 - that is, in regeneration one sees as in a certain image the manner in which the Lord glorified His Human, or what amounts to the same, made it Divine. For as the Lord changed completely His human state into a Divine one, so also does the Lord when He is regenerating man change his state completely, for He turns his old man into a new man.
Latin(1748-1756) 3296
3296. `Et major serviet minori': quod significet quod bonum veri inferius erit ad tempus, constat ex significatione `majoris' quod sit bonum; a significatione `servire' quod sit inferius esse; et a significatione `minoris' quod sit verum. Hoc quomodo se habet, constare potest a sequentibus, nam ibi describitur {1}per Esavum et Jacobum, nam, ut dictum{2}, per `Esavum' repraesentatur bonum, per `Jacobum' verum;quod collisio seu pugna exstiterit de prioritate et dominatu, in sensu interno describitur per Jacobum quod primogenituram sustulerit Esavo, tum quod quoque benedictionem, sed usque quod hoc factum sit modo ad tempus, patet ex prophetico Jishaki de Esavo, Et super gladio tuo vives, et fratri tuo servies, et erit cum dominaris, disrumpes jugum illius desuper collo tuo, Gen. xxvii 40. [2] Quod haec internam sensum habeant, et quod absque sensu interno non sciri possit quid significant, patet, nempe quid quod `duae gentes in utero, et duo populi ex visceribus separabuntur,' et quod `populus prae populo valebit, et major serviet minori'; quod tamen significent illa quae dicta sunt, constat a sequentibus in quibus de illa re multum agitur; et praeterea aegre potest credi quod illa talia involvant, nisi sciatur quomodo se habet cum bono et vero, deque unius nascentia ex altero, et de status mutatione apud hominem cum regeneratur; in sensu interno agitur quidem de Domino, et hic quomodo Dominus Naturale Suum Divinum fecit, sed usque in sensu repraesentativo etiam agitur de regeneratione hominis; est enim regeneratio in hominis imago glorificationis Domini, n. 3043, 3138, 3212, hoc est, in regeneratione ut in quadam imagine apparet quomodo Dominus Humanum Suum glorificavit, seu quod idem, Divinum fecit; sicut enim Dominus statum Suum humanum prorsus mutavit in Divinum, ita etiam Dominus apud hominem, cum regenerat illum, statum ejus prorsus mutat, {3}nam veterem ejus hominem facit novum. @1 i in sequentibus$ @2 i est$ @3 et ex veteri homine facit illum novum$