2542. 'And spoke all these words in their ears' means an exhortation made to confirmations from this source, even until they should become obedient. This becomes clear from the train of thought in the internal sense, and also from the meaning of 'ears'.

From the train of thought: There are many matters of a confirmatory nature that lend support to whatever the rational acknowledges; indeed its acknowledgement is due entirely to those confirmatory matters. This is why, when rational concepts are brought into a condition of obedience, an exhortation is made to things that confirm, for these are for ever at hand and so to speak rising up.

From the meaning of 'ears': 'Ears' in the internal sense of the Word means obedience because of the correspondence that exists between hearing and obeying. Furthermore, this correspondence lies hidden within the very word 'hearing', more so in 'hearkening'. This correspondence has its origin in the next life where those who are obedient and willing belong to the province of the ear. Indeed they correspond to the faculty of hearing itself, an arcanum unknown as yet. But these matters will be seen more easily when correspondence will be dealt with in the Lord's Divine mercy later on. The fact that 'ears' has this meaning becomes clear from very many places in the Word; but for the time being let only the following in Isaiah be quoted,

Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and plaster over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their heart understands. Isaiah 6:10.

Here 'seeing with the eyes' means understanding, and 'hearing with the ears' means perceiving with affection and therefore means obeying. And nothing else is meant when the Lord says,

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Luke 8:8; 14:35.

2965. 'Which he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth' means according to the propensity of those who belonged to the new Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'speaking in the ears' and of 'the sons of Heth'. 'Speaking' in the internal sense means both perceiving (see 2619) and 'willing' (see 2626), while 'the ears' means obedience, 2542. Consequently 'speaking in the ears of' means according to their propensity, for propensity is the ability to receive and then to obey what someone perceives and wills. And the meaning of 'the sons of Heth' as those who belonged to the new spiritual Church is dealt with above in 2913. The consideration that the member of the Church is reformed, that is, has the truth of faith implanted in him, and that this is joined to good that is the good of charity, will be discussed further on in this verse, in 2967.