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غير اننا بهذا نواتيكم. ان صرتم مثلنا بختنكم كل ذكر
4515. 'To Simeon and Levi' means that which was the representative of spiritual and celestial things. This is clear from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith, but in the contrary sense falsity, and from the representation of 'Levi' as love, but in the contrary sense evil, dealt with above in 4497, 4502, 4503. The representative of spiritual and celestial things is therefore meant here, for the reason that the things of faith are called spiritual, and those of love celestial. The reason for saying that Simeon and Levi mean the representative of those things is that representing them is not the same as being them; for with representations no attention is paid to the person who represents but to that which is represented by that person, 665, 1097 (end), nor likewise is any attention paid to his character, 3670. That which was a representative of the Church was able to be established among the descendants of Jacob irrespective of what they were like in character, provided they strictly carried out the statutes in outward form, 3147, 4208, 4281, 4292, 4307, 4444. Consequently 'Simeon and Levi' here means that which was the representative of spiritual and celestial things.
4498. 'Dinah's brothers' means the truths and goods of that Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'brothers' as truths and goods, or faith and charity, dealt with in 367, 3303, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191, 4267, and from the representation of 'Dinah' as the affection for truth, and therefore the Church, dealt with in 3963, 3964, 44227.