3239. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. That these represent the general classes of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens and on earth, cannot so well be established from the Word, because none of these men are elsewhere mentioned, with the exception of Midian, of whom something will be said hereafter. Yet this may be seen from the fact that all persons named in the Word represent something; as is sufficiently evident from all those mentioned hitherto, from the first chapter of Genesis. (That in the internal sense of the Word names, both of persons and of kingdoms, provinces, and cities, signify actual things, may be seen above, n. 768, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, and in many other places where this is in particular confirmed from the Word.) The reason why none of these except Midian are mentioned elsewhere in the Word, is that they are of the sons of the east, who are sometimes mentioned in the Word. (That in general the “sons of the east” signify those who are of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, may be seen below, at verse 6 of this chapter.)

[2] That these sons of Abraham by Keturah have this representation, is evident from the fact that Abraham and Keturah represent the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, namely, Abraham the Lord as to Divine good spiritual, and Keturah as to Divine truth spiritual conjoined with this good (concerning which see just above, n. 3235, 3236). From this it follows that their sons represent the general classes or lots of the kingdom which is from the Lord’s Divine spiritual. They are called general classes or lots because the Lord’s kingdom is represented by land, which is distributed by lots among those to whom it is given to be possessed as an inheritance, just as the land of Canaan was allotted to the sons of Israel. There are in general twelve classes, for by “twelve” are signified all the things of charity and of the derivative faith, which are of the Lord’s kingdom (concerning which see below, at verse 16); but here there are six, thus one-half the number; but the half of a number involves the same as the whole, for provided a like thing is involved, multiplication and division do not vary the thing itself as to what is essential.