1167. 在圣言中, “迦南” 或迦南人表仪式, 或脱离内在的外在敬拜. 这从大量经文, 尤其圣言的历史部分清楚看出来. 由于那时迦南人具有这种秉性, 所以当雅各的子孙被引入他们的陆地时, 就允许他们被灭绝. 但在圣言的内义上, 迦南人用来表具有脱离内在的外在敬拜的所有人. 由于犹太人和以色列比谁都具有这种秉性, 故在圣言的预言部分, “迦南人” 特指他们, 这仅从以下两节经文就能看出来, 诗篇:

流无辜人的血, 就是自己儿女的血, 把他们祭祀迦南的偶像; 那地就被血污秽了. 这样, 他们被自己所做的污秽了, 在行为上犯了邪淫. (诗篇 106:38-39)

此处, “流儿女的血” 在内义上表他们摧毁一切信之真和仁之善. “把儿女祭祀迦南的偶像” 表用脱离内在的外在敬拜亵渎信与仁之物, 这样的敬拜无非是偶像崇拜. 所以, “他们被自己所做的污秽了, 在行为上犯了邪淫”. 以西结书:

说, 主耶和华对耶路撒冷如此说: 你的根源, 你的出生是从迦南陆地而来. 你父亲是亚摩利人, 你母亲是赫人.

此处经上明确说明, 他们属于迦南陆地. 至于 “迦南” 表脱离内在的外在敬拜, 可参看前文 (1078, 1094节).

The city of "Sodom", in the Bible, represents the love of self and the love of ruling or dominating others springing from the love of self. This is why it is depicted as such an evil place, and why it was utterly destroyed by God.

This is not, of course, the usual association people have with Sodom; it has long been connected to homosexuality because in Genesis 19 the men of the city tried to rape the male angels who were visiting Lot. But if you think about it, it makes sense. Experts regard rape as a crime of violence and domination more than a crime of sexual desire. The fact that Lot offered his daughters as an alternative indicates that he thought that the men of the city were not picky about who they dominated and violated. Their chief pleasure was in the domination. All stories about adultery in the Bible -- from the more mild up to and including the intended homosexual gang rape in Sodom -- are actually depictions of selfishness in various forms.