8998. To sell her to a strange people he shall have no power. That this signifies not to those who are not of the faith of the church, is evident from the signification of “a strange people,” as being those who are outside of the church, thus who are not of the faith of the church (see n. 2049, 2115, 7996); and from the signification of “selling,” as being to alienate (of which just above, n. 8997). In regard to this, the case is that those who have been born within the church, and from infancy have been imbued with the principles of the truth of the church, ought not to contract marriages with those who are outside of the church, and have thus been imbued with such things as are not of the church. The reason is that there is no conjunction between them in the spiritual world, for everyone in that world is in consociation according to his good and the truth thence derived; and as there is no conjunction between such in the spiritual world, neither ought there to be any conjunction on earth. For regarded in themselves marriages are conjunctions of dispositions and of minds, the spiritual life of which is from the truths and goods of faith and of charity. On this account moreover marriages on earth between those who are of a different religion are accounted in heaven as heinous, and still more so marriages between those who are of the church and those who are outside of the church. This also was the reason why the Jewish and Israelitish nation was forbidden to contract matrimonies with the Gentiles (Deuteronomy 7:3-4), and why it was absolutely heinous to commit whoredom with them (Numbers 25:1-9).

[2] This appears still more evidently from the origin of conjugial love, which is from the marriage of good and truth (n. 2727-2759). When conjugial love descends from this source, it is heaven itself in man. This is destroyed when two consorts are of unlike heart from unlike faith. From this then it is that a maidservant from the daughters of Israel, that is, from those who are of the church, was not to be sold to a strange people, that is, to those who are outside of the church; for these would then betroth her, that is, would be conjoined with her, and would thus profane the things which are of the church; and therefore it is said that this is “to act treacherously.”