4643. Verses 2-5 Esau took his wives (femina) from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; and Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

'Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan' means the first joining of Natural good - to the affection for apparent truth. 'Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite' means its essential nature which it received from the Ancient Church. 'And Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth' means the second joining - to the affection for truth from a Divine stem. 'And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel' means the first derivatives. 'And Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah' means the second derivative. 'These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan' means from the good of the Lord's kingdom.

6628. It has been shown in various places in the explanations given already that teachings about charity were the teachings in the Ancient Churches, and that these teachings linked all the Churches together and in so doing made one Church out of many. For they recognized as members of the Church all those people who led a good and charitable life, and they called them their brothers, no matter how much otherwise they differed from them in truths, which at the present day are called matters of faith. People informed one another about those truths, and this was one of their charitable works. Neither were they annoyed if one person did not go along with the opinion of another; they knew that everyone accepts the truth insofar as he is governed by good.