4440. 'And his sons were with his cattle in the field' means that his descendants dwelt in their own semblance of religion. This is clear from the meaning of 'his sons' as descendants; from the meaning of 'cattle' as external truths, dealt with in 1435, ¹ 4391; and from the meaning of 'the field' as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766. Consequently 'his sons were with his cattle in the field' means that they dwelt in their own semblance of religion; for the kind of Church that existed with them must be called a semblance of religion since it involves external worship devoid of internal.

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4506. 'And their asses' means the truths derived from these, namely from natural good and rational good. This is clear from the meaning of 'asses', also of 'the sons of the she-ass', as well as of 'mules', as the truths of the natural and of the rational, dealt with in 2781.