1563. Et Loth aussi, qui allait avec Abram, signifie l'homme Externe qui était chez le Seigneur : c'est ce qui est évident par la représentation de Loth, en ce qu'il est l'homme sensuel, ou, ce qui est la même chose, l'homme externe. Chacun sait, dans l'Eglise, qu'il y a chez chaque homme un interne et un externe, ou, en d'autres termes, un homme interne et un homme externe ; Voir ce que j'ai déjà dit sur ce sujet, numéros 978, 994, 995, 1015. L'homme Externe reçoit principalement sa vie de l'homme Interne, c'est-à-dire, de son esprit ou de son âme ; de là vient sa vie même dans le commun, vie qui ne peut être reçue singulièrement ou distinctement par l'homme externe, à moins que ses vaisseaux organiques ne s'ouvrent pour être les récipients des choses particulières et les plus particulières de l'homme interne. Ces vaisseaux organiques, qui doivent être des récipients, ne s'ouvrent qu'au moyen des sens et surtout des sens de l'ouïe et de la vue ; et à mesure qu'ils s'ouvrent l'homme interne peut influer avec ses choses particulières et avec les plus particulières ; ils s'ouvrent au moyen des sens par les scientifiques et les connaissances ainsi que par les voluptés et les plaisirs, par les premiers qui appartiennent à l'entendement, par les seconds qui appartiennent à la volonté. D'après cela, l'on peut voir qu'il ne peut jamais se faire autrement qu'il ne s'insinue alors, chez l'homme externe, des scientifiques et des connaissances qui ne peuvent s'accorder avec les vrais spirituels, et qu'il ne s'insinue des voluptés et des plaisirs qui ne peuvent s'accorder avec les biens célestes, comme tout ce qui a pour tins les choses corporelles, mondaines et terrestres, lesquelles, étant regardées comme fins, entraînent alors l'homme externe en dehors et en bas, et l'éloignent ainsi de l'homme interne. C'est pourquoi si de telles choses ne sont d'abord écartées, l'homme interne ne peut en aucune manière s'accorder avec l'homme externe ; il faut donc d'abord qu'elles soient repoussées, avant que l'homme interne puisse s'accorder avec l'homme externe. La séparation de Loth d'avec Abram représente et signifie que chez le Seigneur ces choses ont été repoussées ou séparées.

620. 14:4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. This symbolically means that they did not adulterate the church's truths or defile them with the falsities of their faith, but loved the truths because they are true.

A woman symbolizes the church from an affection for truth, and so in an opposite sense the church from an affection for falsity, as may be seen in nos. 434, 533 above - here the church from an affection for truth, because we are told that they were not defiled with women. Being defiled with women has the same symbolic meaning as committing adultery and behaving licentiously. To commit adultery and behave licentiously means, symbolically, to adulterate and falsify the Word, as may be seen in no. 134 above.

For they are virgins means, symbolically, because they have loved truths because they are true, thus loving them from a spiritual affection. These are meant by virgins because a virgin symbolizes the church as a bride who desires to be conjoined with the Lord and to become a wife; and a church that desires to be conjoined with the Lord loves truths because they are true. For truths bring about conjunction when people live in accordance with them.

That is why Israel, Zion and Jerusalem are called in the Word virgins and daughters; for Israel, Zion and Jerusalem symbolize the church.

[2] People in the Lord's church who are of such a character are all meant by virgins, whether they are maidens or youths, wives or husbands, boys or old men, girls or old ladies, and this can be seen from places in the Word where virgins are mentioned, such as the virgin of Israel (Jeremiah 18:13; 31:4, 21, Amos 5:2, Joel 1:8); the virgin daughter of Judah (Lamentations 1:15); the virgin daughter of Zion (2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22, Lamentations 1:4; 2:13); the virgins of Jerusalem (Lamentations 2:10); the virgin of My people (Jeremiah 14:17).

For that reason the Lord likened the church to ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), and we read in Jeremiah:

...I will build you, that you may be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again... go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. (Jeremiah 31:4, 13)

And in the book of Psalms:

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary..., in the midst of maidens playing timbrels. (Psalms 68:24-25)

And elsewhere:

Kings' daughters are among Your precious ones; at Your right hand stands the queen in pure gold from Ophir.

Listen, O daughter, and see... The King will delight in your beauty... The daughter of Tyre also will bring a gift; the rich among the people will appease Your face.

The King's daughter is all precious within; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in embroidered garments. The virgins after her, her companions, shall come... into the palace of the King. (Psalms 45:9-15)

The King there means the Lord; the queen the church as a wife; and the daughters and virgins affections for goodness and truth.

[3] Similar affections are symbolically meant by virgins elsewhere in the Word in places where young men are mentioned at the same time, because young men symbolize truths, and virgins affections for those truths. For instance, in the following places:

Behold, the days are coming... that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah... In that day the fair virgins and young men shall faint from thirst. (Amos 8:11, 13)

Be ashamed, O Sidon; ...the sea has said..., "I have not travailed or given birth; neither have I reared young men or brought up virgins." (Isaiah 33:4)

The Lord trampled a winepress for the virgin daughter of Zion... Behold my sorrow; the virgins and the young men have gone into captivity. (Lamentations 1:4, 15, 18)

...how great is His goodness, and how great His beauty! Grain shall make the young men grow up, and new wine the young women. (Zechariah 9:17)

The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in My streets. (Zechariah 8:5)

They sit on the ground..., the virgins of Jerusalem... To what shall I liken you..., O virgin daughter of Zion... ...They lay... in the streets..., My virgins and My young men... (Lamentations 2:10, 13, 21)

And so on elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 51:20-23, Lamentations 5:11, 13, 14, Ezekiel 9:4, 6, Psalms 78:62-64, Deuteronomy 32:25.