6261. 'And embraced them' means a joining together resulting from an affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of 'embracing' as a joining together brought about by love, dealt with in 4351, thus a joining together resulting from an affection for good, see immediately above in 6260. The fact that 'embracing' means such an affection is very plain from the love an embrace bears witness to - an embrace is an action which flows from that love. For every spiritual affection has a corresponding gesture that a person performs with his body; and this gesture is representative of that affection. This is also true, as is well known, of 'kissing', dealt with just above.

4351. 'And embraced him' means a first joining together effected by love. This is clear from the meaning of 'embracing' as affection, dealt with in 3807; and since all affection is essentially love, and love strives to effect conjunction, it is a joining together effected by love that is therefore meant here. The reason why a first joining together effected by love is meant is that the words 'he fell on his neck' follow and after that 'he kissed him', which mean closer and more interior joinings together brought about by love. It is plain without any further explanation that 'embracing' means the outward expression that flows from a joining together effected by love, and consequently means in the internal sense that joining together. For the ideas which belong to the internal sense present themselves in the Word by means of external events.