5913. 'And your flocks, and your herds' means natural good, interior and exterior. This is clear from the meaning of 'flock' as interior good, dealt with in 2566, in this case interior natural good since the flocks belonged to Israel, who represents spiritual good from the natural, 5906; and from the meaning of 'herd' as exterior natural good. The reason why 'herd' means exterior good and 'flocks' interior good is that the animals which constituted a herd, such as oxen and young bulls, were signs, when used in sacrifices, of external forms of the good of charity and also of the forms of good present in the external man. But the animals constituting flocks, such as lambs, sheep, she-goats, were signs of internal forms of the good of charity and also of the forms of good present in the internal man. Consequently people in whom these forms of good are present are referred to in the Word by the single term 'flock', and the one who leads them by the term 'pastor' or 'shepherd'.

7662. 'With our sons and with our daughters' means those who have an affection for truth and those who have an affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of 'sons' as the truths which the Church possesses, dealt with in 489, 491, 573, 1147, 2623, 3373, thus affections since truths devoid of affection for them are not anything; and from the meaning of 'daughters' as forms of good, dealt with in 489, 491, thus affections for good, 2362, 3963.