1222. 'He was Japheth's elder brother' means that its worship was external. This is clear from the meaning of 'Japheth' as the external Church, dealt with in verse 18 onwards of the previous chapter and in verses 1-5 above of this. Here 'Shem was Japheth's elder brother' means in particular that the internal Church and the external Church are 'brothers', for the relationship of internal worship to external worship that has internal worship within it cannot be anything different. It is in fact a blood relationship because charity is the chief thing within both of them; but the internal Church is the 'elder brother' because it is prior and interior. 'Japheth's elder brother also embodies here the fact that the second Ancient Church called Eber was to the first Ancient Church as a brother, for Japheth in the internal sense means nothing other than the external worship that has internal worship within it, whatever Church it may be. Therefore the worship of this new Ancient Church, which worship was chiefly external, is meant as well. The internal sense of the Word is such that no attention is paid to the historical details of the literal sense when the universal features are being considered, which exist quite separate or abstracted from the literal sense, for the two are completely different from each other. Consequently 'Japheth's elder brother' here means in the internal sense that the worship of the new Ancient Church was external. Unless such worship was meant there would have been no need to state here that he was Japheth's elder brother.