4774. Know I pray whether it be thy son’s tunic or not. That this signifies whether there was a likeness, is evident from the signification of “knowing whether it be,” as being whether it is like. This refers to what precedes, and follows from it, namely, that a comparison was instituted of falsified goods and truths with the genuine goods and truths of the church, as is signified by their bringing the tunic dipped in blood to their father (n. 4772). Hence in this passage, by “know I pray whether it be thy son’s tunic,” is signified that he should compare whether it was like, or whether there was a likeness.