2344. Verse 4 Scarcely had they lain down when the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from boy even to old man, all the people from furthest away.

'Scarcely had they lain down' means the first phase of visitation. 'The men of the city' means those immersed in falsities. 'The men of Sodom' means those immersed in evils. 'Surrounded the house' means that they were set against the good that flows from charity. 'From boy even to old man' means falsities and evils, both recent and confirmed. 'All the people from furthest away' means every single one of them.

2186. 'And he stood before them under the tree' means consequent perception. This follows from the meaning of 'a tree' as perception, dealt with in 103, 2163. Above in verse 4 it was stated that the three men who came to Abraham were to recline under the tree, which meant that the Divine was to draw near to the perception of that state which was the Lord's at that time. Here however it is said that Abraham stood under the tree, which means that the Lord drew near to the Divine perception after He had prepared Himself, which is a reciprocal action. Anyone may see that it is not without a reason that reference is made to the three men and to Abraham standing under the tree, and that therefore this detail was included because of the arcana that lie hidden within these descriptions.