5482. 'And he took Simeon from them' means faith in the will. This is clear from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith in the will, dealt with in 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4507. The reason faith in the will was separated from them is that the intermediary, represented by 'Benjamin', was not yet present. For the inflow of truth from the Divine, represented by 'Joseph', goes through the intermediary into the good of faith, and then through this into the truth of faith; or what amounts to the same, it passes into the desire for truth, and then through this into the understanding of truth. Or what also amounts to the same, it passes into charity towards the neighbour, and then through this into faith. There is no other path along which it can flow in the case of one who has been regenerated; nor is there any other path along which it can do so in the case of angels.

[2] This may be compared to the sun flowing into objects on earth. When it reproduces these from their seed and renews them, it flows in with heat, as it does in springtime and summertime, and also with light, and so reproduces them. Absolutely nothing at all is reproduced by light alone, as is evident from those objects in wintertime. Spiritual heat is the good of love, and spiritual light is the truth of faith. Also, spiritual heat present in objects in the animal kingdom gives them their vital heat, while spiritual light gives them life, which springs from that vital heat.

4497. 'That two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi' means faith and love. This is clear from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith in the will, dealt with in 3869-3872, and from the representation of 'Levi' as spiritual love or charity, dealt with in 3875, 3877. These are the things meant in the genuine sense by Simeon and Levi and also by the tribes named after Simeon and Levi. But in the contrary sense falsity and evil are meant, for falsity is the contrary of the truth of faith, and evil the contrary of the good of charity. These are the things that Simeon and Levi represent when the context is the Jewish nation which had annihilated among themselves everything of faith and everything of charity, such as constitute the internal aspects of worship. This becomes much clearer in what follows where it is said that they killed Hamor, Shechem, and the men of the city, and that the sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered everything. Simeon and Levi were the ones to commit this deed, so as to represent the fact that the truth of faith and the good of charity had been made into falsity and evil. For when truth becomes falsity and good becomes evil within the Church, the Church is done for.