2400. 'He spoke to his sons-in-law who were marrying his daughters' means together with those governed by truths to which affections for good could be allied. This is clear from the meaning of 'sons-in-law' as cognitions of truth, and consequently truths, dealt with above, in 2389, and from the meaning of 'daughters' as affections for good, also dealt with above, in 2362. And because it is said that he spoke to his sons-in-law who were marrying his daughters, the meaning is, together with those governed by truths to which affections for good were able to be joined. Because those affections could be so joined the expression 'his sons-in-law' is used, but because they had not actually been joined the expression 'who were marrying his daughters' is added.

[2] Here the subject is a third group of persons inside the Church, that is to say, those who have knowledge of truths but nevertheless lead evil lives. There are in fact three groups of people inside the Church:

1. Those in whose lives the good of charity is present; these are represented by 'Lot'.

2. Those who are immersed completely in falsity and evil, and who repudiate both truth and good; these are represented by 'the men of Sodom'.

3. Those who do indeed have knowledge of truths but nevertheless lead evil lives; these are meant here by 'sons-in-law'.

The last of these are chiefly people who teach, but the truth which they teach sends its roots down no more deeply than knowledge solely in the memory is accustomed to do; for it is learned and displayed by them solely for the sake of position and gain. And because with such people the ground in which the truth is sown is accordingly self-love and love of the world their belief in truth is no more than a certain persuasion, resulting from those loves. The nature of that persuasion will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of elsewhere. Here they are described as the sons-in-law who did not believe a thing about the overthrow of Sodom but laughed at the idea. And the faith within their heart is also of that nature.