6261. 'And embraced them' means a joining together resulting from an affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of 'embracing' as a joining together brought about by love, dealt with in 4351, thus a joining together resulting from an affection for good, see immediately above in 6260. The fact that 'embracing' means such an affection is very plain from the love an embrace bears witness to - an embrace is an action which flows from that love. For every spiritual affection has a corresponding gesture that a person performs with his body; and this gesture is representative of that affection. This is also true, as is well known, of 'kissing', dealt with just above.