2389. 'Sons-in-law' are truths coupled to affections for good and truth, here truths that have yet to be so coupled. This is clear from the meaning of 'sons-in-law'. 'Man' in the Word means truth, and 'wife' good, 265, 749, 915, 1007, the reason being that a likeness of a marriage exists between truth and good, 1432, 1904, 2173. Consequently 'sons-in-law' means cognitions of truth to which affections for good, meant by 'daughters', have been coupled. Here however they are affections that have yet to be so coupled, for it is said in verse 14 below that Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law that were marrying, that is, were about to marry, his daughters.

1432. That 'Abram took Sarai his wife' means good to which truth has been joined becomes clear from what is meant in the Word by 'a man (homo) and his wife', dealt with in 915. Thus by 'Sarai' here is meant nothing else in the internal sense than truth. With man there exists in every single part the likeness of a marriage; nor can anything possibly exist which is too small to have that likeness within it - both in the external man in every part, and in the internal man in every part. The reason for this is that every single thing comes into being and is kept in being from the Lord, and from the marriage - like union of His Human Essence with His Divine Essence, and from the conjunction or heavenly marriage of both Essences with His kingdom in heaven and on earth. Here, when truth that had been joined to the Lord's good was to be represented, that truth could not be represented - since the historical details here have regard to Abram - in any other way than by 'a wife'. For the truth that a likeness of a marriage resides in every single thing, see what has appeared already in 54, 55, 718, 747, 917.