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.

917. 'According to their families' means pairs. This is clear from what has been stated already in Chapter 7:2, 3, 15, about them going into the ark 'seven by seven of the clean, and two by two of the unclean', whereas in the present verse it is said that they went out 'according to families'. The reason no reference is made to seven by seven of the clean and two by two of the unclean but to 'families' is that the Lord has now brought all things into such order that they represent families. With a regenerate person goods and truths, that is, the things of charity and those of faith deriving from it, interrelate like blood relatives and relatives through marriage, and so they are like families descended from a single stock or parent, in the way they are in heaven, 685. This is the order which the Lord brings to goods and truths. The express meaning in the present verse is that every single good looks upon its own truth as one joined to it in marriage. And just as in general charity looks to faith, so in every individual part good looks to truth. For unless the general whole is the product of the individual part there is no general whole. It is from the individual parts that the general comes into being, and it is by virtue of that that it is called the general. With every person the situation is as follows: As is the person in general so are the most individual details of his affections and ideas. These are what he is composed of or what make him what he is in general. People therefore who have been regenerated become in the most individual details of their person what they are in general character.