3242. 'And the sons of Midian, Ephah and Epher, and Enoch, and Abida, and Eldaah' means the derivatives from the third division. This becomes clear from the representation of 'Midian' as those governed by the truth of faith, to be dealt with below; and since those governed by the truth of faith are 'Midian', it follows that 'sons' are derivatives from it. With regard to those governed by the truth of faith the position is that no one is admitted into the Lord's kingdom except him with whom the good of faith is present since the good of faith is the life of faith. The life of faith remains, but not the doctrine of faith except insofar as it makes one with life. Nevertheless people governed by the truth of faith, that is, who profess faith and refer to it as the essential thing because they have been taught that it is, but who, in spite of that teaching have goodness of life, that is, who are Christians in their hearts and not just on their lips, are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. For anyone can easily be made to believe that faith is the essential thing if such an idea is handed on to him by teachers and at an early age he becomes steeped in that way of thinking. He is also made to believe because those who are reputed to be very learned, even church-leaders, say the same, some of whom are afraid to talk about the good of life because when life is the criterion they stand condemned, and also - in addition - because matters of faith, when they display themselves, are perceptible, whereas matters of charity are less so. Those therefore who are governed by the truth of faith, and yet also by the good of life are called Midian. But the truths which govern their lives are 'the sons of Midian'.

[2] Just as those in whom the truth of faith is joined to the good of that faith are meant by Midian so also in the contrary sense Midian means those under the influence of falsity because the good of life is lacking in them - as becomes clear from the following: In Isaiah,

A drove of camels will cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:6.

This refers to the Lord's spiritual kingdom. 'Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah' stands for matters of doctrine. Matters of doctrine concerning good are meant by 'gold', those concerning truth by 'frankincense'; and both by 'the praises of Jehovah'. From this also it is evident what 'Ephah' means. 'The Midianites' who pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to Ishmaelites, and to Potiphar in Egypt, Genesis 37:28, 36, means people governed by truth coupled to simple good, as will in the Lord's Divine mercy be seen later on when those verses are dealt with.

[3] As regards 'Midian' also meaning those under the influence of falsity because the good of life is lacking in them, this may be seen from what is said about Midian in Moses,

The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian with deceptions in their hand came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. Numbers 22:4, 7, and following verses.

In the good sense 'Moab' stands for people with whom natural good exists and who easily allow themselves to be misled, but in the contrary sense stands for those who adulterate goods, 2468. 'Midian' in the good sense, as has been stated, stands for those who are governed by truth coupled to simple good, and so who are easily led to believe things, but in the contrary sense, as here, stands for those who falsify truths. Falsifications are meant by 'deceptions in their hand', and deeds which are the product of falsities by their sending to Balaam to act against the children of Israel, who are the goods, and from these the truths, of faith.

[4] The acts of whoredom committed by the sons of Israel with Midianite women which brought about the plague that Phinehas checked by running through with his spear the Midianite woman and the Israelite man in the brothel, Numbers 25:6-8, and following verses, has a similar meaning, for acts of whoredom represented falsifications of truth, 2466, 2729. And because falsifications of truth are what are meant in the internal sense by acts of whoredom, therefore by command twelve thousand of the children of Israel assailed them, killed their kings, all the males, and the women they had taken captive who had had carnal knowledge of a man, and divided the booty among themselves, Numbers 25:16-17; 31:1-end. The reason why 'twelve thousand' were involved was that 'twelve' means all things of faith, 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), by means of which falsities are destroyed. 'The kings' they killed are falsities, as also are 'the males', 'the women who had had carnal knowledge of a man' are affections for falsity, and 'the booty' which consisted of gold, silver, and cattle, are truths that have been falsified. From this it is evident that every single thing mentioned there is representative of the punishment and destruction of falsity by means of truths.

[5] The same is meant by the facts related about the Midianites in the Book of Judges,

Because the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah they were given into the hand of Midian for seven years.

On account of Midian the children of Israel made dens for themselves in the mountains, also caves, and strongholds. And whenever Israel put in seed, Midian and Amalek and the sons of the east came up and destroyed the produce of their land.

After that they were liberated by Gideon by means of the three hundred who had lapped water with their tongue like a dog, whereas those who had sunk down on their knees to drink had been sent home.

Further references to them, in addition to these, are made in Genesis 6 Chapters-8.

Here too every single detail is representative of the falsification of truth, and on that account of punishment even to the point of their being destroyed by the kind of things meant by 'lapping water with their tongue like a dog'. But what each detail means in the internal sense would take too long to explain here. All this will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with in its proper place. In Habakkuk,

He looked and scattered the nations, and the mountains of time were dissolved, and the hills of old sank down. Below Aven I saw the tents of Cushan, the curtains of the land of Midian trembled. Habakkuk 3:6-7.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord. 'The tents of Cushan' stands for a religion raised up out of evil, 'the curtains of the land of Midian' for a religion raised up out of falsity.

2466. It is certainly possible to confirm that in the internal sense such things are meant as have been set forth in the paragraph above, and indeed to confirm them as to each word. But apart from the fact that they have been confirmed already they are also such as shock people's minds and offend their ears. From the summary explanation given above it may become clear that those things are used to describe how such a religion originated as that meant in the Word by 'Moab' and 'the son of Ammon'. The nature of it will be stated later on where Moab and the son of Ammon are the subject. The fact that adulterated good and falsified truth are meant is clear. Adulterations of good and falsifications of truth are commonly described in the Word as acts of adultery and whoredom, and are actually called such. The reason for this is that good and truth belong together like a married couple, 1904, 2173. Indeed, though scarcely anyone may credit it, it is from this marriage of good and truth as its own true source that the holiness of marriages on earth is derived as well as the marriage laws laid down in the Word.

[2] The truth of the matter is that when celestial things together with spiritual come down from heaven into a lower sphere they are in a most perfect way converted there into the likeness of marriages. They do so on account of the correspondence which exists between spiritual things and natural, a correspondence which in the Lord's Divine mercy will be described elsewhere. But when those same things are perverted in the lower sphere, as happens when evil genii and evil spirits are present there, they are in that case converted into the kind of things that go with acts of adultery and whoredom. This is why in the Word defilements of good and perversions of truth are described as acts of adultery and whoredom and are also called such, as becomes quite clear from the following places: In Ezekiel,

You committed whoredom because of your renown, and poured out your acts of whoredom on every passer-by. You took some of your garments and made for yourself high places variously coloured, and on them committed whoredom. For your adornment you took vessels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself figures of the male, and committed whoredom with them. You took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to Me, and sacrificed them to them. Were your acts of whoredom a small matter? You committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, your neighbours, great in flesh, and multiplied your whoredom to provoke Me to anger. You committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur, and you committed whoredom with them and were not satisfied. And you multiplied your whoredom, even as far as the trading land of Chaldea; and yet you were not satisfied with this. Ezekiel 16:15-17, 20, 26, 28-29, and following verses.

This refers to Jerusalem, which means in this instance the Church perverted as regards truths. Anyone may see that all the things referred to here have entirely different meanings.

[3] That the perversion of some aspect of the Church is called whoredom is quite evident. 'The garments' referred to are truths that are being perverted. Consequent falsities which are worshipped are meant by 'the variously coloured high places' on which whoredom took place - 'garments' meaning truths, see 1073, and 'high places' worship, 796. 'The vessels for adornment made of the gold and the silver which I had given' are cognitions of good and truth drawn from the Word which they use to confirm falsities. And when such falsities are seen as truths they are called 'figures of the male with whom whoredom was committed'. For 'vessels for adornment made of gold and silver' means cognitions of good and truth, as is evident from the meaning of 'gold' as good, 113, 1551, 1552, and of 'silver' as truth, 1551, 2048; 'figures of the mare' means falsities which are seen as truths, 2046. 'The sons and daughters whom they had borne and sacrificed to them' means the goods and truths which they perverted, as is evident from the meaning of 'sons and daughters', 489-491, 533, 2362; 'committing whoredom with the sons of Egypt' means perverting those goods and truths by means of facts, as is evident from the meaning of 'Egypt' as factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. 'Committing whoredom with the sons of Asshur' means perverting by means of reasonings, as is evident from the meaning of 'Asshur' as reasoning, 119, 1186; 'multiplying whoredom even as far as the land of Chaldea' means even to the profanation of truth, which is Chaldea, 1368. All this makes plain the nature of the internal sense of the Word within the sense of the letter.

[4] A similar passage occurs elsewhere in the same prophet,

Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt. In their youth they committed whoredom. Oholah is Samaria, Oholibah is Jerusalem. Oholah committed whoredom under Me and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours. She bestowed her acts of whoredom on them, the choicest of all the sons of Asshur. Her acts of whoredom brought from Egypt she did not give up, for they had lain with her in her youth. Oholibah corrupted her love more than she, and her acts of whoredom more than her sister's acts of whoredom; she doted on the sons of Asshur. She added to her acts of whoredom and saw the images of the Chaldeans. As soon as her eyes saw them she desired them. The sons of Babel came to her, into her love-bed. Ezekiel 23:2-5, 7-8, 11-12, 14, 16-17.

'Samaria' is a Church with the affection for truth, 'Jerusalem' a Church with the affection for good. By 'the acts of whoredom' committed by such affections with 'the Egyptians' and with 'the sons of Asshur' are meant the perversions of good and truth by means of facts and reasonings used to confirm falsities, as is evident from the meaning of 'Egypt', 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, and of 'Asshur', 119, 1186. These perversions extended even to profane worship which in respect of truth is 'Chaldea', 1368, and in respect of good is 'the sons of Babel', 1182, 1326.

[5] In Isaiah,

And it will be at the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she will return to hiring herself out as a harlot, and will commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth. Isaiah 23:17.

It is the flaunting of falsity that is meant by Tyre's 'hiring herself out as a harlot and committing whoredom'. 'Tyre' means cognitions of truth, see 1201, 'kingdoms' truths with which whoredom took place, 1672.

[6] In Jeremiah,

You have committed whoredom with many partners; but return to Me. Lift up your eyes to the hills and see - where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat waiting for them, like an Arab in the wilderness, and you have profaned the land with your acts of whoredom and with your wickedness. Jeremiah 3:1-2.

'Committing whoredom' and 'profaning the land with acts of whoredom' is perverting and falsifying the truths of the Church. 'The land' is the Church, see 662, 1066, 1067.

[7] In the same prophet,

With the voice of her whoredom she profaned the land, she committed adultery with stone and wood. Jeremiah 3:9.

'Committing adultery with stone and wood' means perverting truths and goods that are part of external worship - 'stone' meaning that kind of truth, see 643, 1298, 'wood' that kind of good, 643.

[8] In the same prophet,

Because they have committed folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their companions' wives, and have in My name spoken a false word which I did not command. Jeremiah 29:23.

'Committing adultery with companions' wives' is teaching falsity as from them.

[9] In the same prophet,

In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: in their committing adultery and walking in falsity. Jeremiah 23:14.

Here 'committing adultery' has regard to good which is being defiled, 'walking in falsity' to truth which is being perverted. In the same prophet,

Your adulterous acts and your neighings, the filth of your whoredom committed on the hills, in the field - I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, O Jerusalem; you will not be made clean after this; how long yet? Jeremiah 13:27.

[10] In Hosea,

Whoredom, and wine, and new wine have taken possession of the heart. My people inquire of a piece of wood and their staff makes declaration to them, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have committed whoredom beneath their god. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn incense on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth. Therefore your daughters commit whoredom and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. Shall I not punish ¹ your daughters because they commit whoredom and your daughters-in-law because they commit adultery, for the men themselves divide with harlots and sacrifice with cult-prostitutes? Hosea 4:11-14.

What each of these things means in the internal sense becomes clear from the meaning of 'wine' as falsity, of 'new wine' as evil deriving from this, of 'the piece of wood which they inquire of' as the good belonging to the delight that goes with some evil desire, 'the staff which makes a declaration' as the imaginary power of their own understanding, also of 'mountains and hills' as self-love and love of the world, of 'oak, poplar, and terebinth' as so many dull-witted perceptions in which they trust, of 'daughters and daughters-in-law' as affections that are such. From this it is evident what acts of 'whoredom', 'adultery', and 'cult-prostitution' mean here.

[11] In the same prophet,

O Israel, you have committed whoredom beneath ² your god; you have taken delight in hiring yourself out as a harlot on every threshing-floor. Hosea 9:1.

'Hiring oneself out as a harlot' stands for a flaunting of falsity. In Moses,

Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go whoring after their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone calls you and you eat of his sacrifices, and you take his daughters for your sons, and his daughters go whoring after their gods, and they cause your sons to go whoring after their gods. Exodus 34:15-16.

In the same author,

I will cut off from the midst of their people all who go whoring after him, for whoring after Molech. And anyone who looks to those who have familiar spirits and to wizards, and goes whoring after them, I will set My face against that person and will cut him off from the midst of his people. Leviticus 20:5-6.

In the same author,

Your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and will bear your acts of whoredom until your bodies are consumed in the wilderness. Numbers 14:33.

In the same author,

May you remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them, and may you not seek after your own heart and after your own eyes, which you go whoring after. Numbers 15:39.

[12] An even plainer usage occurs in John,

One angel said, Come, I will show you the judgement of the great harlot who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom, and with the wine of whose whoredom the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk. Revelation 17:1-2.

'The great harlot' stands for people whose worship is profane. 'The many waters on which she is seated' are cognitions, 28, 739, 'the kings of the earth who committed whoredom with her' are the truths of the Church, 1672, 2015, 2069. 'The wine with which the people became drunk' is falsity, 1071, 1072. It is because wine' and 'drunkenness' have this meaning that Lot's daughters are said to have made their father drink wine, verses 32-33, 35.

[13] In the same book,

Babylon has given all nations drink from the wine of the fury of her whoredom; and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her. Revelation 18:3.

'Babylon' or Babel stands for worship whose external features appear holy but whose interiors are unholy, 1182, 1295, 1326. 'The nations to whom she gives drink' means goods which are rendered profane, 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849, 'the kings who commit whoredom with her' means truths, 1672, 2015, 2069. In the same book,

The judgements of the Lord God are true and right, for He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her whoredom. Revelation 19:2.

'The earth' stands for the Church, 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 2117, 2118.

[14] It was because 'acts of whoredom' had such a meaning, and 'daughters' meant affections, that a priest's daughter was so strictly forbidden to commit whoredom, concerning which the following is said in Moses,

Any priest's daughter, in that she has begun to commit whoredom, is profaning her father; she shall be burnt with fire. Leviticus 21:9.

Also they were forbidden to bring the earnings of a harlot into the house of Jehovah because it was an abomination, Deuteronomy 23:18. And for the same reason a certain procedure had to be followed - given in Numbers 5:12-31 - for investigating the behaviour of a wife whom the husband suspected of adultery; every single detail of that procedure has reference to the adulteration of good. Besides these many more genera and still more species of adultery and whoredom are referred to in the Word. The genus described by means of Lot's daughters lying with their father and called 'Moab' and 'the son of Ammon' is dealt with immediately below.

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