6541. And the inhabitant of the land, the Canaanite, saw the grievous mourning in the threshing-floor Atad. That this signifies a perception of grief by the good of the church, is evident from the signification of “seeing,” as being a perception (n. 2150, 3764, 4723, 5400); from the signification of “inhabitant,” as being good (n. 2268, 2451, 2712, 3613); from the signification of “land,” here the land of Canaan, where was its “inhabitant the Canaanite,” as being the church (n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705); from the signification of “mourning,” as being grief (n. 6539, 6540); and from the signification of the “threshing-floor Atad,” as being the first state, namely that of initiation (n. 6537, 6538). Hence it is plain that by the “inhabitant of the land, the Canaanite, saw the grievous mourning in the threshing-floor Atad,” is signified a perception of grief by the good of the church.

2451. And all the inhabitants of the cities. That this signifies that all goods were taken away from them, in order that they might have nothing but evils, is evident from the signification of “inhabitants,” when predicated of a city, as being goods; which may be confirmed by many things in the Word. The same is also evident from the fact that when a “city” signifies truth (as already shown), an “inhabitant” denotes good; for truth is that in which good dwells; and truth in which there is no good, is like a city empty, or without an inhabitant. Moreover as regards the fact that all goods are separated from the evil, so that they may have nothing but evils, see above (n. 2449).