Arcana Coelestia # 4720
4720. And the man said, They are departed hence, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. That this signifies that they betook themselves from generals to special things of doctrine, is evident from the signification of “departing,” as being to betake themselves; and from the signification of “from Shechem,” which is the place they departed from, as being from the generals of doctrine (n. 4707, 4716); and from the signification of “Dothan,” as being the special things of doctrine. That “Dothan” is the special things of doctrine cannot so well be confirmed from other passages in the Word, because it is mentioned in the second book of Kings only (2 Kings 6:13), where it is related that the king of Syria sent chariots and horsemen and a great army to Dothan to take Elisha, and that they were smitten with blindness and led by Elisha to Samaria.
[2] As all the historicals of the Word are representative of the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord’s kingdom, so also is this, and by the king of Syria are represented those who are in the knowledges of truth (n. 1232, 1234, 3249, 3664, 3680, 4112); here in the opposite sense those who are in the knowledges of what is not true; by Elisha is represented the Word of the the Lord, (n. 2762); by Dothan, doctrinals from the Word; by the chariots and horsemen and the great army which the king of Syria sent, are signified falsities of doctrine; by the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha, which his young man saw, are signified the good and true things of doctrine from the Word (n. 2762); by the blindness with which those were smitten who were sent thither by the king of Syria, are signified the falsities themselves (n. 2383); and by their being led by Elisha to Samaria, where their eyes were opened, is signified instruction by means of the Word. Such things are involved in this history, in which by Dothan, where Elisha was, are signified doctrinal things of good and truth from the Word. Its signification in the present verse is similar, the special things of doctrine being nothing else; but here the special things of false principles are signified, because the subject treated of is the church that begins from faith, which it thus separates from charity from the very beginning. All the doctrinals which are then formed savor of the general principle, thus of faith without charity; whence come the falsities which are the special things of the false principles.
[3] Every church in its beginning knows only the generals of doctrine, for it is then in its simplicity, and as it were in its childhood; but in the course of time it adds particulars, which in part are confirmations of the generals, and in part additions (which, however, are not contrary to the generals), and also explanations to reconcile plain contradictions and to avoid violence to the dictates of common sense. All these things are nevertheless the special things of false principles; for all things of every doctrine which recognize the general principle as father, have relation to one another as in a kind of fellowship, and are conjoined as if by relationships of blood and of marriage. It is plain from this that when the general principle is false, all things savor of falsity.
Genesis 10
1
Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4
The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
5
Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
6
The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7
The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
8
Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9
He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh."
10
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11
Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
12
and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).
13
Mizraim became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
14
Pathrusim, Casluhim (which the Philistines descended from), and Caphtorim.
15
Canaan became the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth,
16
the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,
17
the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,
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the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.
19
The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, to Gaza; as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha.
20
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.
21
To Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.
22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
23
The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24
Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.
25
To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.
26
Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
29
Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
30
Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
31
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.
32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
