9339. Verses 31-33. And I will set thy border from the sea Suph, and even unto the sea of the Philistines; and from the wilderness even unto the river; for I will give into your hand the inhabitants of the land, and I will drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt not make a covenant with them, and with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest perchance they make thee sin against Me, when thou shalt serve their gods, because it will be a snare to thee. “And I will set thy border from the sea Suph, and even unto the sea of the Philistines,” signifies extension from memory-truths to the interior truths of faith; “and from the wilderness even unto the river,” signifies from the delight of what is sensuous, even to the good and truth of the rational; “for I will give into your hand the inhabitants of the land,” signifies command over evils; “and I will drive them out from before thee,” signifies their removal; “thou shalt not make a covenant with them, and with their gods,” signifies no communication with evils and falsities; “they shall not dwell in thy land,” signifies that evils shall not be together with the goods of the church; “lest perchance they make thee sin against Me,” signifies lest evils turn away the goods that are from the Lord; “when thou shalt serve their gods,” signifies if there be worship from falsities; “because it will be a snare to thee,” signifies by reason of the allurement and deception of evils.

5801. Have ye a father, or a brother? That this signifies the good which is the source, and the truth which is the means, is evident from the representation of Israel, who is here the “father,” as being spiritual good or the good of truth (see n. 3654, 4598), that it is the good which is the source, is because the truths in the natural are from the spiritual good; and from the representation of Benjamin, who is here the “brother,” as being truth; that it is the truth which is the means, is because through this there is conjunction of the truths of the church in the natural (which Jacob’s sons represent) with the spiritual good which is “Israel;” and as the conjunction is through this, it is described in many passages how his father loved Benjamin who represents this truth, and how Judah could not return with the others to his father unless Benjamin were with them. (In regard to this truth, see below, n. 5835)