4510. 'And their women' means charity. This is clear from the meaning of the words for 'woman' and 'wife' (femina, mulier, uxor) as affections for truth and affections for good. Affections for truth are meant when the partner is mentioned or when the expression 'husband' is used, affections for good when the partner is not mentioned or when the term 'man' is used, 915, 1468, 2517, 3236. At present affections for good are meant because the women belonged to the men of the city, who meant truths, 4478 (end), and because the city is everywhere called the city of Shechem, who represented the truth of the Church among the Ancients, 4454. The affection for spiritual good is the same as charity, and this is why 'women' here means charity.

915. 'He went out' means that this did in fact happen. 'Noah and his sons means the member of the Ancient Church; and 'his wife and his sons' wives' means the Church itself. This is clear from the train of thought, which implies that in this way the Ancient Church came into being, for these words form an end or conclusion to what goes before them. When the Church is being described in the Word it is described either as 'husband (vir) and wife' or as 'man (homo) and wife'. When it is husband and wife 'husband' means the understanding part, which is truth, and 'wife' the will part, which is good. And when man and wife is used 'man' means love, or good that stems from love, and 'wife' faith, or the truth of faith. 'Man' accordingly means the essential element of the Church, 'wife' the Church itself. This applies throughout the Word. Here, since the subject up to now has been the forming of a new Church while the Most Ancient Church was dying out, 'Noah and his sons' means the member of the Ancient Church, and 'his wife and his sons' wives with him' the Church itself. This is why they are here referred to in a different order from what they were in verse 16 previously. In that verse, where it is said, 'Go out, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you', 'you' and 'wife' are coupled together, as are 'sons' and 'your sons' wives'. Consequently 'you' and 'sons' mean truth, and 'wife' and 'sons' wives' good. In this verse 18 however they do not come in the same order, the reason being, as has been stated, that 'you and sons' means the member of the Church, and 'his wife and his sons' wives' the Church itself. It in fact forms the conclusion to what goes before it. It was not Noah but his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth who constituted the Ancient Church, as stated already. For three Churches in a sense formed this Ancient Church, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on. These Churches emerged as offspring of the one Church called Noah, and this is why the expressions 'you and your sons', and then 'your wife and sons' wives' are used here.