3827. 'And they were in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her' means a state of love, that is to say, a state without any tedium. This is clear from the meaning of 'being in his eyes' as its appearing to be so, from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 893, 2788, 3462, 3785; therefore 'like a few days, because of his love for her' means a state of love. When anyone enters a state of love or heavenly affection he enters an angelic state; that is to say, it is as though time does not exist, provided that that affection holds no urge for change. That urge is a bodily affection; and insofar as anyone is subject to it time exists for him, but insofar as he is not subject to it time does not exist. This is reflected somewhat in the delights and glad feelings that go with affection or love. When someone experiences these he is not conscious of time, since he is living within the internal man during such experiences. By means of the affection that is an attribute of genuine love a person is drawn away from bodily and worldly interests, for his mind is lifted up towards heaven, and so he is drawn away from things that belong to time. Indeed it is reflecting on those things which are not the objects of one's affection or love, and so on things that are tedious, that gives rise to an apparent sense of time. From this one may also see what is meant by the seven years being in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her.

4500. 'And came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male' means that they utterly destroyed the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'the city' as the doctrine of the Church, dealt with in 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4478, in this case of the Church among the Ancients, for that Church is represented by Hamor and Shechem whose city it was; from the meaning of 'with confidence' as with trust, in this case with trust in falsity and evil; and from the meaning of 'a male' as truth, dealt with in 749, 2046, 4005. From these meanings it is evident that 'they came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male' means that with a trust in falsity and evil they utterly destroyed the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients.

[2] It was the Church among the Ancients, a descendant of the Most Ancient Church, that was going to be established among the descendants from Jacob, because the Ancient Church had begun to perish. But the fact that they utterly destroyed every truth of faith and good of charity, and thus every internal aspect of worship among them, and so the fact that no Church could be established among Jacob's descendants, is described at this point in the internal sense. This explains how it came about that, because of their stubborn insistence, that which was merely a representative of the Church was established among them 4281, 4288-4290, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444.