9320. For destroying thou shalt destroy them. That this signifies that evils must be wholly removed, is evident from the signification of “destroying,” when said of the evils and falsities which are signified by the nations of the land of Canaan and by their gods, as being to remove. That “to destroy” denotes to remove, is because those who are in good and truth never destroy those who are in evil and falsity, but only remove them; for the reason that they act from good, and not from evil; and good is from the Lord, who never destroys anyone. But those who are in evil and from it in falsity endeavor to destroy, and as far as they are able do destroy, those who are in good, for the reason that they act from evil. But because they then run counter to the good which is from the Lord, thus counter to the Divine, they destroy themselves, that is, they cast themselves headlong into damnation and into hell. Such is the law of order, as may be seen above (n. 4299, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7926, 7989, 8137, 8146, 8265, 8945, 8946).

[2] That the Israelites and the Jews destroyed the nations of the land of Canaan, was because the former represented spiritual and heavenly things, and the nations infernal and diabolical things, which cannot possibly be together; for they are opposites. The reason why the Israelites were permitted to destroy the nations, was that there was no church among the Israelites, but only the representative of a church, and consequently the Lord was not present with them except representatively (n. 4307); for they were in external things without anything internal; that is, they were in a worship representative of good and truth, but not in good and truth. Such people are permitted to destroy, to kill, to exterminate, and to devote to destruction; but this is not permitted to those who are in external things and at the same time in internal things, because these people must act from good, and good is from the Lord.

[3] That the Jews and Israelites were of such a character is openly declared by Moses:

Speak not thou in thine heart, after that Jehovah thy God hath thrust the nations out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land. Not for thy righteousness, and for the uprightness of thine heart; for thou art a stiffnecked people (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).

They are a nation ruined in counsels, neither is there any understanding in them. Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall; their clusters of bitterness; their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps. Is not this hidden away with Me, sealed up in My treasuries (Deuteronomy 32:28, 32-34);

in the internal sense “a vine” signifies the church (n. 1069, 5113, 6375, 6376, 9277); “grapes,” and “clusters,” signify the internal and external goods of that church (n. 1071, 5117, 6378); and “wine” signifies the internal truth of that church (n. 1071, 1798, 6377). From this it is plain what is signified by “their vine being of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah,” “their grapes, grapes of gall, and their clusters of bitterness,” and “their wine the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps.” That these things are known to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, is signified by its being “hidden away with Him, and sealed up in His treasuries.”

[4] In John:

Jesus said to the Jews, Ye are of your father the devil, and the desire of your father ye will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

Consequently they are called “a depraved and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39); and also “an offspring of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7). That such was their nature was also described by the Lord in parables (Matthew 21:33-45; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 14:16-24; 20:9-19). (That that nation was the worst of all; that when in worship they were in external things without any internal; that there was no church among them, but only the representative of a church; and that nevertheless they could represent the internal things of the church, see n. 3398, 3479, 3480, 3732, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288-4290, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4500, 4503, 4680, 4815, 4818, 4820, 4825, 4832, 4837, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4868, 4874, 4899, 4903, 4911-4913, 5057, 5998, 6304, 6832, 6877, 7048, 7051, 7248, 7401, 7439, 8301, 8588, 8788, 8806, 8814, 8819, 8871, 8882, 9284)

3024. That thou shalt not take a woman for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite. That this signifies that the Divine rational was not to be conjoined with any affection disagreeing with truth, is evident from the signification of “taking a woman,” as being to be conjoined by a covenant of marriage; from the signification of “my son,” namely Isaac, as being the Lord’s Divine rational (see n. 1893, 2066, 2083, 2630); from the signification of “daughters,” as being affections (see n. 489-491, 568, 2362); and from the signification of the “Canaanite,” as being evil (see n. 1444, 1573, 1574); from which it is that the “daughters of the Canaanite” are affections that do not agree with truth. The subject here treated of is the Divine truth that was to be adjoined to the Divine good of the Lord’s rational, as may be seen from the Contents (n. 3013). By the “woman” who was to be associated by a covenant of marriage, is meant that truth itself, which was to be called forth from the natural man by the common way; by “my son” is meant the Lord’s rational in respect to good, to which it was to be adjoined or associated; hence it may be known that by “not taking a woman from the daughters of the Canaanite,” is signified that this rational was not to be conjoined with any affection that disagreed with truth. All conjunction of truth with good is effected by means of affection; for no truth can possibly enter into man’s rational and be conjoined there, except by means of affection; for in affection is the good of love, which alone conjoins (n. 1895); as may also be known to anyone who reflects.

[2] That the “daughters of the Canaanite” signify affections which disagree with truth, that is, affections of what is false, is evident from the signification of “daughters;” for daughters are mentioned in many passages of the Word, and everyone can see that daughters are not there meant, as where it is said, the “daughter of Zion,” the “daughter of Jerusalem,” the “daughter of Tarshish,” the “daughter of My people.” That by these are signified affections of good and of truth, has been shown in passages quoted above. And because they are affections of good and of truth, they are also churches, for churches are churches from these affections. Thus by the “daughter of Zion” is signified the celestial church, and this from the affection of good; but by the “daughter of Jerusalem” is signified the spiritual church, from the affection of truth (n. 2362); this is also signified by the “daughter of My people” (Isaiah 22:4; Jeremiah 6:14, 26; 8:19, 21-22; 14:17; Lam. 2:11; 4:6; Ezekiel 13:17).

[3] From this it is evident what is signified by the “daughters” of the nations; as by the “daughters of the Philistines,” the “daughters of Egypt,” the “daughters of Tyre and of Zidon,” the “daughters of Edom,” the “daughters of Moab,” the “daughters of the Chaldeans” and “of Babel,” and the “daughters of Sodom,” namely, the affections of evil and falsity from which were their religious systems, and thus the religious systems themselves. That such is the signification of “daughters,” may be seen from the passages that follow.

In Ezekiel:

The daughters of the nations shall lament for Egypt. Wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cause her to go down, her and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the earth of the regions below, with them that go down into the pit (Ezekiel 32:16, 18).

The “daughters of the famous nations” denote the affections of evil.

In Samuel:

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph (2 Samuel 1:20).

In Ezekiel:

Thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt; I have delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines which do despite unto thee round about (Ezekiel 16:26-27, 57).

That daughters are not meant here, anyone can see; but the religiosities of such as are signified by the Philistines, which are of such a kind that they talk much about faith and lead no life of faith (see n. 1197, 1198); for this reason they are also called the “uncircumcised,” that is, those who are devoid of charity.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt. O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, make thee vessels of exile. The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame, she is delivered into the hand of the people of the north (Jeremiah 46:11, 19, 24).

The “daughter of Egypt” denotes the affection of reasoning from memory-knowledges concerning the truths of faith, as to whether they be so; thus she denotes the kind of religion that arises from this, which is such that nothing is believed except that which is comprehended by the senses, and thus nothing of the truth of faith (see n. 215, 232, 233, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1385, 2196, 2203, 2209, 2568, 2588).

[5] In Isaiah:

He said, Thou shalt no more exult, O thou oppressed daughter of Zidon (Isaiah 23:12).

And in David:

The daughter of Tyre with a gift, the rich among the people shall entreat thy faces (Psalms 45:12).

What is meant by the “daughter of Zidon” and the “daughter of Tyre,” is evident from the signification of Zidon and of Tyre (see n. 1201).

In Jeremiah:

Rejoice and be glad O daughter of Edom. Thine iniquity is consummated, O daughter of Zion. He will no more cause thee to migrate; thine iniquity shall be visited, O daughter of Edom (Lam. 4:21-22).

In Isaiah:

As a wandering bird, a nest sent forth, shall the daughters of Moab be (Isaiah 16:2).

Again:

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babel; sit on the earth, without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. Sit thou silent, and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms (Isaiah 47:1, 5).

In Jeremiah:

A people cometh from the north set in array as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babel (Jeremiah 50:41-42).

The daughter of Babel is like a threshing-floor, it is time to thresh her (Jeremiah 51:33).

In Zechariah:

Alas O Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babel (Zech. 2:7).

In David:

The daughter of Babel is laid waste (Psalms 137:8).

In Ezekiel:

Thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their ancient estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their ancient estate (Ezekiel 16:55).

[6] Anyone can see that in these passages by “daughters” are not meant daughters, but affections that disagree with truth, and thus religiosities that come from this source; but what these religiosities are, is evident from the signification of the peoples named-as Edom, Moab, the Chaldeans, Babel, Sodom, and Samaria, which have been treated of in many places in the explications of the foregoing chapters of Genesis. Hence now it is evident what is here meant by the “daughters of the Canaanite.”

[7] That the Israelites were not to contract marriages with the daughters of the Canaanites, also had regard to the spiritual laws that good and falsity, and evil and truth are not to be joined together; for thence comes profanation. The prohibition was also representative of the matter concerning which we read in Deuteronomy 7:3; and in Malachi:

Judah hath profaned the holiness of Jehovah, in that he hath loved and hath married the daughter of a strange god (Malachi 2:11).