4761. 'And Reuben returned to the pit' means the Church's faith in general. This is clear from the representation of 'Reuben' as the Church's confession of faith in general, dealt with in 4731, 4734, and from the meaning of 'the pit' as falsities, dealt with in 4728. Consequently the statement that 'Reuben returned to the pit' means that the Church's faith in general came to behold the falsities that belong to faith separated from charity.

4734. 'And Reuben said to them' means an exhortation. In the proximate sense this describes the Church's confession of faith in general, meant by 'Reuben', 4731, exhorting or charging them not to do violence, as follows below.