4494. Verses 25-29 And it happened on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, and came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. Their flocks, and their herds, and their asses, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took. And all their wealth, and all their young children, and their women, they took captive and plundered, and everything that was in the house.

'It happened on the third day' means that which is continuous even to the end. 'When they were in pain' means evil desires. 'That two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi' means faith and love. 'Dinah's brothers' means the truths and goods of that Church. 'Each took his sword' means falsity and evil. '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. 'And [they killed] Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword' means the Church itself. 'And they took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went away' means that they took away the affection for truth. 'The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city' means that all his descendants destroyed that doctrine. 'Because they had defiled their sister' means that they had violated the truth of faith. 'Their flocks, and their herds' means that they destroyed rational good and natural good. 'And their asses' means the truths derived from these. 'And whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took' means every truth and good of the Church. 'And all their wealth' means all factual knowledge which they had acquired for themselves. 'And all their young children' means all innocence. 'And their women' means charity. 'They took captive and plundered' means that they seized them and perverted them. 'And everything that was in the house' means everything of the Church.

1212. 'As you come towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, as far as Lasha' means the falsities and evils which encompass them. This becomes clear from the meaning of these same locations when mentioned in historical and prophetical sections of the Word. In general falsities have two sources. The first group derive from the desires that belong to self-love and love of the world, the second from cognitions and facts by way of reasonings. Falsities derived in this way, when they wish to have dominion over truths, are meant by 'Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim'. The fact that falsities and derivative evils are the borders of external worship which is devoid of internal may become clear to anyone. Such worship has nothing within it other than that which is dead. Consequently whichever way someone turns whose worship is such he stumbles into falsities. There is nothing internal to guide him and keep him on the path of truth, only that which is external to take hold of him wherever evil desire and delusion lead him. Since Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim are all mentioned in historical and prophetical sections of the Word, the specific meaning of each one will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed in those places.