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.

5017. 'And it happened as he was hearing [me]' means when it was discerned. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing' as obeying and also discerning. As regards obeying being meant, see 2542, 3869; but the fact that discerning is meant as well is evident from the actual function performed by the ear and consequently from the nature of hearing. The function of the ear is to receive what is spoken by another and to convey this to the general seat of sensation, so that this may discern from what has been conveyed to it the other person's thought. This is the reason why 'hearing' means discerning. The nature of hearing therefore is to carry one person's utterances expressing his thought to another's thought, and from there into his will, and from there into actions. This is the reason why 'hearing' means obeying. Such are the two functions proper to hearing, and in spoken languages they are distinguished from each other by the expressions 'to hear someone', meaning to discern what he says, and 'to listen to someone or hearken to him, meaning to obey him. The reason hearing has these two functions is that the human being is unable to communicate the contents of his thought and also of his will in any other way; nor can he do other than use reasons to persuade and lead others to do and obey what he wills. From this one may see the circle through which desires and ideas are communicated - from will into thought and thus into speech, then from speech by way of his ear into another's thought and will. From this one may also see why spirits and angels who correspond to the ear or sense of hearing in the Grand Man are not only 'discernments' but also 'obediences'. As regards their being 'obediences', see 4652-4660; and being these they are also 'discernments', for the one entails the other.