4492. 'All who went out of the gate of his city' means that they departed from the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'going out' here as departing from, and from the meaning of 'the gate of the city' as doctrine, dealt with in 2943, 4477, here the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients, since it was the gate of 'his', that is, Shechem's, city. For 'Shechem' represents the truth of the Church among the Ancients, 4454, the phrase 'the Church among the Ancients' being used to mean that which descended from the Most Ancient Church, as also stated already. The implications of this will be evident from what follows next.

'Shechem,' as in Genesis 37:12, signifies earliest basics of the doctrine concerning faith. The earliest basics are also the common, or general, principles of doctrinal things. These common, or general, principles are what are received first. Special, or particular, principles follow afterwards.

In Genesis 12:6, 'Abram's passing through the land unto the place Shechem' signifies a new state of the Lord when the celestial aspects of love first appeared to Him which is what Shechem signifies. This is the first stop in the land of Canaan, when coming from Syria, or Haran.

'Shechem' the son of Hamor in Genesis 34:2 signifies the truth of the church from ancient times.

In Genesis 33:17-20, Psalms 60:6-8 and 108:7-9, Shechem signifies the first dawn of light.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1441, Genesis 6; Joshua 1, 7, 20, 20:7, 21, 21:21, 24:1, 24, 24:25)