5403. And Jacob said to his sons. That this signifies perception regarding truths in general, is evident from the signification of “saying,” in the historicals of the Word, as being perception (see n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3395, 3509); and from the signification of “sons,” as being the truths of faith (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, 4257); and because they were the sons of Jacob, truths in general are signified; for by Jacob’s twelve sons, as by the twelve tribes, were signified all things of faith, thus truths in general (n. 2129, 2130, 3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4060).

533. As nothing more is related concerning Lamech than that he begat sons and daughters, which are the conceptions and births of such a church, we shall dwell no longer on the subject. What the births were, or the “sons and daughters” appears from the church; for such as is the church, such are the births from it. Both the churches called “Methuselah” and “Lamech” expired just before the flood.