4446. Verses 8-12. And Hamor spoke with them, saying, Shechem my son, his soul longs for your daughter; give her I pray to him for a woman. And share kinships with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you. And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell ye, and range through it trading, and get you possession therein. And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye say unto me I will give. Multiply upon me exceedingly dowry and gift, and I will give as ye say unto me; and give me the damsel for a woman. “And Hamor spoke with them, saying,” signifies the good of the Church among the Ancients; “Shechem my son,” signifies the truth thence derived; “his soul longs for your daughter, give her I pray to him for a woman,” signifies a desire for conjunction with this new church which appears in outward form like the Ancient Church; “and share kinships with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you,” signifies a union of goods and truths; “and ye shall dwell with us,” signifies life; “and the land shall be before you, dwell ye,” signifies the church which would be one; “and range through it trading, and get you possession therein,” signifies doctrinal tenets from what is general that would agree together; “and Shechem said unto her father and unto her brothers,” signifies a consultation of the truth from the ancient Divine stock with the good and truth of this religiosity; “let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye say unto me I will give,” signifies if they had a like mind on their side to what he had on his; “multiply upon me exceedingly dowry and gift, and I will give as ye say unto me,” signifies that he will accept the things that are with them, and will make them his own; “and give me the damsel for a woman,” signifies provided there is conjunction.

567. All that region is called the region of the church where those live who are instructed in the doctrine of true faith; as the land of Canaan, when the Jewish Church was there, and Europe, where the Christian Church now is; the lands and countries outside of this are not the region of the church, or the “faces of the ground.” Where the church was before the flood, may also appear from the lands which the rivers encompassed that went forth from the garden of Eden, by which in various parts of the Word are likewise described the boundaries of the land of Canaan; and also from what follows concerning the Nephilim that were “in the land;” and that these Nephilim dwelt in the land of Canaan is evident from what is said of the sons of Anak: that they were “of the Nephilim” (Numbers 13:33).