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.

Sichem', wie in 1. Mose 37,12, bedeutet die frühesten Grundlagen der Lehre über den Glauben. Die frühesten Grundlagen sind auch die gemeinsamen oder allgemeinen Prinzipien der Glaubenslehre. Diese gemeinsamen oder allgemeinen Grundsätze sind es, die zuerst aufgenommen werden. Die speziellen oder besonderen Grundsätze folgen danach. In 1. Mose 12,6 bedeutet "Abrams Durchzug durch das Land bis zu dem Ort Sichem" einen neuen Zustand des Herrn, als ihm die himmlischen Aspekte der Liebe zum ersten Mal erschienen, was Sichem bedeutet. Dies ist die erste Station im Land Kanaan, wenn man von Syrien oder Haran kommt. Als Jakob von Haran in das Land Kanaan zurückkehrte, kam er auf dieselbe Weise nach Sichem, wie in 1. Mose 33,17-20, wo Sichem die erste Morgendämmerung des Lichts bedeutet. So auch in Davids Psalmen 60,6-8 und 108,7-9, wo Sichem dasselbe bedeutet. Sichem wurde zu einer Stadt der Zuflucht gemacht, wie in Josua 20,7, und zu einer Stadt der Priester, wie in Josua 21,21, und die Tatsache, dass "dort ein Bund geschlossen wurde", wie in Josua 24,1.25, impliziert dieselbe Bedeutung. Sichem", der Sohn Hamors, wie in 1. Mose 34,2, bedeutet die Wahrheit der Kirche von alters her.

(Verweise: Himmlischen Geheimnissen 1441, 1 Mose 12:6, 33:17-20, 34:2, 1 Mose 37:12; Josua 20:7, 21:21, 24:1, 24:25; Psalm 60:6-8, 108:7-9)