6537. 'And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. This is clear from the meaning of 'the threshing-floor' as the place where the good of truth exists, for what lies on a threshing-floor is grain, and by 'grain' is meant good which is derived from truth, 5295, 5410, and also the truth of good, 5959; and from the meaning of 'Atad' as the essential nature of that state, just like place-names in other parts of the Word. The reason why 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means that state - the state leading to goodness and truth existing within the Church - is that it was at the crossing of the Jordan, and by that crossing is meant introduction into cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in the next paragraph. For the Jordan served as the frontier leading into the land of Canaan; and since 'the land of Canaan' means the Church, 'the Jordan' accordingly means the initial things of the Church, that is, those through which lies entrance into the Church.

[2] Thus it is that 'the threshing-floor of Atad' means the initial state. And because the initial state was meant, the mourning took place next to a threshing-floor; for this was situated on the nearer side of the Jordan, from which position one had a view of the land of Canaan, which means the Church. The fact that 'a threshing-floor' means a place where the good of truth and the truth of good exist, thus where things of the Church exist, is clear in Joel,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. The threshing-floors are full of grain, and the presses overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24.

'The children of Zion' stands for truths deriving from good, 'threshing-floors full of grain' for the fact that there is an abundance of truth and good.

[3] In Hosea,

Do not rejoice, O Israel, for you have committed whoredom under your God; you have taken delight in a harlot's reward on every threshing-floor. Threshing-floor and wine-press will not feed them, and new wine will be deceptive to her. Hosea 9:1-2.

'Committing whoredom' and 'taking delight in a harlot's reward' stands for falsifying truths and loving falsified truths; 'threshing-floors' stands for truths of good that have been falsified.

[4] Since 'a threshing-floor' meant good and also truth, they used to celebrate the feast of tabernacles at the time when they gathered in from the threshing-floor. Regarding that feast it says in Moses,

You shall celebrate the feast of tabernacles seven days, when you gather in from your threshing-floor, and from your wine-press. Deuteronomy 16:13.

The feast of tabernacles meant holy worship, thus worship springing from what was good and true, 3312, 4391.

6539. 'And wailed there with great and extremely loud wailing means grief. This is clear from the meaning of 'wailing' as grief. The grief that is meant here is a grief that goes with the introduction referred to just above in 6537; for before the cognitions of good and truth which come at the initial stage can be implanted in good and so become part of the Church's good, grief exists; for a different state must be brought about in the natural, and the known facts must be rearranged into a different order there. Thus what a person has loved formerly must be destroyed, which means that he will also have to undergo temptations. This is what gives rise to the grief that is represented by 'the loud wailing with which they wailed'.