3148. 'And the feet of the men who were with him' means purification of all things that were His in the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'the feet' as the things that belong to the natural man, dealt with in 2162, and from the meaning of 'the men who were with him' as all things in the natural man. It was customary for wayfarers on entering any house to wash their feet, as when Joseph's brothers were brought into his house, Genesis 43:24; when the Levite and those accompanying him were received into the old man's house, Judges 19:21; and when Uriah after his journey was ordered by David to go down to his house and to wash his feet, 2 Samuel 11:8. The reason for this custom was that journeys and travels meant things to do with instruction, and consequently with life, see 1293, 1457, 1463, 2025, and that these had to be purified, as shown just above in 3147. And there was the added reason that the filth that is meant in the spiritual sense should not cling to and defile the house, which is the human being, as also is evident from the requirement that they were to shake off the dust on their feet if a city or house did not receive peace, Matthew 10:14.

4382. 'At the walking-pace of the cattle that are before me' means as determined by the things that are general. This becomes clear from what has gone before. By 'the walking-pace of the cattle' are meant the things that have been stated above - 'the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with me are suckling; and if the men overdrive them for one day, all the flocks will die' which, as is evident from what has been stated there, meant as determined by the things that are general. The expression 'the walking-pace of the cattle' is used, and after that 'the walking-pace of the children', because 'the foot' means the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, and the subject at present is the natural.