4862. 'For she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife' means the insight that it could not otherwise be joined to the semblance of religion existing among those descended from Jacob, specifically those descended through Judah. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as an insight, dealt with in 2150, 2325, 3764, 3863, 4403-4421. The reason this was the insight - that it could not otherwise be joined to the semblance of religion existing among the descendants of Jacob, specifically among those descended through Judah - is that 'Judah' means those descendants, 4815, 4842, 4852, and therefore the semblance of religion existing among them, to which it was joined because it could not be joined to Shelah. Also, 'Shelah' represents idolatry, 4825, 4826, 4845, to which the truth of the representative Church meant by 'Tamar' could not be joined.

4826. 'And she called his name Shelah' means the essential nature of this. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with above where Judah's first two sons, Er and Onan, are dealt with, 4822, 4824. The essential nature of that idolatry is meant by Shelah, for there are many kinds of idolatry. There is external idolatry and there is internal; and in general both involve the worship of falsity and evil.