4393. 'And Jacob came to Salem, the city of Shechem' means interior truths of faith which go with a state of serenity. This is clear from the meaning of 'Salem' as the serenity of peace, dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'the city of Shechem' as interior truths of faith, dealt with in the next chapter where Shechem and his city are the subject. For 'a city' means the truth of faith, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, while 'Salem' means the serenity of peace, as may be seen in David,

In Judah is God known, in Israel His name is great; and in Salem is His tent, and His dwelling-place in Zion. There He broke the bow's flashing arrows, the shield and the sword, and war. Psalms 76:1-3.

Here 'Salem' plainly means the serenity of peace since it is said that there He broke the bow's flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and war, as well as from the meaning of that name in the original language - for Salem means serenity and perfection. What the serenity of peace is, see 1726, 3696. Such peace involves interior truths, that is, it is experienced by those who in faith and life are governed by interior truths. But as long as they are governed by exterior truths, and especially while progressing from exterior to interior, their state is not one of serenity, for at that time the conflicts brought about by temptations are taking place. The same is also represented here by Jacob in that, following his fear and anxiety on account of Esau, he entered a state of serenity.

403. From these quotations it is clear what 'a city' means. But because everything is put together as history, what else can people who are confined to the sense of the letter see than the idea that Cain built a city and called it Enoch? Yet even they from the sense of the letter must suppose that the earth was already populated, notwithstanding what is said about Cain being Adam' s firstborn. The historical sequence of events implies this. But as stated already, it was the custom among the most ancient people to convert all things into representative types and then arrange them as history. And to them this was something supremely delightful. When they did this everything they saw was seemingly alive.