2465. Verses 31-36 And the firstborn said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come to us, according to the way of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him and let us keep seed alive by our father. And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up. And so it was on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine again tonight, and come, lie with him, and let us keep seed alive by our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger rose up and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up. And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.

[2] 'The firstborn said to the younger' here, as previously, means affections - 'the firstborn' meaning the affection for that kind of good, 'the younger' the affection for that kind of falsity. 'Our father is old, and there is no man in the land' means that it is no longer known what good is and what truth is. 'To come to us' means to which those affections might be joined. 'According to the way of all the earth' means according to matters of doctrine, 'earth' being the Church. 'Come, let us make our father drink wine' means that they might saturate such good with falsities, meant by the wine. 'And let us lie with him' means that in this way they would be joined together.

[3] 'And let us keep seed alive by our father' means that in this way a new kind of a Church would emerge. 'And they made their father drink wine' means that they saturated such good with falsities. 'That night' means when all things were enveloped in so much obscurity. 'And the firstborn came' means the affection for that kind of good. 'And lay with her father' means that in this way the two were brought together. 'And he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up' means that such general good knew no other than that it was so. 'And on the next day' means afterwards. 'The firstborn said to the younger' means that the affection for such good persuaded the falsity. 'Behold, I lay last night with my father' means that thus they had been joined together. 'Let us make him drink wine again tonight' means here, as previously, that they saturated such good with falsities, at a time when everything was enveloped in so much obscurity. 'And come, lie with him' means that these might be joined together as well.

[4] 'And let us keep seed alive by our father' here, as previously, means that in this way a new kind of a Church would emerge. 'And they made their father drink wine that night also' means that in that obscure state they saturated such good with falsities. 'And the younger rose up and lay with him' means that the affection for falsity acted in a similar fashion, so that falsities looked like truths, and the two were in this way joined together. 'And he did not know when she lay down and when she rose up' here, as previously, means that such a general type of good knew no other than that it was so. 'And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father' means that this was how such a religion as that meant by 'Moab' and 'the son of Ammon' arose.

1201. That 'Sidon' means the exterior cognitions of spiritual things is clear from the fact that he is called 'Canaan's firstborn', for in the internal sense the firstborn of every Church is faith, see 352, 367. Here however, where faith does not exist because internal things are missing they are no more than exterior cognitions of spiritual things taking the place of faith, thus cognitions such as those with the Jews which are cognitions not only of the ceremonies of external worship but also of many other things belonging to that worship, such as matters of doctrine. That 'Sidon' has this meaning is also evident from the fact that Tyre and Sidon were the furthest limits of Philistia, and were in fact by the sea. 'Tyre' therefore meant interior cognitions, and 'Sidon' those which were exterior, and yet cognitions of spiritual things. This is also clear from the Word: in Jeremiah,

On the day that is coming to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains, for Jehovah is laying waste the Philistines, the remnants of the island of Caphtor. Jeremiah 47:4.

Here 'the Philistines' stands for knowledge of the cognitions of faith and charity, 'Tyre' for interior cognitions, and 'Sidon' for cognitions of spiritual things.

[2] In Joel,

What are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the borders of Philistia? You have taken My silver and gold, and My good and desirable treasures you have carried into your temples. Joel 3:4-5.

Here 'Tyre' and 'Sidon' clearly stand for cognitions and are called 'the borders of Philistia', for 'gold and silver' and 'good and desirable treasures' are cognitions. In Ezekiel,

The princes of the north, all of them, and every Sidonian, who have gone down with the slain ¹ into the pit. He was made to lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those slain' by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude. Ezekiel 32:30, 32.

Here 'the Sidonian' stands for exterior cognitions, which when devoid of things that are internal are nothing else than facts, and it is for this reason that he is mentioned along with Pharaoh, or Egypt, who means facts. In Zechariah,

Hamath also will border on it, Tyre and Sidon, for it is exceedingly wise. Zechariah 9:2.

This refers to Damascus. 'Tyre and Sidon' stands for cognitions.

[3] In Ezekiel,

The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your wise men, O Tyre, were in you, they were your pilots. Ezekiel 27:8.

Here 'Tyre' stands for interior cognitions, and therefore her wise men are called 'pilots', while 'Sidon' stands for exterior cognitions and her inhabitants are therefore called 'rowers', for such is the relationship of interior cognitions to exterior. In Isaiah,

The inhabitants of the island are silent, O merchant of Sidon passing over the sea; they have replenished you. But on the great waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the river, was her revenue, and was the merchandise of nations. Blush, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea saying, I have not gone into labour, nor have I given birth, nor reared young men, nor brought up virgins. Isaiah 23:2-5.

Here 'Sidon' stands for exterior cognitions which, because they have nothing internal within them are called 'the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the river, her revenue, the merchandise of the nations', and also 'the sea, the stronghold of the sea', and 'one that does not go into labour and give birth'. What these expressions may mean could never be discerned in the literal sense, but their meaning is perfectly plain in the internal sense, as with everything else in the Prophets. Since 'Sidon' means exterior cognitions it is also referred to as the region surrounding Israel, which is the spiritual Church, Ezekiel 28:24, 26, for exterior cognitions are like a surrounding region.

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