6146. 'And the people, he transferred them to the cities' means that facts holding truths within them were assigned to different areas of doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'the people' as truths, dealt with in 1259, 1160, 3295, 3581, at this point facts holding truths within them since the people of Egypt are referred to; and from the meaning of 'the cities' as areas of doctrine, dealt with in 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4497. Consequently 'transferring the people to the cities' means assigning facts that hold truths within them to different areas of doctrine. This follows from what has gone before - from the description that truths were assigned to a general whole within the natural, 6715. For matters of doctrine are general wholes to which truths are assigned. The teaching of the Church divides up under its own headings, and each heading forms a general whole in the Church. From this one may also see that the transfer of the people by Joseph to the cities was carried out so that the relating of truths to general wholes, and so to different areas of doctrine, might be represented.

4497. 'That two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi' means faith and love. This is clear from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith in the will, dealt with in 3869-3872, and from the representation of 'Levi' as spiritual love or charity, dealt with in 3875, 3877. These are the things meant in the genuine sense by Simeon and Levi and also by the tribes named after Simeon and Levi. But in the contrary sense falsity and evil are meant, for falsity is the contrary of the truth of faith, and evil the contrary of the good of charity. These are the things that Simeon and Levi represent when the context is the Jewish nation which had annihilated among themselves everything of faith and everything of charity, such as constitute the internal aspects of worship. This becomes much clearer in what follows where it is said that they killed Hamor, Shechem, and the men of the city, and that the sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered everything. Simeon and Levi were the ones to commit this deed, so as to represent the fact that the truth of faith and the good of charity had been made into falsity and evil. For when truth becomes falsity and good becomes evil within the Church, the Church is done for.