3447. 'Abimelech went to him from Gerar' means the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts. This is clear from the representation of 'Abimelech' as the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts, dealt with in 2504, 2509, 2510, 3391, 3393, 3398, and from the meaning of 'Gerar' as faith, dealt with in 1209, 2504, 3365, 3384, 3385. For what doctrine having regard to rational concepts is, see 3368. From here to verse 33 the subject has to do with those among whom the literal sense of the Word and from this matters of doctrine concerning faith exist, and with the agreement of those matters of doctrine, insofar as they are drawn from the literal sense, with the internal sense; for 'Abimelech, and Ahuzzath his companion, and Phicol the commander of his army' represent those matters of doctrine. They are those who make faith the essential thing, and who, though they do not reject charity, rank it below faith, and so rate doctrine above life. Almost all our Churches today are like this, with the exception of that which exists in Christian Gentilism where people are allowed to venerate saints and images of them.

[2] As within every Church that is the Lord's some people are internal and others are external - the internal being those whose affection is for good, the external those whose affection is for truth - so it is also with those who are represented here by Abimelech, his companion, and the commander of his army. Those who are internal have been dealt with already in Chapter 21:22-33, where it is said of Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army that they came to Abraham and made a covenant with him in Beersheba, see 2719, 2720. But those who are external are dealt with here.

582. 'After the sons of God went in to the daughters of man, who bore children to them' means at that time when they immersed doctrinal matters concerning faith in their own evil desires and became Nephilim. This is clear from what has been stated and shown just above at verse 2, that is to say, 'the sons of God' means doctrinal matters concerning faith, while 'daughters' means evil desires. Nothing else is born of this union than their treating the holy things of faith as worthless and their profaning them. For a person's desires which stem from self-love and love of the world stand utterly opposed to all that is holy and true. Moreover evil desires prevail with man, and therefore when the holy and true which have been acknowledged by him are immersed in such desires he is done for, since these cannot be rooted out and dispersed. They cling to every one of his ideas, and in the next life it is ideas that are communicated from one person to another. Consequently as soon as any idea of what is holy and true is brought out, so too is the unholiness and falsity attached to it, which is perceived instantly. Consequently such people have to be separated and forced down into hell.