5480. 'And wept' means mercy. This is clear from the meaning of 'weeping', when used in reference to the Lord, who is represented here by 'Joseph', as showing mercy. It is well known that weeping is an expression of grief and love; it is consequently an expression of mercy since mercy is love that is grieving. Divine love therefore is called mercy because left by itself the human race is in hell; and when a person recognizes within himself that this is the case he prays for mercy. Since in the internal sense 'weeping' also implies mercy, there are many occasions in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord is spoken of as weeping, as in Isaiah,

I shall weep with weeping over Jazer, the vine of Sibmah. I will seek you with My tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh. Isaiah 16:9.

And in Jeremiah,

I know, says Jehovah, the indignation of Moab, that he is not right. Therefore I will howl over Moab and will cry out because of the whole of Moab. Above the weeping of Jazer I will weep because of you, O vine of Sibmah. Jeremiah 48:30-32.

'Moab' stands for those who are governed by natural good and allow themselves to be led astray; and once led astray they adulterate what is good, 2468. 'Howling, crying out, and weeping over Moab' stands for feelings of mercy and grief. Similarly in Luke,

As He drew near, Jesus saw the city and wept over it. Luke 19:41.

The Jerusalem over which Jesus wept, that is, for which He had feelings of mercy and grief, was not only the actual city of Jerusalem but also the Church, whose last day, when there will no longer be any charity or consequently any faith, is meant in the internal sense. His feelings of mercy and grief led Him to weep. As regards 'Jerusalem' being the Church, see 2117, 3654.

3459. 'And swore, a man to his brother' means confirmation with those who do the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'swearing' or of 'an oath' as confirmation, dealt with in 2842, 3037, 3375, and from the meaning of 'a man to his brother' as the good of truth, or what amounts to the same, one who is governed by that truth - 'man' meaning truth, see 265, 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, and 'brother' good, 2360. For what the good of truth is, see 3295, 3332. This good occurs with those represented here by Abimelech or by the Philistines, of whom Abimelech was the king, that is to say, those who make faith the essential thing of the Church and rank it above charity. No other good exists with such persons than the good of truth. Indeed they extract and draw out of the Word nothing else than references to faith and so to truth. They hardly notice references to good and so to life, and as a consequence they become more firmly convinced by matters of doctrine concerning faith and not by any concerning charity. When they do perform a good action it is one prescribed by matters of doctrine concerning faith. Good prescribed by these is called the good of truth.

[2] The Lord does indeed join Himself to those with whom this good exists, but not in the same way as He does to those who do the good of charity, for love and charity constitute spiritual conjunction, but not so faith except through love and charity. It is for this reason that the words used are not 'they made a covenant with Isaac' but 'they swore, a man to his brother'; for 'a covenant' has reference to good, which is the good of love and charity, whereas 'an oath' has reference to truth, which is the truth of faith, 3375. Also 'dwelling together' meant by 'a feast', 3456, is used in reference to those who do the good of truth. From people such as these in the next life I have been given to know that they have been separated from those who do the good of charity; for the latter are joined more nearly to the Lord than the former, since the former's good is so to speak hard and inflexible, and not communicable, and so is not in heaven but on the threshold of heaven.