4504. 'Because they had defiled their sister' means that they had violated the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'defiling' as violating, and from the meaning of 'a sister' as truth, dealt with in 1495, 2508, 2524, 2556, 3386, in this case the truth of faith because Dinah, to whom 'their sister' refers here, means the affection for all things of faith, 4427. The reason why Shechem's defilement of their sister means that they befouled the truth of faith is that she represents the affection for all truths, and so means the Church itself, 3963, 3964. And because she was not given by her brothers to Shechem as a wife but remained with them as one defiled, therefore like her brothers she subsequently had a contrary representation. That is to say, she represented the affection for all falsities, and so represented the corrupted Church. Consequently the statement that they defiled their sister means that they had violated the truth of faith.

8881. 'And keep My commandments' means who receive the truths of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'commandments' as the truths of faith, dealt with in 3382, 8362. The reason why 'keeping' them means receiving them is that truths which are called the truths of faith - if they are to be those of faith with a person and have life in them - also flow in from the Lord. A person, it is true, learns them and stores them in his memory; but as long as they are not in the person's will and he does not therefore do them, they do not come to have any life in them. When however they are brought out of store in his memory and introduced by way of his understanding into his will, that is, through thought into affection and therefore into action, they come to have life in them and to be truths of faith. This is accomplished by the Lord when the person refrains from evils, as stated immediately above in 8880.