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.

4929. 'On whose hand was the twice-dyed thread' means the acknowledgement that good is such. This is clear from the fact that he was then acknowledged to be the firstborn because of 'the twice-dyed thread on his hand', thus that it was good which opened the womb or was the firstborn. The midwife binding on his hand a twice-dyed thread means that she provided a sign to indicate which one was the firstborn, and therefore acknowledgement is meant here.