3942. And found dudaim in the field. That this signifies the things of conjugial love in the truth and good of charity and love, is evident from the signification of “dudaim” as being the things that belong to conjugial love (concerning which in what follows); and from the signification of the “field,” as being the church, and consequently the truth of faith and good of charity, because these make the church (n. 368, 2971, 3196, 3310, 3500, 3508, 3766). What the “dudaim” were, the translators do not know. They suppose them to have been fruits or flowers, to which they give names according to their several opinions. But of what kind they were it does not concern us to know, but merely the fact that among the ancients who were of the church, all fruits and flowers were significative; for they knew that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (n. 3483); and that all the things in its three kingdoms are representative; and that each thing represents some specific thing in the spiritual world, and therefore also each fruit and flower. That by the “dudaim” there is signified the conjugial of good and truth, may be seen from the series of things here in the internal sense; as well as from the derivation of that word in the original language; for it is derived from the word dudaim, which means loves and conjunction by means of them. That “dudaim” comes from this, and that it signifies that which is conjugial is evident from the following words:

In the morning we will arise to the vineyards; we will see whether the vine hath blossomed and hath put forth the grape, whether the pomegranates have put forth flowers; there I will give thee my loves [dudim]; the dudaim have given forth a scent (Song of Solomon 7:12-13).

All this shows what is signified by the “dudaim.”

[2] As regards the book in which this passage is found, and which is called “The Song of Solomon,” it is not among those called “Moses and the Prophets,” because it has not the internal sense; but it was written in the ancient style, and is full of significatives collected from the books of the Ancient Church, and of many things which in the Ancient Church signified celestial and spiritual love, and especially conjugial love. That this is the nature of that book is also evident from the fact that in its literal sense are many things not decorous, which is not the case with the books called “Moses and the Prophets;” but as within it there have been collected together such things as are significative of celestial and of conjugial love, it appears as if it possessed a certain mystic meaning.

[3] From this signification of the “dudaim” we can now see that by “Reuben found them in the field” there is signified the conjugial that is in the truth and good of love and charity; that is to say, that which can be conjoined. For in the spiritual sense the conjugial principle is nothing else than that truth which can be conjoined with good, and that good which can be conjoined with truth. From this also comes all conjugial love (n. 2728, 2729, 3132); and therefore genuine conjugial love is not possible except with those who are in good and truth, and thus are together in the heavenly marriage.