4500. And came upon the city boldly, and slew every male. That this signifies that they extirpated the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients, is evident from the signification of a “city,” as being the doctrine of the church (n. 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4478), here of the Church among the Ancients, because this church is represented by Hamor and Shechem, whose city it was; from the signification of “boldly,” as being with assurance, here the assurance of what is false and evil; and from the signification of a “male,” as being truth (n. 749, 2046, 4005). Hence it is evident that by “they came upon the city boldly and slew every male” is signified that from the assurance of falsity and evil they extirpated the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. It was the Church among the Ancients (that came from the Most Ancient Church) which would have been set up with the posterity of Jacob, because the Ancient Church had begun to perish; but it is here described in the internal sense that they extinguished in themselves all the truth of faith and good of charity, thus all the internal of worship, and that therefore no church could be instituted with that posterity; from which it came to pass that because they stubbornly insisted, the mere representative of a church was instituted with them (see n. 4281, 4288-4290, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316-4317, 4429, 4433, 4444).

4314. That in the internal historical sense by “he halted upon his thigh” is signified that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that posterity, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who here is “he,” as being his posterity (see n. 4281); and from the signification of “halting upon the thigh” as denoting those who are in no good, and consequently in no truth (n. 4302). Here therefore by his “halting upon his thigh” is signified that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that posterity.

[2] The quality of that nation is also plainly evident from many things spoken by the Lord Himself in parables, which in their internal historical sense were said of that nation-as in the parable of the man that was a king, who took account with his servant in whom there was no mercy toward another (Matthew 18:23-35); in the parable of the householder who let out his vineyard to husbandmen, and went abroad, and the husbandmen seized the servants whom he sent, and beat one with rods, and killed another, and stoned another; and at last he sent his son, whom they cast out of the vineyard and killed; on hearing which parable the Scribes and Pharisees recognized it as spoken of themselves (Matthew 21:33-45; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 20:9-19); in the parable of the man who gave talents to his servants, and he who received the one talent went and hid it in the earth (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:13-16); in the parable of those who came to him that was wounded by the robbers (Luke 10:30-37); in the parable of those who were invited to the great supper, and all excused themselves, of whom the Lord says, I say to you that none of those men who were bidden shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:16-24); in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31); in the parable of those who despise others in comparison with themselves (Luke 18:10-14); in the parable of the two sons, one of whom said, I will go into the vineyard, but went not; and Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you” (Matthew 21:28-32).

[3] The quality of that nation the Lord openly declared in Matthew 23:13-39, where He says: “Ye witness against yourselves, that ye are the sons of them that killed the prophets, and ye fill up the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:13-33).

In Mark, “Jesus said unto them, Rightly did Esaias prophesy of you, This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the precepts of men, forsaking the commandments of God” (Mark 7:6-13).

In John: The Jews answered Jesus that they were the seed of Abraham; but Jesus said to them, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because the truth is not in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; because he is the speaker of a lie, and the father of it” (John 8:33, 44). Because they were such, they are also called an “evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39), and the “offspring of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 23:33; Luke 3:7); “O offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?” (Matthew 12:34).

[4] That not even any natural good was left with that nation, is signified by the fig-tree spoken of in Matthew:

Jesus seeing a fig-tree in the way, came to it, but found nothing thereon but leaves only; therefore He said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth forever, and presently the fig-tree withered away (Matthew 21:19).

That the fig-tree denotes natural good may be seen above (n. 217).

[5] From these passages it may be seen that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that nation. Goods and truths are said to be destroyed when there are none interiorly. The goods and truths which appear outwardly derive their being and their living from those which are internal; and therefore such as are the internal ones, such are the external, howsoever the latter may appear to the eyes of man. There are some whom I knew in their bodily life, and who then appeared as having zeal for the Lord, for the church, for their country and the common good, and for justice and equity; and yet in the other life these same are among the infernals, and (what astonished me) among the worst there. The reason was, that their interiors had been foul and profane, and that they had counterfeited that zeal for the sake of reputation, in order to acquire honors and also to gain wealth; thus for their own sakes, and not for the sake of what they professed with the mouth. When therefore these externals are put off, which takes place when men die, the internals are laid open and appear as they had been within, and which during life they had hidden from the world. This is what is meant by the goods and truths being altogether destroyed.