8589. Because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel. That this signifies a complaining from the grievousness of the temptation even so that they nearly yielded, is evident from the signification of “quarreling,” as being a grievous complaining (see n. 8563); that it denotes that they nearly yielded, is evident from the character of their quarreling, namely, that they had almost stoned Moses, and that they tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah in the midst of us?

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).