7840. 'From the lambs and from the she-goats you shall take it' means the good of innocence, interior and exterior. This is clear from the meaning of 'a lamb' as the good of innocence, dealt with in 3994; and from the meaning of 'a she-goat' or of 'a kid' as the good of truth that has innocence within it, dealt with in 3995, 4005, 4006, 4871. For the meaning of 'a lamb' as the interior good of innocence, and of 'a kid' or 'a she-goat' as the exterior good of innocence, see 3519. What is meant by the good of innocence, interior and exterior, must be stated briefly. To be good, all good must have innocence within it. Without innocence good is devoid of its soul, so to speak. The reason for this is that the Lord flows in through innocence, and by means of it gives life to the good that exists with those who are being regenerated. The good that innocence gives life to is internal and external. Internal good resides with those who are called members of the internal Church, while external good resides with those who are members of the external Church. Members of the internal Church are those who have brought a specific quality to their good by means of interior truths such as belong to the internal sense of the Word, whereas members of the external Church are those who have brought a specific quality to their good by means of exterior truths such as belong to the literal sense of the Word. Members of the internal Church are those who are led to do good to the neighbour by an affection rising out of charity, whereas members of the external Church are led to do it by a sense of obedience. Every person who is being regenerated first becomes a member of the external Church, then later on a member of the internal Church. Those who belong to the internal Church excel in understanding and wisdom over those who belong to the external Church, and therefore also occupy a more internal position in heaven. From all this one may now see what the good of innocence, interior and exterior, is.

4871. 'And he said, I will send a kid of the she-goats from the flock' means a pledge assuring a joining together. This is clear from the meaning of 'a kid of the she-goats' as innocence present in the external or natural man, dealt with in 3519; and being innocence it is a pledge of conjugial love or a pledge assuring a joining together, for genuine conjugial love consists in innocence, see 2736. From this arose the custom received from the ancients that when they went in once again to their wives men would send ahead of them 'a kid of the she-goats', as is also evident from what is recorded concerning Samson in the Book of Judges,

It happened after a while, ¹ in the days of the wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid of the she-goats; for he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. Judges 15:1.

Much the same situation is described here in Genesis; but as the promised kid of the she-goats was not going to be accepted by her, Tamar asked for a pledge. The expression 'pledge assuring a joining together' is used, not a conjugial pledge, because on Judah's side the joining together was as it is with a prostitute.

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