4822. 'And he called his name Er' means the essential nature of that falsity. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3006, 3421, namely the nature of the falsity of the Church, dealt with immediately above in 4821. The expression 'the nature of the falsity' is used because falsities differ from one another, even as truths do, so much so that the different types of falsity can hardly be counted; and each type of falsity has its own specific nature by which it is distinguished from any other. Common falsities reign among the wicked in every Church, but each person's falsity varies in keeping with the life he leads. The falsity which existed in the Jewish Church and is referred to here was falsity springing from the evil of self-love and of love of the world based on this, see 4818.

4821. 'And she conceived and bore a son' means that from this came the falsity of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'conceiving and bearing' as acknowledging in faith and action, dealt with in 3905, 3915, 3919, and from the meaning of 'a son' as the truth of the Church, but in the contrary sense falsity, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, 4257. Consequently 'she conceived and bore a son' here means that the Church among the tribe of Judah acknowledged falsity in faith and action. The reason this son means the falsity of the Church is that he was the firstborn, and in the Ancient Churches 'the firstborn' meant the truth of faith, 352, 3325, and so in the contrary sense falsity, which was also the meaning of the firstborn among men and the firstborn among beasts in Egypt, 3325. The fact that truth is not meant but falsity is evident from what follows shortly, for in verse 7 it says, 'Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah caused him to die'. Er, this son's name, also implies the particular nature of this falsity, even as Onan, his second son's name, implies the particular nature of that meant by him, namely what is wrong or evil.