4501. 'And [they killed] Hamor and Shechem [his son] with the edge of the sword' means the Church itself. This is clear from the representation of 'Hamor' as the Church among the Ancients as regards good, dealt with in 4447; from the representation of 'Shechem' as the Church among the Ancients as regards truth, dealt with in 4454, 4472, 4473, and from the meaning of 'with the edge of the sword' as falsity and evil engaged in conflict, dealt with in 4499, and so by means of which they annihilated the Church among themselves.