2179. 'Abraham ran to the herd' means natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'oxen' and 'young bulls' which are members of 'the herd', dealt with in the next paragraph. That beasts which were members of the herd and those which were members of the flock mean such things as reside with man becomes clear from what has been shown in Volume One, in 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, in addition to which, see what has been stated in 1823 about the beasts used in sacrifices. It may come as a surprise to everyone that the creatures mentioned in the Word, and also those offered in the sacrifices, meant goods and truths, or what amount to the same, celestial and spiritual things; but let the origin of this surprising fact be stated briefly.

[2] In the world of spirits various representatives manifest themselves. On many occasions animals too manifest themselves before the eyes of spirits, such as horses wearing varying decorative trappings, oxen, sheep, lambs, and different kinds of other animals; and sometimes animals such as have never been seen on earth but are purely representative. Such animals seen also by the prophets and mentioned in the Word had the same origin. Animals which appear in that world are representative of affections for good and truth, and also of affections for evil and falsity. Good spirits have full knowledge of what those animals mean, and also when they see them, they gather what it is that angels are discussing with one another, for when the conversation of those angels passes down into the world of spirits it sometimes manifests itself in this manner. For example, when horses appear, the spirits know that the angels are talking about matters of the understanding; when oxen and young bulls appear, that they are talking about natural goods; when sheep appear, about rational goods and about integrity; when lambs appear, about still more interior goods and about innocence; and so on.

[3] Because the members of the Most Ancient Church had communication with spirits and angels, constantly having visions and also dreams such as the prophets had, they consequently formed a concept of what any beast meant the moment they saw it. This was how representatives and meaningful signs originated. These remained in existence for a long time after those most ancient times, and at length were so venerated because of their antiquity that writers employed mere representatives. Indeed books that were not written in that style were not very highly regarded, nor if written within the Church considered to be holy. For the same and also other hidden reasons, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be given elsewhere, the books of the Word too were written in that style.

719. 'The beast that is not clean' means evil affections. This is clear from what has been stated and shown already about clean beasts. The clean ones are so called because they are gentle, good, and useful. Those that are not clean are the opposite - savage, evil, and useless - of which there are genera and species. These in the Word are also portrayed as wolves, bears, foxes, pigs, and many others, which mean various evil desires and malicious intentions. In the present verse it is said that unclean beasts, or evil affections, were to be taken into the ark as well, for the following reason: The character of the member of this Church is being described here, specifically by means of the ark, and thus by the things that were in or rather had been brought into the ark, that is, the things that already resided with man prior to his being regenerated. Truths and goods resided with him already, which the Lord had supplied and granted prior to his regeneration, for without truths and goods no one can possibly be regenerated. Here the evils that resided with him are referred to and are meant by 'unclean beasts' that are mentioned. While a person is being regenerated evils are present that have to be dispersed, that is, broken down and modified by means of goods. For no evil with man, that of his own doing or that which is hereditary, can ever be dispersed so far as to be banished, but remains implanted for ever. Yet it is broken down and modified by means of goods from the Lord so as to be innocuous and not seen. This is an arcanum that is still unknown. It is the evils of man's own doing that are broken down and modified, rather than those which are hereditary - something else which is not known.