8801. 'Whether it is a beast or a man, it shall not live' means that goodness and truth will lose their spiritual life. This is clear from the meaning of 'a beast' as an affection for good, dealt with in 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 776, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198, 7523; from the meaning of 'a man' as truth, dealt with in 3134, 3459, 7716; and from the meaning of 'living' as spiritual life, dealt with in 5890, so that 'not living' means losing it. Goodness and truth lose their life when influx from the Lord is no longer perceived, for this is what brings them life. To outward appearance that goodness and truth may then, it is true, look like goodness and truth; but they are no different from a painting, which in itself has no life.

3459. 'And swore, a man to his brother' means confirmation with those who do the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'swearing' or of 'an oath' as confirmation, dealt with in 2842, 3037, 3375, and from the meaning of 'a man to his brother' as the good of truth, or what amounts to the same, one who is governed by that truth - 'man' meaning truth, see 265, 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, and 'brother' good, 2360. For what the good of truth is, see 3295, 3332. This good occurs with those represented here by Abimelech or by the Philistines, of whom Abimelech was the king, that is to say, those who make faith the essential thing of the Church and rank it above charity. No other good exists with such persons than the good of truth. Indeed they extract and draw out of the Word nothing else than references to faith and so to truth. They hardly notice references to good and so to life, and as a consequence they become more firmly convinced by matters of doctrine concerning faith and not by any concerning charity. When they do perform a good action it is one prescribed by matters of doctrine concerning faith. Good prescribed by these is called the good of truth.

[2] The Lord does indeed join Himself to those with whom this good exists, but not in the same way as He does to those who do the good of charity, for love and charity constitute spiritual conjunction, but not so faith except through love and charity. It is for this reason that the words used are not 'they made a covenant with Isaac' but 'they swore, a man to his brother'; for 'a covenant' has reference to good, which is the good of love and charity, whereas 'an oath' has reference to truth, which is the truth of faith, 3375. Also 'dwelling together' meant by 'a feast', 3456, is used in reference to those who do the good of truth. From people such as these in the next life I have been given to know that they have been separated from those who do the good of charity; for the latter are joined more nearly to the Lord than the former, since the former's good is so to speak hard and inflexible, and not communicable, and so is not in heaven but on the threshold of heaven.