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.

4472. 'Their words were good in the eyes of Hamor' means conformity in life. This is clear from the meaning of 'words being good' as conformity, and from the representation of 'Hamor' as the good of the Church among the Ancients, dealt with in 4447. At this point 'Hamor' represents life, for life in essence is good, even as doctrine, represented by 'Shechem', is in essence truth, as in the phrase following this. The reason why good is not represented by Hamor at this point but life is that he was going to conform to the external usages of the sons of Jacob.