Verses 1-8. A General Summary.

Verses 9-18. The selection of right principles in the mind.

Verses 19-21. Invitation to enter upon the heavenly life.

Verses 22-25. A search into what constitutes the heavenly life.

Verses 26-40. The unwillingness of the unregenerate heart to enter upon it.

Verses 41-46. The attempt to do so from selfhood and defeat in temptation.

4813. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-5 And it happened at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned aside even to a man, an Adullamite; and his name was Hirah. And there Judah saw the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, and his name was Shua; and he took her and came [in] to her. And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah and he was in Kezib as she was giving birth to him.

'It happened at that time' means the state belonging to the things that follow. 'That Judah went down from his brothers' means the descendants of Jacob, in particular the tribe of Judah which was separated from the rest. 'And turned aside even to a man, an Adullamite' means a turning to falsity. 'And his name was Hirah' means the nature of that falsity. 'And there Judah saw the daughter of a man, a Canaanite' means the affection for evil begotten by falsity springing from evil. 'And his name was Shua' means the essential nature of this. 'And he took her and came [in] to her' means that the tribe of Judah joined itself to these.

'And she conceived and bore a son' means that from this came the falsity of the Church. 'And he called his name Er' means the essential nature of that falsity. 'And she conceived again and bore a son' means evil. 'And she called his name Onan' means the essential nature of this. 'And yet again she bore a son' means idolatry. 'And she called his name Shelah' means the essential nature of this. 'And he was in Kezib as she was giving birth to him' means the state.