5739. Verses 3-5 Morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their asses. They went out of the city, not far distant. And Joseph said to the one who was over his house, Rise up, pursue the men and overtake them; and you are to say to them, Why are you repaying evil for good? Is not this what my lord drinks from; and does he not certainly practise divination in this? You have done evil in what you have done.

'Morning dawned' means a state of enlightenment at this point. 'And the men were sent away, they and their asses' means that the external natural man was to some extent removed, together with its truths and factual knowledge. 'They went out of the city, not far distant' means the extent of that removal. 'And Joseph said to the one who was over his house' means perception and influx received anew. 'Rise up, pursue the men' means that it ought now to link them to itself. 'And overtake them' means an indirect link with them. 'And you are to say to them, Why are you repaying evil for good?' means, Why the turning away? 'Is not this what my lord drinks from?' means that present with them there was interior truth received from the celestial. 'And does he not certainly practise divination in this?' means that the celestial knows, from the Divine that resides within it, things that lie concealed. 'You have done evil in what you have done' means that it is contrary to Divine law to claim that truth as their own.

2404. Verse 15 As dawn ascended the angels pressed Lot to hurry, saying, Rise up, take your wife and your two daughters found [here], lest you are consumed in the iniquity of the city.

'As dawn ascended' means when the Lord's kingdom draws near. 'The angels pressed Lot to hurry' means that the Lord withheld them from evil and maintained them in good. 'Saying, Rise up, take your wife and two daughters found [here]' means the truth of faith, and the affections for truth and for good, 'found' meaning that these had been separated from evil. 'Lest you are consumed in the iniquity of the city' means lest they perished in evils deriving from falsity.