4494. Verses 25-29 And it happened on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, and came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. Their flocks, and their herds, and their asses, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took. And all their wealth, and all their young children, and their women, they took captive and plundered, and everything that was in the house.

'It happened on the third day' means that which is continuous even to the end. 'When they were in pain' means evil desires. 'That two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi' means faith and love. 'Dinah's brothers' means the truths and goods of that Church. 'Each took his sword' means falsity and evil. 'And came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male' means that they utterly destroyed the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. 'And [they killed] Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword' means the Church itself. 'And they took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went away' means that they took away the affection for truth. 'The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city' means that all his descendants destroyed that doctrine. 'Because they had defiled their sister' means that they had violated the truth of faith. 'Their flocks, and their herds' means that they destroyed rational good and natural good. 'And their asses' means the truths derived from these. 'And whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took' means every truth and good of the Church. 'And all their wealth' means all factual knowledge which they had acquired for themselves. 'And all their young children' means all innocence. 'And their women' means charity. 'They took captive and plundered' means that they seized them and perverted them. 'And everything that was in the house' means everything of the Church.

2805. 'Where is the animal for a burnt offering?' means, Where are those members of the human race who are to be sanctified? This is clear from the representation of sacrifices, in particular burnt offerings. Burnt offerings and sacrifices were representative of internal worship, see 922, 923; they were made from the flock and from the herd - when from the flock, lambs, sheep, she-goats, kids, rams, or he-goats were used, when from the herd, oxen, young bulls, or calves, all of which meant various kinds of celestial and spiritual things - see 922, 1823, 2180; and by means of them people were sanctified, 2776. From all this it may become clear that Isaac's question, 'Where is the animal for the burnt offering?' means, Where are those members of the human race who are to be sanctified? The same is more plainly evident from what comes next, that is to say, from the reply made by Abraham his father, 'God will see for Himself to the animal for a burnt offering', verse 8, which means that the Divine Human will provide those who are to be sanctified; from the fact that later on he saw a ram behind him caught by its horns in a thicket, and offered that as the burnt offering, verse 13, which means members of the human race who belong to the Lord's spiritual Church; as well as from the details that follow after this in verses 14-17.