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.

9397. 'And read it in the ears of the people' means to be listened to and obeyed. This is clear from the meaning of 'reading' as to be listened to, for when something is read, it is in order that it may be heard, discerned, and obeyed, that is, listened to; and from the meaning of 'in the ears' as to be obeyed, for 'the ears' and 'hearing' mean obeying, 2542, 3869, 4551, 4652-4660, 5471, 5475, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311.

[2] Since not only hearing and discerning are meant by 'the ears' but also obeying, expressions such as 'speak in their ears' and 'read in their ears' are used very often in the Word, not speak or read to them, as in Jeremiah,

Hear these words which I speak in your ears and in the ears of all the people. Jeremiah 28:7.

In the first Book of Samuel,

They spoke those words in the ears of the people. 1 Samuel 11:4.

And elsewhere in that book,

Let your maidservant speak in your ears. 1 Samuel 25:24.

In the Book of Judges,

Proclaim in the ears of the people, saying ... Judges 7:3.

In Moses,

Say in the ears of the people. Exodus 11:2.

In the same author,

Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgements which I speak in your ears today. Deuteronomy 5:1.

In the same author,

I speak in their ears these words. Deuteronomy 31:28.

In the same author,

And Moses spoke all the words of the song in the ears of the people. Deuteronomy 32:44.

In the second Book of Kings,

He read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant. 2 Kings 23:2.

In Jeremiah,

They said to him, Sit and read it in our ears. And Baruch read it in their ears. Jeremiah 36:15.

In Luke,

When Jesus had finished all the words in the people's ears ... Luke 7:1.

[3] Because 'the ear' and 'hearing' mean receiving, discerning, and obeying truth, thus mean belief from start to finish, it was said many times by the Lord, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, as in Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 14:35. And since 'the deaf' or 'those who do not hear' mean in the spiritual sense people with no belief in the truth because they have no knowledge nor consequently any discernment of it, 6989, 9209, the Lord, when He cured the one who was deaf, put His finger into his ears and said, Ephphatha (that is, Be opened), and immediately his ears were opened, Mark 7:32-35. All the Lord's miracles involved and were signs of states of the Church, see 8364, 9086.