Reuben my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my vigour, light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then thou didst profane it: he went up to my couch Gen. xlix 3, 4.

Therefore his birthright was taken away from him:-

Reuben was the firstborn of Israel; but because he defiled his fathers couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph 1 Chron. v 1.

That by 'Reuben' was represented truth derived from good, or faith derived from charity, and afterwards truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, will be seen in the Exposition at chap. vii 5. [3] That by 'whoredoms' are signified adulterations of good and falsifications of truth in the Word can be established from these passages:-

When Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jeho? And he said, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her incantations are so many? 2 Kings ix 22.

By 'the whoredoms of Jezebel' are not understood any whoredoms, but her deeds, of which above (n. 132).

Your children shall be pasturing in the wilderness 40 years, and shall bear their* whoredoms Num. xiv 33.

I will cut off the soul that looks back to demons (pythones) and soothsayers to go a whoring after them Lev. xx 6.

No covenant is to be ratified with the inhabitants of the land, lest they go a whoring after their gods Exod. xxxiv 15.

Jerusalem, thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and didst commit whoredom because of thy renown, to such a degree that thou pouredst out thy whoredoms on everyone passing by. Thou didst commit whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbours, great of flesh, and didst multiply thy whoredom. Thou didst commit whoredom with the sons of Assyria, with whom thou didst commit whoredom when there was no satisfying thee. Thou didst multiply thy whoredom as far as to Chaldea. A woman, an adulteress, takes strangers instead of her husband. All men give a reward to their harlots; but thou hast given rewards to all men so that they may come to thee in succession in thy whoredom. Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah Ezek. xvi 15, 16, 26, 28, 29, 32, 33, 35 seq.

'Jerusalem' there is the Israelitish and Jewish Church; by her 'whoredoms' are understood adulterations and falsifications of the Word; and because in the Word by 'Egypt' is signified the knowledge of the natural man, by 'Assyria' reasoning therefrom, by 'Chaldea' the profanation of truth, and by 'Babel' the profanation of good, therefore it is said that she has committed whoredom with them.

[4] Two women the daughters of one mother committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth. One committed whoredom under Me, and doted on her lovers, the neighbouring Assynians; she lavished her whoredoms on them; nevertheless she did not forsake her whoredom in Egypt. The other corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms over and above the whoredoms of her sister she added to the whoredoms, she loved the Chaldeans; the sons of Babel came to her to the lying together of loves, and defiled her by their whoredom Ezek. xxiii 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 14, 16, 17 seq.

The 'two daughters of the same mother' also are the Israelitish and Jewish Church, whose adulterations and falsifications of the Word are described here as above by 'whoredoms'. [5] In like manner in these [instances]:-

Thou hast committed whoredom with many companions; thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and wickedness. Hast thou seen what backsliding Israel has done? going up upon every high mountain and committing whoredom. Also treacherous Judah has gone and committed whoredom; to such a degree that by the voice of her whoredom she has profaned the land; she has committed adultery with stone and wood Jer. iii 1, 2, 6, 8, 9.

And elsewhere:-

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek if you can find a man who is doing judgment and seeking the truth (veritas). When I have filled them full, they have committed whoredom, and come crowding into the harlot's home Jer. v 1, 7.

I have seen thine adulteries, thy neighings, the wickedness of thy whoredom, thine abominations upon the hills in the field. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem, thou shalt not be cleansed Jer. xiii 27.

In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a terrible stubbornness, in committing adultery and walking in lies Jer. xxiii 14.

They have done foolishness in Israel, committed whoredom, and spoken My Word in My Name falsely Jer. xxix 23.

They have sinned against Me, I will turn their glory into disgrace; they were committing whoredom because they have left Jehovah behind. Whoredom has taken possession of their heart. Your daughters commit whoredom, and your young married women commit adultery Hosea iv 7, 10, ii, 53.

I know Ephraim, that he has altogether committed whoredom, and Israel has been defiled Hosea v 3.

I have seen a foul thing in the house of Israel; there Ephraim has committed whoredom, and Israel has been defiled Hosea vi 10.

'Israel' there is the Church, while 'Ephraim' is the understanding of the Word out of and in accordance with which is the Church, and it is therefore said, 'Ephraim has committed whoredom, and Israel has been defiled'. [6] Since the Church had falsified the Word, the prophet Hosea was commanded to take to himself a harlot as a wife, with the saying:-

Take unto thee a woman of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for the land in committing whoredom has committed whoredom behind Jehovah Hosea i 2.

Again:-

Love a woman beloved of her companion, yet an adulteress Hosea iii 1.

As the Jewish Church was such, therefore the Jewish nation was called an 'adulterous generation' by the Lord (Matt. xii 39; xvi 4; Mark viii 38), and in Isaiah, 'the seed of the adulterer' (lvii 3); and in Nahum:-

Woe to the bloody city, all in a lie, a multitude of those pierced above the multitude of the whoredoms of the whore, selling the nations by her whoredoms Nahum iii 1, 3, 4.

[7] As Babylon adulterates and falsifies the Word above the rest in Christendom, therefore she is called the 'great harlot', and these things are said of her in the Apocalypse:-

Babylon has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom Rev. xiv 8.

Babylon has made all nations drink of the wine of the rage of whoredom, and the kings of the land have committed whoredom with her Rev. xviii 3.

The angel said, I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot, with whom the kings of the land have committed whoredom Rev. xvii 1, 2.

He has judged the great harlot who did corrupt the land with her whoredom Rev. xix 2.

From these passages it is now quite plain that 'to commit adultery' and 'to commit whoredom' signify to adulterate and falsify the goods and truths of the Word. * Hebrew has 'your'.