Reuben my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my power, 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. 49:3-4). Therefore his birthright was taken from him. Reuben was the firstborn of Israel; but because he polluted his father's couch, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph (1 Chron. 5:1). That by "Reuben" was represented truth from good, or faith from charity, and afterwards truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, will be seen in the explanation of chapter 7:5. [3] That by "whoredoms" are signified adulterations of good and falsifications of truth in the Word, may appear from the following passages:

When Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? Who said, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel, and her incantations are so many? (2 Kings 9:22). By "the whoredoms of Jezebel" are not meant any whoredoms, but her deeds, of which above (n. 132). Your sons shall be pasturing in the wilderness forty* years, and they shall bear your** whoredoms (Num. 14:33). And I will cut off the soul that looketh back to pythons and soothsayers to go a whoring after them (Lev. 20:6). Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods (Exod. 34:15-16). Jerusalem, thou didst trust in thy beauty, and didst commit whoredom on account of thy fame, even so that thou didst pour out thy whoredoms on everyone that passed by. Thou didst commit whoredom with the sons of Egypt, thy neighbors, great of flesh, and didst multiply thy whoredom. Thou didst commit whoredom with the sons of Assyria even when there was no satiety to thee with whom thou didst commit whoredom. Thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even to Chaldea. A woman, an adulteress, that taketh strangers instead of her husband. All give reward to their harlots; but thou hast given rewards to all, that they may come unto thee on every side in thy whoredoms. Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah (Ezek. 16:15-16, 26, 28-29, 32-33, 35 seq.). "Jerusalem" in this passage is the Israelitish and Jewish church; by her "whoredoms" are meant adulterations and falsifications of the Word; and because in the Word by "Egypt" is signified the science of the natural man, by "Assyria" ratiocination thence, by "Chaldea" profanation of truth, and by "Babylon" profanation of good, therefore it is said that she committed whoredom with them. [4] There were two women, the daughters of one mother; they committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth; one committed whoredom under Me, and she doted on her lovers, the Assyrians her neighbors. Thus she gave her whoredoms with them; yet she did not abandon her whoredoms in Egypt. The other corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms more than the whoredoms of her sister. She added to her whoredoms, she loved the Chaldeans. The sons of Babel came to her to the bed of loves, and they polluted her by their whoredoms (Ezek. 23:2-3, 5, 7-8, 11, 14, 16-17 seq.). Here "the two daughters of one mother" are likewise the Israelitish and Jewish church, whose adulterations and falsifications of the Word are here described as above by "whoredoms." [5] So in the following passages:

Thou hast committed whoredom with many companions; thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? going up upon every high mountain, and committing whoredom. Also perfidious Judah went and committed whoredom. So that by the voice of her whoredom, she hath profaned the land; she hath committed adultery with stone and wood (Jer. 3:1-2, 6, 8-9; and in other places). Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, seek if you can find a man, who doeth judgment, and seeketh the truth. When I had satiated them, they committed whoredom and came into the harlot's house in a crowd (Jer. 5:1, 7). I have seen thy adulteries, thy neighings, the crime of thy whoredoms, thy abominations on the hills in the field. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? (Jer. 13:27). I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible stubbornness, in committing adultery and walking in lies (Jer. 23:14). They have committed foolishness in Israel, they committed whoredom and spoke My word in My name with lying (Jer. 29:23). They sinned against Me, I will turn their glory into reproach; they committed whoredom, because they have forsaken Jehovah. Whoredom occupied their heart. Your daughters commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery (Hos. 4:7, 10-11, 13). I know, Ephraim, that he hath altogether committed whoredom, and Israel is polluted (Hos. 5:3). I have seen a foul thing in the house of Israel; there Ephraim committeth whoredom; Israel is polluted (Hos. 6:10). "Israel" here is the church, and "Ephraim" is the understanding of the Word, from which, and according to which, the church is; therefore it is said "Ephraim hath committed whoredom, and Israel is polluted." [6] Because the church had falsified the Word, the prophet Hosea was commanded to take unto himself a harlot to wife, saying:

Take unto thee a woman of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms; for the land, by committing whoredom, hath committed whoredom against Jehovah (Hos. 1:2). Again:

Love a woman beloved of her companion, and an adulteress (Hos. 3:1). As the Jewish church was such, therefore the Jewish nation was called by the Lord "an adulterous generation" (Matt. 12:39; 16:4; Mark 8:38); and in Isaiah, "a seed of adulterers" (57:3); and in Nahum:

Woe to the city of bloods, wholly in a lie, a multitude of those pierced, above the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, that selleth nations by her whoredoms (Nahum 3:1, 3-4). [7] Since "Babylon" adulterates and falsifies the Word more than others in the Christian world, she is therefore called "the great harlot," and the following is said of her in Revelation:

Babylon hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her whoredom (Rev. 14:8). For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Rev. 18:3). The angel said, I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot, with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom (Rev. 17:1-2). He hath judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her whoredom (Rev. 19:2). From these passages it manifestly appears, that "to commit adultery" and "to commit whoredom" signify to adulterate and falsify the goods and truths of the Word. * The original Latin has "seventy" instead of "forty." ** The original Latin has "their" for "your."