6357. 'And in their pleasure they hamstrung an ox' means that motivated by a wicked will they crippled completely the external good of charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'good pleasure' as the will, here a wicked will; from the meaning of 'hamstringing' as crippling; and from the meaning of 'an ox' as the natural or external good of charity, dealt with in 2180, 2566, 2781. The reason why 'an ox' is spoken of here, and 'a man' immediately before, is that 'a man' means the truth of faith and 'an ox' the good of charity; and they are both spoken of so that when good is the subject, truth too is dealt with, on account of the heavenly marriage present in every detail of the Word, 6343.