Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 7:25-29
[2] That "frogs" denote reasonings from falsities, is evident in John:
I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, like frogs; for they are the spirits of demons, working signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:13, 14)
that "frogs" denote reasonings from falsities against truths, is plain from the details of this passage, for it is said that "they went out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet;" also that "they went forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together unto war." The "kings of the earth" denote the truths of the church. "Kings" denote truths, and in the opposite sense falsities, (n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148); and the "earth" denotes the church, (n. 662, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577); also "war" denotes spiritual combat, (n. 2686), thus combat against the truths and goods of faith. From this it is plain that "frogs" denote reasonings from falsities against truths.
[3] And in David:--
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish; He caused frogs to creep forth on their land, in the chambers of their kings (Ps. 105:29, 30);
it is said "in the chambers of their kings" because there is meant reasoning against truths from falsities; "the chambers of kings" denote interior truths, and in the opposite sense interior falsities. "Kings" denote truths, and in the opposite sense falsities.
. And the river shall make frogs to creep forth. That this signifies that there will be reasonings from these falsities, is evident from the signification of "the river of Egypt," as being falsity (n. 6693, 7307); and from the signification of "frogs," as being reasonings (n. 7351). That "frogs" denote reasonings is because they are in waters, where they make a chattering noise and croak, and are also among things unclean. What reasoning from mere falsities is, shall be illustrated by some examples. That man reasons from mere falsities who attributes all things to nature, and scarcely anything to the Divine; when yet all things are from the Divine, and nature is only the instrumental means by which the Divine works. He reasons from mere falsities who believes that man is like a beast, only more perfect, because he can think; and thus that man will die like a beast: by thus denying the conjunction of man with the Divine through the thought which is of faith, and the affection which is of love, and hence his resurrection and life eternal, such a man speaks from mere falsities. In like manner he who believes that there is no hell. And also he who believes that all a man has is the delight of this world‘s life, and therefore he must enjoy this, because when he dies, he dies altogether. He reasons from mere falsities who believes that all things depend upon his own sagacity, and on fortune; and not on the Divine Providence, except such as is universal. And also he who believes that religion is good for nothing except to keep the simple in bonds. Especially do they reason from mere falsities who believe that the Word is not Divine. In short, all those reason from mere falsities who utterly deny truths Divine. . And they shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber. That this signifies that they shall fill the mind, even to its interiors, is evident from the signification of a "house," as being the mind of man (n. 3538, 4973, 5023); and from the signification of a "bed-chamber," as being the interiors of the mind. That "bed-chambers" denote the interiors of the mind is because they are in the inner part of the house. By "chambers" are signified things interior, and by "bed-chambers" things still more interior, in the following passages:--Go, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut the door after thee; hide thyself as for a little moment, until the anger be overpast (Isa. 26:20).
He said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the sons of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his image (Ezek. 8:12).
Without shall the sword bereave, and terror from the chambers (Deut. 32:25).
Elisha the prophet that is in Israel telleth the king of Israel the word that thou speakest in thy bed-chamber (2 Kings 6:12).
The ancients compared the mind of man to a house, and those things which are within man to chambers. The human mind is indeed like this; for the things therein are distinct, scarcely otherwise than as a house is divided into its chambers; those things which are in the middle are like the inmost parts; those which are at the sides are like the outer parts, these being compared to the courts; and those which while outside are connected with the inside parts, being compared to the porches.
. And upon thy bed. That this signifies to the inmosts, is evident from the signification of a "bed," as being that which is inmost; for when the bed-chambers denote the interior things, the couch or bed which is therein denotes that which is inmost. . And into the house of thy servants and of thy people. That this signifies all things that are in the natural, is evident from the signification of a "house," as being the mind of man, and as it is said of the Egyptians, and of the servants of Pharaoh, it denotes the natural mind. A "house" denotes the mind, (n. 7353); and from the signification of "the servants and people of Pharaoh," as being all things in the natural, the things there which serve for confirming falsities being called "servants." "People" is said of truths, and in the opposite sense of falsities, (n. 1259, 1260, 3295, 3581, 4619, 6451, 6465). From this it is evident that by "into the house of the servants and of the people of Pharaoh" is signified into all things that are in the natural. . And into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs. That this signifies into the delights of cupidities, is evident from the signification of "ovens," as being exterior goods, because in them the bread is made ready, and exterior goods are those which are in the natural, and are commonly called delights; for when the interior goods which are of the loves and their affections flow into the natural, they are felt there as delights. These are signified by "ovens" in a good sense; but in the opposite sense, as here, by "ovens" are signified the delights of cupidities, that is, delights from the loves of hell, which are the loves of self and of the world. And from the signification of "kneadingtroughs," as being also the delights of cupidities in the natural, but still more external, because kneadingtroughs are vessels in which dough is prepared for bread. By reasonings entering into the delights of cupidities is meant that it would be the delight of their life to reason from falsities, and thus to deceive and seduce others. It is moreover one of the chief delights of the evil to spread falsities, to confirm them, to deride truths, and especially to seduce others.[2] That an "oven" denotes the delight of the affections which are of charity and faith, and in the opposite sense the delight of the cupidities which are of the love of self and the love of the world, is plain in Hosea:--
They are all adulterers; they are as an oven heated by the baker; the stirrer ceaseth from kneading his dough; when they turn their mind like an oven in their lying in wait; their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as flames of fire. They were all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all the kings thereof fall (Hosea 7:4, 6, 7);
"an oven" denotes the delights of the cupidities which are of evils; "burning," "being hot," "flames of fire," denote the cupidities themselves. "Fire" denotes the cupidity of evil, (n. 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324). "They devour their judges, all their kings fall," denotes that goods and truths perish. Everyone can see that without an internal sense such as this, it cannot be known what is here meant by "all the adulterers are as an oven heated by the baker, all grow hot as an oven, they devour the judges, and their kings fall."
[3] "Oven’ is used in a good sense in Isaiah:--
The saying of Jehovah whose hearth is in Zion, and His oven in Jerusalem (Isa. 31:9);
where "Zion" denotes the celestial church, thus the good of love which is of this church; "Jerusalem," the spiritual church, thus the good of this love, which is the good of charity and of the derivative faith. In this passage "oven" denotes the interior delight of the affections of good and truth; and this because the bread which is baked in an oven signifies the good of celestial and spiritual love. "Bread" signifies this, (n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915) And as the signification of an "oven" comes from this, therefore the bread which was prepared in an oven for the sacrifices, and was called a "meat-offering," was distinguished from the meat-offering that was prepared in a pan, and from the meat-offering that was prepared in a cooking-pot (Lev. 2:4, 5, 7) it was varieties of the good of love that were hereby signified.
. And on thee, and of thy people and on all thy servants shall the frogs come up. That this signifies that reasonings from falsities shall be in all things both in general and in particular, is evident from what was said above (n. 7355); all and each of those who were in the land of Egypt are signified by "Pharaoh, his people, and his servants," thus falsities in general and in particular. That by "Pharaoh and the Egyptians" are signified falsities has been often shown above. Be it known that they who are in hell, and who have been deprived of the truths which they had known in the world, cannot do otherwise than speak falsities; and therefore when any such infernal speaks, as when they appear in the world of spirits, it is at once known that what he speaks is false. This is known to the upright in the other life from common experience. That they speak nothing but what is false, is clear also from the words of the Lord in John:--Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because the truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh from his own; because he is the speaker of a lie, and the father of it (John 8:44);
for everyone speaks according to the affection of his love, and no one can speak contrary to it, except from dissimulation, hypocrisy, fraud, and deceit, as is the case with the evil when they speak truths. But these truths which they so speak, are nevertheless falsities with them. But on the other hand, they who are in truth from good cannot but speak truths.