. And now send, gather in thy cattle. That this signifies that the truth of good was to be collected, is evident from the signification of "gathering in," as being to collect; and from the signification of "cattle," as being the good of truth, and also the truth of good (n. 6016, 6045). What the truth of good is, and what the good of truth, (n. 2063, 3295, 3332, 3669, 3688, 3882, 4337, 4353, 4390, 5526, 5733). The subject treated of in this verse and in the two following, is the good and truth which are reserved by the Lord, even with the evil; for the good and truth which have not been adjoined to evils and falsities, are not vastated; but are stored up by the Lord in the interiors, and are afterward brought forth for use. The reservation of good and truth with man by the Lord is signified by "remains" in the Word (n. 468, 530, 560, 561, 576, 661, 798, 1738, 1906, 2284, 5135, 5342, 5344, 5897, 5899, 6156).
. And all that thou hast in the field. That this signifies which is of the church, is evident from the signification of "field," as being the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 4440, 4443, 7502).
. Every man and beast. That this signifies interior and exterior good, is evident from the signification of "man and beast," as being interior and exterior good (n. 7424, 7523).
. Which shall be found in the field. That this signifies which is of the church, is evident from the signification of "field," as being the church (n. 7557).
. And shall not be brought to the house. That this signifies which is not reserved, is evident from the signification of "not being brought to the house," as being not to be reserved; for the "house" denotes the interior natural mind where good is with truth, and also the rational mind, and thus the man himself (n. 3538, 4973, 5023, 7353); hence "to be brought to the house" denotes to be collected within, and there stored up. Good and truth are stored up within, and are there reserved by the Lord, even with the evil, in order that there may still be something human left; for man without these is not man, because the things stored up and reserved are good and truth, and by these man has communication with heaven; and in so far as man has communication with heaven, so far he is man. There is indeed a communication with heaven of the evil, even of those who are in hell, but no conjunction by good and truth; for as soon as good and truth flow down from heaven and come into hell, they are turned into evil and falsity, whence the conjunction is at once broken. Such is the communication. But although there is conjunction through the good and truth which are stored up and reserved in the interiors yet the truths and goods in the interiors of those who are evil effect nothing more than to enable them to reason, and to think and speak from the sensuous, thus to confirm what is false and defend what is evil. Nothing more can be let out from the goods and truths stored up and reserved within them, for if more were let out, the truths and goods would perish, and thus nothing human would be left in them.
. The hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. That this signifies that what is of the church will be quite destroyed by falsity, is evident from the signification of "hail," as being falsity from evil, and from this the vastation of good and truth through falsities (n. 7553); and from the signification of "dying," as being to cease to be (n. 494, 6587, 6593); and being said of the vastation of good and truth, it denotes to be destroyed.
. He that feared the word of Jehovah of the servants of Pharaoh. That this signifies those things in the natural mind which were of the Lord, is evident from the signification of "him that feared the word of Jehovah," as being the things that belong to the Lord, for by "him that fears," in the internal sense, is not meant a person fearing, but a thing (in heaven the idea of person is turned into that of thing, (n. 5225, 5287, 5434); therefore by "him that feared the word of Jehovah" is meant good and truth from the Lord:--and from the signification of "the servants of Pharaoh," as being the things of the natural mind. That "Pharaoh" denotes the natural in general, see (n. 5160, 5799); hence his "servants" denote the things in the natural, or what is the same, that are in the natural mind; for the things in the natural from which man thinks and forms conclusions, constitute his mind. What in the natural mind is of the Lord, and what not of the Lord, (n. 7564).
. Made his servants and his cattle flee unto the houses. That this signifies that they were stored up and reserved in the interiors, is evident from the signification of "servants," as being the things in the natural mind (n. 7562); from the signification of "cattle," as being truth and good (n. 7556); and from the signification of "houses," as being the things that are within man, where the good and truth from the Lord are stored up and reserved (n. 7560). From this it is evident that by "he made his servants and cattle flee unto the houses" is signified that the truths and goods which were in the natural mind, namely, those which are of the Lord, were collected and stored up and reserved in the interiors.
. And he that did not set his heart unto the word of Jehovah. That this signifies the things which were not from the Lord, is evident from what was unfolded above (n. 7562), where "he that feared the word of Jehovah" signifies the things that were of the Lord; hence on the other hand "he that did not set his heart unto the word of Jehovah" signifies the things which are not from the Lord. Goods and truths are either of the Lord or not of the Lord. Those which are of the Lord are those which the man does for the sake of his neighbor, for the sake of his country, for the sake of the church, and for the sake of the Lord‘s kingdom, thus for the sake of good and truth itself, and especially for the sake of the Lord. These goods and truths are those which are of the Lord; but the truths and goods which are not of the Lord are those which a man does for the sake of himself as the end, and for the sake of the world as the end. These latter sometimes appear like the former in the outward form, but in the inward form they are quite different; for these lead to self, but those away from self. The truths and goods which are not of the Lord are also for the most part those which a man does in a state of misfortune, of sickness, of grief, and of fear, and not in a free state, for these also are for the sake of self. All truths and goods do indeed flow in from the Lord, but when the goods and truths of the Lord are bent with a man to himself, they then become the man’s and belong to him to whom they are bent, for they become goods of the love of self and of the world. Such are the goods of all the evil among themselves. From all this it is evident what goods and truths are meant by those which are of the Lord, and by those which are not of the Lord.
. Left his servants and his cattle in the field. That this signifies that they were not stored up and reserved, is evident from the signification of being "left in the field," as being to perish by the falsities from evils which are signified by the "hail" through which they would die (n. 7559-7561). These are the things not stored up and reserved, and are those truths and goods which are not of the Lord (n. 7564). By "servants" are signified those truths and goods which are in the natural mind (n. 7572, 7563); and by "cattle," the truths and goods which, because they are not of the Lord, cannot be stored up in the interiors.
EXODUS 9:19-21previous
- next
- text
- summary
- Exodus
- Full Page