At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

7873. 'And on all the gods of Egypt I will make judgements' means their falsities which are to be damned. This is clear from the meaning of 'gods' as falsities, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'making judgements' as being damned, for to judge or to make judgements is to point either to life or to death; a judgement that points to life means salvation, one that points to death means damnation. The term 'gods' is used many times in the Word. When angels are called such, truths are meant, see 4295, 4402, 7268, and therefore in the contrary sense 'the gods of the nations' means falsities, 4402, 4544. The reason why truths are referred to as 'gods' is that truth emanates from God Himself and is in itself of God. Consequently those who receive that truth are called 'gods'. Not that they are gods; rather, the truth with them is of God. This explains why in the original language God is referred to by the plural noun Elohim. God Himself is Divine Goodness, but what emanates from Him is Divine Truth which fills the whole of heaven. So then, because 'god' means truth, falsity is meant by that word in the contrary sense.