241. Verse 18. I counsel thee, signifies the means of reformation of those who are in the doctrine of faith alone. This is evident from what now follows, for the reformation of those who are in that doctrine is now treated of; therefore "I counsel thee" implies precepts as to how such must live that they may be reformed and thus saved.

5156. 'And will hang you on wood' means a casting aside and condemnation. This is clear from the meaning of 'being hanged on wood' as a casting aside and condemnation; for hanging someone on wood was a curse, and a curse is being cast aside from the Divine and consequently is condemnation. The fact that hanging someone on wood was a curse is clear in Moses,

If a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he has been slain, so that you hang him on wood, his dead body shall not remain all night on the wood, but you must bury him the same day, for the one hanged is the curse of God. For you shall not defile the land which Jehovah your God is giving you for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 21:22-23.

'It shall not remain all night on the wood' meant casting aside for ever. For in the evening a new day began; therefore if those who had been hanged were not cast away before the evening, the failure to cast evil aside and consequently the failure to rid the land of that evil were represented. The land was defiled; hence the addition of the words 'You shall not defile the land which Jehovah your God is giving you for an inheritance'. They were left hanging until evening, but no later, see Joshua 8:29; 10:16. Among the Jewish nation two chief forms of punishment existed, stoning and hanging. The existence of stoning was due to falsity, that of hanging on wood to evil, for the reason that 'stone' means truth, 643, 1298, 3720, and in the contrary sense falsity, while 'wood' means good, 2784, 2812, 3720, and in the contrary sense evil. This is why frequent reference is made in the prophetical part of the Word to 'committing adultery with stone and wood', meaning the perversion of truth, which is falsity, and the adulteration of good, which is evil.

2717. 'And his mother took for him' means the affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'mother' as the Church, dealt with in 289. And because the spiritual Church which is represented here is governed by the affection for truth, and it is this affection which makes it a Church, 'mother' here therefore means that affection.