8593. And Amalek came. That this signifies falsity from interior evil, is evident from the signification of “Amalek,” as being the falsity from interior evil (of which below). It is first to be told who and what they are who are in falsity from interior evil. Interior evil is that which lies inwardly concealed with man, hidden in his will, and thence in his thought, no trace of which appears in his externals, as in his actions, speech, and face. They who are in such evil study by every method and art to hide and hoard it under the semblance of what is honorable and just, and under the semblance of the love of the neighbor; yet still they devise nothing else within themselves than how they can inflict evil, and so far as they can they do inflict evil by means of others, taking care that it should not appear to be from them; they also color over the evil itself, that it may not seem like evil. The greatest delight of their life is to meditate such things, and to attempt them in concealment. This is called interior evil. They who are in this evil are called “evil genii,” and in the other life are completely separated from those who are in exterior evil, and who are called “spirits.” The evil genii have their hell behind man, that is, at his back, and are there in various caverns; but evil spirits have their hell before man, and also at the sides. In the Grand Man these genii belong to the province of the cerebellum, and also to that part of the spinal marrow which sends forth fibers and nerves to the involuntary parts.

[2] As further concerning the falsity from this evil-it is not like the falsity from the evil of evil spirits, for in itself it is evil. They who are in this evil do not attack the truths of faith, but the goods of faith; for they act by means of depraved affections, whereby they pervert good thoughts, and this in a manner almost incomprehensible. Because they are of such a nature, their hells are completely separated from the hells of evil spirits, insomuch that they have scarcely any communication, and this for the reason that they may be separated from the men of the spiritual church; for if they were to flow in from their hells, it would be all over with the man of that church, because they would act in the most hidden manner into his conscience and would pervert it, and this by the breathing in of depraved affections. These infernal genii never attack a man openly, nor when he is capable of vigorous resistance; but when it appears that a man is falling so as to yield, they are then suddenly at hand, and push him on to a complete fall. This too is represented by the fact that Amalek now fell upon Israel; and also afterward, when the sons of Israel had set themselves in opposition to Jehovah, and were afraid of the nations in the land of Canaan:

Then Amalek came down with the Canaanite from the mountain, and they smote the sons of Israel even unto Hormah (Numbers 14:45).

[3] From all this it can be seen what is the quality of those who are represented by Amalek, and why the judgment came upon Amalek from Jehovah that there should be perpetual war against them, and that the memory of them should be blotted out from under heaven, according to these words in the last verse of this chapter:

Because the hand of the evil is against the throne of Jah, there shall be war to Jehovah against Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16).

And in Deuteronomy:

Remember what Amalek did to thee by the way, when thou camest forth out of Egypt; that he met thee in the way, and smote the hindmost in thee, all that were feeble, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God; when Jehovah thy God shall have given thee rest, thou shalt blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).

Also in the first book of Samuel, where it is said by Jehovah through Samuel unto Saul:

I have resolved to visit that which Amalek did to Israel, who laid wait for him in the way, when he was coming up out of Egypt; wherefore go and smite Amalek, and give to the curse all things which are his, and spare them not; but slay from man even to woman, from infant even to suckling, from ox even to small cattle, from camel even to ass. But Saul spared king Agag, and the best of the flock, and of the oxen, and the second sort, and the rams, and all that was excellent;

and so it was denounced against Saul that from him there should no more be a king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:1-3, 9 (1 Samuel 15:9), 23, 26).

That “the memory of Amalek was to be blotted out,” and that “all things with him were to be given to the curse,” signified that evil genii should have no communication whatever with those who are of the spiritual church; for they communicate with those who are not in truths, but who favor falsities from evil affection.

[4] Who cannot see that without a cause that lies deeply concealed Jehovah would never have said that “there should be perpetual war against Amalek,” and that “the memory of them should be blotted out from under heaven,” and that “all things with him should be given to the curse,” and that nevertheless this was not done. The deeply hidden reason why these things were said and done, is involved in the words of Samuel to Agag the king of the Amalekites, whom Saul spared:

Agag the king of Amalek came unto Samuel delicately; but Samuel said, As thy sword hath bereaved women, so shall thy mother be bereaved beyond women; and Samuel hewed him in pieces before Jehovah (1 Samuel 15:32-33).

“To go delicately” signifies the outward blandishments of such spirits in the presence of others; “thy sword hath bereaved women” signifies that the falsity of these spirits inflicts violence on good affections; “thy mother shall be bereaved beyond women” signifies that with them will prevail evil affection from the will, and not from the intellectual part; “and Samuel hewed him in pieces before Jehovah” signifies that they were separated from those who are in falsity from evil from the intellectual part; thus genii from spirits (as said above). (That “women” denote affections, see n. 568, 6014, 8337; and that “a sword” denotes falsity combating and vastating, n. 2799, 4499, 7102)

2336. That a “street” signifies truth, may be seen from many passages in the Word, as in John, where the New Jerusalem is treated of:

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, every gate was one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Revelation 21:21).

[2] The “New Jerusalem” is the Lord’s kingdom, which, being described as to good and truth, is described by “walls,” “gates,” and “streets.” By the “streets” are meant all things of truth which lead to good, or all things of faith which lead to love and charity; and because truths then become of good, thus transparent from good, the street is said to be “gold, as it were transparent glass.” Again:

In the midst of the street of it and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Revelation 22:2),

where also the New Jerusalem or the Lord’s kingdom is treated of. The “midst of the street” denotes the truth of faith, by means of which comes good, and which afterwards comes from good; the “twelve fruits” are what are called the fruits of faith; for “twelve” signifies all the things of faith (as shown above, n. 577, 2089, 2129-2130).

[3] In Daniel:

Know and perceive that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem, even unto Messiah the Leader, shall be seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, and it shall be restored and built with street and moat (Daniel 9:25),

where the Lord’s advent is treated of; “it shall be restored with street and moat,” denotes that there will then be what is true and good. That Jerusalem was not then restored and built is well known; and that it is not to be restored and built anew everyone may also know provided he does not keep his ideas fixed on a worldly kingdom, but on the heavenly kingdom that is meant by “Jerusalem” in the internal sense.

[4] In Luke:

The master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

They who remain in the sense of the letter apprehend from this nothing else than that the servant should go everywhere, and that this is signified by the “streets and lanes;” and that he should bring in everybody, and that this is signified by the “poor, maimed, lame, and blind.” But each of these words contains deep secrets within it, for they are the Lord’s words. That he should “go into the streets and lanes,” signifies that he should seek everywhere for some genuine truth, or truth which shines from good, or through which good shines. That he should “bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind,” signifies such as were so called in the Ancient Church and were such as to the faith, but were in the life of good, who should thus be informed about the Lord’s kingdom-thus the nations which were not yet instructed.

[5] As “streets” signified truths, it was a representative rite among the Jews to teach in the streets (as appears in Matthew 6:2, 5, and in Luke 13:26-27). In the Prophets, “streets,” wherever named, signify in the internal sense either truths, or things contrary to truths, as in Isaiah:

Judgment is cast away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14).

Again:

Thy sons have fainted, and have lain at the head of all the streets (Isaiah 51:20).

In Jeremiah:

Death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the child from the street, the young men from the roads (Jeremiah 9:21).

[6] In Ezekiel:

Nebuchadnezzar shall tread down all thy streets with the hoofs of his horses (Ezekiel 26:11),

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of truth (n. 1201); the “hoofs of the horses” denote the memory-knowledges that pervert truth.

In Nahum:

The chariots rave in the streets, they run to and fro in the roads (Nah. 2:4).

The “chariots” denote the doctrine of truth, which is said to “rave in the streets,” when falsity is in the place of truth.

In Zechariah:

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets (Zech. 8:4-5),

speaking of the affections of truth, and the consequent gladnesses and joys. (Besides other places, as Isaiah 24:11; Jeremiah 5:1; 7:34; 49:26; Lam. 2:11, 19; 4:8, 14; Zeph. 3:6).