Arcana Coelestia 7378. In this chapter, in the internal sense, the subject is continued of the vastation of those who are in falsities, and who infest the upright in the other life. The first two degrees of vastation were described in the preceding chapter, also the third degree in part, which was that they reasoned only from mere falsities. Reasonings from mere falsities are signified by "the frogs;" which subject is continued in this chapter; and then the fourth and fifth degrees of the vastation of those who are in falsities and infest the upright in the other life are treated of. The fourth degree is that they were in evils which destroyed every good with them, also whatever they had from natural good; these are signified by the lice from the dust of the land. The fifth degree is that they were in falsities from these evils, whereby every truth would be destroyed; these are signified by the noisome fly.

7378. Exodus 8 ¹

1. And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to rise up onto the land of Egypt.

2. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs rose up and covered the land of Egypt.

3. And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments, and they caused frogs to rise up onto the land of Egypt.

4. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Plead with Jehovah to remove the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will send the people away to sacrifice to Jehovah.

5. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Have honour over me. Till when shall I plead for you, and for your servants, and for your people, so as the frogs will be eliminated from you, and from your houses, and survive only in the river?

6. And he said, Until tomorrow. And he said, Let it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is none like Jehovah our God.

7. And the frogs will be removed from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people, and survive only in the river.

8. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried out to Jehovah about ² the frogs which He had brought on Pharaoh.

9. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.

10. And they gathered them into heaps [upon] heaps; and the land stank.

11. And Pharaoh saw that he could breathe again, ³ and he made his heart stubborn, and did not hear ⁴ them, as Jehovah had spoken.

12. And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice in all the land of Egypt.

13. And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the land, and there were lice on man and on beast. All the dust of the land became lice in the whole land of Egypt.

14. And the magicians did the same with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not; and there were lice on man and on beast.

15. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, The finger of God is this. And Pharaoh's heart was unyielding, and he did not hear ⁴ them, as Jehovah had spoken.

16. And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up in the morning early to stand before Pharaoh; behold, he goes out to the water. And you are to say to him, Thus says Jehovah, Send My people away and let them serve Me.

17. For if you do not send My people away, behold, I send onto you, and onto your servants, and onto your people, and into your houses, noxious flying insects; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of the noxious flying insects, and also the land on which they are.

18. And I will set apart on that day the land of Goshen, on which My people stand, so that the noxious flying insects are not there; to the end that you may know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the land.

19. And I will place redemption between My people and your people; by tomorrow will this sign be.

20. And Jehovah did so; and extremely noxious flying insects came to the house of Pharaoh, and to the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was ruined by the presence of the noxious flying insects.

21. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.

22. And Moses said, It is ill-advised to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God. Behold, should we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?

23. We will go a way of three days ⁵ into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as He has said to us.

24. And Pharaoh said, I will send you away to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only you must certainly not go far away. Plead for me.

25. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from you, and I will plead with Jehovah to remove the noxious flying insects from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh act deceitfully again in not sending the people away to sacrifice to Jehovah.

26. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with Jehovah.

27. And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the noxious flying insects from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one was left.

28. And Pharaoh made his heart stubborn this time also, and did not send the people away.

CONTENTS

This chapter continues to deal in the internal sense with the vastation of those steeped in falsities who molest the upright in the next life. The first two stages of vastation were described in the previous chapter, and also the third stage partly, a stage in which they did nothing else than use reasonings arising from utter falsities - reasonings arising from utter falsities being meant by the frogs. This chapter continues to deal with these, and then goes on to deal with the fourth and fifth stages of the vastation of those steeped in falsities who molest the upright in the next life. The fourth stage was when they were subjected to evils which ruined all good present with them, including whatever natural good they had - these evils being meant by the lice produced from the dust of the land. The fifth stage was when they were subjected to the falsities arising from those evils, which ruined all truth - these falsities being meant by the noxious flying insects.

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