10071. 'And the tail' means all truth there. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ram's tail' as truth. 'The tail' means truth because it comes last, and truth resides in last or lowest things, 9959 ¹ . The tail is also the last part of the cerebrum and cerebellum, for these extend into the spinal cord, and this also terminates in the tail, which is for that reason the appendage at the end of all three. Therefore Leviticus 3:9 says that in sacrifices the tail should be removed next to the backbone. The fact that 'the tail' means truth in last or lowest things, and in the contrary sense falsity, is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail. The old and the honourable [in face] is the head, but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, is the tail. Isaiah 9:14-15.

In the spiritual sense 'cutting off head and tail' means severing good and truth; for the subject is the Church, and when this has been laid waste 'the head' means evil and 'the tail' falsity. 'The head' means good, see 4938, 4939, 5328, 9913, 9914, as does 'the old', 6524, 9404; and 'the prophet' means a teacher of truth, and so in the abstract sense [without reference to persons] truth itself, 2534, 7269. In the contrary sense therefore 'the head' means evil, as do 'the old' and 'the honourable' who will perform it, while 'the tail' means falsity, as does 'the prophet', who is for that reason called 'the prophet of a lie'; for 'a lie' means falsity. In the same prophet,

There will not be for Egypt [any] work which the head and tail may do. Isaiah 19:15.

'Egypt' stands for those who, desiring to enter into the truths and forms of the good of faith, use reasonings based on factual knowledge, and not on revealed truths, thus not on belief in these, 1164, 1165, 1186. The lack of 'work which the head and tail may do' stands for the fact that they have neither good nor truth. The fact that 'the tail' means truth in last or lowest things is evident from its meaning in the contrary sense, in which 'the tail' means falsity. In John,

The locusts had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails, and they had power to harm people. Revelation 9:10.

'Tails like scorpions, and stings in their tails' are cunning reasonings based on falsities which they use to convince and thereby damage someone, which is why it says that they had power to harm people. Furthermore falsity in outermost things is meant by 'locust', see 7643. In the same book,

The horses' tails were like serpents, having heads; and by means of them they do harm. Revelation 9:19.

'Tails like serpents' here also stands for reasonings based on falsities which are used to cause harm. In the same book,

The dragon's tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them down to the earth. Revelation 12:4.

'The dragon's tail' stands for truths that have been falsified, in particular through the application of them to evils; 'the stars' are cognitions or knowledge of truth and good which has been falsified; and 'casting them down to the earth' means destroying them.

Poznámky pod čarou:

3235. 'Abraham took another wife' means a further state which the Lord, whom Abraham represents, passed through - for 'Abraham and Sarah' represented the Lord as regards the Divine Celestial, 'Abraham and Keturah' the Lord as regards the Divine Spiritual. This is clear from what has been stated and shown so far about Abraham and his wife Sarah, and from what is recorded here about Abraham and Keturah. But as it is said that Abraham here represents a further state which the Lord passed through, and that Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord as regards the Divine Celestial, whereas Abraham and Keturah did so as regards the Divine Spiritual, one needs to know what is meant by the Divine Celestial and by the Divine Spiritual. The Divine Celestial and the Divine Spiritual have to do with those people who receive the Lord's Divine, for the Lord is seen by everyone according to the character of the recipient, as becomes clear from what has been stated in 1838, 1861, and is quite evident from the fact that the Lord appears to celestial people in one way but to spiritual in another. For He appears as the sun to those who are celestial, but as the moon to those who are spiritual, 1529-1531, 1838. The Lord appears to celestial people as the sun because in them celestial love, which is love to the Lord, is present, but to spiritual people as the moon because in these spiritual love, which is charity towards the neighbour, is present. The difference is like that between the light of the sun during the daytime and the light of the moon at night, and also between the warmth of both which causes things in the ground to grow. These are what were meant in Genesis 1 by the words,

And God made the two great Lights, the greater Light to have dominion over the day, and the lesser Light to have dominion over the night. Genesis 1:16.

[2] The Lord's kingdom is in general celestial and spiritual, that is, it consists of those who are celestial and of those who are spiritual. And because the Lord's Divine appears to those who are celestial as being celestial, but to those who are spiritual as being spiritual, it is therefore said that Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord as regards the Divine Celestial, but Abraham and Keturah as regards the Divine Spiritual. But as scarcely anyone knows what the celestial is or what the spiritual, and who they are who are celestial or spiritual, please see what has been stated and shown about them already in the following places:

What the celestial is and what the spiritual, 1155, 1577, 1824, 2048, 2184, 2227, 2507.

Who celestial people are and who spiritual, 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715.

The celestial man is a likeness of the Lord and does good from love, whereas the spiritual man is an image of the Lord and does it from faith, 50-52, 1013.

Those who are celestial perceive truth from good and never indulge in reasoning about it, 202, 337, 607, 895, 1121, 2715.

With the celestial man good is implanted in the will part of his mind, but with the spiritual man in the understanding part, within which, in the case of those who are spiritual, a new will is created, 863, 875, 895, 897, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256.

From good itself those who are celestial see things without limit, but those who are spiritual, because they reason whether a thing is so, cannot reach even the furthest limit to which the light that the celestial have spreads, 2718.

Compared with those who are celestial those who are spiritual dwell in obscurity, 1043, 2708, 2715.

The Lord came into the world to save those who are spiritual, 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834.