7397. 'So as the frogs will be eliminated from you, and from your houses' means in order that the reasonings may come to an end. This is clear from the meaning of 'the frogs' as reasonings arising from utter falsities, dealt with in 7351, 7352, 7384; from the meaning of 'eliminating' as coming to an end, for eliminating is used in reference to the frogs, but coming to an end in reference to reasonings; from the representation of 'Pharaoh,' from whom the frogs were to be eliminated, as those steeped in falsities who engage in molestation, dealt with immediately above in 7396; and from the meaning of 'houses' as parts of the natural mind. For 'house' means the natural mind, see 4973, 5023, 7353, and therefore the plural 'houses' means parts of it.

7352. 'And the river will cause the frogs to crawl forth' means the reasonings arising from those falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'the river of Egypt' as falsity, dealt with in 6693, 7307; and from the meaning of 'the frogs' as reasonings, dealt with immediately above in 7351. The reason why 'frogs' are reasonings is that they live in water, in which they make talkative sounds and croak, and also live in unclean surroundings. What reasoning arising from utter falsities is will be illustrated by several examples. Reasoning arising from utter falsities takes place if a person attributes everything to natural forces and scarcely anything to the Divine, when in fact everything owes its existence to the Divine, and natural forces are merely the means by which it is brought into being. Reasoning arising from utter falsities takes place if a person believes that a human being is similar to an animal, being more perfect only by virtue of his ability to think, and for this reason believes that when he dies a human being is similar to an animal. Because he refuses to believe that a human being is linked to the Divine through thought which belongs to faith, and through affection which belongs to love, and as a consequence refuses to believe in resurrection and eternal life, what he says arises from utter falsities. It is similar with a person who believes that hell has no existence, and also with him who believes that a person has the pleasurable gift of life only while he is in the world and should therefore take full advantage of it, because when he dies he dies completely. Reasoning arising from utter falsities takes place if a person believes that all things are attributable to one's own prudence and good fortune, and not to Divine Providence except on a very general level. It also takes place if a person believes that religion exists for no other reason than to keep the simple in check. Reasoning arising from utter falsities takes place in particular if people believe that the Word is not Divine. In short reasoning arising from utter falsities takes place if people refuse completely to believe God's truths.