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Exodus 11

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1 And the Lord said to Moses, I will send one more punishment on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go; and when he does let you go, he will not keep one of you back, but will send you out by force.

2 So go now and give orders to the people that every man and every woman is to get from his or her neighbour ornaments of silver and of gold.

3 And the Lord gave the people grace in the eyes of the Egyptians. For the man Moses was highly honoured in the land of Egypt, by Pharaoh's servants and the people.

4 And Moses said, This is what the Lord says: About the middle of the night I will go out through Egypt:

5 And death will come to every mother's first male child in all the land of Egypt, from the child of Pharaoh on his seat of power, to the child of the servant-girl crushing the grain; and the first births of all the cattle.

6 And there will be a great cry through all the land of Egypt, such as never has been or will be again.

7 But against the children of Israel, man or beast, not so much as the tongue of a dog will be moved: so that you may see how the Lord makes a division between Israel and the Egyptians.

8 And all these your servants will come to me, going down on their faces before me and saying, Go out, and all your people with you: and after that I will Go out. And he went away from Pharaoh burning with wrath.

9 And the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh will not give ear to you, so that my wonders may be increased in the land of Egypt.

10 All these wonders Moses and Aaron did before Pharaoh: but the Lord made Pharaoh's heart hard, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 2353

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2353. 'In the night' means the final period when these two are acknowledged no longer. This is clear from the meaning of 'the night' as a time of darkness when the things of light are seen no longer. The angels did not come in the night but at evening time, but because it was the men of Sodom who spoke and cried out, that is, those who are immersed in falsity and evil, the expression used is not 'in the evening' but 'in the night'. For 'night' in the Word means the period of time and the state when the light of truth exists no longer, but merely falsity and evil, and so is the final period when judgement takes place.

[2] This meaning is met in other places, as in Micah,

Against the prophets who lead the people astray: It is night for you instead of vision, and darkness for you instead of divination, and the sun is setting upon the prophets and the day is becoming black over them. Micah 3:5-6.

'The prophets' here stands for those who teach falsities. 'Night', 'darkness', 'sunset', and 'the day becoming black' stand for falsities and evils.

[3] In John,

If anyone walks in the day he does not stumble; but if anyone walks in the night he stumbles because the light is not in him. John 11:9-10.

Here 'night' stands for falsity deriving from evil. 'The light' stands for truth deriving from good, for just as all the light of truth derives from good, so all the night of falsity does so from evil.

[4] In the same gospel,

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when nobody can work. John 9:4.

'Day' stands for the period of time and the state when good and truth are present, but 'night' when evil and falsity are present.

[5] In Luke,

I tell you, in that night there will be two upon one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Luke 17:34.

Here 'night' stands for the final period when the truth of faith is no more.

[6] When the children of Israel were going out of Egypt they were commanded 'to go out at midnight', because in this way the vastation of good and truth inside the Church was represented, and also that nothing except falsity and evil reigned there any longer, Exodus 11:4. And when they did, all the firstborn of Egypt were slain at midnight, Exodus 12:12, 29-30. Now because those with whom good and truth are present, who were represented by the children of Israel, are watched over when, like Lot in Sodom, they are among falsities and evils, that night is described in reference to them as 'the night when Jehovah kept watch', Exodus 12:42.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.