560. And stings were in their tails, signifies craftiness in deceiving by means of them. This is evident from the signification of "stings," as being craftiness and shrewdness in persuading as to falsities; it follows therefore that they had in them the power to hurt men, for one who deceives craftily and shrewdly is especially harmful. The stings were "in their tails," because they deceive by means of knowledges [scientifica] sensually perceived, knowledges both from the Word and from the world, which are what human learning consists of; they deceive by knowledges from the Word by explaining it sensually according to the letter, and not according to its interior sense; they deceive by knowledges from the world by using them for confirmation. It is to be known that sensual men are more crafty and shrewd than others, and thus in acutely deceiving; for as spiritual men possess intelligence and prudence, so those who are sensual and in falsities possess malice and craftiness, for all malice has its seat in evil, as all intelligence has its seat in good.

[2] It is believed in the world that those who are crafty and shrewd are also prudent and intelligent; but craftiness and malice are not prudence and intelligence, but viewed in themselves are insanity and folly; for such remove themselves from eternal happiness and cast themselves into eternal misery, and this is not the part of the prudent and intelligent but of the insane and foolish. Moreover, with such all things of heavenly and angelic wisdom are in dense darkness, and where that wisdom is thick darkness there is folly. That sensual men are crafty and shrewd can be seen from those who are in the hells, where all are merely natural and sensual; it can hardly be believed by anyone how much craftiness and shrewdness these possess (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 576-581, where the malice and wicked devices of the infernal spirits are treated of).

[3] That "stings" signify craftiness can be seen without confirmation from the Word, for in common discourse the craftiness in speech by which men are deceived are called sharp points, and the talk itself is called sharp. But "stings" signify particularly interior falsities, which are such as cannot be dispelled, because they are from the knowledges and fallacies of the senses. That such falsities are signified by "stings" (or sharp points) can be seen from representatives in the spiritual world, where interior falsities are represented in various ways by sharp things, like the points of swords, the points of arrows, and things pointed in various forms, and this when they are intended to hurt; for this reason it is also forbidden there to exhibit such things to view, for spirits when they see them become furious to inflict injury.

[4] These falsities are signified by "sharp instruments" in Amos:

Behold the days will come upon you in which they will draw you out with barbs, and your posterity with fishhooks (Amos 4:2).

"To draw out with barbs" signifies to lead away from truths by knowledges [scientifica] from the Word and from the world falsely applied; and "to draw out with fishhooks" signifies to lead away from truths by the fallacies of the senses, from which the sensual man reasons.

[5] And in Moses:

If ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom ye let remain of them shall be thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides (Numbers 33:55).

The "inhabitants of the land whom they were to drive out," signify the evils and falsities of religion and of doctrine; for these were signified in an abstract sense by the nations of the land of Canaan. Therefore "they shall be thorns in your eyes" signifies the harm that will be done by malignant falsities to the truths of the church, and "pricks in your sides" signify the harm that will be done by malignant falsities to the goods of the church, "eyes" signifying in the Word the understanding of truth, and "sides" the things of charity, consequently goods.

544. And there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power, signifies their ability to persuade, and its effect and might. This is evident from the signification of a "scorpion," as being an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness (of which presently); and from the signification of "power," as being might and effect, here the might of the sensual man from his persuasiveness, and the effect which is infatuating and suffocating. Just what and of what quality this persuasiveness is which is signified by a "scorpion" scarcely anyone in the world yet knows, because it is the persuasiveness of the spirit of the sensual man, which he has when he becomes a spirit, but does not have while he is living as a man in the world. The reason is that a man in the world rarely speaks out what his spirit thinks and inmostly loves, for he is taught from infancy to utter such things as pertain to civil and moral life, and even such as pertain to the spiritual life, although his spirit, which thinks and wills inwardly, is differently inclined. So long as man's spirit remains in the body it makes a show of such things before the world, because in no other way can it captivate minds so that his spirit may accomplish the ends it aims at, which are chiefly honors and gain, and name and reputation on account of them.

This is why it is unknown in the world just what and of what quality this infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness is that is signified by a "scorpion;" and yet with the spirits in whom it is, it is such as to infuse itself into the mind and disposition of another, and to benumb and almost extinguish his rational and intellectual faculties, making it impossible for him to know otherwise than that what is spoken is truth, although it be most false. Those who are in such persuasiveness do not speak from any reason, but from blind faith without reason, because they speak from the lowest sensual, and in this there is no reason, but only a persuasive faith from such things as ascend from the body and flow in from the world, inspired by the fire of self-love; it is this fire that breathes into, draws out, and pours into another. Consequently those are more especially in this persuasiveness who have imbued themselves with falsities from the love of self, and believe themselves to be wiser than others. This persuasiveness is said to be infatuating because it induces a stupor in the understanding, and is called suffocating because it takes away the free breathing of another; for everyone breathes in harmony with the thought of his mind. But inasmuch as this persuasiveness is most noxious and pernicious, including a kind of swoon on the mind of another, so that he can see nothing rationally, spirits are strictly forbidden to make use of it; and those who do make use of it are separated from the others, and are either punished or sent down into hell; for in the spiritual world everyone is allowed to confirm the opinions of his mind, whether they be true or false, by things rational and intellectual, but not by any persuasive fascination. (More respecting this persuasiveness may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia: as, That those who are constrained by it are inwardly bound, n. 5096. Those who make use of it shut up the rational of others, and as it were suffocate them, n. 3895, 5128. The Nephilim, Anakim, and Rephaim, mentioned in the Word, were, more than others, in direful persuasions of falsity, n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686. These, before the Lord's coming, infested all in the other life through their direful persuasions, and almost extinguished their spiritual life, n. Arcana Coelestia 7686. They were cast into hell by the Lord when He was in the world, and that hell still appears under a kind of misty crag, and those who draw near it fall into a swoon, n. 311, 581, 1268, 1270, 7686; my own experience with some of the devils from that hell who were permitted to flow into me, n. 1268-1271. How hurtful the persuasion of falsity is, n. 794, 806. There are many kinds of the persuasions of falsity, n. 1673, 1675 the end.) This deadly persuasiveness is signified by a "scorpion," because a scorpion when it stings a man induces ¹ a like swooning of the mind and thence death, if there is no cure.

[2] Murderous persuasions are signified by "scorpions" also in the following passages. In Luke:

Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent out, I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing may by any means hurt you (Luke 10:18, 19).

Evidently "serpents and scorpions" do not mean here serpents and scorpions, for the Lord says that "He saw Satan as lightning falling from heaven," and that He "gives them authority over all the power of the enemy;" therefore "serpents and scorpions" signify in the internal sense the crew of Satan, who were in craftiness and direful persuasiveness of falsity, by which men after death are spiritually murdered, unless they are defended by the Lord. The antediluvians, who were called the "Nephilim," were in such persuasiveness more than others, and unless the Lord when He was in the world had subjugated them and cast them into hell and had closed it up, no mortal could have been saved; for they were infesting and almost murdering whomsoever they met in the spiritual world. That the Lord delivered the spiritual world from these and like spirits is meant by His "seeing Satan falling from heaven," and by His giving to those who are in truths from good from Him "authority to tread on serpents and scorpions."

[3] This direful persuasiveness is also signified by "scorpions" in Ezekiel:

Son of man, be not afraid of them nor of their words, though the stubborn and thorny be with thee, and thou dwellest among scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their faces. They are hard of face, and obdurate in heart (Ezekiel 2:6, 4).

"To dwell among scorpions" means among those who have persuaded themselves, and strongly persuade others, of falsities, and who do not admit any truth; therefore they are called "stubborn and thorny," also "hard of face and obdurate in heart." Moreover, in those who are in a strong persuasion of falsity the interiors which belong to the rational mind are closed up, consequently they think and speak from the lowest sensual only, and when this sensual is enkindled by the fire of self-love it is hard and obdurate, and also hardens and makes obdurate the interiors of others whom it addresses. For in the spiritual world there is a communication of minds, that is, of the thoughts and affections; and from those who are in such persuasiveness there is a pouring in, from which come the effects above mentioned.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah God, who led thee through the great and fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion (Deuteronomy 8:15).

The journeys and wanderings of the sons of Israel forty years in the wilderness represented and signified the temptations of the faithful, and as these come from the injections and persuasions of falsities by evil spirits, they were said to have been led "through a fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion." Moreover, "serpents" in general signify the lowest sensual of man, and the various species of serpents the various states of that sensual in respect to evils and falsities; for sensual men are more crafty and malicious than others, and themselves believe, and induce others to believe, that they excel in genius, intellect, and judgment; but I can assert that they have nothing of understanding or judgment, but that they are as stupid in such things as are the essentials of faith and life as they are clever in scheming evils and persuading to falsities; and cunning, as is well known, is not wisdom, for wisdom is of truth from good, while cunning is of falsity from evil; and falsity from evil destroys truth from good, because they are opposites, and what is opposite destroys.

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