8185. And the sons of Israel shall come into the midst of the sea on the dry. That this signifies that they who are of the spiritual church may pass safely and without the influx of falsity, is evident from the signification of “coming” or entering “into the midst,” as being to pass through; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being those who are of the spiritual church (of which frequently); and from the signification of “on the dry,” as being safely, and without the influx of falsity; for by the waters of this sea are signified falsities derived from evil (see n. 8137, 8138); consequently by “the dry” is signified without falsity. The like is signified by “dry,” and “making dry,” in David:

Thou hast broken the heads of leviathan in pieces. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the river; Thou hast made dry the rivers of strength (Psalms 74:14-15);

“to make dry the rivers of strength” denotes to dissipate the more powerful falsities.

[2] In Zechariah:

I will gather them, because I will redeem them; I will bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them unto the land of Gilead and to Lebanon. He shall pass through the sea of distress; but he will smite the waves in the sea, and will make dry all the depths of the stream; and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart. And I will render them mighty in Jehovah (Zech. 10:8-12);

this passage treats of those who trust in themselves and in their own wisdom in spiritual things, and also of the dissipation of falsities by means of temptations: “the land of Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges; “Assyria,” the reasonings therefrom; “to pass through the sea of distress,” denotes temptations; “to smite the waves in the sea and dry up the depths of the stream,” denotes to dissipate the falsities thence derived; “the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart,” denotes that they shall not trust any longer in their own wisdom, but in wisdom from the Lord, which is signified by “I will render them mighty in Jehovah.”

[3] In like manner in Isaiah:

That saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; that saith to the abyss, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers (Isaiah 44:26-27);

“to say to the abyss, be dry,” and “to dry up the rivers thereof,” denotes to dissipate evils and falsities. But where “waters” signify truths, there “to make dry” signifies a state of no truth, or one without truth, as in Isaiah:

I will pour waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry (Isaiah 44:3);

“waters” and “streams” denote truths; “the dry” denotes where there is no truth.

[4] In Jeremiah:

O sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babel, O sword against the horses thereof, and against the chariots thereof; a drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up (Jeremiah 50:35-38);

“the Chaldeans” denote those who profane truths; and “the inhabitants of Babel,” denote those who profane goods (n. 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1306-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326); a “sword” denotes truth fighting against falsity, and falsity fighting against truth, consequently vastation (n. 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102); “horses” denote the intellectual faculty (n. 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6534); “chariots,” doctrinal things (n. 5321, 8148); “a drought upon the waters that they may be dried up,” denotes that by reason of falsification there is no life in the truths. But where “dry,” or “making dry,” in the Word, is said of other things, as of trees, of herbs, of harvest, of bones, the contrary to the above is signified. The earth itself is also called “the dry” relatively to the sea, and then “dry” is predicated of good, and “the sea” of truth.

1306. That “a tower” is the worship of self, is evident from the signification of “a tower.” The worship of self exists when a man exalts himself above others even to the point of being worshiped. And therefore the love of self, which is arrogance and pride, is called “height,” “loftiness,” and “being lifted up;” and is described by all things that are high. As in Isaiah:

The eyes of man’s pride shall be humbled, and the loftiness of men shall be brought low, and Jehovah Himself alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of Jehovah of Armies is upon everyone proud and high and upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be humbled; and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fenced wall (Isaiah 2:11-18); concerning the love of self, which is described by the “cedars,” “oaks,” “mountains,” “hills,” and “tower” that are “high” and “lifted up.”

[2] Again:

There shall be rivers, streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall (Isaiah 30:25);

in like manner denoting the love of self, and the exalting of self in worship. And again:

Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not; Asshur hath founded it in tziim; they will set up their watchtowers, they will raise up their palaces, he will make it a ruin (Isaiah 23:13);

said of Tyre and its vastation; “watchtowers,” expressed by another word, denote the phantasies therefrom.

In Ezekiel:

I will cause many nations to come up against thee, O Tyre, and they shall ruin the walls of Tyre, and destroy her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and will make her the dryness of a rock (Ezekiel 26:3-4).

The signification being similar.

[3] The love of self in worship, or the worship of self, is called a “tower,” for the reason that a “city” signifies a doctrine (as before shown, n. 402) and cities were formerly fortified with towers, in which there were watchmen; and there were also towers on the borders, which for this reason were called “towers of watchmen” (2 Kings 9:17; 17:9; 18:8), and “watchtowers” (Isaiah 23:13). And besides, when the church of the Lord is compared to a “vineyard,” those things which belong to worship and to its conservation are compared to a “winepress” and to “a tower in the vineyard,” as is evident in Isaiah 5:1-2; Matthew 21:33; Mark 12:1.