1165. 在圣言中, “麦西” 或埃及表知识, 即各种记忆, 人们渴望藉此探究信之奥秘, 从而确认以此获得的谬念. “麦西” 还表简单的知识, 因而表有用的知识. 这一点不仅从刚才所引用的经文清楚看出来, 也可从很多其它经文看出来, 若全部引用, 必占用大量篇幅 (参看以赛亚书 19:1 到末尾; 30:1-3; 31:1-3; 耶利米书 2:18, 36; 42:14 到末尾; 46:1 到末尾; 以西结书 16:26; 23:3, 8; 29:1到末尾; 30:1到末尾; 何西阿书 7:11; 9:3, 6; 11:1, 5, 11; 弥迦书 7:5; 撒迦利亚书 10:10-11; 诗篇 80:8 和后面几节).

120. Like Egypt, the Euphrates too means knowledge or facts, and also sensory evidence from which facts are obtained. This is clear from the Word in the Prophets, as in Micah, She, my enemy, said, Where is Jehovah your God? A day on which He will build your walls. On that day what has been determined will be absent afar off. That day also He will come to you from Asshur, and to the cities of Egypt and to the River (the Euphrates) Micah 7:10-12.

The Prophets spoke in this way when referring to the coming of the Lord, who was going to regenerate man so that he would become as a celestial man. In Jeremiah,

What have you to do with the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? And what have you to do with the way to Asshur, to drink the waters of the River (the Euphrates)? Jeremiah 2:18.

Here similarly 'Egypt' and 'the Euphrates' stand for facts, and 'Asshur' for reasonings based on them. In David,

You did cause a vine to journey out of Egypt. You did cast out the nations, You did plant it. You did send out its shoots even to the sea, and its little branches to the River (the Euphrates) Psalms 80:8, 11.

Here too 'the river Euphrates' stands for sensory evidence and factual knowledge. Indeed the Euphrates was the boundary to Israel's territories in the direction of Asshur, just as factual knowledge in the memory is the boundary of intelligence and wisdom of the spiritual and celestial man. The same is meant by these words addressed to Abraham,

To your seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river, the river Euphrates. Genesis 15:18.

Both of these two boundaries have the same meaning.