6853. 'For I know their sorrows' means foresight of how deeply they would be plunged into falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'knowing', when used in reference to the Lord, as foresight (the reason why 'knowing' is foresight is that the Lord has known from eternity about every single thing); and from the meaning of 'sorrows' as being plunged into falsities. For when people who are governed by good are plunged into falsities they experience feelings of anguish and anxiety. They suffer torment, for they love truths and loathe falsities, and are thinking all the time about salvation and about how unhappy they will be if those falsities get the better of them. But those who are not governed by good are completely unconcerned about whether falsities or truths reign in them; for they do not think at all about salvation and unhappiness since they do not believe there are any such things. The delights of self-love and love of the world take away any firm belief regarding life after death. These people are immersed all the time in falsities. Being plunged into falsities is presented in the next life as waves engulfing a person and rising ever higher as the falsities grow more profuse, until the waves rise over his head; and they appear tenuous or solid according to the nature of the falsities. The experience of being plunged into falsities which the wicked undergo looks like a mistiness or cloudiness, more or less murky, which surrounds them and cuts them off completely from the brightness of the light of heaven.

6851. 'And Jehovah said, I have indeed seen the affliction of My people means the mercy shown towards those who belonged to the spiritual Church after molestations by falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with often, though when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord 'saying' does not mean perception but omniscience, since the Lord has from eternity a perception and knowledge of every single thing; from the meaning of 'indeed seeing', when used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as mercy, for when the Lord sees someone in distress or suffering affliction He has compassion on him (the Lord, it is true, sees everyone and so has compassion on everyone; yet it cannot really be said of any apart from those who accept His mercy, namely those governed by good, that He has compassion on them); from the meaning of 'affliction' as molestation, 6663, here by falsities since the affliction came from the Egyptians, by whom false factual knowledge is meant, 6651, 6679, 6683; and from the meaning of 'people' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 2928 (those who belong to the celestial Church are referred to in the Word as 'a nation').