117. Internal Meaning of Jeremiah, Chapter 51

Of those who by traditions or reasonings from the natural man have perverted the truths and goods of the church, who are here meant by Babylon. (3)

1-4 All truths of doctrine with them will be destroyed. (3)

5 The Jewish church is such, and is against the Lord. (3)

6 Let them beware of such. (3)

7-10 Those who are there are vastated by such things, and they do not refrain. (3)

11-13 They pervert truths and goods, which they have in abundance. (2, 3)

14-18 They have the Word so that they can be wise, but they falsify it. (2)

19-23 When the judgment overtakes them from the Lord, all things appertaining to them, from firsts to lasts, are to be scattered. (15)

24-26 Their destruction will come, because they have destroyed everything of the church. (15)

27-29 They will seize upon falsities of every kind. (3)

30-32 Hence they will no longer have any power. (2)

33 Her last time is coming. (15, 17)

34-40 They will perish because they have destroyed the church. (15, 2)

41-44 They will be destroyed by mere falsities. (15)

45-50 Let them not come near those who are of the church, lest they perish together with them. (15)

51-53 They cannot resist, however much they trust in themselves. (15, 3)

54-58 Those who trust in their own falsities will come to nothing and will be destroyed. (15)

59-61 This is told to those who in the church have been taken captive by such, and who have become Babylon. 15 (15)

62-64 They are to be cast into hell. (15)

The relationship between men and women is deep and nuanced, and one entire book of the Writings -- Conjugial Love -- is devoted to the subject. So we can hardly offer a full explanation here. In a very general sense, though, the Writings say that men are creatures of intellect, driven by the love of growing wise; women, meanwhile are creations of affection, driven by the love of wisdom and the good that wisdom can do. They are formed this way to reflect the Lord's Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and so that they can form marriages that reflect the unity of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. Marking differences between men and women can be a touchy thing, but realistically it's easy to see that men tend to love acquiring knowledge whether it has any practical application or not. Many of them can spout out sports statistics or hold court on the workings of the internal combustion engine, even though it is knowledge they are not likely to ever use. They find such knowledge interesting for its own sake. It follows, then, that when the Bible speaks of men, the men represent facts, ideas, knowledge, truth, intellect and wisdom -- or in the negative sense falsity, twisted logic, and reasoning that is devoid of concern for others.