537. Verse 2. And he opened the pit of the abyss, signifies communication and conjunction with the hells where and from which are such falsities. This is evident from the signification of "to open" as here being to communicate and conjoin (of which presently); and from the signification of "the pit of the abyss" as being the hell where and from which are such falsities. These are called in the Word "pits [or wells] of the abyss" because a "pit" [or well] signifies the Word in the sense of the letter and the truth of doctrine therefrom, but in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom; and the "abyss" (or depth of the sea) signifies hell. This signifies the hell where those are who have falsified the truths of the Word by applying its truths to the evils of life, because such hells appear to those who are above like seas, and those who are in them appear to be in their depths. These seas or hells I have also seen, and also those who are in their depths; but those who spoke with me therefrom declared that they were not in waters, but on dry ground. This shows that the waters of these seas are appearances corresponding to the falsities in which those are who are in them. The waters of these seas are grosser and denser according to the falsifications, and the depths also differ in accordance with the evils that have been falsified.

[2] What "abyss" signifies in the Word will be told below. "To open the pit of the abyss" signifies communication and conjunction with such hells, because the hells are not opened except when evil spirits enter, which takes place when they have fulfilled their time in the world of spirits; for it is not allowed to any evil spirit to go out from hell when he has been once cast into it; if he goes out he nevertheless immediately falls back into it. But every man is conjoined with spirits who are in the world of spirits, who are such as he himself is; consequently a man who falsifies the Word by applying it to evils of life and to falsities confirming those evils, is conjoined with like spirits, and by them with the hells that are in like falsities. Every man after death becomes a spirit, and he then becomes at once attached either with infernal or with heavenly societies, according to his life in the world; and all spirits, before they are cast down into hell or raised up into heaven, are first in the world of spirits, and they are then with men who are living in the world, evil spirits with the evil, and good spirits with the good. Through these man has communication and conjunction either with the hells or with the heavens. This makes clear that "to open the pit" does not signify to open hell, but to have communication, and by communication conjunction with hell. From every one of the hells falsities of evil exhale in great abundance, and in these falsities are the spirits who are in the world of spirits, and at the same time the men who are in like falsities in our world. No spirit or man can be anywhere else than where the love of his life is, for that which a man loves, that he wills, that he thinks, and that he breathes. (What the world of spirits is, see in the work onHeaven and Hell 421-431, et seq.)

[3] A "pit" [or well] signifies the Word and the truth of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom, because "pits" contain waters, and "waters" signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities (as shown above, n. 71, 483, 518). That a "pit" [or well] has these two meanings can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:

They journeyed to Beer; this is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give it ¹ waters. Then Israel sang this song, Come up, O well; answer ye from it; the princes digged the well, the willing ones of the people delved it, through the lawgiver, with their staves (Numbers 21:16-18).

That this "well" signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word is evident from the song that Israel sang respecting it: "Come up, O well, answer ye from it," signifies that doctrine from the Word should teach truth and that they should receive it, "Come up, O well," signifying the calling forth of truth, and "answer ye from it" reception and instruction; "the princes digged the well, the willing ones of the people delved it, through the lawgiver, with their staves," signifies that those who are in truths and in the goods of truths are enlightened by the Lord, and from Him by means of the Word search out and collect doctrine; "princes" signifying those who are in truths; "the willing ones of the people" those who are in the goods of truth; "to dig" to search out and gather up; "lawgiver" the Lord in respect to the Word and the doctrine from the Word, and "staves" the potency and powers of the mind, here from the Lord by means of the Word, because it is said, "by the lawgiver." This makes clear what "well" here signifies. "Israel sang a song" respecting it, because "Beer," in the original, means a well, and in the spiritual sense "a well" signifies the Word, and doctrine from the Word; likewise "Beersheba," which is often mentioned in the historical parts of the Word.

[4] The same is meant by:

Jacob's well, at which the Lord sat and spoke with the Samaritan woman, and said, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, thou wouldest ask water of Him, and He would give thee living water; and this should become a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:6-15).

The Lord spoke with the Samaritan woman at that well, because "the Samaritan woman" meant the church to be established with the Gentiles, and "the Samaritans" who are also mentioned in other passages, mean the Gentiles that were to receive doctrine from the Lord and respecting the Lord. This "well" signifies doctrine from the Word, the "water" the truth of doctrine, and "the Lord sitting at that well" the Word or Divine truth. That salvation is from the Lord by means of Divine truth from the Word is signified by "the water which He would give should become a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life."

[5] Something similar to what is signified by "the well of Jacob" is signified also by:

The wells that the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug, respecting which they strove with the servants of Abimelech (Genesis 21:26; 26:1, 15, 18-22, 25, 32).

The wells that the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug signify the truths of doctrine, because by "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," in the Word, the Lord is meant; but "Abimelech" king of Gerar, or of the Philistines, means those who place salvation in truths alone without the good of life, as those do at the present day who are in faith alone. And as every truth is from good, or everything of faith from charity, and as those who separate and exclude good from truth, or charity from faith, possess no genuine truth of doctrine, but every truth of the Word with them is like the meaning of the mere words with no perception of the thing, thus like a shell without a kernel, so they dispute about the truths of faith; this was represented and signified by the strifes of the servants of Abimelech with the servants of Abraham and of Isaac respecting the wells. There is an internal spiritual sense in the historical parts as well as in the prophetical parts of the Word, as can be seen from the Arcana Coelestia, where the histories that are contained in Genesis and Exodus are explained in respect to the internal spiritual sense; so, too, what is said about the wells of Abraham and Isaac, as may be seen. Why else should there be historical statements respecting wells in the Word?

[6] In Luke:

Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well; and will not straightway draw him out on a Sabbath day? (Luke 14:5).

This was a statute with the Israelitish and Jewish nation, because of the spiritual sense contained in it; for all the statutes, judgments, and commandments given to the sons of Israel signified spiritual things belonging to heaven and to the church; so this statute signified that if anyone falls into falsity or into evil, he must be led out of it by means of the truth that is taught from the Lord on the Sabbath day. The "well" here means falsity and the evil of falsity; "an ass and an ox" signify the truth and good of the natural man; "to fall into a well" signifies into falsity and into the evil of falsity; "to be drawn out on a Sabbath day" signifies to be instructed and thus led out of these; for "the Sabbath day" signifies here the Lord in relation to instruction and doctrine, therefore He calls Himself "Lord of the Sabbath." (That an "ass" signifies the truth of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia 2781, 5741; and that an "ox" signifies the good of the natural man, n. 2180, 2566, 9134.)

[7] Nearly the same spiritual sense is contained in these words in Moses:

When a man shall open a pit, or when a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it, the owner of the pit shall requite and shall return silver unto the owner ² of it; and the dead beast shall be his (Exodus 21:33, 34).

"When a man shall open a pit" signifies when one shall proclaim any falsity that he has; or "when a man shall dig a pit" signifies when he shall frame or hatch out a falsity; "and an ox or an ass fall therein" signifies the perversion of good and truth in the natural belonging to another; "the owner of the pit shall requite" signifies that he from whom is the falsity shall make amend; "and return silver to the owner of it" signifies by means of truth with him whose truth and good in the natural has been perverted; "and the dead beast shall be his" signifies that the evil or the falsity shall remain with him (but this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 9084-9089). Here "pit" has the same signification as well.

[8] So in Matthew:

Blind leaders of the blind. When the blind leads the blind, both fall into the pit (Matthew 15:14; Luke 6:39).

This the Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees, who understood nothing of truth, although they had the Word, in which are all Divine truths; and because they taught falsities and their falsities were also believed by the people, they are called "blind leaders of the blind;" those are called in the Word "blind" who do not understand truth; and because "pit" signifies falsity, it is said that "they both fall into it."

[9] In David:

Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the billows of waters overwhelm me, neither let the abyss swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Psalms 69:14, 15).

Here very evidently the "pit" signifies the hell where and from which are falsities, for it is said, "let not the pit shut her mouth upon me," that is, let not the hell from which are falsities, or falsities from hell, wholly possess me, that I may not escape; "deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink," means out of the evil of falsity, lest I perish; "let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters," signifies to be delivered from evils and falsities that are from the hells, "them that hate" meaning evils therefrom, and "depths of waters" falsities therefrom; "neither let the abyss swallow me up" signifies, let not the hell where are the falsities of evil, or the falsities of evil from hell, do this.

[10] In the same:

They make their mouth smooth as butter, and when one's heart draweth near, his words are softer than oil, yet are they drawn swords. But Thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the well of the pit (Psalms 55:21, 23).

This is said of those who simulate good affections when they utter falsities by which they lead astray; "to make the mouth smooth as butter" signifies a simulation of good by means of affections, "butter" signifying the good of external affection. "Their words are softer than oil" has a like signification, "oil" meaning the good of internal affection; "yet are they drawn swords" signifies, and yet they are falsities destroying good and truth, "drawn swords" meaning falsities destroying; "but Thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the well of the pit," signifies into the hell where there are destructive falsities of that kind.

[11] As "pits" have nearly the same signification in the Word as "wells," for they are like wells, I will also quote some passages respecting them. In Jeremiah:

Their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty (Jeremiah 14:3).

"Nobles" mean those who lead and teach others, "little ones" those who are led and taught, and "waters" truths; this makes evident what is signified by "Their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters;" "the pits in which there were no waters" signify doctrinals in which there are no truths; this makes evident what is signified by "they came to the pits, they found no waters;" that they had no knowledge [scientia] or understanding of truth is signified by "they returned with their vessels empty," "vessels" signifying in the Word things recipient of truth, and thus things of knowledge and understanding.

[12] In Zechariah:

By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit wherein is no water (Zechariah 9:11).

This is said of the deliverance of the faithful by the Lord, who were detained in the lower earth until His coming; and also of the enlightenment of the Gentiles who were in falsities from ignorance. "The blood of thy covenant" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word, which is called a covenant because it is the means of conjunction, "covenant" signifying conjunction. "The bound in the pit in which there is no water" mean those who are in falsities from ignorance, "pit" here meaning doctrine not of truth, and also the lower earth where those who were in falsities from ignorance were detained until the Lord came, "wherein is no water" means where there is no truth; they are called "bound" because they could not be delivered from falsities except by the Lord.

[13] In Jeremiah:

My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits, broken pits, that cannot hold waters (Jeremiah 2:13).

"To hew out pits, broken pits, that hold no waters," signifies to hatch out doctrinals from self-intelligence, which are false because they are from man's own (proprium), for man's own is nothing but evil, and because it is evil, falsity is brought forth from it, for evil can bring forth nothing but falsity. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 483.)

[14] In the same:

Jehovah, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of the desert and the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade, through a land that no man [vir] passed through, and where no man [homo] dwelt (Jeremiah 2:6).

It has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, where Exodus is explained, that "the wilderness in which the sons of Israel were led," represented and signified the first state of the church that is to be established with those who are in mere ignorance of good and truth; and as that state was represented and signified by their wanderings in the wilderness, it is said that "Jehovah led them in a land of the desert and the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade;" "a land of the desert and of drought" means here, as elsewhere in the Word, a state of non-perception of good, and "a land of the pit and of dense shade" means a state of ignorance of truth, and thus of falsity; "that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt," signifies where there is no understanding of truth nor perception of good, "man" [vir] in the Word meaning the understanding of truth, and "man" [homo] the perception of good, and the absence of both meaning no church either in respect to truth or to good.

[15] In Isaiah:

He that leadeth forth shall hasten that it may be opened, that he may not die in the pit, and that his bread fail not (Isaiah 51:14).

This is said of the Lord. His coming is meant by "he that leadeth forth shall hasten;" deliverance from the falsities of ignorance is signified by "that he die not in the pit," thus "pit" here has a similar signification as "the pit in which were the bound," above; that spiritual instruction and nourishment shall not fail is signified by "that his bread fail not," for "bread" means all spiritual food, and spiritual food means instruction in truths and goods, from which come intelligence and wisdom.

[16] In Ezekiel:

Behold, I bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations; and they shall draw their swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance; they shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas (Ezekiel 28:7, 8).

This is said of the prince of Tyre, by whom are meant those who hatch out falsities from self-intelligence, which destroy the knowledges of truth and good; their destruction by their own falsities is signified by "Behold, I bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations," "strangers" signifying the falsities that destroy truths, and "the violent of the nations" the evils that destroy goods; that such will be destroyed by their falsities that are from self-intelligence is signified by "they shall draw their swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance," "swords" meaning falsities destroying truths; "they shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas," [signifies their immersion in falsities and destruction and damnation by falsities from hell, ] ³ "pit," in like manner as "well," signifying infernal falsity; "them that are slain" those who perish by falsities, and "the heart of the seas," in like manner as "abyss," the hell where and from which are such falsities.

[17] The "pit:"

Into which they let down Jeremiah the prophet, and out of which Ebed-melech and the men with him drew Jeremiah by means of old cast off and old worn out things (Jeremiah 38:6-13);

signifies the truth of doctrine falsified, the "prophet" signifying the truth of doctrine, and "to let down into the pit" signifying to be falsified; the "old castoff and old worn out things by which he was drawn out" signify the vindication and restitution of the truth of doctrine by means of such goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word as had not been perceived and understood, and therefore had been neglected and rejected; this is the signification of these old things; why otherwise would it be mentioned in the Divine Word that the prophet was drawn out by means of such things? From these few passages it can be seen what "well" and "pit" signify in the Word, namely, the Word and the truth of doctrine, and in the contrary sense the Word falsified and the falsity of doctrine therefrom. In some passages "well" and "pit" have a similar signification as "fountain," respecting the signification of which in both senses see above n. 483.

Poznámky pod čarou:

540. Since it is said that "there went up a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace," and it has so far been shown that "smoke" signifies dense falsity, it is important also to show that a "furnace" signifies the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, and thus that "smoke as the smoke of a great furnace" signifies dense falsities from those loves. It is also from appearances in the spiritual world that a "furnace" signifies such loves; for when the hells in which those loves prevail are looked into, they appear like furnaces glowing with fire; and over them smoke appears, such as goes up from furnaces and is seen in conflagrations. From this it is that "furnaces" signify in the Word either the hells, or a company of men, or the man himself, in whom such loves and cupidities reign, or what is the same, where the evils that flow forth from these prevail.

[2] Such is the signification of "furnaces" [fornaces et camini] and "ovens" [furni et clibani] in the following passages. In Matthew:

The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity; and shall send them into the furnace of fire. In the consummation of the age the angels shall come forth, and shall sever the wicked from the midst of the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:41, 42, 49, 50).

Evidently here "a furnace (caminus seu fornax) of fire," means the hells; "the consummation of the age" is the last time of the church, when judgment takes place. That the evil must then be separated from the good and be cast into hell is signified by "the angels shall gather all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity," and "they shall sever the wicked from the midst of the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire." Hell is called "the furnace of fire," because it appears to be on fire from the loves of self and of the world. That "infernal fire" signifies torment from these loves may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 566-575.

[3] In Malachi:

Behold, the day cometh burning as an oven, in which all that sin presumptiously, and every worker of wickedness shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall set them on fire (Malachi 4:1).

This, too, was said of the last time of the church, and the Last Judgment at that time; both these are signified by "the day that cometh." The "oven" means the hell where those are who confirm themselves in falsities by doctrine, and confirm themselves in evils from earthly and corporeal loves by their life; that such on account of their own loves will perish is meant by "all who sin presumptiously, and every worker of wickedness shall be stubble, and the oven shall set them on fire," "all who sin presumptiously" meaning those who by doctrine confirm themselves in falsities, and "the worker of wickedness" those who by life confirm themselves in evil.

[4] In Hosea:

By their evil they make glad the king, and by their lies the princes. They are all adulterers, like an oven kindled by the baker; the raiser ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented. For they have turned their mind like an oven while they lie in wait; their baker sleepeth all the night, in the morning he burneth as a fire of flame. They are all hot as an oven, and they will devour their judges; all their kings will fall; not one among them calleth unto Me. Ephraim is a cake not turned (Hosea 7:3-8).

In the spiritual sense this describes the sons of Jacob, that from the love of self and of the world they turned every good into evil, and thence every truth into falsity; "the king whom they make glad by wickedness," signifies all falsity from evil, for a "king" signifies truth from good, and in the contrary sense falsity from evil; and the "princes whom they make glad by lies" signify the chief falsities. That from their loves they perverted goods and truths is signified by "they are all adulterers, like an oven kindled by the baker," "to adulterate" signifying to pervert good and thence truth; this is compared to "an oven kindled by the baker," because they bring together falsities favoring their loves as into a mass of dough; and because evils and falsities are not separated from the goods and truths which are from the sense of the letter of the Word, but they cling together, it is said, "the raiser ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented," "fermentation" signifying separation, here that they are not separated, since it is said, "he ceaseth from kneading the dough until it be fermented." The like is signified by "Ephraim is a cake not turned," "Ephraim" meaning the understanding of truth. That consequently there will be nothing but the evils of those loves that falsities favor is signified by, "the baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning he burneth as a fire of flame, they are all hot as an oven." Such are compared to a "baker" and an "oven," because they form doctrine out of falsities as a baker makes loaves and cakes in an oven. That they thus destroy all goods and truths that they have from the Word is signified by, "they will devour their judges, and all their kings will fall," "judges" signifying the goods of truth, and "kings" the truths themselves; that such is the result because they wish to be wise of themselves and not from the Lord, is signified by "not one among them that called unto Me." That these words have some such meaning can be seen merely from common intuition, but that the particulars signify and describe such things, that is, that "kings," "princes," "judges," and "adulterers," also an "oven" and a "baker" mean what has just been said, can be seen only from the internal sense. Moreover, those who bring together truths or falsities so that they cohere appear in the spiritual world as bakers kneading dough, with an oven also near them.

[5] In Lamentations:

Our skins are black like an oven because of the tempests of famine (Lamentations 5:10).

This is a lamentation over the loss of truth and inundation of falsity; "famine" signifies a loss and lack of truth (See above, n. 386); and "a tempest of famine," complete lack, and also an inundation of falsities, for where there are no truths there will be falsities; "tempests" have a similar signification in the Word as inundation. "Our skins are black like an oven" signifies that the natural man is without the light of truth, and thence in the darkness of falsity; here, too, an "oven" signifies the framing of doctrine out of falsities and not out of truths (but see above, n. 386, where this is more fully explained).

[6] In Ezekiel:

The house of Israel has become as dross unto Me; all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midst of a furnace; they have become the dross of silver. Behold, I gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, a gathering of silver and brass and iron and lead and tin will I gather you, into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire upon it to melt it; so will I bring you together in Mine anger and in My wrath, and I will leave you there and melt you. Like a casting of silver in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof (Ezekiel 22:18-22).

This describes the false doctrinals which the Jews and Israelites brought together from the sense of the letter of the Word, which they adapted merely to themselves and to their loves; these are called the "dross of silver," because "silver" signifies the truth of the Word, and "dross" nothing of truth, or what is abstracted from truth, which is rejected. The things of the sense of the letter of the Word are signified by "brass, tin, iron, and lead," because these signify the goods and truths of the natural man; and the things of the Word that are contained in the sense of its letter are for the natural man. And because from this sense they framed their false doctrinals, which were traditions, it is said "they shall be melted together;" and because they were adapted to their loves, which were loves of self and of the world, it is said that "He would gather them into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire upon it to melt it," "fire" signifying those loves. And because their doctrinals are meant, it is said that "He would gather them into the midst of Jerusalem," "Jerusalem" signifying the church in respect to doctrine, thus also the doctrine of the church.

[7] In Moses:

The sun went down and it was dense darkness, and behold an oven of smoke and a torch of fire that passed through between the pieces (Genesis 15:17).

Falsities of evil and evils of falsity, swarming out of the filthy loves of the Jewish and Israelitish nation, are here meant by "an oven of smoke," and "a torch of fire that passed through between the pieces," as can be seen in the article above. For Abraham was eager that his posterity should rule over the whole land of Canaan, and because the Lord foresaw that the church would be instituted in that nation, He made a covenant with Abraham. Nevertheless what they were to be is predicted in this that was seen.

[8] In Nahum:

Draw thee waters for the siege, strengthen thy fortresses; go into the mire, and tread the pitch, repair the brick-kiln [fornax]. There shall the fire devour thee, the sword shall cut thee off (Nahum 3:14, 15).

This describes the destruction of truth by the falsities of evil; the "waters for the siege" mean the falsities by which they endeavor to destroy truths; "to strengthen the fortresses" signifies to fortify falsities by such things as appear like truths; "to go into the mire and tread the pitch" signifies to make them appear to cling together, "pitch" meaning falsity from evil conjoining; "to repair the brick-kiln" signifies to repair the doctrine framed out of falsified truths and fictions, "bricks" signifying the falsities that are fabricated and do not cohere with truths; "fire shall devour thee" signifies that they will be destroyed by the evils of their loves, and "the sword shall cut thee off" signifies that they will be destroyed by falsities.

[9] In Jeremiah:

Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in the brick-kiln which is near the entrance of Pharaoh's house. I will take the king of Babylon, and I will set his throne upon these stones that thou hast hid, ¹ and he shall come and smite the land of Egypt; and I will kindle a fire in the houses [of the gods] of Egypt; and finally he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself in his garment (Jeremiah 43:9-12).

This represented the profanation of truth by reasonings from knowledges [scientifica] falsely applied. "The great stones hidden in the brick-kiln" signify the truths of the Word falsified by fictions that are from self-intelligence, "stones" meaning the truths of the Word, and "brick-kiln" the doctrine framed out of fictions; "the house of Pharaoh" signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges [scientifica] there; "entrance" means sensual knowledge, through which there is entrance into the natural man; it is by this that falsifications are made; "the king of Babylon" signifies the profanation of truth; "He will set his throne upon these stones, and will smite Egypt, and kindle a fire in the houses thereof," signifies that through the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man all the truths of doctrine will be perverted and profaned. That he will subject to himself the natural man in respect to all things therein, which is done by confirmations of falsities from knowledges [scientifica], is signified by "he will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd arrayeth himself in his garment." That thus all things of the natural man will be destroyed by the evils of earthly and corporeal loves is signified by "I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt."

[10] Because "Egypt" signifies the natural man in respect to knowledge there, and a "furnace of iron" has a similar signification, therefore Egypt in the Word is called "a furnace of iron." As in Jeremiah:

In the day that I brought you ² forth out of Egypt, out of the furnace of iron (Jeremiah 11:4).

In Moses:

He hath brought them ³ forth out of the furnace of iron, out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 4:20).

In the first book of Kings:

Which He brought forth ⁴ out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron (1 Kings 8:51).

In David:

I removed the shoulder of Israel from the burden of Egypt; his hands have passed away from the furnace (Psalms 81:6).

The natural man in respect to knowledge [scientifica] is signified by the "furnace of iron," "furnace" meaning the natural man, and "iron" knowledge, here false knowledge, because it is said that "they were brought out;" for the natural man, unless he is led by the spiritual man, is in falsities and evils, because he has no light from heaven, for light from heaven flows in through the spiritual man into the natural, and enlightens, teaches, and leads; it is the direct opposite when the natural man does not think and act under the auspices of the spiritual man; then also he is in bondage, for he thinks and acts from falsities and evils that are from hell; this is what is signified when it is said that "they were brought out of the house of bondage" when they were brought out of Egypt. For all freedom of thinking and acting is from the spiritual man, because the spiritual man thinks and wills out of heaven from the Lord, and to be led of the Lord is freedom. From this it can be seen why Egypt is called "a furnace of iron," and "a house of bondage;" this bondage is signified also by "I removed the shoulder of Israel from the burden of Egypt." (That "iron" signifies knowledge [scientificum] belonging to the natural man, may be seen above, n.176.)

[11] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so does "oven." As in Isaiah:

Saith Jehovah, who has His hearth in Zion, and His oven in Jerusalem (Isaiah 31:9).

"Hearth" signifies the good of love, and "oven" truth from that good, thus the truth of doctrine; "Zion and Jerusalem" have a like signification, "Zion" signifying the church in respect to the good of love, and "Jerusalem" the church in respect to truth of doctrine. "Oven" has a similar meaning in Moses, where it is said:

That the meal-offering must be prepared either in an oven, or in a plate, or in a frying pan (Leviticus 2:4, 5, 7).

(This is explained in the Arcana Coelestia.) "Furnace" has a similar meaning above in Revelation:

The feet of the Son of man were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace (Revelation 1:15).

Of which above, n. 69.

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