2543. The men feared greatly. That this signifies even until they should become averse, is evident from the signification here of “fearing;” and from the signification of the “men.” “Fearing,” or “fear,” like all other emotions, though in appearance simple, involves in itself many things, namely, in worldly matters the loss of life, of reputation, of honor, and of gain; and in heavenly matters the loss of what is good and true, and of the life thence derived. As fear involves these things it also involves aversion to whatever endeavors to destroy them; and this the more in proportion as the man is in the affection of what is good and true. To this very affection aversion is the opposite or contrary, and therefore by “fearing” is here signified to become averse. How great was the Lord’s aversion is evident from the zeal with which the things in the next verse are said; which zeal was for doctrine, that it might be free from contamination by anything rational or by anything of memory-knowledge. (That “men” signify rational things and memory-knowledges, or all intellectual things whatever, has been shown above, n. 158, 265, 749, 915, 1007)

1007. From the hand of man [homo]. That this is from all of his will, and that “from the hand of the “brother man” [viri fratris], is from all of his intellectual, is evident from the signification of “man”—for the essential and life of man is his will, and such as the will is, such is the man-and from the signification of a “brother man.” The intellectual in man is called “brother man” as shown before (n. 367). Whether it be a true intellectual, a spurious intellectual, or a false intellectual, it is still called a “brother man”; for the understanding is called “man” [vir] (n. 158, 265), and the “brother” of the will (n. 367). “Man [homo]” and “man [vir] brother” are here mentioned, and the unclean will and unclean intellectual are so called, because profanation is here treated of, no mention or representation of which is tolerated in heaven, but is at once rejected. For this reason such mild terms are here used, and the meaning of the words of this verse is in a manner ambiguous, that it may not be known in heaven that such things are contained in it.