909. That the “fowl” signifies the things of his understanding, and the “beast” the things of his will, which are of the internal man, and that “every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” signifies like corresponding things in his external man, is evident from the signification of “fowl” as shown above n. 40, 776), and of “beast” (n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246). That the “creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” signifies corresponding things in the external man, is now evident, for the creeping thing here bears relation both to the “fowl” or things of the understanding, and to the “beast” or things of the will. The most ancient people called sensuous things and the pleasures of the body creeping things that creep, because they are just like creeping things that creep on the earth. They also likened man’s body to the earth or ground, and even called it earth or ground, as in this passage, where nothing else than the external man is signified by the “earth.”