3091. 'And she hastened and lowered her pitcher on to her hand' means the submission of the recipients which was accomplished by power. This is clear from the meaning of 'lowering' as an act of submission, from the meaning of 'a pitcher' as a recipient, dealt with in 3068, 3079, and from the meaning of 'the hand' as power, dealt with in 878. By the description 'the submission of the recipients which was accomplished by power' one means that matters of doctrine, cognitions, and facts, which are recipients, 3068, 3079, place themselves ready to receive, for a chain of subordination exists and so a readiness to receive, and consequently a submission, from the Prime Source of life, which is the Lord. Things in a lower position in it must be submissive because they ought to be of service to what is higher. Without their submission no joining together takes place. The power referred to here is received from truth. Truth is what submits those things that are beneath. It is to truth especially that power is attributed in the Word, and so it is truth to which the hands, the arms, and also the shoulders have reference - by which in the internal sense powers are meant, 878, 1085. Though it seems to be received from truth, power itself is in fact received from good by way of truth.

7188. 'For with a strong hand he will send them away' means that with all their strength and power they will flee from them. This is clear from the meaning of 'a strong hand' as all the strength and power (for the meaning of 'hand' as power, see 878, 3387, 4931, 5327, 5318, 6947, 7011); and from the meaning of 'sending them away' as fleeing from them. The implications of this are that when punishments deter those belonging to hell from carrying out evil they at length refrain from molestation; they wish to leave those they have been molesting and to flee. Yet because the one and only delight of their life consists in carrying out what is evil and molesting they are unable to refrain unless they summon up all their strength and power to remove themselves. For since that which is the delight of any person's life is at the centre of his love it is at the centre of his life, and he is carried away; it is irresistible unless the unpleasantness of punishment weighs more heavily with him than the delight of carrying out evil. This is the reason for the punishments that the evil suffer in the next life.