10438. Into evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains. That this signifies that those who are in good will perish, is evident from the signification of “bringing forth to slay,” as being to destroy; but when said of Jehovah, who never destroys anyone, it denotes to perish by their own evil; and from the signification of “mountains,” as being heaven, and from this the good of love. That by “mountains” is signified heaven, is from the representatives in the other life; for there, as upon earth, appear mountains, hills, rocks, valleys, and many other things; and upon the mountains are those who are in celestial love, upon the hills those who are in spiritual love, upon the rocks those who are in faith, and in the valleys those who have not as yet been carried up to the good of love and of faith.

[2] From this it is that by “mountains” are signified those who are in the good of celestial love, thus who are in the inmost heaven, and in the abstract sense the goods of celestial love, thus the heaven which is in this love; that by “hills” are signified those who are in the good of spiritual love, thus who are in the middle heaven, and in the abstract sense the good of this love and the heaven which is in it; that by “rocks” are signified those who are in the good of faith and from this are in the ultimate heaven, and in the abstract sense this good and this heaven; and that by “valleys” are signified those who have not yet been carried up to these goods, thus to heaven. As such things appear in the other life, consequently such things are signified by them, therefore similar things are signified by them in the Word, and similar things are signified by the mountains, hills, rocks, and valleys in the land of Canaan, by which land was therefore represented heaven in its complex.

[3] That “mountains” signify the heaven where is the good of celestial love, is manifest from many passages in the Word, as from the following, in Isaiah:

In the futurity of days the mountain of Jehovah shall be at the head of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1).

The mountains shall bring peace, and the hills in righteousness (Psalms 72:3).

Praise Jehovah ye mountains, and all hills (Psalms 148:9).

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of mountains; God did desire to dwell in it; Jehovah also shall dwell forever (Psalms 68:15-16).

Concerning the chief things of the mountains of the east, and concerning the precious things of the hills of an age; let them come on the head of Joseph (Deuteronomy 33:15-16);

besides in other places (see n. 795, 6435, 8327, 8658, 8758, 9422, 9434).

It is for this reason that the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, and it is for this reason that the city of David was built upon a mountain, and that this mountain, which was called “Mount Zion,” signifies the inmost heaven; and for this reason also it is that the ancients performed the holy rites of worship upon mountains and hills (see n. 2722).