338. Hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. This symbolically means that they were now caught up in evils and in the falsities accompanying evil.

Hiding themselves in caves and in mountain rocks means, symbolically, to be caught up in evils and in the falsities accompanying evil, because the people who pretended before the world that they were prompted by the goodness of love, and yet were caught up in evil, after death hid themselves in caves. And those who pretended that they were prompted by truths of faith, and yet were caught up in the falsities accompanying evil, hid themselves in mountain rocks.

The entrances appear as holes in the ground and as crevices in the mountains, into which they slip like snakes and there hide themselves.

That such is the nature of their abodes is something I have often seen.

It is in consequence of this that caves in the following places symbolize the evils in such people, and holes and crevices the falsities accompanying evil:

(In that day) they shall go into caves in the rocks, and into crevices in the cliffs..., when (Jehovah) rises to terrify the earth. (Isaiah 2:19)

In that day...(they shall) go into clefts in the rocks and into crevices in the cliffs, because of their terror of Jehovah... (Isaiah 2:20-21)

(They shall) live in crevices in the valleys, (and) in holes in the earth, and in rocks. (Job 30:6)

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in crevices... (Obadiah v. 3)

...in that day... they will come, and... will rest in the desolate river beds and in the crevices of the rocks... (Isaiah 7:18-19)

...the palace will be a wilderness... The stronghold and watchtower shall be upon caves forever... (Isaiah 32:14)

...the pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the holes of the rock... (Jeremiah 49:16)

...they shall hunt them upon every mountain and hill, and out of the holes of the rocks... They are not hidden before Me, nor is their iniquity hidden... (Jeremiah 16:16-17)

(In that day) the nursing child shall play on the viper's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's ¹ cave. (Isaiah 11:8)

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