7505. 'An extremely severe pestilence' means an overall annihilation. This is clear from the meaning of 'a pestilence' as a laying waste of truth, and since it says 'an extremely severe pestilence' the annihilation of truth is meant. The fact that 'a pestilence' means a laying waste of truth is evident from the following places in the Word: In Ezekiel,

... when I shall send My four severe ¹ judgements - sword, and famine, and evil wild animal, and pestilence - onto Jerusalem, to cut off man and beast from it. Ezekiel 14:21.

'Cutting off man and beast' stands for the laying waste of good, interior and exterior. In the same prophet,

The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field will die by the sword, but him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour. Ezekiel 7:15.

'Pestilence' stands for a laying waste of good. In the same prophet,

Therefore because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your abominations, a third part of you will die from pestilence, and be annihilated [by famine] in your midst. Ezekiel 5:11-12.

'Pestilence' stands for an annihilation of good. In Amos,

I have sent the pestilence upon you in the way of Egypt, I have killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. ² Amos 4:10.

'The pestilence in the way of Egypt' stands for a laying waste of good and truth by means of falsities, which are 'the way of Egypt'. 'I have killed young men with the sword, along with captured horses' stands for a laying waste of truth, truths being meant by 'young men' and intellectual concepts by 'horses' as above in 7503. In David,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that creeps in thick darkness, of death that lays waste at noon-day. Psalms 91:5-6.

'The pestilence that creeps in thick darkness' stands for evil that lays waste in concealment; 'death that lays waste at noonday' stands for evil which does so out in the open. 'Pestilence' occurs in other places besides these.

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