9335. And the wild beast of the field be multiplied upon thee. That this signifies a flowing in of falsities from the delights of the loves of self and of the world, is evident from the signification of “being multiplied,” when said of the hasty removal of evils and falsities, as being a flowing in; and from the signification of “the wild beast of the field,” as being falsities from the delights of the loves of self and of the world. By “beasts” of various kinds mentioned in the Word are signified good and evil affections (see n. 9280); consequently by “wild beasts” are signified the affections of falsity that arise from the delights of the loves of self and of the world. Moreover, these affections are represented in the other life by wild beasts, as by panthers, tigers, wild boars, wolves, and bears. They are also like wild beasts, for those who are in these loves are in evils of every kind and in the derivative falsities, and like wild beasts do they look at and act toward their associates. (That all evils and falsities spring from these loves, see n. 2041, 2045, 2057, 2363, 2364, 2444, 4750, 4776, 6667, 7178, 7255, 7364, 7366-7377, 7488, 7490-7494, 7643, 8318, 8487, 8678)

[2] That through the hasty removal of evils and falsities, the falsities from these loves would flow in, is because goods and truths must remove the evils and falsities by being successively implanted; for falsities can only be removed by truths; and evils can only be removed by goods. If this is not done successively and according to order, the falsities which favor these loves will flow in; for before he has been regenerated these loves reign in every man, and when falsities flow in, truths are no longer acknowledged. Moreover, the man who is being regenerated is kept in the affection of truth, and while he is in this affection he seeks on all sides for truths among the memory-knowledges in the natural; and the fallacies of the external senses then present themselves there—for they are very abundant there—and when the delights of the loves of self and of the world breathe on the man, he infers from these fallacies nothing but falsities, which follow on, and fill the mind, if the falsities of evil are suddenly removed. These are the things which are meant in the internal sense by “I will not drive him out from before thee in one year, lest the land be desolate, and the wild beast of the field multiply upon thee; by little and little I will drive him out from before thee, until thou be fruitful and inherit the land.”

[3] That “a wild beast” denotes falsity and evil springing from the loves of self and of the world, is plain from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned; as in Isaiah:

A path shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass through it, nor shall any ravenous wild beast go up thereon (Isaiah 35:8-9).

I will send upon thee famine, and an evil wild beast, and they shall bereave thee (Ezekiel 5:17).

When I cause the evil wild beast to pass through the land, and it bereave it, and it become a desolation, so that no one passeth through because of the beast (Ezekiel 14:15).

Thou shalt fall upon the faces of the field; I will give thee for food to the wild beast of the earth, and to the bird of the heaven (Ezekiel 29:5).

Then I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will make the evil wild beast to cease out of the land; that they may dwell securely in the wilderness. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, and the wild beast of the field shall no longer devour them (Ezekiel 34:25, 28).

[4] I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree, and I will make them into a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall devour them (Hos. 2:12).

The land shall mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall waste away, because of the wild beast of the field, and because of the bird of the heavens (Hos. 4:3).

The boar out of the wood doth trample it, and the wild beast of the fields doth consume it. Turn again, O God Zebaoth, and visit Thy vine (Psalms 80:13-14).

Thou makest darkness that it may be night; wherein every wild beast of the forest doth come forth (Psalms 104:20).

If ye shall walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them, I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land. But if ye shall reject My statutes, I will send against you the wild beast of the field, which shall lay you waste (Leviticus 26:3, 6, 15, 22).

Jehovah thy God will drive out those nations before thee by little and little, lest perchance the wild beast of the field multiply against thee (Deuteronomy 7:22).

In these passages “the wild beast of the field,” “the wild beast of the earth,” and “the wild beast of the forest” denote the falsities and evils which are of the loves of self and of the world.

[5] As by “a wild beast” is signified falsity, and falsity is from a double origin, namely, from what is evil, and from what is upright (n. 9258), therefore by “wild beasts” in the Word are also signified the upright Gentiles, who although in falsity, are yet in uprightness of life. In this sense the term “wild animal” ¹ is used in David:

Every wild animal of the forest is Mine, and the beasts upon a thousand mountains. I know every bird of the mountains; and the wild animal of My fields is with Me (Psalms 50:10-11).

Praise ye Jehovah, ye wild animal, and every beast (Psalms 148:7, 10).

Every wild animal of My fields, come ye to devour, every wild animal in the forest (Isaiah 56:9).

All the birds of the heavens made their nests in the branches of the cedar, which is Asshur, and under his branches every wild animal of the field brought forth, and in his shadow dwelt all great nations (Ezekiel 31:6).

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9258. And wouldest forbear to remove it for him. That this signifies no reception of truth, is evident from the signification of “to forbear from removing,” as being not to instruct and amend, here not to be capable of receiving instruction, thus not to receive truth, because it is said of the falsity which does not agree with the good of the church, and this falsity is of this nature. That in the spiritual sense “to remove” denotes this, is evident from the fact that words apply themselves to the subject; thus in the sense of the letter “to remove” applies to the burden under which the ass is lying; and in the internal sense to the falsity which does not agree with the good of the church; and therefore in this sense there is signified no removal from falsity by means of amendment, thus also no reception of truth whereby there may be amendment or removal. There are falsities which agree with the good of the church, and there are falsities which do not agree with it. The falsities which agree are those in which good lies hidden, and which, therefore, by means of good, can be bent toward truths. But the falsities which do not agree with the good of the church are those in which evil lies hidden, and which therefore cannot be bent toward truths.

[2] The good which lies hidden within genuine truths, or within truths not genuine, which just above were called falsities, and the evil which lies hidden in falsities, and also in truths, are like the prolific germ in the seed of fruit. When the fruit is being formed, all its fibers look toward the prolific germ of the seed, and by means of the permeating sap they nourish it and form it; but when it has been formed, the fibers retire, and convey the sap away from the seed, thus causing the pulp of the fruit to shrivel and decay, and afterward serve the prolific germ as soil. The case is the same with the seed itself, when its prolific germ begins to put itself forth anew in the earth. The prolific germ in plants corresponds to the good in man. The seed itself corresponds to internal things, and the pulp of the fruit encompassing the seed corresponds to external things. When the internal of man is being formed anew, or is being regenerated, the memory-knowledges and truths of the external man are like the fibers of fruit, through which the sap is carried over to the internal; and afterward, when the man has been regenerated, the memory-knowledges and truths of the external man are also separated, and serve as soil. The case is the same with the internal of man, to which the seed corresponds. In this case the good which has been formed in this manner produces a new man, just as the prolific germ in the seed produces a new tree, or a new plant. Thus all things are made new, and afterward multiply and bear fruit to eternity; consequently the new man becomes like a garden and a paradise, to which he is also compared in the Word.

[3] This is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and make their nests in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32).

From all this it can be seen how the case is with truths, both genuine and not genuine, that have good within them, namely, that after good has been formed, it produces such truths as agree with the good; and even if these are not genuine truths, they are nevertheless accepted as genuine, because they savor of good, for from this they derive their essence and life. For good prolificates and brings itself forth by means of truths, and in this bringing of itself forth it is in the continual endeavor to produce a new good, in which there shall be a like prolific germ; just as the prolific germ of a seed acts in the case of a plant or tree, when it pushes itself forth from the earth for the sake of new fruits, and new seeds. But the varieties are endless, and are according to the goods that are formed by a life of charity in accordance with the precepts of faith.

[4] From the opposite it can be seen how the case is with falsities in which is evil, namely, that they are like trees which bear evil fruits, and which are to be rooted up and cast into the fire, according to the Lord’s words in Matthew:

Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:17-20; 12:33).

Jesus said, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither; and they gather him, and cast him into the fire, and he is burned (John 15:4-6).

From this it is evident that all good which shall bear any fruit is from the Lord, and that unless it is from Him it is not good.