6650. Verses 8-14. And there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and numerous more than we. Come, let us use prudence with it; ¹ peradventure it will be multiplied, and it will be that wars will happen, and it will also join itself to our enemies, and fight against us, and go up out of the land. And they set over it princes of tributes, in order to afflict it with burdens. And it built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses. And as they afflicted it, so it was multiplied, and so it was increased. And they were moved with loathing because of the sons of Israel. And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel to serve with cruelty; and they rendered their life bitter with grievous service, in clay, and in bricks, and in all service in the field, with all their service wherein they made them serve with cruelty. “And there arose a new king over Egypt,” signifies separated memory-knowledges which are opposed to the truths of the church; “who knew not Joseph,” signifies which were completely alienated from the internal; “and he said unto his people,” signifies subordinate memory-knowledges; “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and numerous more than we,” signifies that the truths of the church prevail over alienated memory-knowledges; “come, let us use prudence with it,” signifies cunning; “peradventure it will be multiplied, and it will be that wars will happen,” signifies prevalence if it grows; “and it will also join itself to our enemies and fight against us,” signifies that thus their companions who would occasion evil would be strengthened; “and go up out of the land,” signifies that thus the church will be set up anew; “and they set over it princes of tributes,” signifies falsities that would compel to serve; “to afflict it with burdens,” signifies a growing worse through servitudes; “and it built cities of storehouses for Pharaoh,” signifies doctrines from falsified truths in the natural where alienated memory-knowledges are; “Pithom and Raamses,” signifies their quality; “and as they afflicted it, so it was multiplied,” signifies that truths grew according to the infestations; “and so it increased,” signifies that they were strengthened; “and they were moved with loathing because of the sons of Israel,” signifies greater aversion; “and the Egyptians made the sons of Israel to serve,” signifies an intention to subjugate; “with cruelty,” signifies unmercifulness; “and they rendered their life bitter with grievous service,” signifies until the intention to subjugate became troublesome; “in clay, and in bricks,” signifies by reason of the evils which they contrived, and the falsities which they devised; “and in all service in the field,” signifies the intention to subjugate directed against the things of the church; “with all their service wherein they made them serve with cruelty,” signifies the intention to subjugate in many ways by reason of unmercifulness.

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82. Verse 1. And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the army of them. By these words is meant that man is now rendered so far spiritual as to have become the “sixth day;” “heaven” is his internal man, and “earth” his external; “the army of them” are love, faith, and the knowledges thereof, which were previously signified by the great luminaries and the stars. That the internal man is called “heaven” and the external “earth” is evident from the passages of the Word already cited in the preceding chapter, to which may be added the following from Isaiah:

I will make a man more rare than solid gold, even a man than the precious gold of Ophir; therefore I will smite the heavens with terror, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place (Isaiah 13:12-13).

Thou forgettest Jehovah thy Maker, that stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundations of the earth; but I will put My words in thy mouth, and I will hide thee in the shadow of My hand, that I may stretch out the heaven, and lay the foundation of the earth (Isaiah 51:13, 16).

From these words it is evident that both “heaven” and “earth” are predicated of man; for although they refer primarily to the Most Ancient Church, yet the interiors of the Word are of such a nature that whatever is said of the church may also be said of every individual member of it, who, unless he were a church, could not possibly be a part of the church, just as he who is not a temple of the Lord cannot be what is signified by the temple, namely, the church and heaven. It is for this reason that the Most Ancient Church is called “man” in the singular number.