Arcana Coelestia # 7295
7295. 'And Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it was made into a water-serpent' means that sheer illusions and resulting falsities reigned among them. This is clear from the meaning of 'throwing down the rod' as demonstrating power, dealt with just above in 7292; from the representation of 'Pharaoh and his servants' as those who molest by means of falsities; and from the meaning of 'a water-serpent' as illusions and resulting falsities, dealt with just above in 7293.
[2] This wonder means the first warning given to those who molest to leave off. The situation with the evil who molest the upright in the next life is this: When they first enter that life from the world they have good spirits and angels attached to them, as they did when they were people living in the body; for even wicked people also have angels present with them, the reason being that they are then able to turn, if they will, towards heaven, receive what flows in from there, and be reformed. Consequently, since their life in its entirety follows them into the next life, they live initially in association with angels. But as they are by nature such, because of the life they led in the world, that they cannot receive the inflow of truth and goodness from heaven, the angels and good spirits then gradually depart from them. And as these depart, those people become less and less rational. For the ability to be rational comes from the Lord by way of heaven.
[3] The first stage in the removal and deprivation of the inflow of truth and goodness is what is described here by Aaron's rod being turned into a serpent, meaning that sheer illusions would reign, and falsities resulting from them. The second stage is described by the waters of Egypt being turned into blood, meaning that actual truths were falsified. The third stage is that of the frogs which crawled out of the waters, meaning reasonings based on utter falsities, and so on. By such stages too the evil in the next life are deprived of their understanding of what is true and good.
Genesis 10
1
Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4
The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
5
Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
6
The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7
The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
8
Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9
He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh."
10
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11
Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
12
and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).
13
Mizraim became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
14
Pathrusim, Casluhim (which the Philistines descended from), and Caphtorim.
15
Canaan became the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth,
16
the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,
17
the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,
18
the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.
19
The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, to Gaza; as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha.
20
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.
21
To Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.
22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
23
The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24
Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.
25
To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.
26
Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
29
Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
30
Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
31
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.
32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
