9052. Tooth for tooth. That this signifies if anything in the exterior intellectual, is evident from the signification of “a tooth,” as being the exterior intellectual, and therefore natural truth, for this makes the life of this understanding. That “the teeth” have this signification is because they grind like a mill, and thus prepare, the food which is to nourish the body; here the food which is to nourish the soul. The food which nourishes the soul is intelligence and wisdom. This is first received, ground, and prepared by means of the knowledges of truth and good in the natural. (That it is intelligence and wisdom which is called “spiritual and celestial food,” see n. 56-58, 680, 1480, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003.) From this it is plain whence it is that “the teeth” signify the exterior understanding. What the exterior understanding is can be seen from what was shown just above (n. 9051) concerning the interior understanding.

[2] That “the teeth” signify natural truth, which belongs to the exterior understanding, and in the opposite sense the falsity which destroys this truth, is evident from the following passages in the Word. That they signify natural truth, in Moses:

His eyes shall be redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Genesis 49:12).

Here also both “eyes” and “teeth” are mentioned together. The subject treated of is Judah, by whom is meant the Lord as to the Divine celestial (n. 6363); “the eyes” signify the Divine intellectual of the the Lord, (n. 6379); and “the teeth,” His Divine natural (n. 6380), thus also the Divine truth in the natural.

[3] In Amos:

I have given you emptiness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places (Amos. 4:6).

“Emptiness of teeth” denotes scarcity of truth; and “lack of bread,” scarcity of good. From all this it is evident what is meant by the “gnashing of teeth” among those who are in hell (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 13:28), namely, the collision of falsities with the truths of faith. For as before said, “the teeth,” in the opposite sense, signify the falsity which destroys truth; as in David:

Arise, O Jehovah; save me, O my God; for Thou wilt smite all mine enemies on the jaw; Thou wilt break the teeth of the wicked (Psalms 3:7).

“To break the teeth of the wicked” denotes to break the falsities by which they destroy truths. In the same:

As to my soul I lie in the midst of lions, their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Psalms 57:4).

“The teeth of lions” denote the falsities that destroy truths; “lions,” falsities from evil in their power (n. 6367, 6369).

[4] In the same:

Destroy their teeth, O God, in their mouth; turn aside the grinders of the young lions (Psalms 58:6).

In Joel:

A nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the grinders of a great lion. He hath reduced My vine to a waste; and My fig-tree into froth (Joel 1:6-7).

“Teeth” and “grinders” denote the falsities that destroy the truths of the church; a “vine” denotes the spiritual church (n. 1069, 5113, 6376); and a “fig-tree” its natural good (n. 217, 4231, 5113). That “teeth” have this signification is plain also from the fact that they are attributed to a nation which will lay waste.

In John:

The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions (John 9:7-8).

“Locusts” denote those who are in external falsities (n. 7643), from which it is also evident that “teeth” denote falsities that destroy truths.

1480. And the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. That this signifies that the memory-knowledge of knowledges is of such a nature as to be highly pleasing to itself, is evident from what was before said, at verse 11, that such is the nature of memory-knowledge during childhood; for this is as it were innate in memory-knowledge, because it is innate in man, that at the very first it pleases for no other end than for the sake of knowing. Such is every man; his spirit is greatly delighted to know, so that there is scarcely anything it desires more; this is its food, by which it is sustained and refreshed, as the external man is by earthly food. This sustenance, which is that of his spirit, is communicated to the external man, to the end that this may be adapted to the internal man. But the various foods succeed one another in the following order: celestial food is all the good of love and charity from the Lord; spiritual food is all the truth of faith: on these foods the angels live; and from them comes forth the food, likewise celestial and spiritual, but of a lower angelic degree, on which angelic spirits live; from this again there comes a still lower celestial and spiritual food, which is that of reason and thence of memory-knowledge, on which good spirits live; and lastly comes corporeal food, which is proper to man while he lives in the body. These foods correspond to one another in a wonderful manner. From this it is also evident why and how memory-knowledge is very pleasing to itself; for the case therewith is the same as it is with appetite and taste; and therefore eating, with man, corresponds to memory-knowledges in the world of spirits; and appetite and taste themselves correspond to the desire for these knowledges; as is evident from experience, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter.