454. Out of every nation and all tribes, signifies all who are in good in respect to life according to the doctrinals of their religion. This is evident from the signification of "nation," as being those who are in the good (on which see above, n. 175, 331), here those who are in the good of life; also from the signification of "tribes," as being the goods and truths of the church in the whole complex (on which see also above, n. 431. But here, as those who are in the good of life according to their religion are treated of, "tribes" signify the doctrinals of religion that such believe to be truths and goods, and this is what is meant by "tribes" in the Word when such are treated of; while "the tribes of Israel," which were treated of above mean all who are in the genuine truths and goods of the church, and in an abstract sense those truths and goods. So here, "out of every nation and all tribes" signifies all who are in good in respect to life according to the doctrinals of their religion.

1868. That these things are meant by these nations would take too long to confirm from the Word; nor is there any need to do so here as no more than their names are mentioned. Some of them have been dealt with already, for example that 'the Rephaim' means false persuasions, 567, 581, 1673; 'the Amorites' evils, 1680; 'the Canaanites' evils, above at verse 16; 'the Perizzites' falsities, 1574. What the rest of the nations mean individually will in the Lord's Divine mercy be explained as they occur later on.

[2] As regards the nations that were to be cast out of the Lord's kingdom, in the next life evil and devilish spirits like nothing more than to surface in the world of spirits and to infest good spirits. But as often as they do so they are cast out, in much the same way as the falsities and evils that have taken possession of one who is being regenerated are overpowered and dispersed, and in their place truths and goods are implanted that belong to the Lord's kingdom.

[3] These falsities and evils were represented by the nations that were driven out of the land of Canaan by the descendants of Jacob. They were represented as well by the Jews themselves who at a later period were driven out from there. The same occurred with many other nations of old by whom similar things had been represented, such as the Horites who were driven from Mount Seir by the descendants of Esau, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:12, 22; then the Avim who were driven out by the Kaphtorim, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:23; also the Emim or Rephaim who were driven out by the Moabites, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:9-11; as well as the Zamzummim who were driven out by the Ammonites, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:19-21; besides many others referred to in the Prophets.