8162. 'And they were in great fear' means a feeling of horror. This is clear from the meaning of 'being in fear', when used in reference to temptation, as horror or a feeling of horror. 'Fear' means a feeling of horror because when temptation presses on a person his conscience is stricken by falsities and evils, and so is his internal man since conscience belongs to the internal man. This gives rise to horror, which is repulsion combined with a fear of spiritual death. With those who have conscience horror arises from the mere influx of falsity and evil, for conscience consists of the truth and good of faith, and so of those things which constitute spiritual life. Falsities and evils are destructive of that life, and so are constantly attempting to inflict death, that is, damnation, which gives rise to a feeling of horror.

8132. 'And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel' means the thought of those lost in damnation regarding the state of those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' as thought, dealt with in 7094, 7107, 7244, 7937; from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as those who molest by means of falsities, dealt with in 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7220, 7228, 7317, at this point those who are lost in damnation, that is, who are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil since those thoroughly steeped in such falsities are lost in damnation (this state is meant by 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians', after the firstborn there have been killed, for by the killing of the firstborn is meant damnation, 7766, 7778); and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with just above in 8128.