9193. Shall be accursed. That this signifies a casting out, is evident from the signification of “being accursed,” when said of those who are in the worship of falsities from evil, as being to be cast out, that is, from the church. That to be cast out from the church, and thus the rooting out of such falsities, is signified by “being accursed” is plain in Moses:

If men of Belial shall go out from the midst of thee, and shall urge the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee; smiting thou shalt smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, making it accursed, and everyone that is therein, and also the beast thereof, with the edge of the sword. All the spoil of it thou shalt carry together into the midst of the street, and shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof, to Jehovah thy God; that it may be a heap for eternity; neither shall it be built any more; so that there may not cleave to thine hand anything of the accursed thing (Deuteronomy 13:13-17).

[2] That it is the falsity from evil which is signified by “the accursed thing,” is plain from each detail in the above passage in

the internal sense; for “the cities which were to be accursed” denote doctrines, here false doctrines (see n. 2712, 2943, 3216); “the edge of the sword, with which the men and beasts were to be smitten,” denotes truth fighting and destroying the falsity which is from evil (n. 2799, 4499, 7102, 8294); “the street into the midst of which the spoil was to be carried together” denotes the truth of doctrine, and in the opposite sense, the falsity of doctrine (n. 2336); “the fire with which the spoil was to be burned together with the city,” denotes the evil of the love of self (n. 1297, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324). From this it is evident that this “accursing” denotes a casting out from the church, and a rooting out. Wherefore also it was commanded that the nations in the land of Canaan should be “accursed” (Deuteronomy 7:2, 24-26); for these nations had formerly constituted the church in that land, and therefore they had altars, and likewise offered sacrifices (n. 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6306, 6516, 8054); but when they turned the representative worship, which belonged to the Ancient Church, into idolatrous worship, and thus falsified truths and adulterated goods (n. 8317), it was ordered that not only the men, but also the cities and what was in the cities, should be “accursed.”

[3] The reason was that all things therein represented falsities from evil; the cities themselves, doctrines of falsity; the beasts, evil affections; the gold and silver, their evils and falsities; and all other things in like manner. The main feature of the worship of the Ancient Church was the worship of God under a human form, thus of the Lord. But when they turned aside from good to evil, they began to worship the representatives themselves, such as the sun, the moon, the stars, also groves, statues, and God under various idol forms, thus external things apart from anything internal, as is the case when the internal man has been closed. The internal man is closed by a life of evil; for the Lord flows in by good, and opens the internal man; and consequently it is closed by evil. And when the internal man has been closed, truths are turned into falsities; and where they remain as truths, they merely serve the evils which are of the love of self and the love of the world. The main thing of internal worship is to acknowledge the Lord as the one and only God, and that everything good and true is from Him. Those in the church who do not acknowledge Him cannot be in good, thus neither can they be in truth. Those acknowledge Him who are in faith, and at the same time in the good of life; but not those who are in evil of life (n. 8878). That to acknowledge and worship the Lord is to live according to His commandments, that is, to live a life of faith and charity, see n. 8252-8257. A life of faith consists in doing the commandments from obedience and a life of charity in doing the commandments from love.