10037. And its dung. That this signifies all the other unclean things, is evident from the signification of “dung,” as being what is unclean. That “dung” signifies what is unclean, consequently evil and falsity, for in the spiritual sense these are unclean, is because all that is useless and worn out of the food goes into dung and into ordure, and in the spiritual sense “food” denotes the truth and good of faith and of love (see n. 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5915, 8562, 9003). Hence also it is that dung, ordure, and excrement correspond to evils which are in hell, which also in the Word is called “the draught” (in regard to which correspondence see above, n. 954, 2755, 4948, 5394, 5395, 7161).

[2] Hence then it is that such things in the Word signify things infernal, as can be seen from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

He that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the excrement of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away the bloods of Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:3-4);

by “Zion” and “Jerusalem” is signified the church, by “Zion” the church with those who are in the good of love, and by “Jerusalem” with those who are in truths from this good; “to wash away the excrement of the daughters of Zion” denotes to purify from evils those in the church who are in the good of love, and “to wash away the bloods of Jerusalem” denotes to purify from falsities of evil those in the church who are in truths.

[3] In Jeremiah:

They shall draw out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and shall spread them before the sun and the moon, and all the army of the heavens, which they had loved, and which they had served; they shall not be gathered, nor buried; they shall be for dung upon the faces of the earth (Jeremiah 8:1-2);

by these words is described the state of those who have profaned the goods and truths of the church, which state at that time was also represented by the drawing out of bones from the sepulchers; “the bones of kings and of princes drawn out from sepulchers” signify truths profaned; “the bones of priests and of prophets” signify goods profaned; “to be spread before the sun, the moon, and all the army of the heavens,” signifies removal from all good and truth; “not to be gathered, nor buried,” signifies no resurrection to life; “to be dung on the faces of the earth” signifies to be nothing but infernal. Again:

They shall die by deaths of malignant diseases, so that they shall not be bewailed, neither shall they be buried; they shall be for dung on the faces of the earth (Jeremiah 16:4; 25:33);

by “dung on the faces of the earth” is signified the like as above.

[4] In Lamentations:

They who did eat dainties were devastated in the streets; they that were brought up on crimson have embraced dunghills (Lam. 4:5);

“they who did eat dainties” denote those who have the Word and from it the knowledges of truth; “they that were brought up on crimson” denote those who are in the knowledges of good; “to embrace dunghills” denotes to learn and choose falsities in place of these.

In Malachi:

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay to heart, I will send a curse upon you, and will scatter dung upon your faces, the dung of your feasts (Malachi 2:2-3);

“to scatter dung upon the faces” denotes to defile the interiors of life with the falsities of evil; “the dung of feasts” denotes to defile the holy things of worship.

[5] In Ezekiel:

The prophet was commanded to make a cake of barley with the dung of human excrement, because thus do the sons of Israel eat their unclean bread. But he said, Ah, Lord Jehovih, my soul hath not been polluted; there hath not come into my mouth the flesh of abomination. Then He answered, I give thee the excrement of an ox instead of the dung of man, that thou mayest make thy bread with it; for I will cause them to lack bread and water, and a man and his brother shall be desolated, and shall pine away because of their iniquity (Ezekiel 4:9, 12 4:12-17);

by these things was represented the quality of the good and truth of the church of the Jewish nation; “a cake of barley with the dung of human excrement” signifies the interior good of the church defiled with the evils of the love of self; “a cake with the excrements of an ox” signifies the external good of the church defiled with the evils of this love.

[6] Because these things are signified by the “cake,” it is said that they “should lack bread and water,” and “should be desolated;” “bread and water” denote good and truth; “to lack them,” and “to be desolated,” denote to be deprived of them. Because such things were signified by “dung,” “ordure,” and “excrement,” it is plain what is signified by these words in Moses:

There shall be a space without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad; and thou shalt have a paddle, with which thou shalt cover thine excrement; for Jehovah God walketh in the midst of thy camp; that thy camp may be holy, and He see not in thee the nakedness of anything, and turn back from behind thee (Deuteronomy 23:12-15);

this was commanded because what is unclean was represented by the ordure; for by the camp where the sons of Israel were, was represented heaven and the church, where the Lord is present through faith and love; and therefore by the “space without the camp” was represented where heaven and the church are not, thus where the Lord is not present through faith and love. Therefore it is said that “the camp should be holy, lest Jehovah walking in the midst of the camp should see the nakedness of anything and should turn back.” “Nakedness” denotes what is unclean by reason of evils and falsities. (That “the camp” there signified heaven and the church, where the Lord is, will be seen in what now follows.)

7317. And they shall be turned into blood. That this signifies that they shall falsify truths, is evident from the signification of “blood,” as being truth falsified (see n. 4735, 6978); for “blood” in the genuine sense denotes the truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the holy of faith; this is signified by “blood” in the Holy Supper; but in the opposite sense “blood” denotes violence done to Divine truth, and as this violence is done by means of falsifications, “blood” denotes the falsification of truth. From what is here said, and from what follows, it can be seen who are specifically represented by Pharaoh, that is, who are specifically meant by those who infest, namely, those within the church who have made a profession of faith, and have also persuaded themselves that faith saves, and yet have lived contrary to the precepts of faith; in a word, those who have been in persuasive faith and in a life of evil.

[2] When these come into the other life they bring with them the principles that they are to be introduced into heaven because they have been born within the church, have been baptized, have had the Word and doctrine therefrom which they have professed, and especially because they have professed the Lord, and because He suffered for their sins, and thus saved those within the church who have from doctrine professed Him. When these persons come fresh from the world into the other life they do not desire to know anything about the life of faith and of charity, but make it of no account, saying that because they have had faith, all evils of life have been wiped off and washed away by the blood of the Lamb. When they are told that these things are contrary to the Lord’s words in Matthew, where He says, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied through Thy name, and through Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name have done many mighty deeds? But then will I confess, I know you not; depart from Me ye workers of iniquity; everyone that heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken to a prudent man, and everyone that heareth My words, and doeth them not, I will liken unto a foolish man” (Matthew 7:22-26); and in Luke, “Then shall ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but He answering shall say to them, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets; but He shall say, I say unto you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me all ye workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:25-27), they reply that by these are meant no others than such as have been in miraculous faith, but not in the faith of the church.

[3] Yet the same after some time begin to know that no others are let into heaven than they who have lived the life of faith, thus who have had charity toward the neighbor; and when they begin to know this, then they begin to despise the teachings of their faith, and also their faith itself; for their faith was not faith, but only the knowledge of such things as are of faith; and was not for the sake of life, but for the sake of gain and honors. Consequently what they have had of the knowledge of faith they then despise, and also reject; and presently they cast themselves into falsities that are contrary to the truths of faith. Into this state the life of those is turned who have confessed faith, and have lived a life contrary to faith. These are they who in the other life infest the upright by means of falsities, thus who are specifically meant by “Pharaoh.”