866. (Verse 5) And in their mouth was found no guile. That this signifies that they were averse to think of and persuade to falsities, is evident from the signification of the mouth, as denoting thought and speech therefrom; consequently also persuasion; concerning which see above (n. 580, 782, 794); and from the signification of guile, as denoting deliberately to deceive and lead astray, thus from an intention of the will; consequently, from the mind (animus), to think and persuade to falsities, which destroy a man for ever. That such things have no existence with those who are led by the Lord, or follow Him, is signified by no guile being found in their mouth. For the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good; and in both of these are all those who are in the Lord; and these are they who acknowledge His Divine Human and do His precepts. And because to think falsities is to be in opposition to Divine truth, and to desire to persuade to belief in them is contrary to Divine good, therefore they are averse to so doing.

[2] What guile in the Word signifies besides is evident from passages where it is mentioned. As in the following:

In John:

Jesus said of Nathanael as he was coming to him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47).

By an Israelite is signified one who is in the good of charity, and, by virtue of this, is in truths; thus one who is in truths from good. These also are meant by the hundred and forty and four thousand who follow the Lord, in whose mouth is found no guile; by guile therefore in that place the same things are signified.

[3] In Zephaniah:

"The remnant of Israel shall not do perversity, nor speak a lie, neither shall a tongue of guile be found in their mouth" (3:13).

By the remnant of Israel are meant those who are in spiritual faith, because in the good of charity; similarly by the true Israelite. By speaking a lie is signified to teach falsity from ignorance of the truth; but by guile is signified falsity, not from ignorance, but from a deliberate purpose to deceive; as is the case with the impious.

[4] Similarly in the following passages:

"He did no violence, neither was guile in his mouth" (Isaiah 53:9).

This is spoken of the Lord:

"He shall redeem their soul from guile and violence" (Psalm 72:14).

"The rich men are filled with violence, and the inhabitants thereof speak a lie, and as to their tongue, guile is in their mouth" (Micah 6:12).

"They fill their master's house with violence and guile" (Zeph. 1:9).

"Men of bloods and of guile shall not live out half their days" (Psalm 55:23).

"Thou shalt destroy them that speak a lie; the man of bloods and of guile Jehovah will abhor" (Psalm 5:6).

By violence and blood is signified the perversion of truth and the falsification of the Word; and by guile doing these things from a deliberate purpose.

"Jehovah, turn an ear to my prayers, which are apart from lips of guile" (Psalm 17:1).

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile" (Psalm 34:13).

"If my lips should speak iniquity, and my tongue should speak guile" (Job 27:4).

"Jehovah, deliver my soul from lying lips, from the tongue of guile; what shall he give to thee, what shall he add to thee, thou tongue of guile?" (Psalm 120:2, 3).

"Thou openest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth guile" (Psalm 50:19).

"The mouth of the wicked, the mouth of the guileful, have opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue" (Psalm 109:2).

"Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs as a sharp razor, working guile" (Psalm 52:2, 4).

"They mock every one his companion, and they speak not truth; they have taught their tongue to speak a lie; thy dwelling is in the midst of guile, by reason of guile they have refused to know me" (Jeremiah 9:5, 6).

By the lips and tongue with which they speak a lie and guile, is signified thought with the intention to persuade to falsities against truths, and of leading astray; for the lips and the tongue signify the same as the mouth.

"Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile" (Psalm 32:2).

"The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile; he ceaseth from understanding and doing good" (Psalm 36:3).

"To speak iniquity, and talk guile" (Job 13:7).

Here iniquity refers to evil, and guile to falsity therefrom.

"From the man of guile and perversity, deliver me, O Jehovah" (Psalm 43:1).

"He that is clean in hands and pure in heart, who lifteth not up his soul to vanity, and sweareth not with guile" (Psalm 24:4).

"Against the quiet in the land they think words of guile; they opened their mouth exceedingly against me" (Psalm 35:20, 21).

"Wickedness is in the midst thereof; fraud and guile depart not from her street" (Psalm 55:11).

"Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes; for their guile is a lie" (Psalm 119:118).

"This people turneth itself away; Jerusalem continues averse; they retain guile; they refuse to return; I have attended and heard, but they speak not right" (Jeremiah 8:5, 6).

Guile in these passages does not mean guile in the natural sense, which consists in fraudulent contrivances and malicious falsehood against another; but guile in the spiritual sense, by which is meant thought from the intention of the will, or from a deliberate purpose of speaking and persuading to falsities, and thereby destroying the soul.

[5] To the same purpose it is said of the prophets in Jeremiah:

"Is it not in the heart of the prophets that prophesy a lie; and of the prophets of the guile of their own heart?" (23:26).

In the same:

"The prophets prophesy unto you a vision of falsehood and divinations, and a thing of nought, and the guile of their own heart" (14:14).

By prophets, in the spiritual sense, are meant those who teach truths from the Word, and doctrine; and hence in the abstract sense, the Word itself as to doctrine is signified by them. Therefore, in the opposite sense, as in these passages, they signify those who teach falsities, thus those who falsify the truths of the Word; and to do this from a deliberate purpose is meant by the guile of their heart.

[6] That by guile, in the spiritual sense, is meant the falsification of the truths of the Word from a deliberate purpose, also from the lust of leading astray, is evident in Hosea:

"Ephraim hath compassed me about with a lie, and the house of Israel with guile" (Hosea 11:12).

By Ephraim is signified the understanding of the truths of the church, and by the house of Israel the church itself; whence by guile and a lie is signified to persuade to falsities from a deliberate purpose and desire.

[7] In the same:

"They are become as deceitful bows; their princes shall fall by the sword, from the rage of their tongue" (Hosea 7:16).

And in David:

"They are turned aside as deceitful bows" (Psalm 78:57).

They are compared to a deceitful bow, because by a bow is signified doctrine combating, in both senses; that is, the doctrine of falsity fighting against truth, and of truth against falsity. For arrows and darts signify falsities or truths, by which combat is maintained. That such things are signified by bow and by darts, may be seen above (n. 357). From these things it is again evident that by guile is meant, in the spiritual sense, guile, which is in opposition to the truths and goods of the Word and of the church, thus it is the will and lust to destroy them.

[8] That the will and lust to destroy the truths and goods of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, thus of destroying them from a deliberate purpose, is signified by guile, is evident in Jeremiah:

"They speculate as he that setteth snares; they set a trap that they may catch men; as a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of guile" (5:26, 27).

In Moses:

"If a man have a purpose against his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him away from mine altar" (Ex. 21:14).

And because it was so grievous a sin, therefore it is said in Jeremiah:

"Cursed is he who doeth the work of Jehovah with guile (48:10).

The reason why guile was so grievous a crime is, that deliberate purpose is of the will; and whatever is of the will is of the man himself, and is called the evil of his heart. For the will is the man himself; but the thought before consent, which is of the will, is not in man, but external to him; because the things that flow into the thought are as objects which flow from the world into the sight, some of which are pleasing and some not; and those which do please enter the delight of his life, but those which do not please are rejected. This is the case with every thing that flows into man's internal sight, which belongs to the understanding and the thought therefrom. If it is pleasing it enters the will, and adds itself to its life; but if it is not pleasing, it is rejected.

[9] It must be observed that all evil persons have the intention and lust, and therefore the will, to destroy the truths of heaven and the church by falsities. The reason is, that they are conjoined to hell; and the infernals, from the delight of their love, burn with the lust to destroy all things of heaven and the church, and this by the most crafty devices, which they artfully contrive, and carry out in a wonderful way; if I should describe these from experience, they would fill many pages. It was made evident therefore that guile in general signifies all evil of intention to destroy truths by means of falsities.

In addition to this, see what is written concerning guile in the Arcana Coelestia; where it is shown that guile destroys everything pertaining to the spiritual and interior life in man (n. 9013); that guile, fraud, and simulation were regarded by the ancients as monstrous crimes (n. 3573); that the deceitful, when viewed by the angels, appear like serpents and vipers (n. 4533); that they are also meant by serpents and vipers, in the Word (n. 9013); that poison, in the Word, signifies guile (n. 9013).

Concerning the punishments of those who have insidiously deceived others by guile, see in the same work (n. 831, 957, 958, 959, 960, 1273); concerning their hells (n. 830, 831, 947, 4951).