9261. Keep thee far from the word of a lie. That this signifies an aversion for the falsity of evil, is evident from the signification of “a lie,” as being falsity from evil (see n. 8908, 9248). The reason why there is signified falsity from evil is that this falsity must be kept far away, because it derives its essence from evil; and evil and good are opposites; for evil is from hell, and good is from heaven, and there it is from the Lord. But falsity not derived from evil, which is the falsity of ignorance, is not of such a nature (see n. 1679, 2863, 4551, 4552, 4729, 4736, 6359, 7272, 7574, 8149, 8311, 8318, 9258). And from the signification of “keeping far away,” as being to feel aversion for. That “removal far away” denotes aversion, originates from the removals of this kind which appear in the spiritual world, in that they are according to dissimilarities, differences, and aversions, in respect to the things of spiritual life. For those who appear there in one place are in a like state of the affections and of the derivative thoughts; but as soon as they are at variance, they are separated and go far away from one another; and this according to the degree of their variance. This comes to pass because in the spiritual world both spaces and times are states, and therefore distances are differences of states. Nevertheless, before the external sight, states appear there as spaces, and their differences as distances. (That spaces and distances, and also times, are states, see n. 1273-1277, 1376-1382, 2625, 3356, 3387, 3404, 3638-3641, 4321, 4882, 7381, 9104; but that nevertheless there are appearances of spaces and distances, which originate from changes of state in the interiors, n. 5605.) From this it is now evident that in the internal sense “removal far away” denotes aversion.

7574. And hail. That this signifies falsities destroying these goods and truths, is evident from the signification of “hail,” as being falsities from evils destroying the goods and truths of the church (see n. 7553). By “hail” are signified such falsities as destroy the truths and goods of the church, as is also signified by the “pestilence” described above in this chapter; for there are very many genera and species of falsities, as there are of the evils from which they spring. The falsities signified by the “hail” are of the kind that destroy the things of the church, and are possible only with those who have been born in the church, and have lived contrary to the truths and goods of faith therein. That falsities, like evils, are of many genera and species, is evident from the fact that the hells are distinct according to the genera and species of evils and the derivative falsities, and that the hells are countless. From all this it can be seen how the case is with the fact that the miracles or plagues in Egypt signify falsities and evils, as the blood, the frogs, the lice, the noisome flies, the pestilence, the sore of pustules, the hail, and the locust, namely, that by each is signified some kind of falsity and evil.