6952. 'Put out your hand and take hold of the tail' means the power of raising something from the last part of the sensory level. This is clear from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with above in 6947; and from the meaning of 'the serpent's tail' as the lowest part of the sensory level - 'a serpent' is the sensory level, see above in 6949, so that 'its tail' is the last or lowest part of it. Raising something is meant by 'putting out and taking hold', for a person who puts out his hand and takes hold of some creature crawling on the ground raises it up. Since 'a serpent' means the separated sensory level and the resulting reasoning based on the illusions of the senses regarding the truths of faith, 'the serpent's tail' means falsity itself, for this falsity constitutes the last and lowest part. A person ruled by falsity, thus by what is last and lowest, looks altogether downwards and outwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction, not upwards and inwards, that is, to heaven and the Lord.

[2] The fact that these kinds of things are meant by 'the serpent's tail' is clear in John,

The locusts had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails, and their power, in order that they might do people harm. Revelation 9:10.

'Tails like scorpions' and 'stings in the tails' are artful reasonings based on falsities by means of which they can convince and thereby damage people; and this is why it says that the power they have is 'to do people harm'.

[3] In the same author,

The horses' tails were like serpents, having heads; and by means of them they do harm. Revelation 9:19.

Here likewise 'tails like serpents' stands for reasonings based on falsities by means of which they cause harm, especially as it is said that such tails were those of horses and had heads. For 'horses' and also 'head' mean the area of understanding in the mind, and therefore 'tails' here means the more artful kinds of reasonings against truths that are based on illusions and consequent falsities. These reasonings are the lowest, for the more artful the reasonings against truths are, the lower they are.

[4] In the same author,

The dragon's tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth. Revelation 12:4.

'The dragon's tail' stands in a similar way for reasonings based on falsities. 'The stars of heaven' stands for cognitions of goodness and truth, 'casting them down to the earth' for destroying them. The dragon is the serpent which uses reasonings based on falsities to lead people astray and which led astray in paradise 'the mother of living ones', who was Eve, because of the tree of knowledge, that is, by means of factual knowledge based on sensory evidence, thus on illusions. This is also made plain in John,

The great dragon was cast out, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and satan, who leads the whole world astray. Revelation 12:9.

[5] The fact that 'the tail' in general is the separated sensory level of the mind which does not look upwards but downwards, thus not in a heavenly but an earthly direction, and that consequently it means falsity is clear in Isaiah,

Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, the branch and the bulrush. The old and the honourable [in face] is the head, but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, is the tail. Isaiah 9:14-15.

Here 'tail' plainly stands for falsity, which the Word calls 'a lie'. In the same prophet,

There will not be for Egypt [any] work which the head and tail, branch and bulrush, may do. Isaiah 19:15.

'Bulrush' stands for that which is lowest. In Moses,

So Jehovah will give you to be the head, and not to be the tail, in order that you may be tending only upwards, but not be tending downwards, when you obey the commandments of your God. Deuteronomy 18:13.

[6] 'The tail' stands for the lowest part which looks downwards or outwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction and not towards heaven and the Lord. For the interior parts of the human mind together with sensory levels are raised upwards by the Lord when a person is governed by the good of faith and charity. But if he is governed by evil and falsity, then the interior parts together with the sensory levels look downwards and so solely to things in the world. As a consequence he sheds his human nature and assumes a beast-like nature, for wild beasts look downwards or solely to things on earth. The person who looks downwards wills what is evil and thinks what is false, but one whom the Lord raises upwards wills what is good and thinks what is true. A raising by the Lord does in actual fact take place and therefore a removal from evils and falsities. Angels have the actual feeling of being raised up; it is like the force drawing things towards the centre of attraction, the centre being where the Lord is within His Sun. Angels have their heads raised in this direction, but those in hell their feet, so that the angels look upwards but those in hell downwards, 3641, 3643. In the same book,

The foreigner who is in the midst of you will rise above you, upwards more and more, but you will go down, downwards more and more; he will be the head, but you will be the tail. Deuteronomy 28:43, 44.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

Say to him, Beware, and be quiet; do not fear, and do not let your heart become soft on account of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, on account of the blazing anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Isaiah 7:4.

'Rezin king of Syria' stands for cognitions or knowledge of what is evil, 'Syria' meaning cognitions of what is good, see 1232, 1234, 3680, and so in the contrary sense cognitions of what is evil; and 'the son of Remaliah king of Samaria' stands for knowledge or cognitions of what is false. The latter and the former kinds of cognitions are 'tails' because they constitute what is lowest. 'Smoking firebrands' stands for blazing anger.

4876. 'And your rod which is in your hand' means through the power of this, that is, of this truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'a rod' as power, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the hand' too as power, dealt with in 876, 3091, 3387, 3563. The phrase 'which is in your hand' is used because the power of that truth, namely lowest truth, is meant, like that present with the semblance of religion among the Jewish nation, meant here by 'Judah'. Regarding the attribution of power to truth, see 3091, 3563. Frequent mention is made in the Word of 'a rod', yet surprisingly few at the present day know that something in the spiritual world was represented by it, as for instance when Moses was commanded, every time a miracle was performed, to lift up his rod and so it was accomplished. The existence of such knowledge even among gentiles may be recognized from their myths in which rods are assigned to magicians. The reason 'a rod' means power is that it is a support, for it gives support to the hand and arm, and through these to the whole body. This being so, a rod takes on the meaning of the part to which it immediately gives support, namely that of the hand and the arm, both of which mean in the Word the power of truth. Also, the hand and arm correspond to that power in the Grand Man, as will be seen at the ends of chapters.

[2] That 'a rod' represented power is evident, as has been stated, from what is recorded about Moses,

He was commanded to take a rod and use it to perform miracles; so he took the rod of God in his hand. Exodus 4:17, 20.

When the waters in Egypt were struck with the rod, they turned to blood.

Exodus 7:15, 19.

When the rod was stretched out over the streams, frogs came forth. Exodus 8:5-15.

When the dust was struck by the use of the rod, it turned into lice. Exodus 8:16-20.

When the rod was stretched out towards heaven, hail fell. Exodus 9:23.

When the rod was stretched out over the earth, locusts came forth. Exodus 10:3-21.

Since 'the hand', which means power, comes first, while 'a rod' is merely its instrument, the following references to 'the hand' also occur:

The miracles happened when Moses' hand was stretched out. Exodus 10:12-13. When he stretched out his hand towards heaven, thick darkness came over the land of Egypt. Exodus 10:21-22. When he stretched out his hand over the Sea Suph, an east wind made the sea dry land; and when again he stretched out his hand, the waters returned. Exodus 14:21, 26-27.

[3] Reference is in addition made to the rod being used to strike the rock at Horeb, after which water flowed out, Exodus 17:5-6; Numbers 20:7-10. Also, when Joshua was about to fight against Amalek,

Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, with God's rod in my hand. And it happened, that when Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:9-11.

From these references it is quite plain that 'a rod', like the hand, represented power, and in the highest sense the Lord's Divine almighty power. It is also evident that at that time representatives constituted the external features of the Church, and that its internal features - which were spiritual and celestial realities such as exist in heaven - corresponded to those external ones, which owed their efficacy to that correspondence. From this it is also evident how crazy those people are who believe that power had been infused into and therefore dwelt in Moses' rod or hand.

[4] The meaning in the spiritual sense of 'a rod' as power is also evident from many places in the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Behold, the Lord Jehovah Zebaoth is taking away from Jerusalem rod and stay, the whole rod of bread, and the whole rod of water. Isaiah 3:1.

'The rod of bread' stands for the support and power provided by the good of love, 'the rod of water' for the support and power provided by the truth of faith. For 'bread' means the good of love, see 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735; and 'water' the truth of faith' 28, 680, 739, 2702, 3058, 3424. 'The rod of bread' is used with a similar meaning in Ezekiel 4:16; 5:16; 14:13; Psalms 105:16.

[5] In addition to this, in Isaiah,

The Lord, Jehovih Zebaoth, said, Do not be afraid - O My people, inhabitant of Zion - of Asshur, who will smite you with a stick and will lift up the rod over you in the way of Egypt. Jehovah will lift up the scourge against him, as when Midian was smitten in the rock of Oreb, and his rod will be over the sea, which he will lift up in the way of Egypt. Isaiah 10:24, 26.

Here 'the rod' stands for power provided by reasoning and knowledge, like that which those people possess who, with ideas based on factual knowledge, reason against the truths of faith and pervert these or else treat them as worthless. This is what is meant by 'the stick with which Asshur will smite' and by 'the rod which he will lift up in the way of Egypt'. For 'Asshur' means reasoning, see 1186, and 'Egypt' knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462.

[6] Similarly in Zechariah,

The pride of Asshur will be thrown down, and the rod of Egypt will depart. Zechariah 10:11.

In Isaiah,

You relied on the rod of a bruised reed, on Egypt, which, when anyone leans on it, goes into his hand and pierces it. Isaiah 36:6.

'Egypt' stands for factual knowledge, as above; and power in spiritual things which is received from that knowledge is meant by 'the rod of a bruised reed'. By 'the hand which it enters and pierces' is meant power received from the Word. In the same prophet,

Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked, the stick of those who have dominion. Isaiah 14:5

'The rod' and 'the stick' plainly stand for power.

[7] In Jeremiah,

Grieve, all regions surrounding Moab; say, How is the rod of strength, the rod of beauty, broken! Jeremiah 48:17.

'The rod of strength' stands for power received from good, and 'the rod of beauty' for power received from truth.

[8] In Hosea,

My people enquire of their piece of wood, and their rod gives them a reply, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray. Hosea 4:12.

'Inquiring of a piece of wood' stands for consulting evils, 'the rod gives reply' for the fact that falsity results from these, its power being derived from the evil to which they give support. 'The spirit of whoredom' stands for the life of falsity resulting from evil. In David,

Even when I walk in the valley of the shadow I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your stick and Your rod comfort me. Psalms 23:4.

'Your stick and your rod' stands for Divine truth and good, which have power. In the same author,

The rod of the wicked will not rest on the lot of the righteous. Psalms 125:3.

[9] In the same author,

You will break them in pieces with a stick of iron, you will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Psalms 2:9.

'A stick of iron' stands for the power of spiritual truth within the natural, for all natural truth that has spiritual truth present within it possesses power. 'Iron' means natural truth, 425, 426. Similarly in John,

He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations to rule ¹ them untie a stick of iron as when earthen pots are broken in pieces. Revelation 2:26-27. (Also Revelation 12:5; 19:15.)

[10] Because 'a rod' represented the power of truth, that is, the power of good expressed by means of truth, kings therefore had sceptres; and those sceptres were shaped like short rods. For kings represent the Lord as regards truth, while kingship itself means Divine Truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4581. The sceptre means the power which is theirs not by virtue of their high position but of truth which must reign. Nor must this be any other kind of truth than that which is grounded in good, and so is primarily Divine Truth, and among Christians is the Lord, the source of all Divine Truth.

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