7049. Then she said, A bridegroom of bloods as to circumcisions. That this signifies that although the internal was full of violence and hostility against truth and good, still circumcision was to be received as a sign representative of purification from filthy loves, is evident from the signification of a “bridegroom of blood,” as being what is full of all violence and hostility against truth and good (of which above, n. 7047); and from the signification of “circumcision,” as being a sign representative of purification from filthy loves (see n. 2039, 2632, 3412, 3413, 4462, 4486, 4493). This is said by Zipporah, because it was now permitted that nation to represent the church, which is signified by “ceasing from killing him” (n. 7048). Circumcision was made a sign representative of purification, because by “cutting off the foreskin” was signified the removal of filthy loves, and thereby the laying bare of the internal (n. 7045); and therefore when the internal is not at all attended to, as was the case with that nation, which was in externals without an internal, there then remains the signification of circumcision or the cutting off of the foreskin, namely, the removal of filthy loves, thus purification, for which reason it could serve as a representative sign.

3413. And filled them with dust. That this signifies by means of earthly things, that is, by the loves of self and of gain, is evident from the signification of “dust,” as being that which is of this nature (n. 249). The meaning is that those called “Philistines” (that is, those who are not in life but in doctrine) obliterate interior truths by earthly loves, which are the love of self and of gain; from these loves they were called the “uncircumcised” (n. 2039, 2044, 2056, 2632). For they who are in these loves cannot but fill the wells of Abraham with dust (that is, obliterate the interior truths of the Word by earthly things), because from these loves they cannot possibly see spiritual things (that is, the things which are of the light of truth from the Lord); for these loves induce darkness, and darkness extinguishes this light. For as before said (n. 3412), on the approach of the light of truth from the Lord, they who are in doctrine only, and not in life, are in total darkness and stupor, and even become angry, and in every way busy themselves to dissipate truths; for the love of self and of gain is of such a nature that it cannot endure the near approach of anything of truth from the Divine. Nevertheless such persons can glory and take pride in the fact that they know truths, nay, they preach them from a kind of zeal; but it is the fires of those loves that kindle and arouse them, and their zeal is merely a fervor thence derived, as is sufficiently evident from the fact that they can preach against their own veriest life with a like zeal or fervor. These are the earthly things by which the Word itself, which is the fountain of all truth, is blocked up.