248. Whenever therefore a person was looking to heavenly things he was said to be walking erect, or what is the same, to be looking upwards or forwards; but whenever he was looking to bodily and earthly things he was said to be bent down towards the ground and to be looking downwards or backwards, as in Leviticus,

I am Jehovah your God, who brought You forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you go erect. Leviticus 26:13.

In Micah,

You will not remove your necks from it nor go erect. Micah 1:3.

In Jeremiah,

Jerusalem sinned grievously, therefore they despised her, for they saw her nakedness; yea, she herself groaned, and turned away backwards. From on high He sent fire into my bones and made me return backwards; He made me desolate. Lamentations 1:8-13.

In Isaiah,

Jehovah your Redeemer turns wise men backwards and makes their knowledge foolish. Isaiah 44:24-25.

Fire, in the spiritual sense, can mean either love or hatred depending on the context, just as natural fire can be either comforting in keeping you warm, or scary in burning down your house. Our language reflects this, too -- we use concepts like a smoldering hatred or a burning love. So fire signifies a love, either a good love of the neighbor and to the Lord, or, in a bad sense, selfish love of oneself that, if unchecked by conscience, leads to hatred of anyone that opposes it.