The meaning of "scatter" in the Bible is relatively literal, but it is used in regard to spiritual things, not natural ones. So to "scatter" a group of people represents breaking up a system of ideas represented by that group and thus to weaken and ultimately destroy it.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1309, 1328, 2547, 6361, 7130, 7520, 8226 [2]; The Apocalypse Explained 863 [8])

7130. 'And the people scattered themselves into all the land of Egypt' means that they spread their natural mind in all directions. This is clear from the meaning of 'scattering themselves' as spreading; and from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301. A person has two areas of mind, one being the natural mind and the other the rational mind. The natural mind is that of the external man, whereas the rational mind is that of the internal man. What belongs to the natural mind is called factual knowledge, but what belongs to the rational mind is called reason and understanding. The two are also distinguished from each other by the fact that what belongs to the natural mind depends for the most part on the light of the world, a light which is called the inferior light of nature; but what belongs to the rational mind depends on the light of heaven, a light which is called spiritual light.