9035. 'And [the slave] dies under his hand' means so that it is wiped out under his contemplation. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as being wiped out, as above in 9026; and from the meaning of 'under his hand' as under his contemplation, for 'the hand' means the power which spiritual truth possesses, 5327, 5328, 7011, thus the power of contemplation, for such power comes from truth and is discernment. Truths as stated in the literal sense of the Word which have been stored away in the natural man's memory form so to speak a field there for the contemplation of the internal man into whom light from heaven flows. From this field the internal man chooses such things as are in agreement with the good in him, as stated above, just as a person's eye selects from a cultivated field such things growing there as will help him to perform his duties in life.

7011. 'And you are to take this rod in your hand' means Divine power in these [two kinds of truth]. This is clear from the meaning of 'rod' as power, dealt with in 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, especially when it is held in the hand since 'hand' means spiritual power and 'rod' natural power.

There is no power at all in the natural unless it receives it from the spiritual, just as a rod has none unless it is held in the hand; and that is why it says that he was 'to take it in his hand'. Used in reference to the Lord 'hand' means the power going forth from His Divine Rational, and 'rod' the power going forth from His Divine Natural, see 6947. Divine power is said to be in these - the kinds of truth dealt with above - because power has reference to truth, 3091, 6344, 6427, 6948.

4936. On several occasions spirits have appeared holding rods, who, I was told, were magicians. They are in front, a long way off on the right, deeply within caverns. Magicians who have been more malevolent ones are hidden more deeply than the rest within them. They seem to themselves to have rods, and by means of delusions they also produce many more kinds of rods, believing that they can use these to perform miracles. For they imagine that these rods have power within them, and they imagine this because the right hand and the arm, which by correspondence are embodiments of strength and power, support themselves on those rods. This has made it evident to me why people of old assigned rods to magicians, for the gentiles of old received this idea from the representative Ancient Church, in which rods, like the hand, meant power, see 4876. And because these meant power Moses was commanded, when miracles were performed, to stretch out his rod or his hand, Exodus 4:17, 20; 8:5-20; 9:23; 10:3-21; 14:21, 26-27; 17:5-6, 11-12; Numbers 20:7-10.