778. As then 'birds of the air' ¹ means intellectual truths and so thoughts, they also mean things that are the contrary, such as delusions or falsities, which because they are part of man's thought are called birds as well. 'The wicked being given as food to birds of the air ¹ and to wild animals', for example, stands for delusions and evil desires, Isaiah 18:6; Jeremiah 7:33; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20; Ezekiel 29:5; 39:4. Also the Lord Himself compares delusions and persuasions of falsity to birds when He says,

The seed which fell on the pathway was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air ¹ devoured it. Matthew 13:4; Luke 8:5; Mark 4:4, 15.

Here 'birds of the air' ¹ are nothing other than falsities.

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