8184. 'Divide it' means dispersing falsity from there. This is clear from the meaning of 'dividing that sea' as dispersing the falsities arising from evil that are present in that hell; for the falsities there are seen as waters, in keeping with what has been shown above in 8099, 8137, 8148. When the pillar of angels in which the Lord is present passes through that hell the falsities depart, and as a consequence the waters there, which are the falsities, are parted asunder. From this it is evident that 'dividing the sea' means dispersing the falsities belonging to the hell that is represented by 'the Sea Suph'.

1283. THE INTERNAL SENSE

The subject now is the Ancient Church in general and the fact that its internal worship in process of time was falsified and adulterated; and so as a consequence was its external worship, for the character of external worship depends on that of internal. The falsification and adulteration of internal worship is meant here by Babel. The fact that the historical events mentioned up to now, apart from those concerning Eber, are not true but made-up may also be seen from the details given in this chapter concerning the tower of Babel - men set out to build a tower whose head was in heaven; their lips were confused so that no one could hear another; it was Jehovah who confused them in this way. This fact may also be seen from the assertion that this was the origin of Babel and yet verse 10 of the previous chapter says that Babel was built by Nimrod. From this it is also clear that Babel does not mean a city, but some real thing, and that here it means worship whose interior features are not holy though its external appear so.