1868. That these things are meant by these nations would take too long to confirm from the Word; nor is there any need to do so here as no more than their names are mentioned. Some of them have been dealt with already, for example that 'the Rephaim' means false persuasions, 567, 581, 1673; 'the Amorites' evils, 1680; 'the Canaanites' evils, above at verse 16; 'the Perizzites' falsities, 1574. What the rest of the nations mean individually will in the Lord's Divine mercy be explained as they occur later on.

[2] As regards the nations that were to be cast out of the Lord's kingdom, in the next life evil and devilish spirits like nothing more than to surface in the world of spirits and to infest good spirits. But as often as they do so they are cast out, in much the same way as the falsities and evils that have taken possession of one who is being regenerated are overpowered and dispersed, and in their place truths and goods are implanted that belong to the Lord's kingdom.

[3] These falsities and evils were represented by the nations that were driven out of the land of Canaan by the descendants of Jacob. They were represented as well by the Jews themselves who at a later period were driven out from there. The same occurred with many other nations of old by whom similar things had been represented, such as the Horites who were driven from Mount Seir by the descendants of Esau, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:12, 22; then the Avim who were driven out by the Kaphtorim, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:23; also the Emim or Rephaim who were driven out by the Moabites, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:9-11; as well as the Zamzummim who were driven out by the Ammonites, mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:19-21; besides many others referred to in the Prophets.

1574. That 'the Canaanite' means hereditary evil from the mother in, the external man has been shown already in 1444, but that 'the Perizzite' means falsity deriving from evil is clear from other places in the Word where the Perizzite is mentioned, as in the following regarding Jacob,

Jacob said to Simeon and to Levi, You have brought trouble on me by making me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. Genesis 34:30.

Here similarly 'the Canaanite' means evil and 'the Perizzite' falsity.

[2] In Joshua,

Joshua said to the sons of Joseph, If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest, and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, if Mount Ephraim is too narrow for you. Joshua 17:15.

Here 'the Perizzites' means false assumptions and 'the Rephaim' false persuasions which they were to wipe out, for 'Mount Ephraim' in the internal sense means intelligence.

[3] In the Book of Judges,

After the death of Joshua the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah, saying, Who will go up for us against the Canaanite to start and fight against him? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand. And Judah said to Simeon his brother, Go up with me into my lot, and let us fight against the Canaanite, and I will also go with you into your lot And Simeon went with him, and Judah went up. and Jehovah gave the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand. Judges 1:1-5.

Here 'Judah' also represents the Lord as regards celestial things, and 'Simeon' as regards derivative spiritual things. 'Canaanite' is the evil, and 'Perizzite' the falsity, that were overcome. This is how this reply, or Divine oracle, is to be understood.