7155. 'And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves to be in evil' means being close to damnation. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; from the meaning of 'the officers' as those in the nearest position to receive molestations and pass them on, dealt with in 7111, 7136; and from the meaning of 'evil' as damnation, for regarded in itself evil is hell, 6279, thus damnation. The reason why 'being in evil' means being close to damnation is that those who were in the nearest position to receive the molestations and pass them on suffered harm, meant by their being beaten by the taskmasters, 7136, and that the molestation of falsities that were constantly introduced brought them even to the point of despair, 7147. So it is that 'they saw themselves to be in evil' means their discernment that they were close to damnation. For because those who are at the point of despair suppose that they can no longer withstand the attacks made on them, they think that they cannot do anything else but surrender like prisoners to falsities. This is what the state of despair is like; yet in that state they begin to be lifted out of it and be led so to speak from thick darkness into light.

6279. 'The angel redeeming me from every evil' means the Lord's Divine Human, the deliverer from hell. This is clear from the meaning of 'the angel' as the Lord's Divine Human, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'redeeming' as delivering, also dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'evil' as hell. The reason why 'evil' means hell is that hell itself is nothing but evil; for whether you say that all in hell are evil or that hell is evil, it amounts to the same thing. When the word 'evil' is used hell is meant in the spiritual sense; for whenever those who know the spiritual sense, as the angels in heaven do, think and express themselves, they do so without reference to any specific persons because they are concerned with the general and overall. This is why for them 'evil' means hell.

[2] The same applies to the word 'sin', when it is used to mean a dominant evil, as in Genesis 4,

Jehovah said to Cain, If you do not do well, sin is lying at the door. To you is his desire, and you will have dominion over him. Genesis 4:6-7.

Here 'sin' stands for hell, which is at hand when a person does what is evil. Also the evil present in a person is itself nothing else than hell, for it flows into him from there, making him at this time a miniature hell, even as each of its inhabitants is one. It is like the contrary situation when the good present with a person is itself nothing else than heaven in him, for good flows into him from the Lord through heaven, making the person with whom good resides a miniature heaven, even as each inhabitant of heaven is one.