10618. Long-suffering with angers. That this signifies the Divine clemency, is evident from the signification of “long-suffering with angers,” when said of Jehovah, as being that He long endures the evils of man, for to be “long-suffering” denotes to endure and bear for a long time; and “angers” denote the evils with man. The reason why “angers,” when said of Jehovah, denote the evils with man, is that evil becomes angry, and good never; and evil is with man and never with the Lord, for the Lord is good itself. Nevertheless anger is attributed to the Lord, because it so appears to a man when he does not obtain what he desires, and when he is punished on account of evil. As then “long-suffering with angers,” when said of Jehovah, denotes long to endure the evils with man, it follows from this that thereby is signified the Divine clemency.

[2] As regards anger, be it known further that evil becomes angry, and good never, for the reason that to be angry is to will evil to another, which good cannot do, for good consists in willing the good of another. All evil has within it enmity, hatred, revenge, and cruelty; in these and from these evil has its delight. Moreover, evil hates good, because good is opposed to its delights. Consequently when evil cannot injure good, which it is always in the endeavor to do, it is first indignant, and afterward is angry. Whether you say evil, or an evil man, it is the same, for evil is in man as in its subject. And as such is the nature of evil against good, such it is against the Divine, for all good is the Divine with man, because it is from the Divine. From this it is that an evil man is always angry against the Divine, although outwardly he speaks differently before men.

[3] That he speaks differently is either from hypocrisy, or from the fact that he wishes the Divine to favor him in all things by granting whatsoever he desires, even to enabling him on his own account to take vengeance on all against whom he bears hatred. But as soon as he sees that this is not done, and especially if he himself is punished on account of his evil, he is then angry against God, even to denying Him and also blaspheming Him in his heart. That this is so is clearly shown in the other life, where a man acts according to his interiors, and not, as in the world, according to his exteriors; and in that life the penalty adheres to its evil, and is as it were inherent in it. (That “anger” denotes evil, see n. 6358, 6359; and that anger and evil are attributed to God, when yet they belong to man, and that nothing of evil is from God, see the places cited in n. 9306, 10431; and that evil is attended with its punishment, n. 1857, 8214, 8223, 8226, 9048)

8227. And the Egyptians fled to meet it. That this signifies that they immersed themselves in the falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of “fleeing to meet the sea,” as being to immerse themselves in the falsities from evil which are signified by the waters of that sea (see n. 8226). The case herein is this. He who does not know the interior things of causes, cannot believe otherwise than that the evils which befall the evil, such as punishments, vastations, damnations, and finally casting into hell, are from the Divine; for so it does absolutely appear, because such things arise from the presence of the Divine (n. 8137, 8138, 8188); but still nothing of the kind befalls them from the Divine, but from themselves. The Divine and its presence have for their sole end the protection and salvation of the good; and when the Divine is present with these, and protects them against the evil, then the evil are still more inflamed against them, and more still against the Divine Itself, for this latter they hate most intensely (they who hate good, intensely hate the Divine); consequently they make an attack upon these, and insofar as they do this, so far do they by virtue of the law of order cast themselves into punishments, vastations, damnation, and at last into hell. From all this it can be seen that the Divine (that is, the Lord) does nothing but good, and does evil to no one, but that they who are in evil cast themselves into such things. This is what is signified by “the Egyptians fled to meet the sea,” that is, that they immersed themselves in falsities from evil.

[2] As regards this matter something further shall be said. It is believed that evils too are from the Divine, because the Divine permits them, and does not take them away; and he who permits and does not take away when he is able, appears to will, and thus to be the cause. But the Divine permits because it cannot prevent, or take away; for the Divine wills nothing but good; and if it were to prevent and take away evils, that is, those of punishments, vastations, persecutions, temptations, and the like, then it would will evil, for then such persons could not be amended, and evil would increase until it had the dominion over good. The case herein is like that of a king who acquits the guilty: he is the cause of the evil afterward done by them in the kingdom; and is also the cause of the consequent license taken by others; not to mention the fact that the evil person would be confirmed in evil; and therefore a just and good king, though able to take away punishments, nevertheless cannot do it, for in this way he would not do good, but evil. Be it known that all the punishments, and also the temptations, in the other life, have good as their end.