8185. 'And let the children of Israel come into the middle of the sea on dry ground' means in order that those belonging to the spiritual Church may pass through in safety and without falsity flowing in. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming into (or entering) the middle' as passing through; from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with often; and from the meaning of 'on dry ground' as in safety and without falsity flowing in. Falsities arising from evil are meant by 'the waters' of that sea, 8137, 8138, and therefore 'dry ground' means without falsity. 'Dry' and 'drying up' have a similar meaning in David,

You broke in pieces the heads of Leviathan, You split open fountain and river, You dried up rivers of strength. Psalms 74:14-15.

'Drying up rivers of strength' stands for dispersing quite powerful falsities.

[2] In Zechariah,

I will gather them, for I will redeem them. I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. And I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon. He will go through the sea of distress; but he will strike the waves in the sea, and dry up all the depths of the River. And the pride of Asshur will be thrown down, and the rod of Egypt will depart. And I will render them strong in Jehovah. Zechariah 10:8-end.

This refers to those who in spiritual matters trust in themselves and their own wisdom, also to the dispersing of falsities through temptations. 'The land of Egypt' stands for factual knowledge; 'Assyria' stands for reasonings based on that knowledge; 'going through the sea of distress' stands for temptations; 'striking the waves in the sea, and drying up the depths of the River' stands for dispersing falsities from there; and 'the pride of Asshur will be thrown down, and the rod of Egypt will depart' stands for trusting no longer in their own wisdom but in wisdom received from the Lord, which is meant by 'I will render them strong in Jehovah'.

[3] Likewise in Isaiah,

He who says to Jerusalem, You will be dwelt in, and to the cities of Judah, You will be built, and I will raise up her waste places. He who says to the abyss, Be dry! and I will dry up your rivers. Isaiah 44:26-27.

'Saying to the abyss, Be dry!' and 'drying up its rivers' stand for dispersing evils and falsities. But when 'waters' means truths, 'drying up' means a state that is truthless or devoid of truth, as in Isaiah,

I will pour out waters upon the thirsty land, and streams upon the dry. Isaiah 44:3.

'Waters' and 'streams' stand for truths, 'the dry land' for the place that is truthless.

[4] In Jeremiah,

O sword against the Chaldeans and against the inhabitants of Babel! O sword against its horses and against its chariots! A drought on its waters, in order that they may dry up! Jeremiah 50:35, 37-38.

'The Chaldeans' stands for those who render truths profane, and 'the inhabitants of Babel' for those who render forms of good profane, 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1306-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326. 'Sword' stands for truth fighting against falsity, or for falsity fighting against truth, and from this for vastation, 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102; 'horses' stands for the power of understanding, 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6534; 'chariots' stands for doctrinal teachings, 5321, 8146, 8148; and 'a drought on its waters, in order that they may dry up' stands for truths with no life at all in them owing to falsification.

But when the expressions 'dry' or 'drying up' are used in the Word in connection with other things, such as trees, plants, harvest, or bones, those things take on a contrary meaning. Also, in relation to the sea actual land is called the dry land; and in that case 'the dry land' has reference to good, and 'the sea' to truth.

7012. 'With which you shall do the signs' means consequent enlightenment and corroboration of truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'sign as the corroboration of truths, dealt with in 6870. The reason why enlightenment is also meant is that the corroboration of truths comes about through enlightenment received from the Lord when a person focuses his attention on the Word to the end that he may have a knowledge of truths. As regards enlightenment and a resulting corroboration of truths, it should be recognized that no enlightenment nor thus any corroboration of truths is possible with those who are interested, as the Jews and Israelites were, only in things of an external nature and not in anything internal. But when those who are interested in external things and at the same time in internal ones read the Word they receive enlightenment, and with that enlightenment they see truths, which after that are corroborated for them over and over again. And what is so amazing, the nature of each person's enlightenment is determined by the nature of his affection for truth, and the nature of his affection for truth is determined by the good present in his life. This also goes to explain why those who have no affection for truth for its own sake, only for the sake of gain, receive no enlightenment at all when they read the Word. Instead they merely corroborate for themselves matters of doctrine whatever they may be, whether they are false, as heretical teachings are, or entirely contrary to truths, as the teachings of the Jews are, since they do not seek the Lord's kingdom but the world, not faith but renown, thus not heavenly riches but merely earthly ones. Or if a desire to know truths from the Word does perhaps descend on them, falsities present themselves instead of truths, and at length denial of all truths. These matters have been stated in order that people may know what enlightenment is, and a resulting corroboration of truth.