8132. 'And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel' means the thought of those lost in damnation regarding the state of those belonging to the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' as thought, dealt with in 7094, 7107, 7244, 7937; from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as those who molest by means of falsities, dealt with in 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7220, 7228, 7317, at this point those who are lost in damnation, that is, who are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil since those thoroughly steeped in such falsities are lost in damnation (this state is meant by 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians', after the firstborn there have been killed, for by the killing of the firstborn is meant damnation, 7766, 7778); and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with just above in 8128.

5301. 'Which there will be in the land of Egypt' means which will exist in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as the natural mind, dealt with in 5276, 5278, 5279, 5288. The expression 'the natural' is used here and in other places, and by it the natural mind is meant. For the human being has two minds, the rational mind and the natural mind. The rational mind belongs to the internal man, whereas the natural mind belongs to the external man; and it is the natural mind or external man that is meant when simply 'the natural' is used. The mind is a person's true self, as will be seen in what is spoken about next.