478. The reason he is called Adam is that the Hebrew word Adam means man. But the fact that Adam was never used as a proper name, only Man, is quite clear from the consideration that both here and earlier he is spoken of in the plural and not in the singular, and that the term refers to both man and woman. The two together are called Man. Anyone may see from these words that both are included, for it is said, 'He called their name Man on the day in which they were created', and similarly in 1:26, 28, 'Let Us make man in Our image, and they will have dominion over the fish of the sea. This shows also that the subject is not about someone who, when created, was the first human being of all, but about the Most Ancient Church.

657. Verse 9. And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see, signifies with all who are in the falsities and evils of religion, of doctrine, and of life. This is evident from the signification of "to see," as being to know, to perceive, and to understand; also from the signification of "peoples and tribes" as being those who are in the falsities of doctrine and religion; "peoples" in the Word mean all who are in truths or in falsities, whether they are of the church or of some religion out of the church (See n. 175, 331, 625); and "tribes" mean in the Word all who are in truths or in falsities of doctrine, for "tribes" signify all truths and falsities of doctrine (See above, n. 330, 430, 431, 454). From this it can be seen that "peoples and tribes" signify all who are in the truths or falsities of religion and of doctrine, here those who are in falsities, because it is said, "they shall see the bodies of the witnesses three days and a half, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchers." This is evident also from the signification of "tongues and nations," as being those who are in the evils of doctrine and of life, for "tongues" signify the goods or evils of doctrine, and thence of religion (See above, n. 330, 455, 625); and "nations" signify the goods or evils of life (See also above, n. 175, 331, 625); from which it can be seen that "tongues and nations" signify all who are in the goods or the evils of doctrine and of life, here those who are in the evils, since it is said of them that "they shall see the bodies of the witnesses upon the street of the great city, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchers."