6400. Biting the horse’s heels. That this signifies fallacies from lowest nature, is evident from the signification of “biting,” as being to adhere, and thereby do harm to; and from the signification of a “horse’s heel,” as being fallacies from lowest nature; for the “heel” denotes the lowest natural and corporeal (see n. 259, 4938-4952), and a “horse,” the intellectual (n. 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6125); here a “horse” denotes fallacies, because it denotes the intellectual of the lowest natural or sensuous. That they who are in truth and not yet in good are in fallacies from lowest nature, may be seen from the fact that truth is not in any light unless good is with it, or in it; for good is like a flame which emits light from itself; and when good meets with any truth, it not only illuminates it, but also brings it to itself into its own light. They therefore who are in truth and not yet in good, are in shade and darkness; because truth has no light from itself, and the light which they have from good is faint, like a light which is going out; and therefore when these persons think and reason about truth, and from truth about good, they are like those who see phantasms in the dark, and believe them to be real bodies; or who see marks on a wall in a shady place, and in fancy make of them the image of some man or animal; and yet when the light comes, they are seen to be mere marks without any form; and it is the same with truths with those here treated of, for they see as truths those things which are not truths, and which are rather to be likened to phantasms, and to marks on a wall. Moreover all the heresies in the church have arisen from those who have been in some truth from the Word, but not in good; to them heresy has appeared exactly like truth; and in like manner the falsities in the church. That they who have promulgated these have not been in good, may be seen from the fact that they have rejected the good of charity far behind the truth of faith, and have in part devised such things as do not at all agree with the good of charity.

[2] It is said that they who are in truth and not yet in good reason about good and truth from fallacies from lowest nature, and therefore it is necessary to say what fallacies are. Take for example the life after death. They who are in fallacies from lowest nature, as are those who are in truth and not yet in good, do not believe that there is anything alive in man except his body, nor that when man dies he can rise again unless he again receives his body. If they are told that there is an interior man who lives in the body, and who is raised up by the Lord when the body dies, and that the man when raised has a body such as spirits or angels have, and that he sees, hears, speaks, is in company with others, and appears to himself exactly like a man, just as does a man in this world, they cannot apprehend it. Fallacies from lowest nature make them believe such things to be impossible, chiefly because they do not see them with the eyes of their body.

[3] Moreover when such persons think about the spirit or soul, they have no idea whatever about it except such as they have of the invisible things in nature, whence they make it either a mere breath, or aerial, or ethereal, or like a flame; some a mere thinking power which has scarcely any vitality until it is again joined to the body. The reason why they think in this way is that to them all interior things are in shade and darkness, and only outward things are in light, which shows how easily they may fall into error; for if they think only of how the body is to be put together again; of the destruction of the world, and that this has been vainly awaited for so many ages; of brute animals having a life not unlike the life of man; and that none of the dead appear and make known the state of their life-when they think these and other such things, they easily recede from belief in the resurrection; and so in many other cases. The reason is that they are not in good, and through good in light. Such being their state, it is also said, “and his rider shall fall backward; I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah.” By this is signified that hence comes a receding unless the Lord brings aid.

2761. That the “white horse” is the understanding of the Word as to its interiors, or what is the same, the internal sense of the Word, is evident from the signification of a “horse,” as being the intellectual faculty. In the prophetic parts of the Word a horse and a rider are often named; but no one has hitherto known that a “horse” signifies the faculty of understanding, and a “rider” one who is intelligent-as in the prophecy of Jacob, then Israel, respecting Dan:

Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an arrow-snake upon the path, biting the horse’s heels, and his rider shall fall backward. I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah (Genesis 49:17-18).

That a “serpent” is one who reasons concerning Divine arcana from the senses and from memory-knowledges, may be seen above (n. 195); also that a “way” and a “path” are truth (n. 627, 2333); and that the “heel” is the lowest of the natural (n. 259); a “horse” is the understanding of the Word; and a “rider” he that teaches. Hence it is manifest what these prophetic words signify, namely, that one who reasons concerning the truths of faith from the senses and from memory-knowledges, sticks fast in the lowest things of nature only, and thus believes nothing, which is to “fall backward;” wherefore it is added, “I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah.”

[2] In Habakkuk:

O God, Thou dost ride upon Thy horses, Thy chariots are salvation, Thou hast made Thy horses to tread in the sea (Hab. 3:8, 15); where “horses” denote the Divine truths which are in the Word; “chariots,” doctrine from them; the “sea,” knowledges (n. 28, 2120); and because these are of the understanding of the Word from God, it is said, “Thou hast made Thy horses to tread in the sea.” Horses are here attributed to God, as in Revelation, above; to whom they cannot be attributed unless they signify such things.

[3] In David:

Sing unto God, sing praises to His name, extol Him that rideth upon the clouds, by His name Jah (Psalms 68:4);

to “ride upon the clouds” denotes the understanding of the Word as to its interiors, or in its internal sense. That a “cloud” is the Word in the letter, in which is the internal sense, may be seen in the Preface to Genesis 18, where it is explained what is signified when it is said that the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory.

[4] In the same:

Jehovah bowed the heavens, and came down, and (Psalms 18:9-10) thick darkness was under His feet; and He rode upon a cherub (Psalms 18:9-10);

“thick darkness” here denotes clouds; to “ride upon a cherub” represents the Lord’s providence lest man should of himself enter into the mysteries of faith which are in the Word (n. 308).

In Zechariah:

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto Jehovah (Zech. 14:20).

The “bells of the horses” denote the understanding of the spiritual things of the Word, which are holy.

[5] In Jeremiah:

There shall enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes, sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city shall be inhabited forever (Jeremiah 17:25-26; 22:4).

The “city Jerusalem” denotes the Lord’s spiritual kingdom and church; “kings,” truths (n. 1672, 2015, 2069); “princes,” the primary precepts of truth (n. 1482, 2089); “David,” the the Lord, (n. 1888); the “men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” those who are in the good of love, of charity, and of faith (n. 2268, 2451, 2712); thus to “ride upon a chariot and upon horses” means to be instructed in the doctrine of truth from the internal understanding of the Word.

[6] In Isaiah:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (Isaiah 58:14);

to “ride upon the high places of the earth” denotes intelligence.

In David:

A song of loves: Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty one, Thy glory and Thy majesty; and in Thy majesty go forward, ride upon the word of truth, and of the gentleness of righteousness, and Thy right hand shall teach Thee wonderful things (Psalms 45: title, 3-4);

to “ride upon the word of truth” manifestly denotes the understanding of truth; and “upon the word of the gentleness of righteousness,” the wisdom of good.

[7] In Zechariah:

In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness; and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zech. 12:4-5

where also the “horse” manifestly denotes the understanding, which would be smitten with astonishment and blindness; and the “rider” him that understands, who would be smitten with madness.

In Hosea:

Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good, and we will render the bullocks of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; and we will no more say to the work of our hands, Thou art our god (Hosea 14:2-3

“Asshur” denotes reasoning (n. 119, 1186); the “horse” one’s own intelligence. Besides these there are many other passages.