573. Verse 16. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads, signifies that the falsities of evil from which and in favor of which they reason and which conspire against the truths of good, are innumerable. This is evident from the signification of "armies," as meaning the falsities of evil (of which presently); and from the signification of "horsemen," as being the reasonings therefrom, for "horses" signify the understanding of truth, and in the contrary sense the understanding perverted and destroyed (See above, n. 355, 364, 372, 373, 381, 382); so "horsemen" in this sense signify the reasonings from falsities, since reasonings from falsities are from the understanding perverted and destroyed, for truths constitute the understanding, but falsities destroy it. The above is evident also from the signification of "two myriads of myriads," as being innumerable falsities conspiring against truths of good (that "myriads" signify things innumerable, and are predicated of truths, see above, n. 336, and it is said "two myriads of myriads" because this signifies things innumerable that are conjoined and conspire; for the number "two" signifies conjunction, concord, and conspiracy (See above, n. 283, 384). It means against the truths of good, because what follows treats of the destruction of truths by the armies of such horsemen. From this it can be seen that "the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads" signifies that the falsities of evil from which and in favor of which they reason, and which conspire against the truths of good, are innumerable.

[2] "Armies" (or hosts) are frequently mentioned in the Word, and the Lord is called "Jehovah of Hosts or Zebaoth," and "armies" there signify truths from good fighting against the falsities from evil, and in the contrary sense falsities from evil fighting against truths from good. Such is the signification of "armies" in the Word, because "wars" in the Word, both in the histories and prophecies, signify, in the internal sense spiritual wars, which are waged against hell and against the diabolical crew there, and such wars have relation to truths and goods opposing falsities and evils; this is why "armies" signify all truths from good, and in the contrary sense all falsities from evil. That "armies" signify all truths from good is evident from the sun, moon, stars, and also the angels, being called "the armies of Jehovah," because they signify all truths from good in the complex; also from the sons of Israel being called "armies," because they signified the truths and goods of the church. And as all truths and goods are from the Lord, and the Lord alone fights for all in heaven and for all in the church against the falsities and evils which are from hell, so He is called "Jehovah Zebaoth," that is, "Jehovah of Hosts."

[3] That the sun, the moon, and the stars, are called "hosts" is evident from the following passages. In Moses:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them (Genesis 2:1).

In David:

By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6).

In the same:

Praise ye Jehovah, all His angels; praise ye Him, all His hosts; praise ye Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Psalms 148:2, 3).

In Isaiah:

And all the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll; and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree (Isaiah 34:4).

I have made the earth, and created man upon it; My hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded (Isaiah 45:12).

In the same:

Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, who leadeth out their host in number, who calleth them all by name (Isaiah 40:26).

In Jeremiah:

As the host of the heavens is not numbered, and the sand of the sea is not measured (Jeremiah 33:22).

In these passages, the sun, moon, and stars, are called a "host" because the "sun" signifies the good of love, the "moon," truth from good, and the "stars" the knowledges of truth and good, consequently they signify goods and truths in the whole complex, and these are called a "host" because they resist evils and falsities, and perpetually conquer them as enemies.

[4] In Daniel:

One horn of the he-goat waxed great even to the host of the heavens; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the earth, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the Prince of the Host; and the continual offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given to the continual offering for transgression, because it cast down the truth to the earth. Then one holy one said, How long shall be the vision, the continual offering, and the wasting transgression, that the holy place and the host be given to be trodden down? And he said, Even to the evening, the morning (Daniel 8:10-14).

What is here signified by the "he-goat," "his horns," and this "horn that waxed great even to the host of the heavens," may be seen above (n. 316, 336, 535). "The host of the heavens, some of which it cast down to the earth," means the truths and goods of heaven; for the last state of the church, when the truths and goods of heaven are esteemed as of no account, and rejected, is here treated of, and this is signified by "treading them down;" therefore it is added, "it cast down truth to the earth." "The Prince of the Host" means the Lord, who is also called "Jehovah God Zebaoth" (or of Hosts). That all worship from the good of love and from the truths of faith would perish is signified by "the continual offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down." That this would come to pass in the end of the church, when the Lord would come into the world, is signified by "even to the evening, the morning," "evening" signifying the last time of the old church, and "morning" the first time of the new church.

[5] That the angels are called "hosts" is evident from the following passages. In Joel:

Jehovah uttered His voice before His host; for His camp was very great (Joel 2:11).

In Zechariah:

I will set a camp for my house from my host, because of him that passeth away and of him that returneth, that no exactor may again pass through over them (Zechariah 9:8).

In David:

Bless ye Jehovah, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His that do His will (Psalms 103:21).

In the first book of Kings:

Micaiah the prophet said to the king, I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and the whole host of the heavens standing beside Him on His right hand and on His left. And one said in this manner, and another said in that manner (1 Kings 22:19, 20).

In Revelation:

His hosts in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Revelation 19:14).

And again:

I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their hosts gathered together to make war with Him that sat on the white horse, and with His hosts (Revelation 19:19).

The angels gathered together, or a company of them, is called "a host," because "the angels," the same as "hosts" signify Divine truths and goods, because they are recipients of these from the Lord (about which see above, n. 130, 200, 302).

[6] For the same reason the sons of Israel, because they signify the truths and goods of the church, are called "hosts," as in the following passages. In Moses:

Jehovah said, Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts (Exodus 6:26).

In the same:

I will bring forth My host, My people, the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments (Exodus 7:4; 12:17).

In the same:

It came to pass on that very day that all the hosts of Jehovah went forth from the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:41).

In the same:

Thou shalt number all that go forth into the host (Numbers 1:3, et seq .).

They were to pitch about the Tent of meeting, and were also to go forth according to their hosts (Numbers 2:3, 9, 16, 24).

The Levites were to be taken to perform the warfare, to do the work in the Tent of meeting (Numbers 4:3, 23, 30, 39).

The sons of Israel were called the "hosts of Jehovah" because they represented the church, and signified all its truths and goods (as can be seen in Arcana Coelestia 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 7957, 8234, 8805, 9340). They were called "hosts," in the plural, because each tribe was called a "host," as can be seen in Moses, when it was commanded him to number them all according to their hosts, and they were numbered according to their tribes (Numbers 1, Numbers 3, et seq.); likewise when the camp was pitched about the Tent of meeting according to the tribes, it is said "according to their hosts" (Numbers 2:3, 9, et seq.). The tribes were called "hosts" because the twelve tribes taken together represented all the truths and goods of the church, and each tribe some universal essential of the church (See above, n. 431).

[7] From this it can be seen that the truths and goods of heaven and the church are meant in the Word by "hosts;" which makes clear why it is that Jehovah is called in the Word "Jehovah Zebaoth," and "Jehovah God Zebaoth," that is, "of hosts" (as in Isaiah 1:9, 24; 2:12; 3:1, 15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24; 6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6; 31:4, 5; 37:16; Jeremiah 5:14; 38:17; 44:7; Amos 5:16; Haggai 1:9, 14; 2:4, 8, 23; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 2:12, and various other places).

[8] From this it is now evident that "hosts" signify the truths and goods of heaven and the church in the whole complex; and as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do "hosts," and in that sense they signify falsities and evils in their whole complex, as in the following passages in Jeremiah:

Upon the roofs of the houses they have burned incense unto all the host of the heavens, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods (Jeremiah 19:13).

In Zephaniah:

They worship upon the roofs the host of the heavens (Zephaniah 1:5).

In Moses:

Lest thou bow thyself down to and serve the sun and the moon and the stars, and all the host of the heavens (Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3).

In Jeremiah:

They shall spread out the bones taken from the graves before the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, whom they have loved and whom they have served (Jeremiah 8:2).

Here "the host of the heavens" means the sun, moon, and stars, because these signify all goods and truths in the complex, but here all evils and falsities in the complex; for the "sun" in the contrary sense, as here, signifies all the evil flowing from the love of self, the "moon" the falsity of faith, and the "stars" falsities in general (that the "sun, moon, and stars," in the natural world, when they are worshiped instead of the sun and moon of the angelic heaven, signify direful evils and falsities, may be seen in the work Heaven and Hell 122, 123; as also above, n. 401, 402, 525); and because truths from good fight against the falsities from evil, and reversely the falsities from evil fight against the truths from good, they are called "hosts;" for there is continual combat; evils and falsities continually exhale from the hells, and endeavor to destroy the truths from good that are in heaven and from heaven, and these continually resist. For everywhere in the spiritual world there is an equilibrium between heaven and hell; and where there is an equilibrium, there two forces continually act against each other; one acts and the other reacts, and continual action and reaction is continual combat; but equilibrium is provided by the Lord (on this see the work on Heaven and Hell 589-596, 597-603). And as there is such continual combat between heaven and hell, therefore as all things of heaven are called "hosts," so are all things of hell; all things of heaven have reference to goods and truths, and all things of hell to evils and falsities.

[9] This then is why "hosts" in the following passages signify the falsities of evil. In Isaiah:

The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath against all their host; He hath devoted them, He hath given them to the slaughter (Isaiah 34:2).

"Nations" signify evils, and "host" the falsities from evil; their total destruction is signified by "He hath devoted and hath given to the slaughter."

[10] In the same:

The voice of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great people; the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together; Jehovah of Hosts leadeth the host (Isaiah 13:4).

"The voice of a multitude in the mountains" signifies falsities from evils, "the multitude" meaning falsities, and "the mountains" evils; "like as of a great people" signifies appearing to be truth from good, "like as" meaning appearance, "people" those who are in truths, thus truths, and "great" is predicated of good; "the voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together" signifies discord in the church arising from evils and falsities therefrom, "the voice of a tumult" signifying discord, "kingdoms" the churches in respect to truths and as to falsities, and "nations gathered together" in respect to evils and falsities therefrom conspiring against the truths and goods of the church; "Jehovah of Hosts leadeth the host" signifies that the Lord does this, for this is attributed to the Lord, as is evident from the next verse, the fifth, where it is said, "Jehovah cometh with the weapons of His anger to destroy the whole land." This is attributed to the Lord just as evil, the punishment of evil, and the destruction of the church are attributed to Him elsewhere, because such is the appearance, and the sense of the letter of the Word is in accordance with appearances; but in the spiritual sense this means that the man of the church himself does this.

[11] In Jeremiah:

Spare ye not her young men; give to the curse all her host (Jeremiah 51:3).

This is said of Babylon; and "Spare not her young men" signifies the destruction of confirmed falsities; "give to the curse all her host" signifies the total destruction of falsities from the evils that are in her, thus the destruction of Babylon. The falsities from evil are signified also by:

The army of the Chaldeans, and the army of Pharaoh (Jeremiah 37:7, 10, 11, et seq.);

and in Moses:

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, with the whole army of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:28; 15:4).

(This may be seen explained above, n. 355; and in Arcana Coelestia 8230, 8275.)

[12] In Daniel:

The king of the north shall return and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and at the end of the times of the years he shall come with a great army and with great riches. And he shall stir up his powers and his heart against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall engage in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army, but he shall not stand (Daniel 11:13, 25).

This chapter treats of the war between the king of the north and the king of the south, and "the king of the north" means those within the church who are in the falsities of evil, and "the king of the south" those who are in the truths of good; collision and combat at the end of the church are described in the spiritual sense by their war; therefore "the army of the king of the north" means falsities of every kind, and "the army of the king of the south" truths of every kind.

[13] In Luke:

When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her devastation is nigh (Luke 21:20).

In this chapter the Lord speaks of the consummation of the age, which means the last time of the church; "Jerusalem" means the church in respect to doctrine; and "compassed with armies" means the church taken possession of by falsities; that then comes its destruction, and presently the Last Judgment, is signified by "then her devastation is nigh." It is believed that this was said of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, but from the particulars of the chapter it is clear that it treats of the destruction of the church at its end; as also does Matthew, chap. 24 from the first verse to the last (all things of which are explained in the Arcana Coelestia). But this does not preclude the application of the sense of the letter of these words to the destruction of Jerusalem, that destruction representing and thence signifying the destruction of the church at its end; this is confirmed by all the particulars in the chapter regarded in the spiritual sense.

[14] In David:

God hath cast us off and confounded us; He hath not gone forth in our armies. He hath made us to turn back from the adversary (Psalms 44:9, 10).

"God hath not gone forth in our armies" signifies that He did not defend them, because they were in the falsities of evil, for "armies" mean the falsities of evil; therefore it is also said "He hath cast us off and confounded us, and hath made us to turn back from the adversary," "the adversary" meaning evil which is from hell.

[15] In Joel:

I will recompense to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm and the caterpillar and the palmer-worm, My great army which I sent among you (Joel 2:25).

That an "army" signifies falsities and evils of every kind is plainly evident, since these noxious little animals, "the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm," signify falsities and evils that devastate or consume the truths and goods of the church (See above, n. 543), where this passage is explained, and it is shown that the "locust and caterpillar" signify the falsities [and evils] of the sensual man. ) This makes clear what "army" signifies in the Word in both senses. "Army" has the same signification in the histories of the Word, for these contain a spiritual sense as well as the prophecies, but it shines forth from them less clearly, because the mind, when intent on the historical meaning, cannot easily be raised above the worldly things in the history and see the spiritual things that are stored up in them.

4459. 'Jacob's sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully means evil thought and intention regarding the truth and the good of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the representation of 'Shechem' as truth among the Ancients, or what amounts to the same, truth from the ancient Divine stock, dealt with in 4399, 4454; from the representation of 'Hamor' as the good from which that truth sprang, dealt with in 4399, 4431, 4447, 4454; and from the meaning of 'deceit' as evil thought and intention. In general deceit implies evil against another and against what he says and does, for the thought and intention of the one who is deceitful is different from that of the other person, as is also clear from the outcome of events described in this chapter. From this it is evident that 'the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully' means evil thought and intention regarding the truth and the good of the Church among the Ancients.

[2] The sons of Jacob, that is, his descendants, could have none but an evil thought and intention regarding the truth and the good belonging to the internal man, because they were interested in external things devoid of internal, 4281, 4293, 4307, 4429, 4433. They saw no value at all in internal things, and therefore utterly despised them. Such is also the nature of that nation at the present day, and so it is of all who are interested only in external things. People who are interested only in external things do not even know what it is to be interested in internal things, since they have no knowledge of what is internal. If anyone in their presence mentions that which is internal they either endorse the existence of it because they know from doctrine of its existence, though that endorsement is attributable to their deceit, or else they deny the existence of it with their lips as they do in their hearts. For they do not go further than the experiences of the senses of the external man, and as a consequence do not believe in any life after death. Nor do they believe any resurrection to be possible apart from their rising again in the physical body. That being so, they are allowed to have these thoughts concerning the resurrection, or else they would not have any at all. For they centre the whole of life in the body, not knowing that the life of their body flows from the life of their spirit which lives after death. People who are interested only in external things cannot possibly have any faith, for external things with them annihilate all thought concerning internal ones, and consequently all belief in them.

[3] Since this kind of ignorance reigns at the present day, an explanation needs to be given of what it is to be interested in external things devoid of internal. All people who are devoid of conscience are interested only in external things, for the internal man reveals itself through conscience. Anyone is devoid of conscience if he thinks and does what is true and good not for the sake of what is true and good but for the sake of his own personal position and gain, and also merely because he fears the law and fears for his own life. For if reputation, position, gain, and life were not endangered he would plunge without conscience into every unmentionable act. This is quite evident from those in the next life who were such during their lifetime. Because interior things are laid bare in that life those people are constantly endeavouring to destroy others, on account of which they are in hell, where they are held in bonds in a spiritual manner.

[4] To enable anyone to have a fuller knowledge of what is meant by an interest in external things, and what by an interest in internal ones; to enable him to know also that people who are interested only in external things cannot have any conception of what internal ones are and so cannot feel any affection for them (for nobody feels any affection for things of which he has no conception) let the following, for example, be considered. One who is least in heaven is the greatest, one who is humble is exalted, and also one who is poor and needy is rich and affluent. People who are interested only in external things cannot have any conception of these matters, for they think that the least cannot possibly be the greatest, nor the humble be the exalted, and that the poor cannot possibly be rich or the needy affluent. Yet this is precisely how it is in heaven. And because they cannot have any conception of these matters they are consequently unable to feel any affection for them; and when they reflect on them from the point of view of the bodily and worldly things which interest them they feel an aversion to them. How it is in heaven they do not know at all, and as long as they are interested only in external things they do not wish to know, nor indeed are they capable of knowing. For in heaven one who knows, acknowledges, and believes in his heart that is, with affection - that none of his power is self-derived, but that all the power he has comes from the Lord, is called the least. Yet he is the greatest because his power comes from the Lord. Similarly so with one who is humble yet exalted; for one who is humble, acknowledging and believing from affection that he has no self-derived power at all, nor any self-derived intelligence and wisdom, nor any goodness and truth, has power, an intelligent understanding of truth, and a wise discernment of good, conferred on him by the Lord more than on others. And likewise so with the poor and the needy being rich and affluent; for he is called poor and needy who believes in his heart and with affection that nothing he possesses begins in himself, nor does anything he knows and is wise in, nor does anything he has power in. In heaven he is rich and is affluent, the Lord granting him total wealth since he is wiser and richer than all others and lives in most magnificent palaces, 1116, 1626, 1627, and among the treasures constituting all the riches of heaven.

[5] Take as another example someone who is interested only in external things. Such a person cannot have any conception at all that heavenly joy consists in loving the neighbour more than himself and the Lord above all things, and that happiness depends on the amount and the quality of that love. For one interested only in external things loves himself more than his neighbour, and if he does love others it is because they show him favour; and so he loves them for a selfish reason - and he therefore loves himself in them and them in himself. A person like this cannot know what loving others more than himself is; indeed he does not wish to know, and is incapable of knowing. Consequently when told that heaven consists in such love, 548, he is repelled by the idea. Hence those who have been like this during their lifetime are unable to draw near any heavenly community; and when they do draw near, because they feel repelled by it, they cast themselves down headlong into hell.

[6] Because few at the present day know what it is to be interested in external things and what it is to be interested in internal ones, and because the majority believe that those interested in internal things cannot be interested in external ones, and vice versa, let one further example be introduced to illustrate the matter. Take the nourishment of the body and the nourishment of the soul. A person who is interested in merely external pleasures takes care of his own skin, gratifies his stomach, likes to live sumptuously, and finds that the choicest food and drink yields him the highest pleasure. A person however who is interested in internal things also takes delight in those same pleasures, but his governing affection is to nourish the body with pleasurable foods so that it may be healthy, the end in view being a healthy mind in a healthy body. His primary concern is health of mind, for which health of the body serves as a means. One who is a spiritual man does not stop there but regards health of mind or of the soul as the means provided to acquire intelligence and wisdom, not for the sake of reputation, position, or gain, but for the sake of the life after death. And one who is spiritual in a more interior degree regards intelligence and wisdom as a mediate end enabling him to serve as a useful member in the Lord's kingdom; while one who is celestial regards the same as that which enables him to serve the Lord. To him bodily food is a means to the enjoyment of spiritual food; and spiritual food is a means to the enjoyment of celestial food. And because they ought to serve in this manner those foods also correspond, and are therefore called foods. From these examples one may see what is meant by being interested only in external things and what by being interested in internal ones.

[7] The Jewish and Israelite nation, which is the subject in this chapter in the internal historical sense, apart from those who have died as children, are for the most part such. They more than all others are interested in external things, for they are governed by avarice. Those who do not love profit and gain for the sake of any use, only for the sake of gold and silver, and who focus the whole delight of life in those possessions, dwell in the outermost or lowest places, since they are entirely earthly things which they love. But those loving gold and silver because of some use these may serve are people who rise above earthly things, in accordance with that use. The use itself which a person loves is what gives direction to his life and marks him off from others, an evil use making him like one in hell and a good use like one in heaven. It is not indeed the use itself that does so but the love behind it, for everyone's life is inherent in his love.