411. And many people died from the water, because it was made bitter. This symbolizes the extinction of spiritual life in many people because of the falsification of the Word's truths.

"Many people died" symbolizes the extinction of spiritual life, as a person is called living by virtue of the spiritual life in him, and on the other hand is called dead when his natural life is divorced from spiritual life. "From the water, because it was made bitter," symbolically means, because of the falsification of the Word's truths. That waters are the Word's truths may be seen just above in no. 410. Bitterness symbolizes falsification because the bitterness of wormwood is meant, and wormwood symbolizes hellish falsity (no. 410).

[2] Spiritual life, for a Christian, comes only from the Word's truths, for in them is life. But when the Word's truths have been falsified, and a person interprets them and views them in accordance with falsities connected with his religion, then the spiritual life in him is extinguished. That is because the Word communicates with heaven. Consequently, when a person reads it, the truths in it ascend into heaven, while the falsities to which truths have been attached or joined lead to hell. As a result the person is torn apart, which extinguishes the Word's life. This occurs, however, only in the case of people who use the Word to defend falsities, but not in the case of people who do not defend them.

I have seen people thus torn apart, and I have heard coming from them a noise like that of wood in a fireplace split apart by the fire.

[3] Bitterness symbolizes falsification also in the following passages:

Woe to those who speak good of evil, and evil of good...; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. (Isaiah 24:9)

Something similar is symbolically meant by the little book eaten, which was sweet in the mouth, but made the stomach bitter (Revelation 10:9-10). And by the following:

They came to Marah, but they could not drink the waters for their bitterness... But Jehovah showed him a piece of wood, which he cast into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. (Exodus 15:23-25)

Wood in the Word symbolizes goodness.

Something similar is symbolically meant also by the gourds put into the stew, which caused the company of prophets to cry out, "There is death in the pot!" which Elisha cured by putting in some flour (2 Kings 4:38-41).

Flour symbolizes truth arising from goodness.