8285. 'It eats them up like stubble' means consequent devastation and damnation, for which they themselves are responsible. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating up' as consuming, and in the spiritual sense as devastating and damning, the consumption of those immersed in evil being devastation and damnation. For then they are not influenced by any truth at all but are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil, as a consequence of which they no longer have any spiritual life. The expression 'like stubble' is used because complete vastation, that is devastation, is meant.

7307. 'Behold, he goes out to the water' means that at this time those who molested were steeped in falsities resulting from illusions. This is clear from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as those who molest, dealt with previously; and from the meaning of 'the water', here the water of Egypt, as falsities resulting from illusions. The reason why these falsities - falsities resulting from illusions - are meant here is that such falsities are what is meant by 'the serpent' that Aaron's rod was turned into, 7293. For the meaning of 'water' as truths and in the contrary sense falsities, see 739, 790, 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668; and for 'the river of Egypt' as falsity, 6693.