1600. The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly. That this signifies the cupidities to which the memory-knowledges extended themselves, is evident from the signification of “Sodom,” explained before, as being cupidities; and from the signification of “the men [viri],” as being intellectual and rational things, here, memory-knowledges, because they are predicated of the external man when separated from the internal. That “men” signify intellectual and rational things, was also shown above (n. 265, 749, 1007). Memory-knowledges are said to extend themselves to cupidities, when they are learned with no other end than that the man may become great; not that they may serve him for use, that he may thereby become good. All memory-knowledges are for the end that a man may become rational, and thus wise; and that thereby he may serve the internal man.

1007. From the hand of man [homo]. That this is from all of his will, and that “from the hand of the “brother man” [viri fratris], is from all of his intellectual, is evident from the signification of “man”—for the essential and life of man is his will, and such as the will is, such is the man-and from the signification of a “brother man.” The intellectual in man is called “brother man” as shown before (n. 367). Whether it be a true intellectual, a spurious intellectual, or a false intellectual, it is still called a “brother man”; for the understanding is called “man” [vir] (n. 158, 265), and the “brother” of the will (n. 367). “Man [homo]” and “man [vir] brother” are here mentioned, and the unclean will and unclean intellectual are so called, because profanation is here treated of, no mention or representation of which is tolerated in heaven, but is at once rejected. For this reason such mild terms are here used, and the meaning of the words of this verse is in a manner ambiguous, that it may not be known in heaven that such things are contained in it.