8200. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. That this signifies the rule of the power of truth Divine over hell, is evident from the signification of “stretching out the hand,” as being the rule of power (see n. 7673, 8183); from the representation of Moses, as being truth Divine (of which frequently); and from the signification of “the sea,” here the sea Suph, as being hell (n. 8099, 8137, 8138). It is said “the rule of the power of truth Divine,” because all Divine power is through the truth which proceeds from the Lord. This created all things, according to this in John:

All things were made by means of the Word, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3);

“the Word” denotes the Lord as to Divine truth; by means of this truth all things in heaven and in hell are set in order; from this also is all order on the earth; all the miracles were brought by means of it; in short, Divine truth has in it all power, insomuch that it is power itself. There are some in the other life who are in truth in advance of others, and they are in such power therefrom that they can pass through the hells without any danger. They who are in the hells flee in every direction at their presence. There are some also who by means of truth from the Divine exercise power magically. Of the Lord’s Divine mercy more shall be said of both of these at the end of the chapters, when the hells will be spoken of. They who pay attention to the causes of things from things external and earthly, cannot perceive otherwise than that truth from the Divine is a mere affair of thought, of no real essence; but on the contrary it is the veriest essentiality from which are all the essences of things in both worlds, the spiritual and the natural.

8137. And I will be glorified. That this signifies that they should see a Divine effect from the Divine Human of the Lord in the dissipation of falsity, is evident from the signification of “to be glorified,” when said of Jehovah or the Lord, as being a Divine effect, here from His Divine Human, because by coming into the world and assuming the Human and making it Divine, the Lord cast into the hells all evils and falsities, and reduced the heavens into order, and also liberated from damnation those who were of the spiritual church (see n. 6854, 6914, 7091, 7828, 7932, 8018). These things are in general signified by “being glorified,” but here there is signified that they who had infested the well-disposed should be cast into hell, and there encompassed about with falsities as with waters of a sea, and this as a Divine effect from the mere presence of the Lord.

[2] To show how the case herein is, it shall be further unfolded. There are as many hells as there are genera and species of evils, each hell being separated from others as it were by rain-storms, clouds, or waters. In the other life evils and falsities appear before the eyes of spirits as rain-storms and clouds, and also as waters; the falsities from evils of those who have been of the spiritual church and have lived evilly, appear as waters; but the falsities from evils of those who have been of the celestial church, appear as rain-storms. They who are in the hells appear to be thus encompassed, with a difference everywhere in respect to amount and kind, density and rarity, thick darkness and dimness, according to the genus and species of the falsity from evil. The hell where they are who have lived in faith separate from charity and in a life of evil, is encompassed as by the waters of a sea; the falsities of evil do not indeed appear as waters to those who are there, but to those who look from without. Above that sea, where these are, are the hells of adulterers; these are above, because in the internal sense adulteries denote adulterations of good and the consequent perversions of truth, thus they denote evils from which come falsities contrary to the truths and goods of faith (n. 2466, 2729, 3399), being such falsities as are with those who are in the hell beneath, and who have lived contrary to the truth of the church, and have made its good of no account, and therefore have also adulterated and perverted everything that is said in the Word about good, that is, about charity toward the neighbor and about love to God.

[3] As regards the “glorification in Pharaoh and in his army,” this here denotes immersion in this hell and being encompassed by waters as of a sea at the mere presence of the Lord, as was said above. For the evil flee from the presence of the Lord, that is, the presence of the good and truth that are from Him, feeling horror and torment at their mere approach; and also by reason of this presence they become encompassed about with their own evils and falsities, for these then burst forth from them; and indeed these evils and falsities encompass and are interposed in order to prevent the Divine from flowing in and tormenting them. This is the Divine effect which is here signified by the “glorification in Pharaoh and in his army.” That this effect is from the Divine Human of the Lord, is because, as before said, by the Lord’s coming into the world and assuming the Human and making it Divine, He cast all falsities and evils into hell, and reduced truths and goods in the heavens into order, and liberated from damnation those who were of the spiritual church.