7323. 'Over their rivers, over their streams' means against teachings that consist of falsity. This is clear from the meaning of 'rivers' and 'streams' as teachings. For 'water' means falsities, see above in 7307, and therefore 'rivers' and 'streams', which are gatherings of them, are teachings, here teachings consisting of falsity. 'Rivers' are attributes of intelligence, and so are matters of truth, see 2702, 30511 and therefore in the contrary sense they are the opposite of intelligence, and so are matters of falsity.

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.