9320. For destroying thou shalt destroy them. That this signifies that evils must be wholly removed, is evident from the signification of “destroying,” when said of the evils and falsities which are signified by the nations of the land of Canaan and by their gods, as being to remove. That “to destroy” denotes to remove, is because those who are in good and truth never destroy those who are in evil and falsity, but only remove them; for the reason that they act from good, and not from evil; and good is from the Lord, who never destroys anyone. But those who are in evil and from it in falsity endeavor to destroy, and as far as they are able do destroy, those who are in good, for the reason that they act from evil. But because they then run counter to the good which is from the Lord, thus counter to the Divine, they destroy themselves, that is, they cast themselves headlong into damnation and into hell. Such is the law of order, as may be seen above (n. 4299, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7926, 7989, 8137, 8146, 8265, 8945, 8946).

[2] That the Israelites and the Jews destroyed the nations of the land of Canaan, was because the former represented spiritual and heavenly things, and the nations infernal and diabolical things, which cannot possibly be together; for they are opposites. The reason why the Israelites were permitted to destroy the nations, was that there was no church among the Israelites, but only the representative of a church, and consequently the Lord was not present with them except representatively (n. 4307); for they were in external things without anything internal; that is, they were in a worship representative of good and truth, but not in good and truth. Such people are permitted to destroy, to kill, to exterminate, and to devote to destruction; but this is not permitted to those who are in external things and at the same time in internal things, because these people must act from good, and good is from the Lord.

[3] That the Jews and Israelites were of such a character is openly declared by Moses:

Speak not thou in thine heart, after that Jehovah thy God hath thrust the nations out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land. Not for thy righteousness, and for the uprightness of thine heart; for thou art a stiffnecked people (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).

They are a nation ruined in counsels, neither is there any understanding in them. Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall; their clusters of bitterness; their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps. Is not this hidden away with Me, sealed up in My treasuries (Deuteronomy 32:28, 32-34);

in the internal sense “a vine” signifies the church (n. 1069, 5113, 6375, 6376, 9277); “grapes,” and “clusters,” signify the internal and external goods of that church (n. 1071, 5117, 6378); and “wine” signifies the internal truth of that church (n. 1071, 1798, 6377). From this it is plain what is signified by “their vine being of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah,” “their grapes, grapes of gall, and their clusters of bitterness,” and “their wine the poison of dragons and the cruel gall of asps.” That these things are known to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, is signified by its being “hidden away with Him, and sealed up in His treasuries.”

[4] In John:

Jesus said to the Jews, Ye are of your father the devil, and the desire of your father ye will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

Consequently they are called “a depraved and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39); and also “an offspring of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7). That such was their nature was also described by the Lord in parables (Matthew 21:33-45; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 14:16-24; 20:9-19). (That that nation was the worst of all; that when in worship they were in external things without any internal; that there was no church among them, but only the representative of a church; and that nevertheless they could represent the internal things of the church, see n. 3398, 3479, 3480, 3732, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288-4290, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4500, 4503, 4680, 4815, 4818, 4820, 4825, 4832, 4837, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4868, 4874, 4899, 4903, 4911-4913, 5057, 5998, 6304, 6832, 6877, 7048, 7051, 7248, 7401, 7439, 8301, 8588, 8788, 8806, 8814, 8819, 8871, 8882, 9284)

4865. And thought her to be a harlot. That this signifies no otherwise than as falsity, is evident from the signification of a “harlot,” as being falsity (n. 2466, 2729, 3399); and thus it means that the Jewish nation from its religiosity regards the internal of the church no otherwise than as falsity. That a “harlot” denotes falsity, is because marriage represents the heavenly marriage, which is of good and truth, the husband representing good, and the wife truth; and hence sons represent truths, and daughters goods; and son-in-law and daughter-in-law, father-in-law and mother-in-law, and the several relationships, according to their degrees, represent those things which are of the heavenly marriage. Therefore adulteries and harlotries, being opposite, signify evil and falsity; and they are opposite in reality, for those who spend their lives in adultery and harlotry care nothing for good and truth. The reason is, that genuine conjugial love descends from the heavenly marriage, that is, from the marriage of good and truth; but adulteries and harlotries arise from the conjunction of evil and falsity, which is from hell (see n. 2727-2759).

[2] That the Jewish nation regarded, and also at this day regards, the internal things of the church no otherwise than as falsities, is what is signified by Judah’s regarding Tamar his daughter-in-law no otherwise than as a harlot, and by his conjoining himself with her as with a harlot. By this origin of that nation is represented the origin and quality of their religiosity. That this nation regards the internal of the church as a harlot, or as falsity, is very evident. As for example, if anyone tells them that it is an internal of the church that the Messiah-whose coming is predicted in the prophetic parts of the Word and whom they therefore expect-is the Lord, they utterly reject it as false. If anyone tells them that it is an internal of the church that the Messiah’s kingdom is not worldly and temporal, but heavenly and eternal, they pronounce this also to be false. If anyone tells them that the rituals of their church represented the Messiah and His heavenly kingdom, they do not know what this means.

[3] If anyone tells them that the internal of the church is the good of charity, and the truth of faith in doctrine and at the same time in life, they regard it as no otherwise than false. And so in all other instances. Nay, at the mere suggestion of the church having an internal, they laugh stupidly. The reason is that they are solely in externals, and indeed in the lowest of externals, namely, the love of earthly things; for they above all other men are in avarice, which is altogether earthly. Such men cannot possibly regard the interior things of the church in any other way; for they are more remote from heavenly light than the rest of mankind, thus above all others are in thick darkness.