6949. And it became a serpent. That this signifies the sensuous and corporeal man separate from the internal, is evident from the signification of a “serpent,” as being a man who reasons from things sensuous (see n. 195-197, 6398, 6399), thus the sensuous of man; and as by “serpent” is signified the sensuous, it signifies also the corporeal, for what the sensuous has, it has from the senses of the body. And because, regarded in itself, the sensuous is such as has been described just above (n. 6948), the “serpent” also (which is the sensuous), signifies all evil in general (n. 251, 254, 257). That by the “serpent” is here meant the sensuous and corporeal man separated from the internal or rational, is evident from the fact that Moses fled from before it, whereby is signified horror of it; and also from the fact that by this sign is described the state of those of the spiritual church, if they did not have faith; for then their internal would be closed, nor would more of the light of heaven flow in, than to enable them to think, and from this to speak, from the sensuous separated. All those think from the sensuous separated who defend falsities against truths, and evils against goods; in a word, all who are in evil of life, and thence in no faith, for he who lives evilly, believes nothing. Such persons excel others in the gift of reasoning, and also of persuading, especially the simple, for the reason that they speak from the fallacies of the senses, and from appearances in the world. They also know how to extinguish or veil truths by fallacies, whence also by “serpents” are signified cunning and craftiness. But when the sensuous has been conjoined with the internal, or rightly subordinated to the rational, then by a “serpent” is signified prudence and circumspection (see n. 197, 4211, 6398).

6398. Dan shall be a serpent upon the way. That this signifies their reasoning about truth because good does not as yet lead, is evident from the representation of Dan, as being those who are in truth and not yet in good (see n. 6396); from the signification of a “serpent,” as being reasoning from what is sensuous (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “way,” as being truth (n. 627, 2333). Thus by “Dan being a serpent upon the way” is signified their reasoning about truth, because good does not yet lead. The quality of this reasoning and of the consequent truth, will be told in what follows.

[2] That a “serpent” denotes reasoning from what is sensuous, is because the interiors of man are represented in heaven by animals of various kinds, and hence in the Word the like are signified by the same animals. The sensuous things of man were represented by serpents because sensuous things are the lowest things in man, and are relatively earthly, and as it were creeping; as may also be seen from the forms through which sensuous things flow, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere. Hence these sensuous things were represented by serpents, and even the Lord’s Divine sensuous was represented by the brazen serpent in the wilderness (n. 4211); and prudence and circumspection, in externals, is signified by “serpents” in Matthew:

Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

But when a man is in what is sensuous, remote from what is internal, as are those who are in truth and not yet in good, and speaks from what is sensuous, then by the “serpent” is signified reasoning; here therefore, where Dan is treated of, is signified reasoning about truth, because good does not yet lead. In other cases malice, cunning, and deceit, are signified by “serpents,” but by poisonous serpents, as by “vipers” and the like, the reasoning of which is poison. (That the “serpent” denotes reasoning from what is sensuous may be seen above,n. 195-197; also that the “serpent” denotes all evil in general; and that evils are distinguished by different kinds of serpents n. 251, 254, 257)