Esodo 22:8
To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.
Arcana Coelestia #9226
9226. Seven days it shall be with its mother. That this signifies their first state, when they are in truths, is evident from the signification of “seven days,” as being the first state of those who are being regenerated, for “days” denote states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 5672, 5962, 8426, 9213), and “seven” denotes from the beginning to the end, thus what is full (n. 728, 6508); and from the signification of “mother,” as being the church as to truth, thus also the truth of the church (n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897). From this it follows that by “seven days it shall be with its mother” is signified the first state to the full, that is, an entire state from beginning to end, while they are in truths. How the case herein is will be told in the following article.
Arcana Coelestia #4257
4257. Lest he come and smite me, the mother upon the sons. That this signifies that it is about to perish, is evident without explication. “To smite the mother upon the sons” was a form of speech among the ancients who were in representatives and significatives, signifying the destruction of the church and of all things that are of the church, either in general or in particular with the man who is a church. For by “mother” they understood the church (see n. 289, 2691, 2717), and by “sons” the truths that are of the church (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373). Hence “to smite the mother upon the sons” denotes to perish altogether. Man also perishes altogether when the church and what belongs to the church in him perishes, that is, when the affection of truth, which is properly signified by “mother,” and which produces the church in man, is destroyed.
