The Bible

 

Exodus 14

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1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

   

Commentary

 

Remove

  

As with many verbs, the meaning of "remove" in the Bible varies a good bit depending on context. It generally involves a separation of spiritual states, and in most cases specifically refers to a kind of sorting-out process to separate true ideas from false ones.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 932, 3993, 4544, 6371, 7392, 9258; The Apocalypse Explained 811 [6])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7392

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7392. 'To remove the frogs from me, and from my people' means in order that they might not be compelled to use reasonings arising from utter falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'removing' as not being compelled, for what caused the pleading was weariness resulting from their being compelled to use reasonings arising from utter falsities; from the meaning of 'the frogs' as reasonings arising from utter falsities, dealt with in 7351, 7352; and from the representation of Pharaoh, and also of the Egyptians, as those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation, dealt with often.

[2] With regard to that weariness which is the cause of the pleading or self-abasement in those who engage in molestation, it should be recognized that those people find this undelightful; for they are unable to do evil by the use of reasonings that arise from utter falsities, since the upright - who at this point are those members of the Lord's spiritual Church whom they were molesting - laugh at utter falsities, which are contradictions of the truth. But they were able to do evil through their use of falsities based on illusions and appearances, by which they falsify truths, such truths being meant by 'the blood' into which the waters of Egypt were turned, 7317, 7326; for illusions and appearances mislead people since they cast a sort of shadow or veil over truths. Because they are unable to do any evil through their use of reasonings arising from utter falsities, that is, arising from total contradictions of the truth, they have found them to be undelightful and therefore beg to have them taken away. For nothing delights those in hell except doing evil, in whatever possible way. Indeed doing evil is the very delight of their life; so great is it that it constitutes their whole life. When therefore they are not allowed to do it weariness overtakes them. This is the reason why Pharaoh begged to have the plague of frogs taken away, but not that of blood described above, nor that of the lice described below. For 'the plague of frogs' means molestation through the use of reasonings arising from utter falsities, by the use of which however they are unable to do any evil; but 'the plague of blood' means molestation by the use of falsities arising from illusions and appearances, a molestation which gives them delight because they are able to do ill by means of it. And 'the plague of lice' means evils which give them delight because they are evils.

[3] A feeling of delight in doing evil exists in the next life with all those who in the world do not do good to their neighbour for their neighbour's sake, to their country for their country's sake, or to the Church for the Church's sake, but for their own sake. Consequently they do not do what is true and good for the sake of what is true and good. The fact that their delight consists in doing evil is not evident in the world because the external man conceals it. But in the next life, when superficial things are taken away and a person is left with what he is inwardly, that delight then emerges and reveals itself. So it is that such people are in hell; for those who are there all love to do evil, whereas those in heaven all love to do good.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.