526. And the third part of them was darkened.- That this signifies that all those things were changed into falsities of evil, and into the evils of falsity, is evident from the signification of darkness which denotes falsities, and hence of being darkened which denotes to be changed into falsities. The reason why it denotes to be changed into the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity is, that it is said the third part of the sun was darkened, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the sun signifies the good of love, the moon, the good and truth of faith, and the stars, the cognitions of good and truth. Therefore the third part of the sun being darkened, signifies that the good of love was changed into evil, and the falsity thence, which is the falsity of evil. For good is changed into evil, and thence falsity, but the truth of faith, signified by the moon, is changed into falsity, and thence evil, which is the evil of falsity. The evil of falsity is the falsity of doctrine, from which proceeds evil of life, and the falsity of evil is evil of life, from which proceeds falsity of doctrine.

[2] The reason why darkness signifies falsity, is, that light signifies truth, and falsity is the opposite of truth, as darkness is of light. Moreover, when a man does not possess the light of life, which is the Divine Truth, the shadow of death is then in him, which is falsity. For man, from his proprium, is in every evil, and the falsity therefrom, and he can be removed from them only by means of the truths of the church; where therefore there are no truths, there the falsities of evil are. That truths are the only means by which man can be removed from evils, purified and reformed, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 24).

[3] That darkness in the Word, signifies falsities of various kinds, is evident from the following passages.

In Joel:

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come" (2:31).

By the sun being turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, is signified the same as by the third part of the sun and the third part of the moon being darkened, namely, that at the end of the church the falsity of evil will be in the place of the good of love, and the evil of falsity in the place of the truth of faith. Similar things are signified elsewhere also in the Word, where mention is made of the darkening of the sun and moon.

[4] Thus in Isaiah:

"For the stars of the heavens, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (13:10; 24:21, 23).

In Ezekiel:

"When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens; and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land" (32:7, 8).

Again, in Joel:

"The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (3:14, 15).

In the same:

"The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of cloud, and obscurity, the earth quaketh before him, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (2:1, 2, 10).

And in the Evangelists:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24, 25).

These things are said concerning the last time of the church, when there are no longer any spiritual good and truth, or good and truth of heaven and the church, but only evil and falsity. That the goods and truths of the church, which are called the goods of love and the truths of faith, are changed into evils and falsities, is signified by the sun and moon being obscured and darkened, and the stars not giving their light. The last judgment, which then follows, is signified by the day of Jehovah great and terrible; and because this takes place when the church is in darkness and thick darkness, therefore it is also called a day of darkness, and of thick darkness, and also a day of cloud and obscurity, as also in the following passages.

[5] In Amos:

"Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! what to you is the day of Jehovah? It is a day of darkness and not light. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even thick darkness, and no brightness in it?" (5:18, 20).

And in Zephaniah:

"The day of Jehovah, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and gloominess" (1:14, 15).

And in Isaiah:

"In that day he shall look into the land, which behold is darkness and sorrow, and the light becomes darkened in the ruins thereof" (5:30).

And again:

"He shall look unto the earth; and, behold, distress and thick darkness, the gloom of straitness; and driven with thick darkness" (8:22).

And again:

"Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the people" (60:2).

So in Jeremiah:

"Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, then shall we look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it thick darkness" (13:16).

These passages also relate to the last time of the church, when the Lord shall come into the world, and judgment be accomplished; because at that time there is no longer any good of love, or truth of faith, but evil of falsity, and the falsity of evil, that day is therefore called a day of darkness and of thick darkness.

[6] The same is signified by the darkness over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth, when the Lord was crucified (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-49). By the darkness over all the land was represented, that in the entire church there was nothing but evil and the falsity thence and the falsity and the evil thence. The three hours also signify what is full and absolute; for all the details related in the Evangelists concerning the passion of the Lord, contain in them interior things of heaven, and signify celestial Divine things, and these can be made evident only by means of the internal spiritual sense.

[7] That falsity is signified by darkness, is still further evident from the following passages.

Thus in Isaiah:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (5:20).

To put darkness for light, and light for darkness, signifies to call falsity truth, and truth falsity; that darkness denotes falsity and light truth, is clear, for good and evil are first mentioned, afterwards therefore, truth and falsity.

[8] So in John:

"And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, for their works were evil" (3:19).

The Lord here calls Himself the light because He was the Divine Truth itself when in the world; therefore light signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, and also Divine Truth from the Lord; and because darkness is opposed to light, therefore the darkness which men loved rather than the light, signifies the infernal falsity, which is the falsity of evil. That the falsity of evil is here meant by darkness, is evident from the words, for their works were evil. The falsity of evil exists from evil works or evils of the life; for as good conjoins to itself truth, so evil conjoins to itself falsity, the one is from the other.

[9] Similar things are signified by light and by darkness in the following passages in John:

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (1:4, 5).

Again:

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).

And again:

Jesus said, "Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in darkness" (12:35, 46).

In these passages darkness signifies infernal falsity. For light of which darkness is the opposite, signifies Divine truth. Light signifies Divine Truth, because light in the heavens in its essence, is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; see in the Heaven and Hell 126-140). Since the Divine Truth is the light in the heavens, it follows that the falsity of evil, which is the falsity in the hells, is darkness; it does not indeed appear as darkness to those who are in the hells, for they do see one another, but the light (lumen) by which they see is like that from ignited charcoal, and such light, when the light of heaven flows into it, becomes complete darkness. For this reason the caverns and dens in which [the infernals] are, appear, to those who are in the heavens, like gloomy caves.

[10] From these considerations it is evident why darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and why the Lord said that those who are cast into hell should be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

So in David:

"The enemy persecuteth my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to sit in darkness, as the dead of the world" (Psalm 143:3).

Here, by the enemy who persecuteth his soul, is signified, in the spiritual sense, evil; therefore his being made to sit in darkness, signifies to be in falsities.

[11] So in Isaiah:

"Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us; we look for light, but, behold darkness; for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness" (59:9).

By judgment is far from us, is signified that there is no understanding of truth; neither doth justice overtake us, signifies that there is no good of life; we look for light, but, behold, darkness, signifies expectation of truth, but behold falsity; and for brightness, but we walk in thick darkness, signifies the expectation of goods by truths, but behold the life of falsity from evils. For brightness signifies the goods of truth, because light signifies truth, and truth is resplendent from good; thick darkness signifies the falsities of evil, and to walk signifies to live.

[12] So in Luke:

"But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (22:53).

This the Lord said to the chief priests, the rulers of the temple, and the elders who took Him by means of Judas. The power to do this wickedness the Lord calls the power of darkness, because they were in the falsities of evil, in falsities concerning the Lord, and in evils against Him; by darkness is here also meant hell, because such falsities of evil are there.

[13] So again:

The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye is clear, thy whole body also shall be full of light; but if thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp doth give thee light" (11:34, 35, 36; Matthew 6:22, 23).

The eye here signifies the understanding, and the pure or single eye, the understanding of truth from good; but the evil eye signifies the understanding of falsity from evil; the body which is said to be either full of light or darkness, signifies the whole man. It may then be concluded that the signification of these words in their series, is, that the whole man is of such a nature as the quality of his understanding from the will. For every man is his own good and his own truth, because he is his own love or his own affection, therefore his nature is entirely such as that of his understanding from the will. For all truth is of the understanding, and all good of the will; the body being only obedience, because it is the effect from an efficient cause, and the efficient cause is the understanding from the will; the quality therefore of the one is according to the quality of the other, since every effect derives all that it has from the efficient cause. That care must be taken, lest truth once perceived in the understanding and received into the will, be turned into falsity, which is done from evil, is meant by, "Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness," for falsities consequently become worse; therefore it is said in Matthew in the passage already quoted, "If, therefore, the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."

[14] Darkness also signifies the falsities of evil in the prophet Isaiah:

"Sit thou silent, and enter into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for they shall call thee no more the mistress of kingdoms" (47:5).

Here, the daughter of the Chaldeans signifies the falsification of truth, and hence darkness signifies the falsities of evil, since evil falsifies truth. The falsity of evil was also signified by the thick darkness, which was over all the land of Egypt, during three days, while the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (Exodus 10:21, 22, 23); also by the darkness in Genesis 15:12, 17, and in many other passages.

[15] It has been shown so far, that darkness, in the Word, signifies the falsities of evil; that darkness also signifies falsities not of evil, such as were the falsities of religion with the upright Gentiles, originating in ignorance of the truth [shall now be shown]. That these falsities are also called darkness, is clear from the following passages:

In Isaiah:

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (9:2).

And in Matthew:

"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (4:16).

And in Luke:

The dayspring from on high hath appeared "to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (1:78, 79).

Again, in Isaiah:

"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noon day (58:10).

Again:

"He shall say to the bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves" (49:9).

Again, in the same prophet:

"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness" (29:18).

And again:

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight (42:16).

And in Micah:

"When I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be a light unto me" (7:8).

In these passages, darkness signifies the falsities of ignorance, such as formerly existed, and at this day exist, with the upright Gentiles. These falsities are altogether distinct from the falsities of evil, for the latter contain in themselves evil, because they are from evil, while the former contain in themselves good, for they have good for an end. Those therefore who are in those falsities can be instructed in truths, and also when instructed they receive truths in the heart, because the good, which is in their falsities, loves the truth, and also conjoins itself with the truth when it is heard. The case is different with the falsities of evil; these are averse to, and reject all truth, because it is truth, and does not therefore agree with evil.

[16] In the Word, darkness also signifies mere ignorance arising from the deprivation of truth; as in David (Psalm 18:29; Psalm 139:11, 12). Darkness also signifies natural light (lumen naturale), for this, in comparison with spiritual light, is like darkness; wherefore also the angels, when they look down into the natural light of man, such as is in the natural cognition of men, regard it as darkness, and the things which are in it, as in darkness; this light (lumen), is signified by the darkness mentioned in Genesis (Micah 1:2-5). And because the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, therefore this also in the Word is called a cloud, and also darkness, in comparison with the internal sense, which is the light of heaven, and is called glory.

537. And he opened the well of the abyss.- That this signifies communication and conjunction with the hells, where and whence such falsities are, is evident from the signification of opening, which here denotes to communicate and conjoin, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the well of the abyss, which denotes the hell where and whence such falsities are. The reason why these hells are called in the Word wells of the abyss, is because a well signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, and the truth of doctrine thence, but in the opposite sense the Word falsified, and the falsity of doctrine thence. The abyss and the depth of the sea signify hell. The reason why this signifies the hell where those are who falsified the truths of the Word by application to evils of life, is, because to those who are above, those hells appear like seas, and those therein as if in the depths of them. I have seen those seas or hells, and also those who are in the depths of them, and also they have spoken with me therefrom, and said that they were not in waters, but on dry ground. It is therefore evident, that the waters of those seas are appearances corresponding to the falsities in which the inhabitants are. The waters of those seas are grosser and denser according to the falsifications, and also the depths are various according to the evils from which they are falsified.

[2] But the signification of abyss in the Word will be stated below. The reason why the opening of the well of the abyss signifies communication and conjunction with such hells, is, that the hells are not opened except when evil spirits enter, which takes place when they have spent their period in the world of spirits; for no evil spirit is allowed to go out from hell, after he has been once cast in thither, and if he should go out, he would presently fall back thither. But every man is conjoined with spirits who are in the world of spirits, and with spirits of a quality agreeing with his own; therefore the man who falsifies the Word, by applying it to evils of life, and to falsities confirming those evils, is conjoined with similar spirits, and through them with those hells that are in similar falsities. Every man after death becomes a spirit, and is then immediately bound either to infernal, or to heavenly societies, according to his life in the world; and all spirits, before they are cast down into hell, or raised into heaven, are at first in the world of spirits, and at that time with men who live in the world, the evil spirits with the evil, and the good with the good; by means of these man has communication and conjunction either with the hells or with the heavens. It is therefore plain, that opening the well does not signify to open hell, but communication, and by means of communication, to have conjunction with hell. From all the hells, also, falsities of evil exhale in great abundance, in which are the spirits who are in the world of spirits, and at the same time those men who are in similar falsities in our world. Neither spirit nor man can be any where else, than where the love of his life is, for that which a man loves, this he wills, thinks, and breathes. Concerning the nature of the world of spirits, see Heaven and Hell 421-431).

[3] A well signifies the Word and the truth of doctrine, and, in the opposite sense, the Word falsified, and thence the falsity of doctrine, because wells contain waters, and waters signify truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities, as shewn above (n. 71, 483, 518). That a well signifies both the latter and the former, is clear from the following passages in the Word.

In Moses:

"They journeyed to Beer; that is the well whereof Jehovah spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them waters. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; answer ye from it; the princes digged the well, the willing people digged it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver with their staves" (Num. 21:16, 17, 18).

That a well here signifies the truth of doctrine from the Word, is evident from the song which Israel sang concerning it. That the well should spring up, and they should answer from it, signifies that doctrine from the Word should teach truth, and that they should receive it. The calling forth of truth is signified by, "Spring up, O well," and reception and instruction by, "answer ye from it." The princes digged the well, the willing people digged it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver, with their staves, signifies that those who are in truths and in the goods of truths are enlightened by the Lord, and from Him search out and collect doctrine by means of the Word. Princes denote those who are in truths; the willing people, those who are in the goods of truth; and to dig denotes to search out and collect; lawgiver signifies the Lord as to the Word, and as to doctrine from the Word, and staves signify power and strength of mind, here, from the Lord, by means of the Word, for it is said, by [direction of] the lawgiver. It is therefore evident, what the well here signifies. Israel sang a song concerning this well, because Beer, in the original tongue signifies a well, and a well, in the spiritual sense, signifies the Word and doctrine from the Word. Similarly Beersheba, which is frequently mentioned in the historical parts of the Word.

[4] The same is meant by Jacob's well, at which the Lord sat, and conversed with the woman of Samaria, to whom He said:

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, [Give me to drink]; thou wouldst ask of him" water, "and he would give thee living water, which shall become a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life" (John 4:6-15).

The reason why the Lord spoke with the woman of Samaria at that well, was, that by the woman of Samaria is meant the church to be established amongst the Gentiles, and by the Samaritans, who are also mentioned in other passages, are meant the Gentiles, who would receive doctrine from Him, and concerning Him. The well signified doctrine from the Word; the water, the truth of doctrine; and the Lord sitting at the well, the Word or Divine Truth. That salvation is from the Lord by means of Divine Truth from the Word, is signified by the water which He would give becoming a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life.

[5] The same is also meant by Jacob's well as by the wells which the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug, and about which they strove with the servants of Abimelech (Genesis 21:25; 26:15, 18-22, 25, 32). The wells which the servants of Abraham and the servants of Isaac dug, signify truths of doctrine, because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Word, mean the Lord. But Abimelech king of Gerar, or of the Philistines, means those who place salvation in truths alone without the good of life, just as those who are in faith alone do at this day. And because all truth is from good, or the all of faith is from charity, and because those who separate and shut out good from truth, or charity from faith, do not possess any genuine truth of doctrine, but all the truth of the Word with them is as the meaning of the words merely without any perception of the thing, thus like a shell without a kernel, therefore they quarrel about the truths of faith. This was represented and signified by the strifes of the servants of Abimelech with the servants of Abraham and Isaac concerning the wells. There is an internal spiritual sense in the historical parts of the Word, as well as in the prophetical parts of it, as is evident from the Arcana Coelestia, where the historical facts contained in Genesis and Exodus are explained in regard to their internal spiritual sense, and also the circumstances related concerning the wells of Abraham and Isaac. For what other reason would historical facts regarding wells be related in the Word?

[6] In Luke:

"Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?" (14:5).

The reason why there was a statute to this purpose enjoined on the Israelites and Jewish nation, was, on account of the spiritual sense contained in it. For all the statutes, judgments, and precepts, given to the children of Israel, signified spiritual things pertaining to heaven and the church. This statute therefore signified that if any one falls into falsity and evil, he must be brought out of it by the truth taught from the Lord on the sabbath day. A well, in the above passage, signifies falsity and the evil of falsity. An ass and an ox signify the truth and good of the natural man; by falling into the well is signified falling into falsity and the evil of falsity; by being drawn out on the sabbath day, is signified to be instructed and consequently led out of these. For the sabbath day there signifies the Lord as to instruction and doctrine, therefore He calls Himself Lord of the Sabbath. That an ass signifies the truth of the natural man, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2781, 5741); and that ox signifies the good of the natural man (n. 2180, 2566, 9134), in the same.

[7] Nearly similar is the spiritual sense contained in these words of Moses:

"And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of it; and the dead beast shall be his" (Exodus 21:33, 34).

Here, by a man opening a pit, is signified if any one shall propagate any falsity which he possesses; or if a man shall dig a pit, signifies if he shall frame or hatch falsity; and an ox or an ass fall therein, signifies the perversion of good and truth in the Natural pertaining to another. The owner of the pit shall make it good, signifies that he with whom the falsity originates, shall amend it; and give money to the owner of it, signifies, by means of truth in him whose good and truth in the Natural has been perverted; and the dead beast shall be his, signifies that the evil, or the falsity, remains with him. These things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 9084-9089). Here a pit (fovea) has a similar signification to well (puteus).

[8] Thus also in Matt.:

"Blind leaders of the blind. If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a pit" (15:14; Luke 6:39).

This the Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees, who, although they had the Word, in which all Divine truths are, yet understood nothing of truth; and because they taught falsities, which were also believed by the people, they are therefore called blind leaders of the blind. The blind in the Word denote those who do not understand truth; and because a pit signifies falsity, it is said that they shall both fall into it.

[9] So in David:

"Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the well shut her mouth upon me" (Psalm 69:14, 15).

That well here signifies the hell where and whence falsities are, is clear, for it is said, "let not the well shut her mouth upon me," that is, let not the hell whence falsities are, or the falsities from hell, wholly possess me, so as to prevent my escape. The mire, out of which it is said, "deliver me, and let me not sink," denotes from the evil of falsity, lest I perish; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters, signifies to be liberated from the evils and falsities that are from the hells, haters denoting evils thence, and deep waters denoting falsities therefrom; neither let the deep swallow me up, signifies let not the hell where the falsities of evil are, or the falsities of evil from hell.

[10] Again:

"They make their mouth smooth as butter, and when he draws near the heart of anyone, his words are softer than oil, yet are they drawn swords. Thou, O God, shalt cast them down into the well of the pit" (Psalm 55:21, 23).

These things are said of those who pretend to have good affections while they speak falsities by means of which they entice. To make the mouth soft as butter, signifies good simulated by the affections, butter denoting the good of external affection. Their words being softer than oil, has a similar signification, oil denoting the good of internal affection; yet are they drawn swords, signifies when yet they are falsities which destroy good and truth, drawn swords denoting falsities destroying. Thou, O God, shalt cast them down into the well of the pit, signifies into the hell where destructive falsities of that kind exist.

[11] Because pits (foveoe) have nearly the same signification in the Word as wells (putei), for they are like wells, I will also adduce some passages concerning them.

In Jeremiah:

"Their nobles have sent their little ones to no waters; they came to the pits, and found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty" (14:3)

Nobles signify those who lead and teach others, little ones, those who are led and taught, and waters, truths; the signification of their nobles sending their little ones to the waters is therefore evident. By the pits in which there were no waters are signified doctrinals in which there were no truths, whence the signification of their coming to the pits and finding no water is evident. That they had no knowledge (scientia) or understanding of truth, is signified by their returning with their vessels empty, vessels denoting in the Word things recipient of truth, consequently scientifics and intellectual things.

[12] So in Zechariah:

"By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit wherein is no water" (9:11).

This is spoken respecting the liberation of the faithful by the Lord, who were detained in the lower earth until His coming; and also concerning the enlightening of the Gentiles who were in falsities from ignorance. The blood of thy covenant signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, consequently the Word, which is called a covenant, because there is conjunction by means of it, a covenant denoting conjunction. The bound in the pit where there is no water, mean those who are in falsities from ignorance; pit here denoting doctrine not of truth, and also the lower earth where those who were in falsities from ignorance were detained until the coming of the Lord; wherein is no water, denotes where there is no truth. They are called bound, because they could not be liberated from falsities except by the Lord.

[13] In Jeremiah:

"My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters; and have hewed them out pits, broken pits that can hold no water" (2:13).

By hewing out pits, broken pits that can hold no water, is signified to hatch doctrinals from [their] own intelligence, and because these are from the proprium, they are falsities; for the proprium of man is nothing but evil, and being evil it also produces falsity, for evil cannot produce anything else but falsity. This passage is explained above (n. 483:8).

[14] Again, in the same prophet:

"Jehovah who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of solitude and of the pit, in a land of drought and of thick shade, through a land that no man (vir) passed through, and where no man (homo) dwelt?" (2:6).

That the wilderness in which the sons of Israel were led, represented and signified the first state of the church to be established with those who are in mere ignorance of good and truth, has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, in which the book of Exodus is explained. And because that state was represented and signified by their wanderings in the wilderness, it is therefore said that Jehovah led them in a land of solitude and of the pit, a land of drought and of thick shade. The land of solitude and drought means here, as elsewhere in the Word, a state of non-perception of good, and a land of pits and of thick shade, a state of ignorance of truth, and thence a state of falsity. No man passing through, and no man dwelling therein, signifies where there is no understanding of truth, and no perception of good, man (vir) in the Word denoting the understanding of truth, and man (homo), the perception of good, and by their being neither one nor the other, is signified no church either as to truth or as to good.

[15] Again, in Isaiah:

"He who leadeth out shall hasten that it may be opened, but he shall not die in the pit, neither shall his bread fail" (51:14).

This is said concerning the Lord; His advent is understood by "He who leadeth out shall hasten." Liberation from the falsities of ignorance is signified by not dying in the pit, wherefore the same is here meant by pit as by the pit mentioned above in which were the bound. That spiritual instruction and nourishment shall not fail, is signified by his bread not failing; for by bread is meant all spiritual food, and spiritual food means instruction in truths and goods, whence come intelligence and wisdom.

[16] In Ezekiel:

"Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy brightness. They shall let thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas" (28:7, 8).

These things are spoken of the prince of Tyre, by whom are meant those who from their own intelligence hatch falsities, which destroy the cognitions of truth and good. Their destruction by their own falsities, is signified by, behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the violent of the nations, strangers denoting falsities which destroy truths, and the violent of the nations, evils which destroy goods. That they shall be destroyed by the falsities which originate in [their] own intelligence, is signified by the words, they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy brightness. Swords denote falsities which destroy truths. They shall let thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the heart of the seas; [here] the pit, like a well, signifies infernal falsity, and by them that are slain, are signified those who perish by falsities, the heart of the seas like the abyss signifying the hell where and whence those falsities are.

[17] By the pit into which they cast the prophet Jeremiah and out of which Ebed-melech and his men drew him by means of old cast-off clouts and rotten rags (Jeremiah 38:6-13), is signified the truth of doctrine falsified. The prophet signifies the truth of doctrine, and his being cast into the dungeon, signifies its falsification. The old cast clouts and the rotten rags, by means of which they drew him out, signify the vindication of the truth of doctrine, and restitution, by means of such goods and truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, as were not perceived and understood, and therefore were neglected and rejected; these things are signified by the old things. What other object could there be in mentioning in the Divine Word, that the prophet was drawn out by such things? From these few passages it is evident that a well and a pit in the Word, signify the Word and the truth of doctrine, and, in the opposite sense, the Word falsified, and thence the falsity of doctrine. In some passages also a well and a pit, have the same signification as a fountain, the signification of which in both senses may be seen above (n. 483).