623. It is clear from the Word that 'the earth' is said to be 'filled with violence' on account of their filthy desires, most of all on account of the desires constituting self-love, or extreme arrogance. It is called 'violence when people do violence to holy things by desecrating them, as those before the Flood did, who immersed doctrinal matters concerning faith in every possible kind of evil desire. As in Ezekiel,

I will turn My face ¹ away from them, and they will profane My secret place. And let robbers come into it and they will profane it. Make the chain, for the land is full of the judgement of blood, and the city is full of violence. Ezekiel 7:22-24.

This describes who the violent are, and that they are such as mentioned. In the same prophet,

They will eat their bread in anxiety, and drink their waters in desolation, that her land may be devastated of the fullness that is in it, on account of the violence of all who dwell in it. Ezekiel 12:19.

'The bread which they will eat in anxiety' means celestial things, the waters which they will drink in desolation' the spiritual things, which they did violence to, that is, profaned.

[2] In Isaiah,

Their webs will not become clothing, nor will they be covered in their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Isaiah 59:6.

Here 'webs' and 'clothing' have reference to the things of the understanding or thought, while 'iniquity' and 'violence' have reference to those of the will or actions. In Jonah,

Let every one turn from his evil way, and from the violence which is in his hands. Jonah 3:8.

Here 'evil way' has reference to falsities constituting the understanding, and 'violence' to evils constituting the will. In Jeremiah,

There will come in a year, rumour and violence in the land. Jeremiah 51:46.

'Rumour' stands for things of the understanding, 'violence' for those of the will. In Isaiah,

He did no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:9.

Here 'violence' concerns things of the will, 'deceit in his mouth' those of the understanding.

Footnotes:

4850. 'The days were multiplied' means a change of state. This is clear from the meaning of 'the days being multiplied' as undergoing a change of state, for 'day' or a time in the internal sense means state, 23, 487, 488, 893a, 2788, 3462, 3785, and 'being multiplied' when used in reference to days or times means undergoing a change. The fact that a change of state is the meaning is also evident from the details that follow. The expression 'to be multiplied' is used because it implies a change of state so far as truths are concerned; for 'to be multiplied' is used in reference to truths, 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847. Since the terms state and change of state are being used time and again, and yet few know what a state or a change of state is, a statement needs to be made about what these are. Neither time and the passage of time nor space and the extension of space can be associated with the interior aspects of the human being - that is to say, with his affections and his thoughts formed by these - because his affections and thoughts are not located in time and place, though to the senses in the world they do seem to be thus located. Rather, they are located in the interior things which correspond to time and place. The things which correspond to them cannot be called anything else than states, for no other term exists to describe the things that correspond to time and place. A change of state in interior things is said to take place when the affections and resulting thoughts in a person's mind or disposition (mens seu animus) undergo change, as when sadness turns to joy, or joy back to sadness, when ungodliness turns to godliness or devotion, and so on. These changes are called changes of state and are attributable to affections and, insofar as thoughts are governed by these, to thoughts also. But the changes of state which thoughts held within affections undergo are like those of individual parts within their general wholes, compared with which they are variations.