Arcana Coelestia #19
19. 'The Spirit of God' is used to mean the Lord's mercy, which is said 'to hover', like a hen over eggs, over what the Lord stores away in man and which in the Word are frequently called 'remnants'. These remnants are cognitions of truth and good which never come to light or into daylight until external things have been laid waste. These cognitions are here called 'the face 1 of the waters'.
Footnotes:
1. literally, the faces
Exodus 11:4-7
4
Moses said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt,
5
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of livestock.
6
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor shall be any more.
7
But against any of the children of Israel a dog won't even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal; that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.
