1006. Blessed is he that watcheth. That this signifies the happy state of those who look to the Lord, is evident from the signification of blessed, as denoting to be in a happy state; and from the signification of watching, as denoting to procure for oneself spiritual life (concerning which see n. 187). And this is procured by man's looking to the Lord, because the Lord is life itself, and from Him alone is life eternal.

While a man is in life from the Lord, he is in wakefulness but when he is in life from himself, he is then in sleep. Or, what is the same, whilst man is in spiritual life, he is then in wakefulness, but when he is in natural life separated from spiritual, then he is in sleep; and what he then sees resembles what he sees in a dream. To live this life is also meant by sleeping and slumbering in the Word.

As Matthew 13:25; 25:5, 6; Mark 4:26, 27; 13:36; Isaiah 5:27; Jeremiah 51:39, 57; Psalms 13:4; 76:7; and elsewhere.

Hence it is evident what is signified by watching.

Continuation concerning the Sixth Precept:-

[2] It must be known, however, that there are adulteries more or less infernal and abominable. The adulteries arising from the more grievous evils and the falsities therefrom are also the more grievous, and those from the milder evils and the falsities therefrom are milder. For adulteries correspond to the adulterations of good, and thence the falsifications of truth, adulterations of good being intrinsically evils, and falsifications of truth being intrinsically falsities; according to correspondences therewith the hells are arranged into genera and species. Cadaverous hells are formed of those who delighted in the violation of wives; excrementitious hells of those who took delight in the deflorations of virgins; direful slimy hells, of those whose delight was in varieties and a change of harlots; and filthy hells, of the rest. Sodomitic hells are formed of those who were in evils from the love of ruling over others from sole delight in ruling who find no delight in use.

From those who have separated faith from good works, both in doctrine and in life, adulteries like those as of a son with a mother, or with a mother-in-law, breathe forth. From those who have studied the Word only for the sake of glory, and not for spiritual uses, there exhale adulteries like those of a father with a daughter-in-law. From those who believe that sins are remitted through the Holy Supper, and not by repentance of life, adulteries like those of a brother with a sister breathe forth. From those who altogether deny the Divine, there exhale abominations with beasts, and so on.

The reason why such hells are formed of these is because of the correspondence with the adulterations or defilements of good and truth.

5279. 'And the famine will consume the land' means even to the point of despair. This is clear from the meaning of 'famine' as an absence of religious knowledge or cognitions and a consequent deprivation of truth, dealt with above in 5277, 5278; and from the meaning of 'the land', in this case the land of Egypt, as the natural mind, also dealt with above, in 5276, 5278. The reason even to the point of despair is meant is that the words 'the famine will consume the land' are used. Since 'the land' means the natural mind, and 'famine' the deprivation of truth, nothing else than despair is meant, for at that time, in a spiritual manner, a consuming takes place. The description here is of a state of desolation owing to a deprivation of truth, the final stage of that state being despair. The reason despair is the final stage of that state is that despair is the means by which the delight that belongs to self-love and love of the world is removed, and the delight connected with the love of what is good and true is instilled in place of it. The despair experienced by those who are to be regenerated has to do with the attainment of spiritual life and with being deprived of truth and good. For when such people are deprived of truth and good they are in despair about the attainment of spiritual life; consequently they have feelings of delight and bliss when they come out of their despair.