5134. 'And bring me out of this house' means a release from evils. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing out' as a release, and from the meaning of 'house' as good, dealt with in 710, 1708, 2048, 2233, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4982, and therefore, in the contrary sense, as evil. From this it is evident that 'bring me out of this house' means a release from evils, a meaning that also follows the preceding train of thought, which is this: When faith is received within the exterior natural, which is the subject here, 5130, a correspondence is effected, 5131, and when charity is received, 5132, and a communication is thereby effected with the interior natural, 5133, the exterior natural is at that point released from the evils which had caused the celestial represented by 'Joseph', 5086, 5087, 5106, to become alienated - that alienation being meant by the words which follow next, stating that he was taken away by theft. Furthermore, when the natural is regenerated by means of charity and faith it is released from evils; for when it is regenerated the evils are set apart and cast away from the centre, where they were previously, to the fringes, which the light of truth from good does not reach. In man's case evils are set apart in this manner; yet they still remain, for they cannot be completely destroyed. But with the Lord, who made the natural within Himself Divine, evils and falsities were cast out and completely destroyed. For the Divine cannot have anything at all in common with evils and falsities, or be encompassed by them, as is the case with man; for the Divine is the Essential Being (Esse) of good and truth, and that Being exists an infinite distance away from everything evil and false.

2268. 'Will You for five destroy the whole city?' means, Will mankind perish for the small amount that is lacking? This is clear from the meaning of 'five' as small, referred to immediately above, and from the meaning of 'a city' as truth, also dealt with already. The human mind as regards truths is in the Word compared to and also called 'a city', and as regards the goods that are present within truths is there compared to and also called 'the inhabitants'. For a similarity indeed exists, in that if the truths in a person's two memories ¹ and in the thoughts of his mind are devoid of goods, they are like a city that has no residents and so is vacant and empty. Indeed it can also be said of angels that they dwell so to speak in a person's truths and implant affections for good from the Lord when that person leads a life abiding in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour, for they are delighted so to dwell, that is, to live, with such persons. It is different in the case of those with whom some truths exist but no goods that flow from charity.

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