9253. And thou shalt not reverence a poor man in his cause. That this signifies that no favor is to be shown to the falsities in which are those who are in ignorance of truth, is evident from the signification of “a poor man,” as being those who are in few truths, and are also in falsities from ignorance. But those among them who are in good, wish to be instructed in truths; whereas those who are in evil, do not wish to be instructed. For with those who are in good, falsities can be bent to truths, and finally can be dissipated; whereas with those who are in evil, falsities cannot be bent to truths, thus cannot be dissipated. Of these “poor men” it is said “thou shalt not reverence them in their cause,” that is, thou shalt not favor their falsities; for by “reverencing” is signified favoring, and by “a cause” is signified a controversy of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth. (That the “poor” denote those who are in few truths, and are in falsities from ignorance, see n. 9209; and that the falsities with those who are in good are gentle and flexible, while the falsities with those who are in evil are hard and inflexible, n. 4736, 6359, 8051, 8149, 8298, 8311, 8318)

8318. Fright and dread have fallen upon them. That this signifies that they are without any hope of domination, is evident from the signification of “fright and dread,” when said of those who are in the love of self and in the consequent falsities and evils, who are signified by “the chiefs of Edom and the mighty ones of Moab,” as being that they are without hope of domination; for they who are in the evil of the love of self continually desire to domineer, but when terror falls upon them on account of a victorious enemy, then the hope of domineering falls.

[2] Be it known that evils are from a double origin; namely, from the love of self, and from the love of the world. They who are in evils from the love of self, love themselves only, and despise all others except those who make one with themselves, in loving whom they do not love them, but themselves, because they see themselves in them. The evils from this origin are the worst of all; for they who are in them not only despise all others in comparison with themselves, but also pursue them with invectives, and bear hatred toward them for slight cause, and then breathe their destruction. In this way revenge and cruelty become the delight of their life. They who are in the evil of this love are at a depth in hell according to the quality and amount of this love.

[3] But they who are in evil from the love of the world also hold their neighbor in slight estimation, and esteem him solely by reason of his wealth; thus they esteem his riches, not him. These desire to possess all that belongs to their neighbor, and when they are in this cupidity, they are then devoid of all charity and mercy; for to deprive their neighbor of his goods is the delight of their life, especially of those who are sordidly avaricious, that is, who love gold and silver for the sake of gold and silver, but not for the sake of any use from them. Those with whom the evil of this love has dominion are also in the hells, but not in hells so deep as are they who are in the evil of the love of self. Besides these two origins of evil there is also a third, which is to do evil from the principles of a false religion; but this evil has a bad character with those who are in the love of self and of the world; but not with those who are in love toward the neighbor and to their God; for the end is good, and the end qualifies all the rest (see n. 8311).