8876. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons. That this signifies the consequent prolification of falsity derived from evil, is evident from the signification of “visiting the iniquity of the fathers,” as being the prolification of evils; that “to visit” denotes prolification is because the state of those who utterly reject from themselves the Divine is here treated of, who therefore are no longer receptions of good, but of evil, and this continually, for with such, evil is continually increasing, and this is prolification (that “father” denotes good, and in the opposite sense evil, see n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834); and from the signification of “sons,” as being truths (n. 1147, 2623, 3373), consequently in the opposite sense falsities. In the sense nearest the letter, by “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons” is not meant that the sons suffer the penalty of the iniquity of their fathers, for this is contrary to the Divine (Deuteronomy 24:16); but that evil increases with the fathers, and thus is by heredity carried over into the children, and that there is a consequent successive accumulation of evil (n. 2910, 3701, 4317, 8550, 8551). But in the spiritual sense by “fathers” are not meant fathers, but evils; nor are sons meant by “sons,” but falsities; therefore by the above words is signified the continual prolification of falsity derived from evil.

7236. According to their armies. That this signifies according to the genera and species of good in truths, is evident from the signification of “armies,” as being the truths which are of faith (see n. 3448). But the goods of the spiritual church are in their essence nothing else than truths, for these are called goods when the life is according to them. Hence by “armies,” when said of the regenerate within the spiritual church, are signified the goods of truth, or goods in truths. The reason why it is said that the sons of Israel were to be “led forth according to their armies,” is that it is said of them when going out of Egypt; in the internal sense when they come out of combats with falsities, thus after they have waged spiritual warfare. By their being “led forth according to their armies” is properly meant that they were to be classified as to goods in truths, thus into classes according to the qualities of good, and this in order that they might represent the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens, where all have been classified and allotted a place in the Grand Man according to the quality of the good, both generically and specifically.

[2] From the heavens (as all there have been classified according to goods) it can be seen how manifold and various good is, for it is so various that one is never in the like good with another; nay, if myriads of myriads were multiplied to eternity, the good of one would not be like that of another; just as one person has not the like face as another; moreover, in the heavens good forms the faces of the angels. That there is perpetual variety is because every form consists of various distinct things, for if two things were exactly alike, they could not be two things, but one. Hence also it is that in nature there is never one thing in every respect like another.

[3] That which makes good so various is truth; for when truth is conjoined with good it qualifies it. The reason why truth is so manifold and various that it can so greatly vary good, is that truths are countless, and interior truths are in a different form from exterior truths, and because the fallacies which are of the external senses adjoin themselves, and also falsities which are of concupiscences. Seeing then that truths are so countless, it can be seen that by means of the conjunctions so many varieties arise that one thing can never be the same as another. This is clear to him who knows that from only twenty-three letters, put together in different ways, there can arise the words of all languages, and even with a perpetual variety if there were thousands of languages. What then may not arise from thousands and myriads of various things such as truths. And this is confirmed by the common maxim, “many men, many minds,” that is, there are as many diversities of ideas as there are men.