6406. He shall ravage the heel. That this signifies a want of order thence in the natural, is evident from the signification of “ravaging,” as being to drive away from truth (see just above, n. 6405), thus to disturb the order, or cause a want of order; and from the signification of “heel,” as being the lowest natural (n. 259, 4938-4952). Hence it is plain that by “he shall ravage the heel” is signified a want of order in the natural. They who do works from truth and not yet from good, must needs cause in their natural a want of order, for works affect the natural; and consequently they must needs to this extent close their interiors; for the plane in which the interiors terminate is the natural, and if this is devoid of order, all that which flows in from the interiors also becomes devoid of order; and all that which is devoid of order is dark and opaque, so that they cannot see what is truth, but in this opacity and darkness they seize for truth what is not truth, and from this non-truth do their works. Moreover works are most necessary, for they are charity and faith in effect and in life, and who cannot see that without them there is no charity? Works are nothing but good and truth themselves in outward form; for good which is of the will, and truth which is of the understanding, when put forth into act, are called “works;” hence it is evident that such as are the good and truth, such are the works.

259. That by the “heel” is meant the lowest natural or corporeal cannot be known unless the way in which the most ancient people considered the various things in man is known. They referred his celestial and spiritual things to the head and face; what comes forth from these (as charity and mercy), to the chest; natural things, to the feet; lower natural things, to the soles of the feet; and the lowest natural and corporeal things, to the heel; nor did they merely refer to them, but also so called them. The lowest things of reason, that is, memory-knowledges [scientifica], were also meant by what Jacob prophesied concerning Dan:

Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an adder upon the path, biting the horse’s heels, and his rider falls backward (Genesis 49:17).

Also in David:

The iniquity of my heels hath compassed me about (Psalms 49:5).

In like manner by what is related of Jacob, when he came forth from the womb,

That his hand laid hold of Esau’s heel, whence he was called Jacob (Genesis 25:26),for the name “Jacob” comes from the “heel” because the Jewish Church, signified by “Jacob” injured the heel. A serpent can injure only the lowest natural things, but unless it is a species of viper, not the interior natural things in man, still less his spiritual things, and least of all his celestial things, which the Lord preserves and stores up in man without his knowledge. What are thus stored up by the Lord are called in the Word “remains.” The mode in which the serpent destroyed those lowest natural things in the people before the flood, by the sensuous principle and the love of self; and among the Jews, by sensuous things, traditions, trifles, and by the love of self and of the world; and how at this day he has destroyed and continues to destroy them by the things of sense, of memory-knowledge, and of philosophy, and at the same time by the same loves, shall of the Lord’s Divine mercy be told hereafter.