1026. (v. 21) And a great hail, as it were, the weight of a talent, came down from heaven upon men. That this signifies falsities in the highest degree infernal, destroying all understanding of truth with the men of the church, is evident from the signification of hail, as denoting infernal falsity, destroying all the truth and good of the church (concerning which see n. 503, 704). That hail is called great and, as it were, the weight of a talent, because falsities in the greatest degree infernal are meant. The quality of the falsities is compared with a talent; because a talent, in the computation of numbers, and in the weighing of silver, was the greatest sum. And by silver is signified truth, and, in the opposite sense, falsity; and by weight is signified what is heavy from evil, thus in the highest degree infernal. For falsity from evil is heavy and falls of itself into hell. And the above is evident from the signification of falling from heaven upon men, as denoting from hell, destroying the understanding of truth with the men of the church. For by men are signified the men of the church as to the understanding of truth; or, what is the same, the understanding of truth possessed by the men of the church is signified.
[2] The reason why to fall from heaven signifies to be from hell is, that the falsity here signified by a great hail does not come down from heaven, but rises up from hell. Hail does indeed fall from heaven in the spiritual, as in the natural world; for it is the rain that descends from heaven, congealed into hail from the cold which ascends from hell; the cold thence being the privation of heat or of heavenly love. Consequently, it follows that hail, as hail, does not descend from heaven, but that it is from hell. The case is similar with the rain of sulphur and fire from heaven. Rain signifies Divine truth from heaven, but hail Divine truth turned into infernal falsity; this takes place on its descent from heaven.
Concerning the Precepts of the Decalogue in general:-
[3] Because from the Lord as a Sun proceeds Divine truth united to Divine good, by which heaven and the world were made (John i. 1, 3, 10), it follows, that it is from this fact that everything in heaven and everything in the world have reference to good and to truth, and to their conjunction, in order that they may be something.
In these Ten Precepts are contained everything of Divine Good, and everything of Divine truth, and in them is also the conjunction thereof. But this conjunction is a mystery; for it is like the conjunction of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. Divine Good pertains to love to the Lord, and Divine truth to love towards the neighbour. For when a man lives according to Divine truth, that is, loves his neighbour, then the Lord flows in with Divine Good, and conjoins Himself to him.
[4] For this reason there were two tables, on which those Ten Precepts were written, and they were called the Covenant, which signifies conjunction. And they were afterwards placed in the ark, not one by the side of the other, but one above the other, for a testimony of the conjunction between the Lord and man. Upon one table were written the precepts of love to the Lord, and upon the other the precepts of love towards the neighbour. The three first precepts involve love to the Lord, and the six last precepts involve love towards the neighbour; while the fourth precept, which is, "Honour thy father and mother," is the mediating precept; for by father is there meant the Father in the heavens, and by mother is meant the church, which is the neighbour.
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