435. 'And their teeth were as [those] of lions' signifies that 'the sensual things that are the ultimates of the life of the natural man appeared to them to be in power over all things. 'Teeth' signify the ultimates of the life of the natural man that are called sensual things, of which above (n. 424). There are two kinds of sensual things, one that is of the will and the other that is of the understanding. The sensual things of the will are signified by the 'hair of women', of which just above (n. 434), and the sensual things of the understanding are signified by the 'teeth'. These sensual things, that is, sensual people who are in untruths as a result of confirmation appear to themselves to be in power over all things so that they cannot be conquered. Therefore the teeth of the locusts, by which such sensual things are signified, 'were as those of lions'. By 'a lion' is signified power (n. 241). That 'teeth' signify the ultimates of a man's life that are called sensual things, which, when they have been separated from the interior things of the mind, are in nothing but untruths and do violence to truths and destroy them, can be established from these passages:-
My soul in the midst of lions I lie down, their teeth are spears and darts Ps. lvii 4 [H.B. 5].
O God, destroy the teeth in their mouth, turn aside the grinding teeth of the young lions Ps. lviii 6 [H.B. 7].
A nation has come up upon my land, strong, its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the grinding teeth of a lion Joel i 6, 7.
Jehovah, Thou breakest the teeth of the ungodly Ps. iii 7 [H.B. 8].
There came up a beast out of the sea, terrible, dreadful, and strong exceedingly, which had great iron teeth, it devoured and broke in pieces Dan. vii 7.
Blessed be Jehovah, Who has not given us a prey to their teeth Ps. cxxiv 6.
Since sensual men do not see anything true in its own light, but reason and dispute about everything, whether it is so, and since these disputes in the hells are heard outside them as the gnashing of teeth, and regarded in themselves are the collisions of untruth and truth, it is plain what is signified by the gnashing of teeth (Matt. viii 12; xiii 42, 50; xxii 13; xxiv 51; xxv 30; Luke xiii 28); and in a measure what by gnashing with the teeth (Job xvi 9; Ps. xxxv, 15, 16; Ps. xxxvii 12; Ps. cxii 10; Micah iii 5; Lam. ii 16).
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