455. 'For their tails were like serpents having heads, and with these (in his) they do hurt' signifies the reason, that they are sensual and inverted, speaking true things by the mouth, [but] rendering them false because of the principle that makes the head of the doctrine of their religion, and thus they deceive. Here are signified things similar to those spoken of before (n. 438, 439), but there it is said that they had 'tails like scorpions', whereas here [they are said to be] like serpents, because those who are described by the locusts speak and persuade from the Word and from things of knowledge and learning; but they do this only by arguments that are appearances of truth and fallacies, and those who speak from these things elegantly and as if wisely do indeed deceive, but not to so great an extent. [2] By 'serpents' in the Word are signified the sensual things that are the ultimates of a man's life, of which above (n. 424). This is because all animals signify a man's affections, and therefore also the affections of angels and spirits in the spiritual world appear afar off as animals, and affections purely sensual as 'serpents'. The reason is that serpents creep upon the ground and lick the dust, while sensual things are the lowest of understanding and will, for they stand nearest to the world and are nourished by the objects and delights thereof, and these affect only the material senses of the body. Harmful serpents, which are of many kinds, signify the sensual things that depend upon the affections of evil that make the interiors of the mind with those who are insane by reason of untruths of evil, while harmless serpents signify the sensual things that depend on the good affections that make the interiors of the mind with those who are wise by reason of truths of good. [3] Sensual things depending on affections of evil are signified by 'serpents' in these passages:-
They shall lick the dust like a serpent Micah vii 17.
Dust [shall be] the serpent's bread Isa. lxv 25.
It was said to the serpent, Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life Gen. iii 14.
Thus is described the sensual, which, because it communicates with hell where all are sensual, turns heavenly wisdom into infernal insanity in spiritual things.
Rejoice not, Philistia, for out of the serpent's root shall go forth the basihisk, whose fruit is a flying fiery serpent Isa. xiv 29.
They lay asp's eggs; he who eats of its eggs dies, and when one presses it out, a viper is hatched Isa. lix 5.
Because the sons of Israel desired to go back into Egypt they were bitten by serpents (Num. xxi 4-9). To 'go back into Egypt' signified to become sensual from being spiritual; and therefore it is said:-
The hired men of Egypt have turned themselves away, the voice thereof shall go like a serpent Jer. xlvi 21 [, 22].
[4] Because Dan was the most remote (ultima) of the tribes, and consequently signified the ultimate of the Church, which is the sensual subject to the interiors, it is therefore said thus of him:-
Dan is a serpent upon the way biting the horse's heels, and the rider thereof shall fall backwards Gen. xlix 17.
By 'the horse's heels' are signified the ultimates of the understanding, which are sensual; by 'to bite' is signified to adhere to them; by 'the rider' is signified the ignorance resulting from these [sensual things] by which it perverts truths, and therefore it is said 'the rider thereof shall fall backwards'. Since sensual men are crafty and cunning like foxes, therefore the Lord said:-
Be prudent as serpents Matt. x 16.
For the sensual man speaks and reasons from appearances and fallacies, and if he is skilled in the gift of arguing he knows exactly how to confirm every untruth, and also the heresy of faith alone, and still is so dull in the power of seeing what is true that scarcely any one else could be duller.
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