In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt, swearing to Jehovah Zebaoth. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt; then shall Jehovah become known to Egypt. and the Egyptians shall recognise Jehovah in that day Isa. xix 18-21.

In that day there shall be a path out of Egypt into Asshur, that Asshur may come into Egypt, and Egypt into Asshur, and the Egyptians may serve with Asshur. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the land; whom Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance Isa. xix 23-25.

'Egypt' there is the natural, `Asshur' is the rational and 'Israel' is the spiritual. These three make the man of the Church. Consequently:-

The king of Egypt was said to be the son of the wise, the son of the kings of antiquity; while Egypt was said to be the cornerstone of the tribes Isa. xix ii, 13.

And of Solomon it is said that:-

His wisdom excelled the wisdom of the Egyptians 1 Kings iv 30 [H.B. v 10].

And that he took Pharaoh's daughter to wife, and brought her into the city of David 1 Kings iii 1.

And that he built Pharaoh's daughter a house near the porch 1 Kings vii 8

[2] For the same reason also:-

Joseph was carried down into Egypt, and was there made the governor of the whole land Gen. xli.

Since 'Egypt' signifies the natural man as to the affection of truth, and the consequent knowledge and intelligence, therefore:-

Joseph the husband of Mary, in consequence of the angel's warning, departed into Egypt with the infant Lord Matt. ii 14, 15,

in accordance with the prediction:-

When Israel was a boy, then I loved him, and I called My Son out of Egypt Hosea xi 1.

Thou hast caused a vine to come forth out of Egypt, Thou hast planted it, and made its roots to take root Ps. lxxx 8, 9 [H.B. 9, 10];

for a man is born natural, becomes rational, and afterwards spiritual, thus 'a vine out of Egypt' is 'planted' and 'takes root'. For the sake of this representation:-

Abraham also travelled into Egypt Gen. xii in seq.

And Jacob with his sons was commanded to go into Egypt, and he also stayed there Gen. xlvi seq.

In consequence of this also the land of Canaan, by which the Church is signified, is described as to its extent:-

As far as to the river of Egypt Gen. xv 18; 1 Kings iv 21 [H.B. v 1]; Micah vii 12.

And Egypt is likened to:-

The garden of Eden, the garden of God Ezek. xxxi 2, 8; Gen. xiii 10;

while the knowledges of the natural man are called:-

The desirable things of Egypt Dan. xi 43.

And fine linen in embroidery out of Egypt Ezek. xxvii 7;

besides elsewhere concerning 'Egypt' in a favourable sense, as Isa. xxvii 12, 13; Ezek. xxix 13-16; xxxi 1-8; Hosea xi 11; Zech. x 10, 11; xiv 16-18; Ps. lxviii 31, 32 [H.B. 32, 33]; 2 Kings xix 23, 24.*

[3] In the opposite sense, however, 'Egypt' signifies the natural man when separated from the spiritual, and the pride of self-intelligence then, and the consequent insanity in spiritual things, in the following places:-

Because the heart of Pharaoh has been lifted up in his height, and has put his top among the intertwined [boughs], strangers shall cut him off, and cast him down. In the day in which he is going to descend into hell, I will cover the deep over him, and he shall lie down in the midst of the uncircumcised Ezek. xxxi 10-18.

The foundations of Egypt shall be overthrown; the pride of her strength shall come down, and her cities shall be devastated in the midst of the desolate cities. I will give fire in Egypt, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and disperse them into the lands Ezek. xxx to the end.

Woe to those going down into Egypt for help, and they look not to the Holy One of Israel; for Egypt is man and not god, and the horses thereof are flesh and not spirit Isa. xxxi 1, 3.

Egypt rises up like a river, she says, I will rise up, I will cover the land, and I will destroy: rise up, O horses; rage, O chariots; the sword shall devour you, and shall be drunk with blood; there is no healing with thee Jer. xlvi 2, 8-11.

How say you unto Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, and a son of the kings of antiquity? Where now are thy wise men? let them recognise: the princes of Zoan have become foolish, they have seduced Egypt, the corner-stone of the tribes. For Egypt there shall be no work, that may make the head and the tail Isa. xix 1-17.

Prophesy against Egypt: O great whale, that liest in the midst of thy rivers; because he has said, The river is mine, and I have made myself; therefore will I put hooks in thy jaws, and I will make the fish of the rivers to stick to thy scales, and I will abandon thee in the wilderness: and therefore shall the land of Egypt be made a desert and a waste Ezek. xxix 1-12;

besides elsewhere, as Isa. xxx 6, 7; Jer. ii 17, 18, 36; xlii 13-18; Ezek. xvi 26, 28, 29; xxiii 2-33; Hosea vii 11, 13, 16; ix 1, 3, 6; xi 5; xii 1 [H.B. 2]; Joel iii 19 [H.B. iv 19]; Lam. v 2, 4, 6, 8; Deut. xvii 16; 1 Kings xiv 25, 26; 2 Kings xviii 21. [4] Because the Egyptians had become such, they were therefore devastated as to all the goods and truths of the Church. Their devastations are described by means of the miracles done there, which were plagues, and signified so many lusts of the natural man separated from the spiritual, and this acts solely out of self-intelligence and the pride thereof. The plagues significative of its lusts were:-

That the waters in the river were turned into blood, so that the fish should die, and the river stink Exod. vii.

That frogs were produced out of the rivers and pools upon the land of Egypt. That the dust of the land was turned into lice. That a filthy swarm of noxious flies was sent Exod. viii.

That a sore breaking forth with blisters was produced upon man and beast. That rain of hail mixed with fire rained down Exod. ix

That the locust was sent. That it became dark in all the land of Egypt Exod. x.

That all the firstborn in the land of Egypt died Exod. xii.

And finally, that the Egyptians were submerged in the Red Sea (in Mari Suph) Exod. xiv.

By the Red Sea is signified hell. What is specifically signified by all these things may be seen in ARCANA CAELESTIA published at London, where they have been expounded. From this it is plain what is signified by 'the plagues and diseases of Egypt' (Deut. vii 15; xxviii 60); what by 'to be submerged by the river of Egypt' (Amos viii 8; ix 5); and whence it is that Egypt is called 'the land of servitude' (Micah vi 4), 'the land of Ham' (Ps. cvi 22), also 'the furnace of iron' (Deut. iv 20; 1 Kings viii 51). [5] 'Egypt' signifies not only intelligence but also insanity in spiritual things. This was because the Ancient Church, which had been widespread in many of the kingdoms of Asia, was also in Egypt, and at that time the Egyptians excelled others in cultivating the knowledge of the correspondences between spiritual and natural things, as is plain by reason of the hieroglyphics there. When, however, with them that knowledge was turned into magic and became idolatrous, then their intelligence in spiritual things became insanity. Consequently 'Egypt' signifies this in the opposite sense. From these things it can be seen what is understood by 'the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt'. * AV has 'rivers of besieged places', but AE 654:14, following Schmidius, has 'rivers of Egypt'.