696. 'And they were gnawing their tongues because of annoyance' signifies that they were not enduring truths. By 'annoyance' is not understood an annoyance resulting from untruths, these not causing them any annoyance, but an annoyance resulting from truths, thus their not enduring them. By 'to gnaw tongues' is signified to be unwilling to hear truths, for by 'the tongue' is signified the confession of truth, because the tongue is of service to the thought for speech, and spiritually for confession. By 'to gnaw the tongue' is signified to hold the thought back from hearing truths. That this is signified by 'to gnaw the tongue' cannot be confirmed out of [other passages of] the Word, because it is not written there. It has, however, been given to know this from experience in the spiritual world. There, while anyone is speaking truths of faith, the spirits who cannot bear to hear truths hold their tongues back with the teeth and also bite their lips, so that they also induce others to touch their tongues and lips with the teeth, and this as far as to cause annoyance. From these considerations it is plain that by 'they were gnawing* their tongues because of annoyance' is signified that they were not enduring truths. That 'the tongue' as an organ of speech signifies thought and confession, and also the doctrine of truth, may be seen above (n. 282). * The Original Edition has lambebant (they were licking), probably a slip for mandebant (they were gnawing) as in the paragraph heading.