714. [b] [verse 21] 'And great hail as of the weight of a talent came down from heaven upon men' signifies the dreadful and horrible untruths by means of which every truth of the Word and consequently of the Church has been destroyed. That by 'hail' is signified untruth destroying truth and good may be seen above (n. 399); and because it is said great hail as of the weight of a talent' dreadful and horrible untruths are signified, by means of which every truth and good of the Word and consequently of the Church has been destroyed. 'Of the weight of a talent' is said because a talent was the largest weight of silver and also of gold; and by 'silver' truth is signified, and by 'gold' good, and in the opposite sense untruth and evil (n. 211). Its being said that the 'hail came down from heaven upon men' is in accordance with appearances, the sense of the letter of the Word being derived from them and from correspondences. This is similar to what was said before of the plagues, that they were poured out of heaven by means of angels upon men, when yet they are truths and goods sent down by the Lord, which are turned into untruths and evils with those who are below (n. 673). In the spiritual world also with those [in faith alone], when they are engaged in reasonings from untruths against the truths of the Word, hail sometimes appears to come down, and with some [spirits] sulphur and fire; and because these appear in the atmosphere above them, and as if out of heaven, therefore as a result of that appearance it is said that such 'hail' came down out of heaven.