769. [verse 10] 'And standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that powerful city, for in one hour thy judgment has come' signifies their fear of the penalties, and then a grievous lamentation that that form of religion, so fortified, could be overturned so suddenly and clearly, and they could perish. 'To stand afar off for fear of the torment' signifies a state as yet remote from the state of those who are in damnation because they are in fear of torment, concerning which it follows on. 'Woe, woe' signifies grievous lamentation. That 'woe' signifies lamentation over misfortune, unhappiness and damnation may be seen above (n. 416), consequently 'Woe, woe' signifies a grievous lamentation. By the 'great city Babylon' is signified that form of religion; here as above (n. 751), Babylon as a woman or harlot, because it is said 'her torment'. By the 'powerful city' is signified the form of religion so fortified. By 'in one hour thy judgment has come' is signified that it can be so suddenly overthrown, and they can perish. 'In one hour' signifies so suddenly, and by 'judgment' is signified its overthrow and the destruction of those who have committed whoredom and lived luxuriously with that harlot, who are here treated of. That they perished by means of the last judgment can be seen in the little work concerning THE LAST JUDGMENT AND BABYLON DESTROYED, published at London, 1758. The things here were said of that destruction. [2] The reason that 'they stood afar off for fear of her torment' signifies a state as yet remote from the state of those who are in damnation because in fear of torment, is because by 'afar' is not understood remoteness of space but the remoteness of state when one is in fear of the penalties. For, so long as a man is in a state of fear, he then sees, ponders and laments. The remoteness of state, which is remoteness in the spiritual sense, is also signified by 'afar off' elsewhere in the Word, as in these instances:-