697. Verse 11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their distresses and their sores, signifies that they could not acknowledge the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth by reason of repugnances arising from the interior falsities and evils, that spring from the acknowledgment and reception of the dogma concerning faith alone. "To blaspheme the God of heaven," signifies to deny or not to acknowledge the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth (n. 571, 582); by "distresses" is signified the distresses of acknowledging it, as above (n. 696), thus repugnances arising from interior falsities, for what is repugnant is a distress. Distress is predicated of falsities; by "sores" are signified interior evils, as above (n. 678); and as interior evils and falsities spring from the acknowledgment and reception of the dogma concerning faith alone, therefore this also is signified.