Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 7671

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7671. Verses 12-15. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locust, and it shall come up upon the land of Egypt, and shall devour all the herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locust. And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the border of Egypt, very grievous; before it there was no such locust as this, and after it there shall not be such. And it covered the surface of the whole land, and the land was darkened; and it devoured all the herb of the land, and all the fruit of the tree which the hail had left; and there was not left any green thing in the tree and in the herb of the field, in the whole land of Egypt. "And Jehovah said unto Moses," signifies instruction; "Stretch out thy hand," signifies the rule of power; "over the land of Egypt for the locust," signifies that falsity may take possession of all the natural of the infesters; "and it shall come up upon the land of Egypt," signifies a pouring out into all things therein; "and shall devour all the herb of the land," signifies the consumption of all truth; "even all that the hail hath left," signifies which the former falsity has not consumed; "and Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt," signifies the rule of the power of truth Divine over the whole natural of the infesters; "and Jehovah brought an east wind upon the land," signifies the means of destruction; "all that day, and all the night," signifies in everything of perception, both obscure and not obscure, with the infesters; "and when it was morning," signifies a state of heaven in order; "the east wind brought the locust," signifies dense falsity with the infesters through the means of destruction; "and the locust went up over all the land of Egypt," signifies the pouring out of falsity into all things of the natural; "and rested in all the border of Egypt," signifies from the extremes there; "very grievous," signifies that it pervaded all things and each; "before it there was no such locust as this, and after it there shall not be such," signifies that such falsity has not been from the first time of the church, and shall not be; "and it covered the surface of the whole land," signifies that it took possession of the ultimates of the natural mind; "and the land was darkened," signifies that falsity was brought in where truth was; "and it devoured all the herb of the land," signifies that it consumed all the memory-knowledge of truth; "and all the fruit of the tree which the hail had left," signifies all the knowing of good; "and there remained not any green thing," signifies that all sensitivity of truth was obliterated; "in the tree and in the herb of the field," signifies from the knowing and the memory-knowledge of the church; "in the whole land of Egypt," signifies on all sides in the natural.


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