Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4969

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4969. 'Who made him go down there means a descent from this simple good to that factual knowledge. This is clear from the representation of 'the Ishmaelites who made him go down' as those in whom simple good is present, dealt with immediately above in 4968, and from the meaning of Egypt, to which 'there' refers here, as factual knowledge in general, dealt with just above in 4964, 4966. The expression 'going down' is used because the subject is factual knowledge which is exterior. For in the Word passing from interior things to exterior ones is described as 'going down', and passing from exterior to interior ones as 'going up', see 3084, 4539.


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