Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 7964

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7964. 'And Egypt pressed the people, in a hurry to send them away from the land' means that because of their loathing and fear of them they were urging them to depart. This is clear from the meaning of 'pressing the people, in a hurry to send them away' as urging them to depart. The fact that loathing and fear caused them to do so is self-evident, for those steeped in nothing but falsity arising from evil so loathe those guided by truth from good that they cannot stand even their presence. This is why those governed by evil cast themselves down into hell, to a depth determined by the nature and amount of that evil, to get far away from good. Not only loathing but also fear makes them do it, for in the presence of good they suffer torment.


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