Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 11:9-10
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AC 7792. Verses 9, 10. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh will not hear you; that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and Jehovah made firm the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land. "And Jehovah said unto Moses," signifies information; "Pharaoh will not hear you," signifies no obedience; "that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt," signifies that they may be confirmed in the fact that they were in no faith, but in evil; "and Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh," signifies that these vastations, and the consequent confirmations that they were in evil, were effected by means of truth proceeding from the Divine; "and Jehovah made firm the heart of Pharaoh," signifies that they were determined; "and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land," signifies that they did not leave those who were of the spiritual church.

AC 7793. And Jehovah said unto Moses. That this signifies information, is evident from the signification of "saying," when Jehovah foretells what shall be done, as being information.

AC 7794. Pharaoh will not hear you. That this signifies no obedience, is evident from the signification of "to hear," as being obedience (n. 2542, 3869, 4652-4660, 5017, 7216); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who have infested the upright in the other life, and who are now about to be damned.

AC 7795. That My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that it may be confirmed that they had been in no faith, but in evil, is evident from the signification of the "wonders" and "signs" that were done in Egypt, as being vastations and consequent confirmations that they were evil (n. 7633); for these "wonders" signified so many degrees of the vastation of those who within the church had been in the memory-knowledge of such things as are of faith, and yet had lived evilly; and because these are they who infest the upright in the other life, it is their state now which is here signified (n. 7465). By these "wonders being multiplied" are signified the successive degrees of their states. The reason why there are so many degrees is in order that the evil may be confirmed in the fact that they are in evil; and also that the good may be enlightened concerning the state of those within the church who have lived evilly (n. 7633). Except for these reasons, the evil might be condemned and let down into hell without so many successive changes of states.

[2] That before the evil are condemned and let down into hell they under go so many states, is altogether unknown in the world. It is believed that man is at once either condemned or saved, and that this is effected without any process; but the case is otherwise. Justice reigns there, and no one is condemned until he himself knows, and is inwardly convinced, that he is in evil, and that it is utterly impossible for him to be in heaven. His own evils are also laid open to him, according to the words of the Lord in Luke:--

and what is more, he is also warned to desist from evil; but when he cannot do this because of the dominion of evil, the power is then taken away from him of doing evil by falsifications of truth and pretenses of good, which is effected successively from one degree to another, and finally condemnation follows and the letting down into hell. This takes place when he comes into the evil of his life.

[3] The evil of the life is evil of the will and of the thought thence derived; thus it is the man’s inward quality and what would be his quality outwardly if he were not hindered by the laws, and likewise by fears of the loss of gain, of honor, of reputation, and of life. This is the life which follows every man after death, but not the outward life, except that which proceeds from the inward life; for in outward things a man pretends what is contrary; and therefore when a man after death is being vastated in respect to outward things, it then plainly appears what had been his quality both in will and in thought. To this state every evil person is reduced by means of degrees of vastation, for all vastation in the other life advances from outward to inward things. From all this it can be seen what is the nature of the justice in the other life, and what the nature of the process before an evil person is condemned. From this it is evident that by "My wonders being multiplied in the land of Egypt," is signified that the evil may be confirmed in the fact that they have been in no faith, but in evil. They who are in evil have no faith, (n. 7778).

AC 7796. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh. That this signifies that these vastations, and the consequent confirmations that they were in evil, were effected by means of truth from the Divine, is evident from the representation of Moses and Aaron, as being truth Divine, Moses the truth which proceeds immediately from the Divine, and Aaron the truth which proceeds mediately (n. 7010, 7089, 7382); and from the signification of the "wonders done in Egypt" or "before Pharaoh," as being so many vastations of those who had been of the church and had lived evilly. That the "wonders of Egypt" have this signification can be seen from the signification of the several wonders; that they are also confirmations that they are not in faith but in evil, see just above (n. 7795). It is said that "Moses and Aaron did these wonders," when yet they were not done by them, but by the Divine; but it is so said because by Moses and Aaron is represented truth Divine, and the wonders were wrought by the Divine by means of truth proceeding from Itself; for all things which are done by the Divine Itself are done by means of truth proceeding from Itself; the Divine Itself is the being (esse) of all things, whereas the truth proceeding from It is the derivative manifestation (existere) of all things; Good Itself, which is the Divine Esse, produces all things by means of its truth. It is said that vastations are effected by means of truth from the Divine, but it is to be understood that Divine truth is not the cause, for the Divine vastates no one; but the evil person vastates himself by rendering himself determined against truth Divine, extinguishing, rejecting, or perverting it; and by turning the good Divine which continually flows in, into evil. This evil then is that which vastates, and from this it is evident whence the cause is, namely, that the influx of good and of truth from the Divine is not the cause, for without the influx of these there is no life; but the cause is their conversion into evil and falsity, which is done by him who is in evil.

AC 7797. And Jehovah made firm the heart of Pharaoh. That this signifies that they were determined, is evident from the signification of "making firm the heart," as being to be determined (n. 7272, 7300, 7305). That Jehovah does not make firm the heart, or do evil, although this is attributed to Him in the sense of the letter of the Word, see (n. 7533, 7632, 7643).

AC 7798. And he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land. That this signifies that they did not leave those who were of the spiritual church, is evident from the signification of "to let go," as being to leave; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being those who are of the spiritual church (n. 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223).