Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 8:11-15
[2] It was from this signification that the Lord commanded His disciples to shake off the dust of their feet if they were not received, as in Matthew:--
Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city (Matthew 10:14, 15; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:10-12);
by the "disciples" here are not meant disciples, but all things of the church, thus all things of faith and charity (n. 2089, 2129, 2130, 3354, 3858, 3913, 6397); by "not receiving, and not hearing," is signified to reject the truths of faith and the goods of charity; and by "shaking off the dust of the feet," damnation. That "it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city," is because by "Sodom and Gomorrah" are meant those who are in evil of life, but who have known nothing of the Lord and the Word, and thus could not receive. From this it can be seen that there is not meant a house or city which would not receive the disciples, but those who are within the church and do not live the life of faith. Everyone can see that a whole city could not be damned because they did not receive the disciples and at once acknowledge the new doctrine which they preached.
[3] By the "dust" also which was formerly put on the head when in grief and repentance, is signified that which is damned, as in these passages:
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the earth, they keep silence; they have made dust come up upon their head; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem have made their head come down to the earth (Lam. 2:10).
They shall cry bitterly, and shall make dust come up upon their heads, they shall roll themselves in the ashes (Ezek. 27:30).
Weeping weep not in the house of Aphrah; roll thyself in the dust (Micah 1:10).
They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing (Rev. 18:19);
and also in the historical parts of the Word throughout. By dust upon the heads, and also by the casting down of the body and of the head to the earth, and there rolling in the dust, was represented humiliation, which when genuine is such that the person acknowledges and perceives himself to be damned, but to be received from damnation by the Lord (n. 2327, 3994, 4347, 5420, 5957).
[4] By the "dust" into which the golden calf which they made in the wilderness was beaten and ground, is also signified what is damned, of which we read thus in Moses:--
I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire and I beat it, grinding it well, even until it was reduced unto dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mountain (Deut. 9:21).
By "dust" is also signified what is damned in the following passages:--
Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Upon thy belly shalt thou wait, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14).
Feed Thy people as in the days of eternity, the nations shall see, and blush at all their power, they shall lick the dust like a serpent (Micah 7:14, 16, 17).
Dust shall be the serpent‘s meat (Isa. 65:25).
Come down, and sit upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babel (Isa. 47:1).
Our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly hath cleaved to the earth (Ps. 44:25).
My soul cleaveth to the dust, quicken Thou me (Ps. 119:25).
"Dust" in the Word signifies also the grave, likewise what is lowly, and what is numerous.
. And it shall become lice. That this signifies that evils "will rise up therefrom, is evident from the signification of "lice," as being evils; but what evils they are, and from what origin, can be seen from the correspondence of evils with such vermin, in that they are especially the evils which are in the sensuous, that is, in the wholly external man. The correspondence is from this, that lice are in the outermost skin, and within dirt there, and beneath a scab. Such also is the sensuous of those who have been in the knowledge of faith, but in a life of evil. When this knowledge is taken away from them, as is done with such in the other life, they are then of a gross and stupid mind: they have sometimes appeared: they are foul and loathsome. Infestations by evils are signified by their biting. That such is the signification of "lice" cannot be confirmed by other passages from the Word, for they are mentioned elsewhere only in David when speaking of Egypt (Ps. 105:31). . In all the land of Egypt. That this signifies through the whole natural mind, is evident from the signification of "the land of Egypt," as being the natural mind (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301). . And they did so. That this signifies the effect, is evident without explication. . And Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod. That this signifies the power of internal truth through external truth, is evident from what was said above (n. 7382), where are like words. . And smote the dust of the land. That this signifies that things damned were removed, is evident from what was said above (n. 7418). . And there was louse on man and on beast. That this signifies that interior and exterior evils of cupidities were thence derived, is evident from the signification of "lice," as being evils (n. 7419); and from the signification of "man," as being good (n. 4287, 5302), thus in the opposite sense evil; and from the signification of "beast," as being the affection of good, and in the opposite sense the affection of evil, or cupidity (n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519, 5198); but when "man and beast" are mentioned together, then by "man" is signified interior good, and in the opposite sense interior evil; and by "beast" exterior good, and in the opposite sense exterior evil. The reason why by "man"is signified interior good, or evil, is that he is man from his internal man and its quality, but not from the external man; for the external man is not man without the internal; and in order that the external may also be man, it must be wholly subordinated to the internal, insomuch that it does not act from itself, but from the internal man. The reason why by" beast" is signified exterior good, and in the opposite sense exterior evil, is that beasts have no internal such as man has; the internal which they have has been immersed in the external, insomuch that it is one with it, and together with it looks downward or toward the earth, without any elevation toward what is interior. It is said "evils of cupidities" because all evils belong to cupidities, because cupidities belong to loves. Interior evils are distinguished from exterior by the fact that interior evils are those which are of the thought and will; and exterior evils are those which are of act. That there may be evils which are interior and not exterior, is evident from the fact that a man may be evil, and yet in the outward form may appear as an upright man, and even as a man of faith and conscience. Some also know how to counterfeit angels, when yet inwardly they are devils. So far can the inward form which is of the spirit differ from the outward form which is of the body. . All the dust of the land became louse in all the land of Egypt. That this signifies that these evils were from the things that had been damned, is evident from the signification of "the dust of the land," as being what is damned (n. 7418); from the signification of "lice," as being evils (n. 7419); and from the signification of "the land of Egypt," as being the natural mind (n. 7420). . And the magicians did so with their enchantments, to bring forth lice. That this signifies an endeavor to pervert Divine order, and to portray the like in these things also, is evident from the signification of "they did," as being an endeavor to do the same thing, for it follows that "they could not;" from the signification of "magicians" and "enchantments," as being to pervert Divine order and to portray the like in the external form (n. 7296, 7297, 7337); and from the signification of "bringing forth lice," as being to produce the evils signified by the "lice" (n. 7419). . And they could not. That this signifies in vain, is evident without explication. . And there was louse on man and on beast. That this signifies evils interior and exterior, is evident from what was said above (n. 7424), where are like words. . And the magicians said unto Pharaoh. That this signifies perception and communication with those who were in evils, is evident from the signification of "saying," as being perception (n. 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3509, 5743), and also communication (n. 3060, 4131, 6228, 7291, 7381); from the signification of "magicians," as being those who pervert Divine order and portray the like in the external form (n. 7426); and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who are in falsities and infest (n. 6651, 6679, 6683, 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7317), here those who are in evils, because they are now in a state of evil, after false reasonings have been taken away, as is plain from what goes before. . This is the finger of God. That this signifies that the power was from the Divine, is evident from the signification of "the finger of God," as being power from the Divine; that "finger" denotes power is because the fingers belong to the hands, and by "hands" is signified power (n. 878, 4931-4937, 6344, 6424, 6948). That "finger" denotes power, is evident also from the following passages:--When I behold the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast prepared (Ps. 8:3).
Jesus said, If I by the finger of God cast out demons, surely the kingdom of God is come unto you (Luke 11:20).
That Jesus took the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech apart from the people, and put His finger into his ears, and spat, and touched his tongue (Mark 7:32, 33); was also a representative of Divine power.
[2] That a finger represents power is plain also from the rites of the church among the Jews, in that blood should be put upon the thumb, and that the priest should sprinkle the blood with his finger, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:--
Thou shalt kill the ram, and put of the blood upon the thumb of the hand of Aaron and his sons, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exod. 29:20).
The priest shall take of the blood of the guilt-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. Afterward the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil which is upon the palm of his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah; and of the rest of the oil, which is upon the palm of his hand, the priest shall put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot (Lev. 14:14, 16, 17).
Thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger (Exod. 29:12; Lev. 4:6; 9:9).
[3] That all these things signified secrets of heaven and holy things, is evident from the fact that the Word is from the Divine, and is inspired as to every point in the original (Luke 16:17), thus also as to these details in Moses. That the "thumb" and the "finger" denote the power of good through truth, is here plain from the internal sense. Power is also signified by "finger" in David:--
Blessed be Jehovah who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers war (Ps. 144:1);
And in Isaiah:--
He shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and that which his fingers have made (Isa. 17:8);
"altars" denote worship in general (n. 4541); "the work of the hands, and what the fingers have made" denote such things as are from what is man’s own, thus which are from his own power.
. And Pharaoh‘s heart was made firm. This signifies obstinacy, (n. 7272). . And he heard them not. This signifies disobedience, (n. 7224, 7275, 7301, 7339). . As Jehovah had spoken. That this signifies according to the prediction, see above (n. 7302, 7340, 7414). EXODUS 8:11-15 previous - next - text - summary - Exodus - Full Page
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