Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 19:5
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AC 2350. Verse 5. And they cried unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came unto thee this night? bring them out unto us that we may know them. "They cried unto Lot, and said unto him," signifies falsity from evil becoming angry against good; "where are the men that came unto thee?" signifies the denial of the Lords Divine Human and Holy proceeding; "this night," signifies the last time, when these are no longer acknowledged; "bring them out unto us, that we may know them," signifies that men then desire to show that it is false to acknowledge their existence.

AC 2351. They cried unto Lot and said unto him. That this signifies falsity from evil becoming angry against good, can be seen from the signification of "crying," and also of "Lot," and thereby from the feeling that is expressed. That the term "crying" is predicated of falsity, was shown above (n. 2240); and that "Lot" represents the men of the church who are in good, thus good itself (n. 2324). From this and from the feeling of anger expressed in these words, it is evident that they signify falsity from evil becoming angry against good. That there are many kinds of falsity, but in general two, namely, the falsity which is produced from evil, and that which produces evil, may be seen above (n. 1188, 1212, 1295, 1679, 2243).

[2] The falsity from evil, within the church, is especially that falsity which favors evils of life-such as that good, that is, charity, does not make a man of the church, but truth, that is, faith; and that a man is saved howsoever he may have lived in evils during the whole course of his life, provided that when corporeal things are lulled to sleep, as is usual a short time before death, he utters something of faith with apparent affection. This is the falsity which is especially angry against good, and is signified by their "crying to Lot." The cause of anger is all that which endeavors to destroy the delight of any love. It is called "anger" when evil attacks good, but "zeal" when good reproves evil.

AC 2352. Where are the men that came unto thee? That this signifies a denial of the Lord‘s Divine Human and Holy proceeding, is evident from the signification of the "two men" (n. 2320); also from the feeling latent in the words expressive of this anger; and likewise from what immediately follows, where it is said, "Bring them out unto us, that we may know them;" all of which show that denial is involved. That they who are against the good of charity are against the Lord and deny Him in heart, although they profess Him with the mouth for the sake of the love of self and of the world, may be seen above, (n. 2343, 2349).

AC 2353. This night. That this signifies the last time, when these are no longer acknowledged, is evident from the signification of "night," as being a time of darkness, when the things of light are no longer seen. The angels did not come in the night, but in the evening; but as it is the men of Sodom who spoke and cried out, that is, those who are in falsity and evil, it is not said in the "evening," but in the "night." For in the Word "night" signifies the time and state when there is no longer any light of truth, but merely falsity and evil;

AC 2354. Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. That this signifies that they desired to show that it is false to acknowledge that these exist (namely, the Lord’s Divine Human and Holy proceeding), is evident from the signification of the "two angels" (n. 2320); as also from the angry feeling with which these things were said, and in which there is what is expressive of denial.

[2] There is here described the first state of a vastated church; that is, the state when there begins to be no faith because there is no charity; which state as before said is that because they are against the good of charity they are also in no faith, and especially in no acknowledgment of the Lord‘s Divine Human and Holy proceeding. These are at heart denied by all who are in a life of evil, that is, by all who despise others in comparison with themselves, who hate those who do not pay them respect, who feel a delight in being revenged on them, who even feel delight in cruelty, and who regard adulteries as matters of no moment. The Pharisees of old, who openly denied the Lord’s Divinity, did better than is the case with such men at the present day, who for the sake of their own exaltation and sordid enrichment outwardly worship Him in a holy manner, but inwardly cherish that profane state. The successive development and doom of such as these is described in what follows by the men of Sodom, and finally by the overthrow of that city (verses 24, 25).

[3] The case with man is that there are with him evil spirits, and at the same time angels. Through the evil spirits he communicates with hell, and through the angels with heaven (n. 687, 697). In so far therefore as his life approximates to what is evil, so far hell flows in; but in so far as his life approximates to what is good, so far heaven flows in, and therefore the Lord. From this it is evident that they who are in a life of evil cannot acknowledge the Lord, but frame for themselves innumerable things against Him; because the phantasies of hell flow in and are received by them. But they who are in a life of good acknowledge the Lord, because heaven flows in, in which love and charity are the main thing; because heaven is the Lord‘s, from whom come all things of love and charity (n. 537, 540, 547, 548, 551, 553, 685, 2130).

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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