Spiritual Meaning of Hail

Spiritual Meaning of

Hail

The signification of a rain of hail, is falsities from evil destroying the truths and goods of faith, thus the things of the church. That a rain of hail has this signification is because it is like stones, and destroys both men and beasts, also the produce of the field, and likewise because it is cold. A rain in general signifies a blessing, and in the opposite sense a curse (AC 2445); when a blessing, it signifies the influx and reception of the truth that is of faith and of the good that is of charity, for this is a blessing; but when it signifies a curse, it signifies falsity that is contrary to the truth of faith, and evil that is contrary to the good of charity, for these are a curse. But a rain of hail in general signifies the curse that belongs to falsity from evil, and indeed to falsity from evil against the truths and goods of the church.

[2] This is signified by a rain of hail in the following passages:--

I will dispute with God with pestilence and with blood; and I will make it rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an inundating rain, and hailstones, fire, and sulphur (Ezek. 38:22);

Gog denotes outward worship separate from inward, thus those who when charity is extinct make everything of Divine worship consist in outward things; hailstones denote falsities from evil.

[3] In the same:--

My hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity, and that divine a lie; say unto them that daub with what is untempered, that it shall fall; there shall be an inundating rain, by which ye hailstones shall fall; and a wind of storms shall burst through it (Ezek. 13:9, 11);

the prophets that see vanity and divine a lie denote those who teach evils and falsities; those who daub with what is untempered denotes that they invent falsities, and make them appear like truths. These are called hailstones from falsities; but hail in this and in the passage above quoted is expressed in the original by another word which means great hail.

[4] In Isaiah:--

Then Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and His arm shall see quiet, in the indignation of anger, and a flame of devouring fire, with scattering and inundation, and with hailstone (Isa. 30:30, 31);

where hailstone denotes the vastation of truth through falsities. In the same:--

Behold the Lord is strong and mighty; like an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, like an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, shall He cast down to the earth with the hand; the hail shall overthrow the refuge of a lie, and they shall inundate the hiding-place of waters (Isa. 28:2, 17);

an inundation denotes immersion in falsities, and thus the vastation of truth (AC 705, 739, 790, 5725, 6853); an inundation of hail denotes the destruction of truth through falsities.

[5] In David:--

He smote their vine with hail, and their sycamores with grievous hail; and He shut up their beast with the hail, and their cattle with coals of fire. He sent against them the wrath of His anger (Ps. 78:47-49).

He made their rains hail, a flaming fire in their land, and smote their vine and their fig-tree, and brake in pieces the tree of their border (Ps. 105:32, 33);

hail and rain denote the vastation of truth and good through falsities from evil; the vine denotes the truth and good of the internal church; the sycamore and the fig-tree, denote the truths and goods of the external church. In the same:--

Who giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar frost like dust, who castest forth His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold? (Ps 147:16, 17);

hail denotes falsities from evils. In the same:--

He made darkness His hiding-place, His circuits His tent, the darkness of the waters, the clouds of the heavens, from the brightness before Him the clouds passed, with hailstone and coals of fire; Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave His voice, hailstone and coals of fire, so that He sent arrows and scattered them (Ps. 18:12-15);

hailstone denotes falsities from evil which vastate truths and goods.

[6] In John:--

The first angel sounded, and there came hail and fire mingled with blood, and it fell upon the earth, so that the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up (Rev. 8:7);

hail denotes falsities from evil; fire mingled with blood, the evil of cupidities together with falsified truths; the trees that were burnt up denote the knowledges of truth destroyed by the evil of cupidities; the green grass that was burnt up denotes the memory-knowledges of truth likewise destroyed. Fire denotes the evil of cupidities, (AC 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324); blood denotes falsified truth, (AC 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326); and trees denote knowledges, (AC 2722, 2972).

[7] In Joshua:--

It came to pass, as they fled before Israel in the going down of Bethhoron, when Jehovah cast down upon them great stones from the heavens even unto Azekah, that they died; there were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the sons of Israel slew with the sword (Joshua 10:11);

this is said of the five kings who fought against Gibeon; by these kings and their people were represented those who are in falsities from evils, therefore they died with the hailstones; morsels of hail are called stones, because stones also signify falsities. From all this it is evident what is signified by hail and rain of hail, namely, falsities from evils; and consequently the vastation of truth and good is also signified, for this is effected through falsities from evils.

from AC 7553

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.