7039.“看哪！我要杀你的儿子，你的长子”表灭绝无仁之信，由此毁灭他们中间的真理。这从“杀”和“儿子，长子”的含义清楚可知：“杀”是指灭绝；“儿子，长子”，即法老和埃及人的“儿子，长子”，是指无仁之信（参看3325节）。因为“法老”和“埃及人”代表教会所知的记忆知识（4749，4964，4966，6004节），因而是指形成信之部分的记忆知识，因为这些知识是教会所拥有的知识。但由于他们将这些记忆知识变成了巫术（6692节），他们的行为由此而为邪恶，缺乏任何仁爱，所以“他们的长子”表示信之事物的纯粹知识，因而表示无仁之信。“埃及的长子”表示这些纯粹的知识，这一点从“以色列的长子”的含义明显看出来，“以色列的长子”是指仁之信，如前所述（7035节）。
之所以用“无仁之信”这种说法，而信在此表示信之事物的纯粹知识，是因为没有仁的地方，不可能有信。对那些未处于仁的人来说，信之事物纯粹是存储在记忆中的术语，它们在记忆中取了和其它任何记忆知识一样的形式。
那里甚至没有构成信的真理的真正记忆知识，因为它已被虚假的观念玷污了，还充当了巩固虚假的手段。由于这就是无仁之信的情形，故在来世，它在恶人当中灭绝，他们在信方面完全被毁灭。这种情况允许发生，是为了防止他们以真理为手段达到邪恶的目的，从而防止地狱在他们中间以某种方式支配诸如属于天堂的那类事物，并防止他们由此悬在天堂与地狱之间。这种灭绝和对真理的这种毁灭就是埃及的长子被杀所表示的。埃及人后来在红海灭亡代表这些人随后受诅的状态，或属灵死亡；因为一旦信或真理的事物从他们那里被夺走（这些事物就像举起他们的翅膀），他们立刻像重物一样坠入地狱。
Potts(1905-1910) 7039
7039. Behold I will slay thy son, thy firstborn. That this signifies the extinction of faith without charity, and the consequent devastation of truth with them, is evident from the signification of "slaying," as being extinction; and from the signification of "son, the firstborn," namely, of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, as being faith without charity (see n. 3325). For by Pharaoh and the Egyptians are represented the memory-knowledges which are of the church (n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004), thus which are of faith, for these are of the church. But because they turned these memory-knowledges into magic (n. 6692), and from this their works were evil, and devoid of any charity, therefore by their "firstborn" are signified such things as are of the memory-knowledge of faith, thus faith without charity. That these are signified by the "firstborn of Egypt," is evident from the signification of the "firstborn of Israel," as being the faith of charity (of which above n. 7035). [2] It is said "faith without charity," but by "faith" is here meant the memory-knowledge of such things as are of faith, for there is no faith where there is no charity. With those who are not in charity the things of faith are merely things of memory, and are in the memory under no other form than is any other memory-knowledge; and there is not there even the memory-knowledge of truth which is of faith, because it is defiled with ideas of falsity, and also serves as a means to defend falsities. As this is the case with faith without charity, it is therefore extinguished with the evil in the other life, and they are completely devastated as to truth, in order to prevent truths from being made into means for their evils, and thus lest hell should in some way have dominion in them over such things as are of heaven, and lest they should thereby hang between heaven and hell. This extinction and this devastation of truth are what is signified by the firstborn in Egypt being slain. That the Egyptians afterward perished in the sea Suph represented the subsequent state of damnation or the spiritual death of such persons, for as soon as the things of faith or of truth are taken away from them (which had been like wings that lifted them up), they soon sink down like weights into hell.
Elliott(1983-1999) 7039
7039. 'Behold, I kill your son, your firstborn' means the annihilation of faith devoid of charity, and the consequent devastation of truth among them. This is clear from the meaning of 'killing' as annihilation; and from the meaning of 'firstborn son', that is to say, of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, as faith devoid of charity, dealt with in 3325. For 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians' have represented the facts known to the Church, 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004, thus known facts which form part of faith since these facts are ones that the Church possesses. But because they turned that factual knowledge into magic, 6692, and their deeds were as a consequence evil and devoid of any charity, the mere knowledge of matters of faith, thus faith without charity, is meant by 'their firstborn sons'. That the mere knowledge of them is meant by 'the firstborn of Egypt' is evident from the meaning of 'the firstborn of Israel' as the faith that is wedded to charity, dealt with above in 7075.
[2] The expression 'faith devoid of charity' is used, but faith in this case is used to mean the mere knowledge of matters of faith, because faith cannot exist where there is no charity. With those who are not governed by charity matters of faith are merely items stored in the memory; and in the memory they take the same form as any other factual knowledge. Nor does any real knowledge of the truth that composes faith reside there, because it has been debased by false ideas and also serves as the means to bolster up falsities. Since this is what faith devoid of charity is like, it is annihilated among the wicked in the next life, with whom truth suffers complete devastation. This is allowed to happen to prevent them from using truths as the means to attain evil objectives, and so to prevent hell from dominating in any way among them over such things as belong to heaven, and to guard against their being left hanging as a consequence between heaven and hell. Such annihilation and such devastation of truth is what is meant by the firstborn in Egypt being killed. The destruction after that of the Egyptians in the Sea Suph represented a subsequent state of damnation or spiritual death of such people; for once they have been deprived of matters of faith or truth, which were like wings lifting them up, they immediately drop like weights into hell.
Latin(1748-1756) 7039
7039. `Ecce Ego occido filium tuum, primogenitum tuum': quod significet exstinctionem fidei absque charitate, et inde devastationem veri apud illos, constat ex significatione `occidere' quod sit exstinctio; et ex significatione `filii primogeniti,' nempe Pharaonis et Aegyptiorum, quod sit fides absque charitate, de qua n. 3325; per `Pharaonem' enim et per `Aegyptios' repraesentata sunt scientifica quae Ecclesiae, n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004, ita scientifica quae sunt fidei, nam haec scientifica sunt Ecclesiae; at quia verterunt scientifica illa in magica, n. 6692, et inde opera illorum mala fuerunt et absque ulla charitate, idcirco per `primogenitos illorum' significantur talia quae scientiae fidei sunt, ita fides absque charitate; quod illa per `primogenitos Aegypti' significentur, patet a significatione `primogenitorum Israelis' quod sint fides charitatis, de qua supra n. 7035; 2 fides absque charitate dicitur, sed per fidem hic intelligitur scientia talium quae fidei sunt, nam non datur fides ubi non charitas; talia quae fidei {1} apud illos qui non in charitate sunt modo sunt res memoriae, et in memoria non sub alia forma quam est aliud scientificum; nec ibi est scientificum veri quod fidei, {2}quia (t)conspurcatum est ideis falsi, et quoque inservit pro mediis ad patrocinanda {3}falsa; quia ita se habet cum fide absque charitate, idcirco exstinguitur illa apud {4}malos in altera vita, (c)et illi devastantur prorsus quoad verum; ex causa, ne vera inserviant illis pro mediis ad mala, et sic ne apud illos infernum aliquo modo dominetur super talia quae sunt caeli, (c)et ne {5}inde pendeant inter caelum et {6}infernum; haec exstinctio et haec devastatio veri est quae {7}significatur per quod {8}occiderentur primogeniti in Aegypto; {9} quod dein perierint in mari Suph, repraesentabat statum damnationis seu mortis spiritualis talium postea, nam {10}ablatis illis quae sunt fidei seu veri, quae fuerunt quasi alae quae {11}elevabant, mox sicut pondera delabuntur in infernum. @1 i sunt$ @2 nam$ @3 mala; falsa quae defendunt, quae faciunt, et quia etiam inservit captandis lucris, etiam id, adjunctum est amori sui ac mundi, proinde malum cupiditatum inde, quibus fides illa spuria qui non imperat, sed famulatur$ @4 tales$ @5 illi ita$ @6 i inter$ @7 significabatur$ @8 occidebantur$ @9 i et$ @10 oblatis I$ @11 elevant$