722# “等她生产之后，要吞吃她的孩子”表示叫他们可以在该教会一开始出现时，就可以摧毁它的教义。这从“孩子”和“吞吃”的含义清楚可知：妇人即将生产的“孩子”是指教会的教义，因为下文我们会看到，这教义由她生产的“男孩子”来表示。“吞吃”是指摧毁；因为所论及的东西跟随它的主题，当“龙”是主题时，“吞吃”论及他，但当教会的教义是主题时，被摧毁论及它；因此，“吞吃”在此表示摧毁。所表示的是，在它一开始出现时，就摧毁它，因为经上说：“等妇人生产之后，他要吞吃她的孩子。”在圣言的其它经文中，当论及表示虚假和邪恶的野兽时，“吞吃”和“吃”也表示摧毁，这一点在以西结书是很明显的：
从狮子的幼崽中起来一个，它成了少壮狮子，学会抓猎，它就吞吃人。(以西结书19:3, 6)
“吞吃人”表示摧毁对真理的理解和聪明。何西阿书：
我遇见他们必像丢崽子的母熊；我必像巨狮吞吃他们；野兽的野兽必撕裂他们。(何西阿书13:8)
但以理书：
看哪，有一兽如熊，口内牙齿间衔着三根肋骨，有人对它说，起来，吞吃多肉。(但以理书7:5)
此外，在希伯来语，许多经文中的“吞吃”表示消灭、破坏和摧毁，如在耶利米书：
他们吞吃了雅各，他们吞吃了他，把他消灭，使他的住处荒废。(耶利米书10:25，以及别处)
722. That when she had brought forth, he might devour her child.- That this signifies that they might destroy the doctrine of that church at its first beginning, is evident from the signification of the child which the woman was about to bring forth, as denoting the doctrine of the church, for that this is meant by the male child whom she brought forth will be seen in the following article; and from the signification of devouring as denoting to destroy. For predicates follow their subjects, and when the dragon is the subject, then to devour is the predicate; but when the doctrine of the church is the subject, then to destroy is the predicate, therefore to devour here signifies to destroy. To destroy it at its first beginning is signified, because it is said that when the woman had brought forth, he might devour her child. That to devour and to eat also in other passages of the Word signify to destroy, when used in reference to wild beasts, which signify falsities and evils, is plain in Ezekiel:
"One of the whelps" of the lion "rose up, it became a young lion, it learned to seize the prey; it devoured man" (19:3, 6).
To devour man signifies to destroy the understanding of truth and intelligence.
In Hosea:
"I will meet them as a bear bereaved, and I will devour them as a fierce lion, a wild beast of the field shall tear them" (13:8).
In Daniel:
"Lo, a beast like a bear," which "had three ribs in the mouth between the teeth," it was said to it, "Rise, devour much flesh" (7:5).
Moreover, in the Hebrew, to devour is put in many passages for consuming, ruining, and destroying, as in Jeremiah:
"They have devoured Jacob, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitations" (10:25; and elsewhere).
722. That when she brought forth he might devour her offspring, signifies that they might destroy the doctrine of that church at its first rise. This is evident from the signification of "the offspring" that the woman was about to bring forth, as being the doctrine of the church; that this is meant by "the son a male" which she brought forth will be seen in the following article. Also from the signification of "to devour," as being to destroy; for what is predicated follows its subject, and when "the dragon" is the subject, "to devour" is predicated of him, but when the doctrine of the church is the subject, being destroyed is predicated of it, therefore "to devour" here signifies to destroy. To destroy it at its first rise is signified because it is said "that when the woman brought forth he might devour her offspring." "To devour" and "to eat" also elsewhere signify to destroy, when predicated of wild beasts, which signify falsities and evils, as is evident in Ezekiel:
One of the whelps of the lion went up, it became a young lion, and it learned to seize the prey, it devoured man (Ezekiel 19:3, 6).
"To devour man" signifies to destroy the understanding of truth and intelligence. In Hosea:
I will encounter them as a bear that is bereaved; and I will devour them like an immense lion; the wild beast of the field shall tear them (Hosea 13:8).
In Daniel:
Behold, a beast, like to a bear, it had three ribs in the mouth between the teeth, it was said to it, Rise, devour much flesh (Daniel 7:5).
Moreover, in the Hebrew, "to devour" in many passages stands for to consume, to ruin, and to destroy, as in Jeremiah:
They have devoured Jacob, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitations (Jeremiah 10:25).
722. "Ut postquam pepererit, fetum ejus devoraret." - Quod significet ut destruerent doctrinam illius ecclesiae in primo ejus ortu, constat ex significatione "fetus", quem mulier paritura esset, quod sit doctrina ecclesiae; quod haec intelligatur per "filium masculum" quem peperit, videbitur in articulo mox sequente: et ex significatione "devorare", quod sit destruere; praedicata enim sequuntur sua subjecta; quum "draco" est subjectum, tunc praedicatum ejus est "devorare", at cum doctrina ecclesiae est subjectum, tunc praedicatum ejus est destruere; inde est quod destruere hic per "devorare" significetur; quod significetur destruere in primo ejus ortu, est quia dicitur quod "postquam mulier pepererit, fetum ejus devoraret." Quod "devorare" et "comedere" etiam alibi significet destruere, quando dicitur de "feris", per quas significantur falsa et mala, constat apud Ezechielem,
"Surrexit unus de catulis" leonis, qui "juvenis leo factus est", qui "didicit rapere rapinam, hominem devoravit" (19:3, 6):
"hominem devorare" significat intellectum veri ac intelligentiam destruere.
Apud Hoscheam,
"Occurram illis sicut ursus orbatus, .... et comedam eos.. sicut immanis leo, fera agri diffindet eos" (13:8);
apud Danielem,
"Ecce bestia... similis urso", cui "tres costae in ore inter dentes", cui dictum, "Surge, devora carnem multam" (7:5).
Praeterea in lingua Hebraea multis in locis dicitur "comedere" pro consumere, perdere et destruere:
- Ut apud Jeremiam,
"Comederunt Jacobum, comederunt eum, et consumpserunt eum, et habitationes ejus devastarunt" (10:25; et alibi).