6978.“必在旱地上变作血”表对所有真理的歪曲，以及随之它在属世层中的匮乏。这从“血”和“旱地”的含义清楚可知：“血”是指从主发出的神圣真理，在反面意义是指被歪曲和亵渎的真理（参看4735节，此中情形如刚才所示）；“旱地”是指属世层，如刚才所述（6976节）。“血”表示对真理的歪曲和对真理的亵渎，这一点在那鸿书尤其明显：
祸哉！这流人血的城，充满谎诈和劫掠，抢夺的事总不止息。鞭子的声音，车轮轰轰的声音；嘶鸣的马匹，跳动的战车；马兵冲锋，剑发光，枪矛闪烁；被刺杀的众多，死尸成堆，尸骸无数；人因尸骸而绊跌。都因那妖媚的妓女，行邪术的女巫多有淫行，借淫行出卖诸民族，用邪术迷惑各家族。（那鸿书3:1-4）
“流人血的城”表示支持虚假的教义，因此“血”表示被歪曲和亵渎的真理。这一点从描述这城的每句话的内义明显看出来，不只是所引用的这几节，还有接下来的几节，因为整个这一章都在描述它；“城”是指教义；它“充满谎诈和劫掠”表示充满虚假和虚假所产生的邪恶；“鞭子的声音，车轮轰轰的声音”表示虚假利用谬念所作的防卫；“嘶鸣的马匹，跳动的战车”表示利用扭曲的理解力和扭曲的教义；“马兵冲锋，剑发光，枪矛闪烁”表示与真理的争战；“被刺杀的众多”表示无数虚假和陷入虚假的人；“死尸成堆，尸骸无数”表示无数邪恶和陷入邪恶的人；“妓女的淫行”表示歪曲本身，“邪术”具有同样的含义。
Potts(1905-1910) 6978
6978. They shall become blood in the dry [land]. That this signifies the falsification of all truth, and the consequent privation of it in the natural, is evident from the signification of "blood," as being holy truth proceeding from the Lord, and in the opposite sense truth falsified and profaned (see n. 4735, how the case herein is was shown just above); and from the signification of "the dry [land]," as being the natural (of which also just above, n. 6976). That "blood" signifies the falsification of truth and its profanation, is especially evident in Nahum:
Woe to the city of bloods! It is all full of lying and rapine; the prey departeth not. The voice of a whip, and the voice of the sound of a wheel; and a neighing horse, and a jumping chariot; the horseman mounting, and the shining of a sword, and the flash of a spear; and a multitude of pierced, and a heap of carcass and no end of body; they stumble on their body. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts (Nah. 3:1-4);
that by the "city of bloods" is signified the doctrine of falsity, thus by "blood," falsified and profaned truth is plain from all the words of its description in the internal sense, and not only in these verses which have been cited, but also in those which follow, the description of it being continued in the whole chapter; for the "city" is doctrine; its being "all full of lying and rapine" denotes being full of falsity, and of evil from falsity; "the voice of a whip and the voice of the sound of a wheel" denotes the defence of falsity by fallacies; "a neighing horse and a jumping chariot" denotes from a perverted intellectual and the like doctrine; "the horseman mounting, the shining of a sword, the flashing of a spear" denotes combat against truth; "the multitude of pierced" denotes innumerable falsities thence, and those who are in falsities; "a heap of carcass, and no end of body" denotes innumerable evils thence, and those who are in evils; "the whoredoms of a harlot" denote the falsifications themselves, and in like manner "witchcrafts."
Elliott(1983-1999) 6978
6978. 'And it will become blood on the dry land' means the falsifying of all truth and the consequent deprivation of it in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'blood' as holy truth coming forth from the Lord, and in the contrary sense as truth falsified and rendered profane, dealt with in 4735 (the implications of this have been stated in what comes immediately before this); and from the meaning of 'the dry land' as the natural, dealt with just above in 6976. The meaning of 'blood' as the falsification of truth and the profanation of it is clear in particular in Nahum,
Woe to the city of blood,a all full of lies [and] plunder! Prey will not depart! The noise of a whip and the noise of the rumbling wheel,b and the neighing horse and the clatteringc chariot! The mounting horseman,d and the glitter of the sword, and the lightning-flash of the spear, and the multitude of slain, and the heap of corpses, and no end of bodies - they trip over their bodies - all because of the multitude of whoredoms of a harlot with goodly grace, the mistress of sorceries, the seller of nations through her acts of whoredom, and of families through her sorceries. Nahum 3:1-4.
'The city of blood' means teachings that uphold falsity, so that 'blood' means truth that has been falsified and rendered profane. This is evident from the internal sense of every word of the description of the city, not only in the verses that have been quoted but also in those that follow them, since the whole chapter continues with a description of it; for' the city' means doctrinal teachings. 'All full of lies and plunder' means full of falsity and of evil resulting from falsity. 'The noise of the whip and the noise of the rumbling wheel' means the defence of falsity by the use of fallacious ideas. 'The neighing horse and the clattering chariot' means by the use of a perverted power of understanding and of teachings similarly perverted. 'The mounting horseman, the glitter of the sword, the lightning-flash of the spear' means a battle against truth. 'The multitude of slain' means that countless falsities and people under the influence of them result from it. 'The heap of corpses, and no end of bodies' means that countless evils and people governed by them result from it. 'The whoredoms of a harlot' means falsifications themselves which take place; and 'sorceries' has a similar meaning.
Latin(1748-1756) 6978
6978. `Et erunt in sanguinem in arida': quod significet falsificationem omnis veri et inde privationem ejus in naturali, constat ex significatione `sanguinis' quod sit sanctum verum procedens a Domino, et in opposito sensu verum falsificatum et profanatum, de qua n. 4735; quomodo cum hoc se habet, in mox praecedentibus dictum est; et ex significatione `aridae' quod sit naturale, de qua mox supra n. 6976. Quod `sanguis' falsificationem veri et ejus profanationem significet, constat imprimis apud Nahum, Vae urbi sanguinum, tota mendacio, rapina, plena, nec recedet praeda! Vox scuticae, et vox sonitus rotae, et equus hinniens, et currus saltitans; eques ascendere faciens, et splendor gladii, et fulgor hastae, et multitudo confossorum, et acervus cadaveris, nec finis corporis, impingunt in corpore eorum. Prae multitudine scortationum scorti, boni gratia, magistrae praestigiarum, vendentis gentes per scortationes suas, et familias per praestigias suas, iii 1-4;quod per `urbem sanguinum' significetur doctrina falsi, ita per `sanguinem' falsificatum et profanatum verum, patet ex omnibus descriptionis ejus verbis {1} in sensu interno, nec modo in his versibus qui allati sunt sed etiam in sequentibus, nam in toto capite {1} continuatur ejus descriptio; `urbs' enim est doctrina; `tota mendacio et rapina plena' est falso et malo ex falso; `vox scuticae vox sonitus rotae' est defensio falsi ex fallaciis; `equus hinniens et currus saltitans' est ex intellectuali perverso et doctrinali simili; `eques ascendere faciens, splendor gladii, fulgor hastae' est pugna contra verum; `multitudo confossorum' est quod inde innumera falsa, et qui in falsis; `acervus cadaveris, nec finis corporis' est quod inde innumera mala, et qui in malis; `scortationes scorti' sunt ipsae falsificationes; `praestigiae' similiter. @1 i ibi$