9348.“因为这必成为你的网罗”表由于邪恶的诱惑和欺骗。这从“网罗”的含义清楚可知，“网罗”当论及邪恶时，是指诱惑和欺骗。邪恶之所以会进行诱惑和欺骗，是因为一切邪恶皆源于自我之爱和尘世之爱（参看9335节），自我之爱和尘世之爱是一个人与生俱来的。自他出生的那一刻起，他就出于这些爱感受其生命的快乐；事实上，他的生命就来自它们，或说他由此而拥有生命。因此，这些爱就像河中的暗流，不断将人的思维和意愿从主向自我，从天堂引向世界，因而从信之真理和良善引向虚假和邪恶。这时，基于感官幻觉的推理尤其占主导地位，被错解、错用的圣言字义也是。
这两个错误源头就是“网罗”、“圈套”、“坑”、“网”、 “绳索”、“脚镣”，以及“诡诈”和“欺骗”在圣言的灵义上所表示的；如这些经文：
地上的居民哪，恐惧、陷坑、网罗都临到你。躲避恐惧声音的必坠入陷坑；从陷坑上来的必被网罗缠住。因为高处的闸门都开了，地的根基也震动了。（以赛亚书24:17，18）
耶利米书：
摩押的居民哪，惊恐、陷坑、网罗都临到你。躲避恐惧的必坠入陷坑；从陷坑上来的必被网罗缠住。（耶利米书48:43，44）
“恐惧”和“惊恐”是指当心智徘徊在邪恶和良善，因而徘徊在虚假和真理之间时，它的扰乱和骚动；“坑”是指由基于支持爱自己爱世界的快乐的感官幻觉的推理所制造的虚假；“网罗”是指由它产生的邪恶的诱惑和欺骗。
以赛亚书：
他们往前行却后仰跌倒，而且跌碎，并陷入网罗被缠住。（以赛亚书28:13）
“后仰跌倒”表示远离良善和真理；“跌碎”表示驱散真理和良善；“陷入网罗”表示被爱自己爱世界的邪恶诱惑；“缠住”表示被它们带走或冲昏头脑。
以西结书：
以色列首领的母亲是个母狮子。在她小狮子中的一只，学会抓食而吃人。列族听见他，就把他捉在他们的坑中，用钩子拉到埃及地去。后来他蹂躏寡妇，使城邑荒凉；因它咆哮的声音，地和其中所充满的就都荒废。于是四围各省的列族埋伏攻击他，将网撒在他身上，捉在他们的坑中。他们用钩子把将他放在笼中，带到巴比伦王那里，将他放在网里，使他的声音在以色列山上不再听见。（以西结书19:1-4，7-9）
这描述了通过邪恶所产生的虚假的诱惑而对真理的连续亵渎；“以色列首领的母亲”是指首要真理所在的教会，“母亲”是指教会（参看298，2691，2717，4257，5581，8897节），“以色列的首领”是指首要真理（1482，2089，5044节）；“母狮子”是指由邪恶产生并败坏教会真理的虚假；“小狮子”是指在其能力中的邪恶（6367节）；“抓食而吃人”表示摧毁真理和良善，因为“人”是指教会的良善（4287，7424，7523节）；“列族”是指邪恶（参看1259，1260，1849，2588e，4444，6306节）；他被列族捉在的“陷坑”是指邪恶所产生的虚假（4728，4744，5038，9086节）；他被钩子拉到的“埃及地”是指记忆知识，虚假经由它而来（9340节）；“蹂躏寡妇”表示败坏渴望真理的良善，“蹂躏”表示败坏（参看2466，2729，4865，8904节），“寡妇”表示渴望真理的良善（参看9198，9200节）；“使城邑荒凉”表示摧毁教会的真理教义（402，2268，2449，2943，3216，4478，4492，4493节）；“地和其中所充满的就都荒废”表示摧毁教会的一切（9325节）；“狮子咆哮的声音”是指虚假；“将网撒在他身上”表示通过属于世俗之爱的快乐和归因于它们的推理进行诱惑；“带到巴比伦王那里”是指对真理的亵渎（1182，1283，1295，1304，1307，1308，1321，1322，1326节）。
当一个人不爱自己爱世界高于一切时，这些事不会发生，这一点在阿摩司书被如此描述：
狮子若无猎物，岂能在森林中咆哮呢？若没有圈套，鸟儿岂能陷在地上网罗里呢？网罗若无所得，岂能从地上翻起呢？（阿摩司书3:4-6）
谁都能明显看出，“网罗”在灵义上表示经由爱自己爱世界而来的诱惑和欺骗，因而表示邪恶的诱惑和欺骗，并且这一切是通过基于感官幻觉并支持这些快乐的推理来运作的。因为对人的诱捕和俘获并非来自其它源头。当魔鬼团伙向一个人发起攻击时，它会专攻他的爱；这些爱以各种可能的方式引诱他，直到把他迷住为止；当他被迷住时，这个人就会出于虚假推理反对真理，出于邪恶推理反对良善。然而，他并不满足于此，还以网罗他人，引诱他们走向虚假和邪恶为乐。他还以此为乐的原因是，现在他也是这个魔鬼团伙当中的一员。
“网罗”、“圈套”、“网”因表示这类事物，故也表示对属灵生命的摧毁和灭绝；事实上，属于这些爱的快乐就是那摧毁并灭绝它的，因为如前所述，一切邪恶皆源于这些爱。从爱自己所涌出的是与自己相比对他的蔑视，然后就是对他们的嘲笑和诋毁；如果他们不同意自己，随之而来的就是敌意，最后是伴随仇恨、报复，因而强暴或无人性，甚至野蛮残忍的快乐。在来世，这爱爬得如此之高，以致若非主向这些人施恩，并恩准他们统治其他人，他们不仅蔑视祂，还会嘲笑论述祂的圣言，最后出于仇恨和报复反对祂；他们越不能做任何反对祂的事，就越将他们的仇恨和报复野蛮、残忍地发泄到所有信奉祂的人身上。由此明显可知魔鬼团伙的本质从何而来，即来自自我之爱。因此，“网罗”因表示爱自己爱世界的快乐，故也表示对属灵生命的摧毁和灭绝；因为凡对自我和世界的爱掌权的地方，对主之信和爱的一切，以及对邻之爱的一切都被这爱的快乐摧毁（参看9335节所提到的地方）。
这些爱是一切邪恶的根源，地狱就由它们产生并存在于它们里面，这些爱是地狱之火，这一事实在当今世界尚不为人所知。然而，人们可以从这一事实知道这一点：这些爱是对邻之爱和对神之爱的对立面，也是内心谦卑的对立面；而且，一切蔑视、一切仇恨、一切报复，以及一切强暴和残忍都唯独源于这些爱；凡对这个问题稍加思考的人，都能意识到这一点。
因此，“网罗”表示对属灵生命的摧毁和灭绝，这一点从下列经文明显看出来。诗篇：
耶和华要向恶人密布网罗，烈火、硫磺。（诗篇11:6）
此处“烈火和硫磺”是指爱自己爱世界的邪恶。“火”具有这种含义（参看1297，1861，5071，5215，6314，6832，7324，7575，9144节）；“硫磺”也是（2446节）；由此明显可知“网罗”表示什么。路加福音：
恐怕那日子忽然临到你们，因为它如同网罗临到全地面上一切居住的人。（路加福音21:34，35）
此处论述的主题是教会的最后阶段，这时没有了信，因为没有了仁，那时掌权的是对自我和世界的爱。从这些爱而来的是“网罗”所表示的灭绝。耶利米书：
因为在我民中发现了恶人，他们窥探，好像设下网罗捕鸟的人；他们设立圈套捕捉人。（耶利米书5:26）
诗篇：
那寻索我灵魂的设下网罗；那谋求要害我的，直讲灭绝的事，终日沉思诡计。（诗篇38:12）
又：
求你保护我脱离他们为我设的圈套之手和作孽之人的网罗。愿恶人落在自己的网里，我却得以逃脱。（诗篇141:9，10）
以赛亚书：
祂必作为圣所，却向以色列两家作绊脚的石头，跌人的磐石；向耶路撒冷的居民作为网罗和圈套。他们当中必有许多人绊脚跌倒，而且跌碎，并陷入网罗被缠住。（以赛亚书8:14，15）
此处论述的是主。“绊脚的石头，跌人的磐石”表示所放的绊脚石；“网罗和圈套”表示那些通过支持爱自己爱世界的虚假而攻击并试图摧毁对主之信的真理和良善之人所实现的灭绝；因为对所有骄傲的人来说，以下事实不仅是绊脚石，还是一个网罗，即：神性曾以一个人的形式显现，但祂不是以王权的威严，而是以遭蔑视的样子显现的。由此明显可知“它必作网罗”表示邪恶的诱惑和欺骗，和由此而来的灭绝；在摩西五经的其它地方也是：
不可与你所去那地的居民立约，恐怕成为你们中间的网罗。（出埃及记34:12）
申命记：
你也不可事奉他们的神，因这必成为你的网罗。（申命记7:16）
又：
那时你要自己谨慎，不可随从列族，陷入网罗，也不可寻问他们的神说。（申命记12:30）
“列族”是指邪恶和由它们所产生的虚假。
Potts(1905-1910) 9348
9348. Because it will be a snare to thee. That this signifies by reason of the allurement and deception of evils, is evident from the signification of "a snare," when said of evils, as being allurement and deception. That evils allure and deceive, is because all evils spring from the loves of self and of the world (see n. 9335), and the loves of self and of the world are born with man, and from this he feels the delight of his life from the moment of his birth; nay, from this he has life. Wherefore these loves, like the unseen currents of a river, continually draw the thought and the will of man away from the Lord to self, and away from heaven to the world, thus away from the truths and goods of faith to falsities and evils. Reasonings from the fallacies of the senses are then of especial force, and also the literal sense of the Word wrongly explained and applied.
[2] These two sources of error, and also those previously mentioned, are what are meant in the spiritual sense of the Word by "snares," "nooses," "pits," "nets," "ropes," "gins," and also by "frauds" and "deceits;" as in these passages:
Dread, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth; whence it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the voice of the dread shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare; for the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth have been shaken (Isa. 24:17, 18).
Fear, the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare (Jer. 48:43, 44).
"Dread" and "fear" denote a disturbance and commotion of the mind when it hesitates between evils and goods, consequently between falsities and truths; "the pit" denotes falsity brought in through reasonings from the fallacies of the senses to favor the delights of the loves of self and of the world; "the snare" denotes the allurement and deception of evil thence derived.
[3] In Isaiah:
They shall go, and stumble backward, and be broken, and ensnared, and taken (Isa. 28:13);
"to stumble backward" denotes to turn themselves away from good and truth; "to be broken" denotes to dissipate truths and goods; "to be ensnared" denotes to be allured by the evils of the loves of self and of the world; "to be taken" denotes to be carried away by them.
[4] In Ezekiel:
The mother of the princes of Israel is a lioness; one of her whelps learned to seize the prey, he devoured men; the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks into the land of Egypt. Afterward he ravished widows, and laid waste cities; the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the voice of His roaring. Therefore the nations lay in wait for him round about from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit. They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him unto the king of Babel in nets, that His voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel (Ezek. 19:1-4, 7-9);
the successive profanation of truth through the allurements of falsities from evils is here described; "the mother of the princes of Israel" denotes the church where are primary truths (that "mother" denotes the church, see n. 298, 2691, 2717, 4257, 5581, 8897; and that "the princes of Israel" denote primary truths, n. 1482, 2089, 5044); a "lioness" denotes falsity from evil perverting the truths of the church; "a lion's whelp" denotes evil in its power (n. 6367); "to seize the prey and devour men" denotes to destroy truths and goods, for "man" denotes the good of the church (n. 4287, 7424, 7523); "nations" denote evils (see n. 1259, 1260, 1849, 2588, 4444, 6306); "the pit in which he was caught by the nations" denotes the falsity of evil (n. 4728, 4744, 5038, 9086); "the land of Egypt into which he was brought with hooks" denotes the memory-knowledge through which is falsity (n. 9340); "to ravish widows" denotes to pervert the goods which long for truth (that "to ravish" denotes to pervert, see n. 2466, 2729, 4865, 8904; and that "widows" denote goods that long for truth, n. 9198, 9200); "to lay waste cities" denotes to destroy the doctrinal things of the truth of the church (n. 402, 2268, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4478, 4492, 4493); "to desolate the land and the fullness thereof" denotes to destroy all things of the church (n. 9325); "the voice of roaring of the lion" denotes falsity; "to spread the net over him" denotes to allure by the delights of earthly loves and by reasonings from them; "to bring to the king of Babel" denotes the profanation of truth (n. 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1307, 1308, 1321, 1322, 1326).
[5] That such things do not come to pass when a man does not love himself and the world above all things, is thus described in Amos:
Will a lion roar in the forest if he hath no prey? Will a bird fall upon a snare of the earth if there is no noose for him? Shall a snare spring up from the earth if taking it hath taken nothing (Amos 3:4-6)?
[6] That in the spiritual sense "a snare" denotes allurement and deception through the delights of the loves of self and of the world, thus the allurement and deception of evils, and this through reasonings from the fallacies of the senses which favor these delights, is plain to everyone; for ensnarings and entrappings are from no other source. Neither do the diabolical crew assail anything in a man except these his loves, which they delight in every possible way until he is caught, and when he has been caught the man reasons from falsities against truths, and from evils against goods. Nor is he then content with this, but also takes delight in ensnaring and alluring others to falsities and evils. The reason why he also takes delight in this, is that he is then one of the diabolical crew.
[7] As "snare," "noose," and "net," signify such things, they also signify the destruction of the spiritual life, and thus perdition; for the delights of these loves are what destroy and lead into perdition, because, as before said, all evils spring from these loves. For from the love of self springs contempt for others in comparison with self, next derision and abuse, afterward enmity if they do not favor, and finally the delight of hatred, the delight of revenge, thus the delight of violence, nay, of cruelty. In the other life this love climbs so high, that unless the Lord favors those who have it, and gives them dominion over others, they not only despise Him, but also deride the Word which treats of Him, and finally they act against Him from hatred and revenge; and insofar as they cannot do anything against Him, they practice such things with violence and cruelty against all who profess Him. From this it is plain whence it comes that there is such a diabolical crew, namely, from the love of self. And therefore as "a snare" signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world, it also signifies the destruction of spiritual life, and perdition; for everything of faith and love to the Lord, and everything of love toward the neighbor, are destroyed by the delight of the love of self and of the world wherever it has dominion (see what was cited in n. 9335). [8] That these loves are the origins of all evils, and that hell is from them and in them, and that these loves are the fires there, is at this day unknown in the world; when yet it might be known from the fact that these loves are opposite to love toward the neighbor and love to God, and that they are opposite to humility of heart, and that from them alone arise all contempt, all hatred, all revenge, and all violence and cruelty, as anyone may know who reflects. [9] That "a snare" therefore signifies the destruction of spiritual life, and perdition, is plain from the following passages. In David:
Upon the wicked, Jehovah shall rain snares, fire and sulphur (Ps. 11:6);
where "fire and sulphur" denote the evils of the love of self and of the world. (That "fire" has this signification, see n. 1297, 1861, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324, 7575, 9144; and also "sulphur," n. 2446.) Hence it is plain what is meant by "snares." In Luke:
Lest that day come upon you suddenly; for as a snare shall it come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34, 35);
where the subject treated of is the last time of the church, when there is no faith because no charity, for the loves of self and of the world will then reign, and from these loves comes perdition, which is the "snare." Again:
Among My people are found the wicked; they watch, as fowlers stretch nets; they set a trap that they may catch men (Jer. 5:26). They that seek after my soul stretch snares; and they that seek mine evil speak perditions, and meditate deceits all the day long (Ps. 38:12). Guard me from the hands of the noose they have laid for me, and from the snares of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, while I pass over (Ps 141:9, 10) He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a snare and for a noose to the inhabitant of Jerusalem. Many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken (Isa. 8:14, 15);
the Lord is here treated of. "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" denote the giving of offense; "a snare" and "a noose" denote perdition, namely, that of those who attack and endeavor to destroy the truths and goods of faith in the Lord through falsities which favor the loves of self and of the world; for all the proud are not only offended, but are also ensnared by the fact that the Divine has appeared in a human form, and this not in royal majesty, but in a despised shape. From all this it is now evident that by "it will be a snare," is signified the allurement and deception of evils, and the consequent perdition; as also elsewhere in Moses:
Make not a covenant with the inhabitant of the land upon which thou shalt come, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee (Exod. 34:12). Thou shalt not serve their gods; for this will be a snare to thee (Deut. 7:16). Take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared after the nations, and that perchance thou seek their gods (Deut. 12:30);
"the nations" denote evils, and the falsities thence derived.
Elliott(1983-1999) 9348
9348. 'For it will be a snare to you' means owing to evils that are enticing and deceptive. This is clear from the meaning of 'a snare', when it has reference to evils, as enticement and deception. The reason why evils are enticing and deceptive is that all evils spring from self-love and love of the world, 9335, and self-love and love of the world are born together within a person. These are the source of what the person feels as the delight of his life right from when he is first born; indeed the life that is his comes from them. Those loves therefore, like the hidden currents in a river, are constantly drawing the person's thought and will away from the Lord to self, and away from heaven to the world, thus away from the truths and forms of the good of faith to falsities and evils. At this time reasonings based on the illusions of the senses are especially predominant, and also the literal sense of the Word wrongly explained and used.
[2] These two things are what 'snares', 'traps', 'pits', 'nets', 'ropes', 'fetters', and also 'pretences' and 'deceits' are used to mean in the spiritual sense of the Word, as in Isaiah,
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. Consequently it will happen, that he who is fleeing from the sound of terror will fall into the pit, and he who is climbing out of the pit will be caught in the snare, for the floodgates from on high have been opened, and the foundations of the earth have been shaken. Isa 24:17-19.
And in Jeremiah,
Fear, the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of Moab. He who flees from the fear will fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare. Jer 48:43, 44.
'Terror' and 'fear' are the disturbance and commotion in the mind when it is held fast between evils and forms of good, and consequently between falsities and truths. 'The pit' is falsity created by reasonings based on the illusions of the senses to lend support to delights that are attributable to self-love and love of the world; 'the snare' is the enticement and deception of evil that results from it.
[3] In Isaiah,
They will go and stumblea backwards, and be broken, and snared, and caught. Isa 28:13.
'Falling backwards' stands for turning oneself away from goodness and truth; 'being broken' stands for dispensing with truths and forms of good; 'being snared' stands for being enticed by the evils of self-love and love of the world; and 'being caught' stands for being carried away by them.
[4] In Ezekiel,
The mother of the princes of Israel is a lioness. One of her cubs learned to seize prey; he devoured men (homo). The nations heard about him; he was caught in their pit, and they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt. Later on he ravished widowsb and devastated cities; the land and its fullness was desolated by the sound of his roaring. Therefore the nations from the provinces round about lay in ambush against him, and spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit. They put him in a cage with hooks, and led him to the king of Babel; [they led him away] in nets, that his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel. Ezek 19:2-4, 7-9.
This describes the profanation of truth in successive stages by the enticements of falsities arising from evils. 'The mother of the princes of Israel' is the Church where primary truths are, 'the mother' being the Church, see 289, 2691, 2717, 4257, 5581, 8897, and 'the princes of Israel' primary truths, 1482, 2089, 5044. 'A lioness' is falsity that arises from evil and that perverts the Church's truths; 'a lion's cub' is evil in its power, 6367. 'Seizing prey' and 'devouring men' mean destroying truths and forms of good, for 'man' is the Church's good, 4287, 7424, 7523. 'The nations' are evils, 1259, 1260, 1849, 2588 (end), 4444, 6306. 'A pit', in which the nations caught him, is falsity arising from evil, 4728, 4744, 5038, 9086. 'The land of Egypt', to which he was led away with hooks, is factual knowledge through which falsity comes, 9340. 'Ravishing widows' means perverting forms of good which have the desire for truth, for 'ravishing' means perverting, 2466, 2729, 4865, 8904, and 'widows' forms of good that have the desire for truth, 9198, 9200. 'Devastating cities' means destroying the Church's teachings that present the truth, 402, 2268, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4478, 4492, 4493. 'Desolating the land and its fullness' means destroying all things of the Church, 9325. 'The sound of the lion's roaring' is falsity. 'Spreading a net over him' means enticing by means of delights belonging to earthly kinds of love and by means of reasonings attributable to them. 'Leading away to the king of Babel' is the profaning of truth, 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1307, 1308, 1321, 1322, 1326.
[5] The fact that such things do not happen when a person does not love self and the world above all things is described in the following manner in Amos,
Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth if there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth if it has certainly not caught [anything]? Amos 3:4, 5.
[6] It is evident to anyone that 'a snare' in the spiritual sense means enticement and deception effected by means of the delights of self-love and love of the world, thus the enticement and deception of evils, which operate through reasonings that are based on the illusions of the senses and lend support to those delights. For the ensnarement and capturing of people is brought about by nothing else. When the devil's crew makes its attack on a person it concentrates on his loves, which they charm in every way until they have captivated him; and when he has been captivated that person reasons from falsities against truths, and from evils against forms of good. Yet he does not remain content to do that; he also takes delight in snaring others and enticing them towards falsities and evils. The reason why he also takes delight in doing this is that he too is now one of the devil's crew.
[7] Since 'a snare', 'a trap', and 'a net' mean such things they also mean the destruction and so annihilation of spiritual life; for the delights belonging to those loves are what destroy it and annihilate it, since those loves, as stated above, are the source from which all evils spring. From self-love springs disdain for others in comparison with self, then mockery and denigration of them, followed by enmity if they disagree with oneself, and finally by the delight that goes with hatred, vengeance, and so with inhumanity, indeed barbarity. This love in the next life rises to such a height that unless the Lord shows such people favour and grants them dominion over others, they are not only disdainful of Him but also mock the Word which speaks of Him. At length they are stirred by hatred and vengeance to act against Him; and insofar as they are unable to do so they carry out their hatred and vengeance with inhumanity and barbarity against everyone who confesses Him. All this shows where the essential nature of the devil's crew springs from, namely from self-love. Therefore since 'a snare' means the delight of selfish and worldly love, it means the destruction and annihilation of spiritual life; for the whole of love and faith to the Lord, and the whole of love towards the neighbour are destroyed by the delight of selfish and worldly love where it reigns supreme; see the places referred to in 9335.
[8] The fact that those loves are the origins of all evils, that hell arises from them and lies within them, and that those loves are the fires of hell is not known in the world at the present day. Yet people could have known this from the consideration that those loves are the opposites of love towards the neighbour and love to God, and the opposites of humility of heart, and from the consideration that from those loves alone spring all disdain, all hatred, all vengeance, and all inhumanity and barbarity, as anyone may realize who gives any thought to the matter.
[9] The fact that 'a snare' therefore means the destruction and annihilation of spiritual life is evident from the following places: In David,
Jehovah will rain on the wicked, snares, fire and brimstone. Ps 11:6.
'Fire and brimstone' are the evils of selfish and worldly love. For this meaning of 'fire', see 1297, 1861, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324, 7575, 9144, and for 'brimstone', 2446, from which it is evident what 'snares' mean. In Luke,
... lest that day comes on you suddenly,c for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34, 35.
This refers to the last phase of the Church, when there is no faith because there is no charity, since self-love and love of the world will reign. This is followed by annihilation, which is meant by 'a snare'. In Jeremiah,
Among My people are found wicked ones. They keep watch, like fowlers laying [snares]; they set a gin to catch human beings. Jer 5:26.
In David,
Those seeking my lifed lay snares, and those seeking my hurt speak of ways to annihilate, and contemplate deceits all the day. Ps 38:12.
In the same author,
Keep me from the hands of the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of the workers of iniquity. Let them fall into their own nets,e the wicked together, until I pass by. Ps 141:9, 10.
In Isaiah,
He will be as a sanctuary, though He will be as a stone to strike against and as a rock to stumble over,f for both houses of Israel; He will be as a snare and as a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken to pieces, and be snared and caught. Isa 8:14, 15.
This refers to the Lord. 'A stone to strike against' and 'a rock to stumble over' stand for stumbling blocks that are laid; and 'a snare' and 'a trap' for the annihilation accomplished by those who attack and try to destroy truths and forms of the good of faith in the Lord by means of falsities that lend support to self-love and love of the world. For to all proud people the very fact that the Divine appeared in a human form, and that He did so not in royal majesty but in a guise that was despised, is not only a stumbling block but also a snare. From all this it is now evident that 'it will be a snare' means the enticement and deception of evils, and consequent annihilation, as in other places in Moses,
... lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land onto which you will come, lest it becomes a snare in your midst. Exod 34:12.
In the same author,
You shall not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. Deut 7:16.
In the same author,
Beware lest perhaps you are ensnared to followg the nations, and lest perhaps you inquire after their gods. Deut 12:30.
'The nations' are evils and the falsities arising from them.
Latin(1748-1756) 9348
9348. `Quia erit tibi in laqueum': quod significet ex allectatione et {1} deceptione malorum, constat ex significatione `laquei' cum de malis, quod sit allectatio et deceptio. Quod mala allectent et decipiant, est inde quia omnia mala scaturiunt ex amoribus sui et mundi, n. 9335, et amores sui et mundi connascuntur homini, et inde homo jucundum vitae suae a prima nativitate sentit, immo inde vitam habet; quapropter illi amores sicut latentes venae fluvii cogitationem et voluntatem (o)hominis a Domino ad se, et a caelo ad mundum {2}, ita a veris et bonis fidei ad falsa et mala continue trahunt; ratiocinia ex fallaciis sensuum tunc imprimis valent, et quoque Verbi sensus litteralis perverse explicatus et applicatus; [2] haec et illa sunt quae per laqueos, tendiculas, foveas, retia, funes, pedicas, tum quoque per fraudes et dolos, in Verbo in sensu spirituali intelliguntur, ut apud Esaiam, Pavor et fovea et laqueus super te, habitator terrae, unde fiet, fugiens e voce pavoris cadet in foveam, et ascendens e fovea capietur laqueo; nam cataractae (x) ab alto apertae sunt, et commota sunt fundamenta terrae, xxiv 17-19:et apud Jeremiam, Timor, fovea, et laqueus super te, habitator Moabi; qui effugerit timorem incidet (x) in foveam, et qui ascendit e fovea capietur laqueo, xlviii 43, 44;
`pavor et timor' est turba et commotio animi cum haeret inter mala et bona, et inde inter falsa et vera, `fovea' est falsum inductum per ratiocinia ex fallaciis (o)sensuum ad favendum jucundis amorum sua et mundi, `laqueus' est allectatio et deceptio mali inde: [3] apud (x)Esaiam, Ibunt et impingent retro, et frangentur, et illaqueabuntur, et capientur, xxviii 13;
`impingere retro' pro avertere se a bono et vero, `frangi' pro dissipare vera et bona, `illaqueari' pro allectari a malis amorum sui et mundi, `capi' pro auferri ab illis: [4] apud Ezechielem, Mater principum Israelis leaena; unus ex catulis (c)illius didicit rapere rapinam, homines devoravit; audiverunt de eo gentes, quarum in fovea captus est, et deduxerunt eum hamis in terram Aegypti: postea stupravit viduas, et urbes devastavit; desolata est terra et plenitudo ejus a voce rugitus ejus; ideo insidiatae sunt illi gentes circumcirca ex provinciis, et expanderunt super eum rete suum; in fovea earum captus est; posuerunt eum in cavea cum hamis, et deduxerunt eum ad regem Babelis in retibus, ut non audiretur vox ejus amplius in montibus Israelis, xix [2-] 4, 7-9;
hic profanatio veri successiva per allectamenta falsorum ex malis describitur; `mater principum Israelis' est Ecclesia ubi primaria vera; quod `mater' sit Ecclesia, videatur n. 289, 2691, 2717, 4257, (x)5581, 8897, et `principes Israelis' primaria vera, n. 1482, 2089, 5044; `leaena' est falsum ex malo pervertens vera Ecclesiae, `catulus leonis' est malum in sua potentia, n. 6367, `rapere rapinam et devorare homines' est destruere vera et bona, `homo' enim est bonum Ecclesiae, n. 4287, 7424, 7523, `gentes' sunt mala, n. 1259, 1260, 1849, 2588 fin., 4444, (x)6306, `fovea in qua captus a gentibus' est falsum mali, n. 4728, 4744, 5038, 9086, `terra Aegypti in quam hamis deductus' est scientificum per quod falsum, n. 9340, `stuprare viduas' est pervertere bona quae desiderant verum; quod `stuprare' sit pervertere, n. 2466, 2729, 4865, 8904, et `viduae' bona quae desiderant verum, n. 9198, 9200; `devastare urbes' est destruere doctrinalia veri Ecclesiae, n. 402, 2268, (x)2449, 2943, 3216, 4478, 4492, 4493, `desolare terram et plenitudinem ejus' est destruere omnia Ecclesiae, n. 9325, `vox rugitus leonis' est falsum, `expandere super eum rete' est allectare per jucunda amorum terrestrium et per ratiocinia inde, `deducere ad regem Babelis' est profanatio veri, n. i 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1307, 1308, 1321, 1322, 1326 {3}. [5] Quod talia non eveniant quando homo non se et mundum super omnia amat, describitur ita apud Amos, Num rugiet leo in silva si rapina illi non? num cadet avis super laqueum terrae si tendicula illi non? num ascendet laqueus de terra si capiendo non ceperit? iii 4, 5. [6] Quod `laqueus' in spirituali sensu sit allectatio et deceptio per jucunda amorum sui et mundi, ita allectatio et deceptio malorum, et hoc per ratiocinia ex fallaciis sensuum quae favent illis jucundis, patet unicuivis, nam illaqueationes et captiones non aliunde sunt; diabolica turba nec aliud aggreditur apud hominem quam illos ejus amores quos jucundat omni modo, usque dum capitur; et cum captus est, ratiocinatur homo ex falsis contra vera et ex malis contra bona; et tunc non contentus est eo sed etiam jucundum captat in illaqueando et allectando alios ad falsa et mala; quod quoque hoc jucundum captet, est quia tunc unus ex turba diabolica est. [7] Quia `laqueus,' `tendicula,' `rete' significant talia, etiam significant destructionem vitae spiritualis, et sic perditionem, nam jucunda illorum amorum sunt quae destruunt et quae perdunt, quoniam ex illis amoribus, ut supra dictum est, scaturiunt omnia mala; ex amore enim sui scaturit contemptus aliorum prae se, dein subsannatio et vituperatio eorum, postea inimicitia si non favent, tandem jucundum odii, jucundum vindictae, (o)ita jucundum saevitiae, immo crudelitatis; ille amor in altera vita ascendit eo usque ut nisi Dominus faveat et det illis dominium super alios, Ipsum non modo contemnant sed etiam subsannent Verbum quod de Ipso, et tandem ex odio et vindicta contra Ipsum agunt, et quantum non possunt contra Ipsum, exercent talia cum saevitia et crudelitate contra omnes profitentes Ipsum; inde patet unde scaturit quod diabolica turba talis sit, quod nempe ex amore sui; quapropter (t)`laqueus' sicut significat jucundum amoris sui et mundi, etiam {4} significat destructionem vitae spiritualis et perditionem; nam omne fidei et amoris in Dominum, et omne amoris erga proximum {5}, per jucundum amoris sui et mundi, ubi dominatur, destruuntur {6}, videantur citata n. 9335. [8] (m)Quod illi amores sint origines omnium malorum, et quod infernum sit ex illis et in illis amoribus, (o)quodque illi amores sint ignes ibi, hodie in orbe ignotum est; cum tamen notum potuisset esse ex eo quod illi amores oppositi sint amori erga {7} proximum et amori in Deum, et quod oppositi {8} humiliationi cordis, et quod ex illis solis omnis contemptus, omne odium, omnis vindicta, et omnis saevitia ac {9} crudelitas, existat, quod quisque scire potest qui expendit.(n) [9] Quod (o)itaque `laqueus' destructionem vitae spiritualis et perditionem significet, patet (o)a sequentibus his locis: apud Davidem, Jehovah pluet super impios laqueos, ignem, et sulfur, Ps. xi 6;
`ignis et sulfur' sunt mala amoris sui et mundi; quod `ignis' id sit, videatur n. 1297, 1861, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324, 7575, (x)9144, et quod `sulfur,' n. 2446; inde patet quid `laquei': apud Lucam, Ut subitus super vobis stet dies `ille', nam sicut laqueus veniet super omnes qui sedent super facie totius terrae, xxi 34, 35;
agitur ibi de ultimo tempore Ecclesiae, quando nulla {10} fides quia nulla charitas, quoniam {11} amores sui et mundi regnaturi; inde perditio {12}, quae est `laqueus': apud Jeremiam, Inveniuntur in populo Meo impii, speculantur sicut tendunt aucupes, constituunt perdentem ut homines capiant, v 26:
apud Davidem, Laqueos tendunt quaerentes animam meam, et quaerentes malum meum; loquuntur perditiones, et (x)dolos toto die meditantur, Ps. (x)xxxviii 13 [A.V. 12]:
apud eundem, Custodi me a manibus tendiculae, posuerunt mihi, et laqueis operantium iniquitatem; cadant in retia illius {13}, impii una, ego donec transeam, Ps. cxli 9, 10:
apud Esaiam, Erit in sanctuarium, licet in lapidem impulsus, et in petram offendiculi, duabus domibus Israelis, in laqueum et in tendiculam habitatori Hierosolymae; impingent inter illos multi, et cadent, et confringentur, et illaqueabuntur et capientur, viii 14, 15;
agitur ibi de Domino; `(o)lapis impulsus et petra offendiculi' pro scandalizatione, `laqueus et tendicula' pro perditione, nempe illorum qui oppugnant et destruere conantur vera et bona fidei in Dominum per falsa faventia amoribus sui et mundi; omnes enim superbi non modo scandalizantur sed etiam `illaqueantur' per id quod Divinum apparuerit in forma humana, et tunc non in regia majestate sed in specie contempta. Ex his nunc patet quod per `erit in laqueum' significetur allectatio et deceptio malorum, et inde perditio, ut quoque alibi apud Moschen, Ne pangas foedus cum habitatore terrae supra quam venturus, ne fiat in laqueum in medio tui, Exod. (x)xxxiv 12:
apud eundem, Non servies diis (c)illorum, laqueus namque hoc tibi, Deut. vii 16:
{14} apud eundem, Cave tibi ne forte illaqueeris post gentes, {15} et ne forte quaeras deos eorum, Deut. xii 30;
`gentes' sunt mala et inde falsa. @1 d et i ac A, et ex IT$ @2 i trahunt$ @3 quae leaena est est Ecclesia pervertens vera, catulus rapiens rapinam et stuprans viduas sunt falsa destruentia, gentes sunt mala allectantia et capientia, retia et hami sunt jucunda amorum terrestrium, fovea est falsum per ratiocinia ex illis, terra Aegypti ad quam deductus est scientificum ex quo ratiocinatio, deductio in retibus ad regem Babelis, est prophanatio veri$ @4 d etiam i et quoque$ @5 erga proximum et amoris in Dominum, quae faciunt vitam spiritualem apud hominem$ @6 destruitur IT$ @7 in$ @8 i sint$ @9 i omnis$ @10 i amplius$ @11 quia$ @12 dicitur laqueus, qui est perditio$ @13 illi IT$ @14 i et$ @15 i postquam perditae fuerint coram te,$