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538. It was said that the abyss signifies the hells where and whence falsities are. The reason of this signification is, that those hells, where the falsities of evil reign, appear like seas, in the depths of which are the infernal crew, who are in the falsities of evil. They appear like seas, because falsities continually flow out from them and falsities appear like waters, wherefore waters in the Word also signify falsities. The quality of the falsity is also known from the waters themselves. For falsities are of many kinds, as many as there are evils; the falsities which are from grievous evils appear over those hells like gross and black waters, and falsities from the evil of the love of self, like red waters, the quality of the kind of the falsity being distinguishable from the grossness and colour. It must be remembered that in the spiritual world, truths also appear like waters, but like waters of a limpid and pure quality; the reason is, that there are three degrees of the life of man, as there are three heavens. Those in whom the third degree is opened are in an atmosphere pure like the ether; in such an atmosphere are those who dwell in the third or inmost heaven; but those in whom the second degree only is opened, are in an atmosphere like air; in this are those of the second or middle heaven. But those in whom the first degree only is opened, are in all atmosphere, watery as it were, yet limpid and pure; in such are those in the first or ultimate heaven. The reason of this is, that interior perceptions and thoughts, because they are more perfect, correspond to a similar purity of the atmosphere, in which they are; for they diffuse themselves from every angel, and still more from every angelic society, and present a corresponding sphere, and this sphere appears in a purity similar to that in which the perceptions and thoughts of the angels, or their intelligence and wisdom are. This sphere appears as an atmosphere, as an etherial atmosphere in the inmost heaven, as an aerial atmosphere in the middle heaven, and as a limpid watery atmosphere in the ultimate heaven, as stated above. It is therefore evident that an atmosphere of a watery appearance corresponds to natural thought and perception, but that an atmosphere which is as it were thinly watery, corresponds to spiritual natural thought and perception, in which are the angels of the ultimate heaven; but one which is of a grossly watery nature, verging either to black or to red, corresponds to natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual; and natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual pertains to those who are in the hells where falsities reign; for all those who are there are merely natural and sensual. That man has three degrees of life as the three heavens, and that they differ in purity, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 208, 209, 211). It is evident from these facts why those hells are in the Word called seas and abysses; seas, because they appear like seas, and abysses from their depth.
[2] That seas, depths, and abysses, signify the hells where and whence the falsities of evil are, is clear from the following passages of the Word.
In Moses:
"Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea; the depths covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. With the blast of thy nostrils the waters were heaped up, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the abysses were congealed in the heart of the sea" (Arcana Coelestia 8272-8279, and 8286-8289), where it is explained.
[3] The signification of the following in David is similar:
"He rebuked the Sea Suph (Red Sea), so that it was dried up; and he led them through the abysses as in a wilderness, and the waters covered their adversaries" (Psalm 106:9, 11).
And in Isaiah:
"Art thou not he who dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?" (51:10, 15).
Again, in the same prophet:
"Who divided the waters before them, who led them through the abysses as a horse in the wilderness; they stumbled not" (63:12-13).
The sons of Israel, before whom the Sea Suph (Red Sea) was dried up that they might pass safely through, mean all those who are in truths from good, whom the Lord defends, lest the falsities of evil which ascend continually from the hells should injure them. This is what is meant by drying up the sea, the waters of the great abyss, and by making the depths thereof a way for the redeemed to pass over; also by leading them through the abysses. For the falsities breathed out from the hells continually cling to man, consequently the hells, for whether we speak of falsities from the hells, or of the hells themselves, it is the same thing; but the Lord continually disperses them with those who are in truths from good from Himself. This, then, is the signification of drying up the sea, and leading them through the abysses. Those who are in truths from good from the Lord, are meant by the redeemed.
[4] The same is signified by drying up the abyss and making dry the rivers in Isaiah:
Jehovah "saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; that saith to the abyss, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers" (44:26, 27).
Jerusalem signifies the church of the Lord, and the cities of Judah signify the goods and truths of doctrine; the restoration of the church and of doctrine is signified by being inhabited and built; the dissipation of evils and falsities from the hells, and protection from them, are signified by drying up the abyss and making dry the rivers, as may be seen above.
[5] The same thing is signified by these words in Zechariah:
"Israel shall pass through the sea of affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up; and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart away" (10:11).
That those who live in truths from good are defended by the Lord, although falsities from the hells encompass them, is signified by Israel passing through the sea, and smiting the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river being dried up. For by Israel are meant those who are in truths from good; by the sea is signified hell and all the falsity thence; by the waves of the sea are signified reasonings from falsities against truths; by drying up all the depths of the river is signified to scatter all the falsities of evil, even the more profound. The river Nile denotes the false scientific; wherefore it follows, that "the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart away." Assyria signifies reasoning from falsities against truths, and Egypt, the scientific applied to confirm falsities; the pride of Assyria which shall be cast down, signifies [man's] own intelligence from which reasoning proceeds, and the staff of Egypt, which shall depart away, signifies the power which comes to reasoning through scientifics applied for the purpose of confirmation.
[6] In Ezekiel:
"In the day when he shall descend into hell, 1I will make him mourn, I will cover upon him the abyss" (31:15).
This is said of Pharaoh and Assyria; and Pharaoh signifies the same as Egypt, namely, the scientific destroying the truth of the church by application to falsities; and reasoning from them is signified by Assyria. That such are cast down into hell, where those falsities and reasonings from them are, is signified by his going down into hell, and being covered with the abyss. It is therefore evident that the abyss denotes the hell where and whence are the falsities of evil.
[7] In Micah:
God "will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (7:19).
Because the depths of the sea equally as abysses denote the hells where and whence are evils and falsities, therefore it is said that He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
[8] In Ezekiel:
"When I shall make thee a desolated city like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the abyss against thee, and many waters shall cover thee; and I will bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, to the people of an age, and will make thee to dwell in the land of the lower [parts] in the desolations from of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou have no habitation" (26:19, 20).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the cognitions of truth and good, or as to the truths of the natural man, for the truths of the natural man are the cognitions of truth and good. The vastation of the church as to these things is here treated of; to make Tyre a desolated city, as cities that are not inhabited, signifies its doctrine without truths, and as doctrines that are without good, for truths of doctrine without good are not truths, because all truths are of good. By bringing up the abyss against Tyre, and causing many waters to cover her, is signified immersion in falsities from hell in much abundance, the abyss denoting hell, and many waters denoting falsities in much abundance. With them that descend into the pit, to the people of an age, signifies unto those in hell who were there from the Most Ancient church just before the deluge, and who are called the people of an age, because they were from ancient time, and were, above all others, in falsities of a direful nature. Hence it is evident what is signified by making to dwell in the land of the lower [parts] in the desolations from an age, with them that descend into the pit, that thou have no habitation. Not to have a habitation denotes here not to be in any truths, because not in good. Such also do not dwell in houses but in pits.
[9] Similar things are signified in Zechariah:
"Behold, Jehovah shall impoverish Tyre, and shall shake out her riches into the sea; and she herself shall be devoured with fire" (9:4).
By shaking out her riches into the sea, is signified to cast falsities into hell, the sea denoting the hell where the falsities of evil are, and her riches those falsities themselves.
[10] So again, in Ezekiel:
"They who contemn thee have brought thee into many waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, and thy tradings, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and they who trade thy tradings, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall" (27:26, 27).
These things are also said concerning Tyre and her ships, which signify the cognitions of good and truth, or the truths of the natural man, which they procure for themselves, and sell, but here they denote falsities. The heart of the seas, in which it is said the east wind hath broken her, and into which she shall fall in the day of her fall, signifies the same as the abyss or the hell, whence falsities of doctrine are. The east wind denotes influx out of heaven, and the day of her fall, a last judgment. Her riches signify falsities; tradings and merchandise, the acquisitions and communications thereof; mariners, signify ministers, and pilots, the leaders who lead and teach. The men of war, denote those who defend, and the company, false doctrinals.
[11] So in Jonah:
"Out of the belly of hell 1cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou didst cast me into the deep, even into the heart of the seas; and the stream compassed me about; all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the abyss closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the cuttings off of the mountains; the bars of the earth upon me for ever; yet hast thou made my life to ascend out of the pit" (2:2, 3, 5, 6).
Jonah in the whale three days and three nights, represented that the Lord would be in like manner in the heart of the earth, as He Himself teaches in Matthew (12:39, 40; 16:4; Luke 11:29, 30). And the dire temptations of the Lord are described by these words of Jonah; because temptations are the result of inundations of evils and falsities, which ascend from hell, and as it were overwhelm, it is said, that he cried out from the belly of hell and that he was cast into the deep, even into the heart of the seas, which also signifies hell. The stream, and the waters which compassed him about, and the waves and billows which passed over him, signify evils and falsities thence. The abyss which closed him round about signifies the hells where and whence falsities are. The cuttings off of the mountains to which he went down, signify the hells where and whence evils are; that he was as it were bound by them is signified by the weed wrapped about the head, and by the bars of the earth being upon him, weeds denoting being bound by falsities, and the bars of the earth being bound by evils; victory over them from His own power, is signified by, Yet hast thou made my life to ascend out of the pit. It is said, Thou hast made "to ascend"; but by this, when stated of the Lord, is meant that He Himself from His own Divine, thus by His own power, caused Himself to ascend.
[12] Similar things are signified by the following passages in David:
"Abyss calleth unto abyss at the noise of thy water-spouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (Psalm 42:7).
So again:
"The waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in mire of the deep where there is no standing; I am come into the depths of waters, and the floods overflow me. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the water-floods overflow me, neither let the pit shut her mouth upon me" (Psalm 69:1, 2, 14, 15).
Again:
"Return, quicken me, return, and bring me up again from the abyss of the earth" (Psalm 71:20).
And again:
"I am counted with them that go down into the pit; neglected among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more, and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower [parts] in dark places, in the deeps" (Psalm 88:4, 5, 6).
In these passages in David also the temptations of the Lord, by which He subjugated the hells, and glorified His Human, while in the world, are described. Waves and billows, signify evils and falsities, and abysses and depths of the sea, and also the pit, signify the hells where and whence those evils and falsities are; for as we said above, temptations are as it were immersions into the hells, and obsessions by evils and falsities. These things are signified by lamentations in many places in David, and also in the prophets. For in the spiritual sense of the Word, the temptations of the Lord are much treated of by which He subjugated the hells, and reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells, and by which He glorified His Human; they are especially meant by the things predicted in the prophets and Psalms concerning the Lord, and fulfilled by Him, as stated in Luke (24:44).
[13] The abyss, and the sea and the depths thereof, also signify the hells, in the following passages; as in Jeremiah:
"Flee ye, they have turned themselves away, they have cast themselves down into the deep, the inhabitants of Dedan, and Hazor" (49:8, 30).
And again:
"The sea is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof" (n. 7:4).
And in David:
"The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid; the abysses also were troubled" (Psalm 77:16).
And again:
"We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed and though the mountains shake in the heart of the seas; though the waters thereof shall roar and be troubled" (Psalm 46:2, 3).
And in Moses:
"On the same day were all the fountains of the great abyss broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11).
And again:
"The fountains also of the abyss, and the flood gates of heaven were stopped" (Genesis 8:2).
So in Job:
"Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof. The abyss saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me" (28:12, 13, 14).
And again:
"Hast thou entered into the weepings of the sea? or hast thou walked in search of the abyss? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?" (38:16, 17).
So in the Evangelists:
"Whoso shall cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it were better for him that an ass-millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were sunk in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).
And again, we read, that the demons who obsessed the man, entreated Jesus that He would not command them to go into the abyss, therefore He suffered them to enter into the swine (Luke 8:31, 33; Matthew 8:31, 32).
And also in the following passages in the Apocalypse:
"The beast that ascendeth out of the abyss and made war" (11:7).
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the abyss" (17:8).
"I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he bound the dragon a thousand years; and cast him into the abyss" (20:1, 2, 3).
In these passages also, by the abyss, and by the depth of the sea, is signified the hell where and whence the falsities of evil are. The reason of this is, that the spirits who are there, and who, whilst they lived as men in the world, were in the falsities of evil, appear to dwell as it were in the bottom of seas, and this the more deeply according to the grievousness of the evil from which the falsity was derived.
[14] As abysses signify the hells, where and whence falsities are, so they also signify the ultimates of heaven, where and whence are the cognitions of truth, which are the truths of the natural man. The reason is, that the ultimates of heaven also appear to be as it were in waters, but such as are limpid and clear; for, as was said above, the atmosphere of the highest heaven is as it were ethereal, the atmosphere of the middle heaven as it were aerial, and the atmosphere of the ultimate heaven as it were watery. The reason why this latter atmosphere appears to be watery is, because the truths pertaining to those who are in it, are truths of the natural man, and the atmosphere of the natural man is, as it were, watery; hence also are the appearances of rivers, lakes, and seas, in the spiritual world. Therefore seas also signify cognitions and scientifics in general, or in their whole compass; that these things are signified by seas may be seen above (n. 275, 342).
[15] The signification of abysses in the following passages is similar; as in Moses:
"Jehovah, thy God, bringeth thee into a good land, a land of rivers of water, of fountains and abysses springing out of the valley and out of the mountain" (518:15).
[16] Moreover abysses also signify Divine truths in abundance, and the interior things of Divine wisdom.
Thus in David:
"He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and made [them] drink great abysses" (Psalm 78:15).
And again: Jehovah, "thy justice is a great abyss" (36:6); and in other places.
Footnotes:
1. Hebrew, Sheol.
538. The "abyss" signifies the hells where and from which are falsities, because those hells where the falsities of evil have rule appear like seas, in the depths of which is the infernal crew, which is in the falsities of evil. These hells appear like seas because falsities continually flow out from them, and falsities appear like waters; this is why "waters" in the Word also signify falsities. Moreover, from the waters themselves the quality of the falsity there is known, for falsities are of many kinds, as many as there are evils. Falsities that are from grievous evils appear over those hells like dense and black waters, and falsities from the evil of the love of self like ruddy waters, the density and color making evident the kind of falsity. It must be remembered that in the spiritual world truths also appear like waters, but like limpid and pure waters. This is because there are three degrees of man's life, as there are three heavens. Those in whom the third degree is opened are in an atmosphere pure like ether; those who are in the third or inmost heaven are in such an atmosphere; those in whom only the second degree is opened are in an atmosphere as it were aerial; those who are in the second or middle heaven are in such an atmosphere: but those in whom the first degree only is opened are in a kind of watery, rare, and pure atmosphere; those who are in the first or ultimate heaven are in such an atmosphere. This is because interior perceptions and thoughts, as being more perfect, correspond to a purity of atmosphere like that in which they are, for they pour themselves forth from every angel and still more from every angelic society, and present a corresponding sphere, which sphere is manifested in a purity like that of the perceptions and thoughts of the angels, that is, of their intelligence and wisdom. This sphere appears, as has been said, like an atmosphere, like an ethereal atmosphere in the inmost heaven, like an aerial atmosphere in the middle heaven, and like a rare watery atmosphere in the ultimate heaven. This makes evident that a kind of watery atmosphere corresponds to natural thought and perception, but a rare watery atmosphere corresponds to spiritual-natural thought and perception in which are the angels of the ultimate heaven; but a dense watery atmosphere, approaching either to black or ruddy, corresponds to natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual, and natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual those have who are in the hells where falsities prevail, for all who are there are merely natural and sensual. (That man has three degrees of life, like the three heavens, and that they differ in purity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 208, 209, 211.) This makes evident why such hells are called in the Word "seas" and "abysses," "seas" because they appear like seas, and "abysses" from their depth.
[2] That "seas," "depths," and "abysses" signify the hells where and from which are the falsities of evil, can be seen in the following passages of the Word. In Moses:
Pharaoh's chariots and his army hath He cast into the sea. The abysses have covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. From the wind of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the abysses were congealed in the heart of the sea (Arcana Coelestia 8272-8279, and 8286-8289, where it is explained.)
[3] These things have a like signification in David:
He rebuked the Sea Suph that it might be dried up, and He led them through the abysses as in the wilderness. The waters covered his 1adversaries (Psalms 106:9, 11).
In Isaiah:
Art Thou not He who dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss; who made the depths of the sea for a way that the redeemed might pass over? (Isaiah 51:10, 15).
Who divided the waters before them, who led them through the abysses like a horse in the wilderness; they stumbled not (Isaiah 63:12, 13).
The "sons of Israel" before whom the Sea Suph was dried up, and through which, when dried up, they passed safely, mean all who are in truths from good, whom the Lord protects, lest the falsities of evil that continually rise up from the hells should harm them; this is the meaning of "He dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss," and of "He made its depths for way that the redeemed might pass over," also of "He led them through the abysses;" for falsities that are exhaled from the hells, consequently the hells, continually surround man (for it is the same whether you say falsities from the hells, or the hells), but the Lord continually disperses them with those who are in truths from good from Him; so this is what is signified by "drying up the sea," and "leading them through the abysses." Those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant by the "redeemed."
[4] "To dry up the abyss" and "to make dry the rivers" have the same signification in Isaiah:
Jehovah saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; saying to the abyss, Be dry; and I will make dry thy rivers (Isaiah 44:26, 27).
"Jerusalem" signifies the Lord's church, and "the cities of Judah" signify the goods and truths of doctrine; the restoration of the church and of doctrine is signified by "to be inhabited" and "to be built;" the dispersion of evils and falsities that are from the hells and protection from them, are signified by "drying up the abyss and making dry the rivers" (as above).
[5] The same is signified in Zechariah:
Israel shall pass through the sea of distress, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up; and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart (Zechariah 10:11).
That those who are protected by the Lord in truths from good shall live, although falsities from the hells encompass them, is signified by "Israel shall pass through the sea and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up," for "Israel" means those who are in truths from good; the "sea" signifies hell and all falsity therefrom; the "waves of the sea" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "to dry up all the depths of the river" signifies to disperse all the falsities of evil, even the deeper, the "river Nile" signifying false knowledge [scientificum]; therefore it follows "the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart," "Assyria" signifying reasoning from falsities against truths, and "Egypt" knowledge applied to confirm falsities; "the pride of Assyria which shall be cast down" signifies self-intelligence from which comes reasoning; and "the staff of Egypt which shall depart" signifies the power that is added to reasoning by knowledges that are applied for confirmation.
[6] In Ezekiel:
In the day when he shall go down into hell, I will cause to mourn, I will cover the abyss over him (Ezekiel 31:15).
This is said of Pharaoh and Assyria; and "Pharaoh" has a similar signification as "Egypt," namely, knowledge destroying the truth of the church by application to falsities, and "Assyria" signifies reasoning from falsities; that those who are such are cast down into hell, where such falsities and reasonings from falsities are, is signified by "he shall go down into hell, and shall be covered with the abyss;" from which it is evident that the "abyss" means the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil.
[7] In Micah:
God will turn back, He will have compassion upon us, He will subdue our iniquities, and He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Because "the depths of the sea," the same as "abysses," mean the hells where and from which are evils and falsities, it is said, "He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."
[8] In Ezekiel:
When I shall make thee a desolate city like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall make the abyss to come up against thee, and many waters shall cover thee; then will I make thee to go down with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age, and I will make thee to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation (Ezekiel 26:19, 20).
This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or in respect to the truths of the natural man, for the truths of the natural man are the knowledges of truth and good; this treats of the vastation of the church in respect to these; to make Tyre "a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited," signifies its doctrine without truths, and like the doctrines that are without good, for the truths of doctrine without good are not truths, since all truths are of good; "to make the abyss to come up against Tyre, that many waters may cover her," signifies immersion in falsities from hell in great abundance, the "abyss" meaning hell, and "many waters" falsities in great abundance; "with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age," signifies to those in hell who were there from the most ancient church just before the flood; these are called "the people of an age, because they were from ancient time, and were, above others, in direful falsities. This shows what is signified by "making to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation," "to have no habitation" signifying here not to be in any truths, because not in good, for such do not dwell in houses but in pits.
[9] Like things are signified in Zechariah:
Behold, Jehovah 2will impoverish Tyre, and smite her wealth in the sea; and she herself shall be devoured by fire (Zechariah 9:4).
"To smite her wealth in the sea" signifies to cast falsities into hell, "the sea" meaning the hell in which are the falsities of evil, and "wealth" meaning the falsities themselves.
[10] In Ezekiel:
Those that despise thee have brought thee into many waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, thy tradings, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, they that caulked thy chinks, and they who trade thy trading, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thine assembly which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall (Ezekiel 27:26, 27).
This treats of Tyre, and is said of her ships, which signify the knowledges of good and truth, or the truths of the natural man that they acquire and trade in, but here they mean falsities; "the heart of the seas in which the east wind hath broken her, and into which they shall fall in the day of her fall," has a similar signification as the "abyss," namely, the hell from which are the falsities of doctrine; "the east wind" meaning influx out of heaven, and the "day of her fall" the Last Judgment. "Riches" signify falsities; "tradings and merchandise" the acquisition and communication of falsities; "mariners" signify those who minister, and "pilots" the religious leaders who lead and teach; "men of war" those who defend, and "the assembly" false doctrinals.
[11] In Jonah:
Out of the belly of hell have I cried; Thou hast heard my voice. Thou hadst cast me into the depth, even into the heart of the seas; and the river was round about me; all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me. The waters enclosed me about even to the soul; the abyss encompassed me round about, the sedge was wrapped about my head. I went down to the cuttings off of the mountains; the bars of the earth are upon me forever; yet Thou hast made my life to come up out of the pit (Jonah 2:2, 3, 5, 6).
The Lord teaches in Matthew (Matthew 12:39, 40; 16:4; Luke 11:29, 30), that Jonah's being in the whale three days and three nights represented that the Lord would thus be in the heart of the earth; and these words of Jonah describe the Lord's direful temptations. And because it is by the overflow of evils and falsities that come up out of hell, and as it were overwhelm, that temptations exist, it is said that "out of the belly of hell he cried," and that "he was cast into the depth, even into the heart of the seas," which signifies hell; "the river and the waters that enclosed him," and "the billows and waves that passed over," signify the evils and falsities from hell; "the abyss that encompassed round about," signifies the hells where and from which are the falsities; "the cuttings off of the mountains to which he went down," signify the hells where and from which are evils; that the Lord was as it were bound by these is signified by "the sedge wrapped about the head," and "the bars of the earth that were upon him," "wrapped by sedge" signifying to be bound as it were by falsities, and "the bars of the earth" signifying to be bound as it were by evils; victory over these from His own power is signified by "yet hast Thou made my life to come up out of the pit." It is said, "Thou hast made to come up," but in reference to the Lord this means that He made Himself to come up by His Divine, that is, by His own power.
[12] The following passages in David have a like signification:
Abyss calleth unto abyss at the voice of Thy waterspouts; all Thy breakers and Thy waves have passed over me (Psalms 42:7).
The waters are come even to my soul. I have sunk in mire of depths, there is no standing; I have come into depths of waters, and the billow overwhelms me. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the flood of waters overwhelm me, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Psalms 69:1, 2, 14, 15).
In the same:
Return, quicken me; return and make me to come up out of the depths of the earth (Psalms 71:20).
In the same:
I have been counted with them that go down into the pit; neglected among the dead, like the slain that lie down in the grave, whom Thou rememberest no more; and from Thy hand they are cut off. Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower parts, in dark places, in the depths (Psalms 88:4-6).
These passages in David describe the Lord's temptations when He was in the world, by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human; "waves" and "billows" signify evils and falsities; and "abysses" and "depths of the sea," likewise "the pit" signify the hells where and from which are evils and falsities; for as was said above, temptations are like immersions in the hells and obsessions by evils and falsities. This is signified by the lamentations in David in many places, and also in the Prophets; for in the spiritual sense of the Word there is much that treats of the Lord's temptations by which He subjugated the hells and arranged all things in order in the heavens and in the hells, and by which He glorified His Human; these things are especially meant in Luke (Luke 24:44) by the things predicted "in the Prophets and in the Psalms of David," respecting the Lord, and fulfilled by Him.
[13] "The abyss" and "the sea" and "its depths" also signify the hells in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
Flee ye, they have turned themselves away, they have cast themselves down into the deep, the inhabitants of Dedan, and of Hazor (Jeremiah 49:8, 30).
In the same:
The sea has come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof (Jeremiah 51:42).
In Amos:
The Lord Jehovih hath made me to see; and behold, the Lord Jehovih calleth to devour 3by fire; it hath devoured the great abyss (Amos 7:4).
In David:
The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee, they were afraid; the abysses also trembled (Psalms 77:16).
In the same:
We will not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the sea; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, shall be made turbid (Psalms 46:2, 3).
In Moses:
On the same day were all the fountains of the great abyss broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened (Genesis 7:11).
And again:
The fountains also of the abyss and the flood gates of heaven were stopped (Genesis 8:2).
In Job:
Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of intelligence? Man knoweth not the price thereof. The abyss saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me (Job 28:12-14).
In the same:
Hast thou entered into the weepings of the sea, and hast thou walked in search of the abyss? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee, and hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? (Job 38:16, 17).
In the Gospels:
Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is profitable for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be sunk in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).
The demons that had possession of the man besought Jesus that He would not command them to depart into the abyss, therefore He suffered them to enter into the swine (Luke 8:31, 33; Matthew 8:31, 32).
And in the following passages of Revelation:
The beast that came up out of the abyss and made war (Revelation 11:7).
The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss (Revelation 17:8).
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand. And he bound the dragon a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss (Revelation 20:1-3).
In these passages, also, "the abyss" and "the depth of the sea" signify the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil; for the reason that the evil spirits who are there, and who while they lived as men in the world were in the falsities of evil, seem to dwell as it were in the bottom of the seas, and this the more deeply according to the grievousness of the evil from which was their falsity.
[14] As "abysses" signify the hells, where and from which are falsities, so "abysses" signify also the ultimates of heaven, where and from which are the knowledges of truth, which are the truths of the natural man. This is because the ultimates of heaven appear to be in waters, but such as are limpid and clear; for, as was said above, the atmosphere of the highest heaven is like an ethereal atmosphere, that of the middle heaven like an aerial atmosphere, and that of the lowest heaven like a watery atmosphere; this is like a watery atmosphere because the truths with those who are in it are truths of the natural man, and the atmosphere of the natural man is as it were watery. This is what gives rise to the appearances of rivers, lakes, and seas, in the spiritual world; consequently "seas" signify also cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica] in general, or in the whole complex (See above, n. 275, 342).
[15] "Abysses" also have a like signification in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah thy God bringeth thee to a good land, a land of rivers of waters, of fountains and abysses going forth from valley and mountain (448.)
In David:
By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts 4of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap; He giveth the abysses in storehouses (Psalms 33:6, 7). (See above, n. Psalms 104:6). (See above, n. Psalms 148:7).
"Abysses" in these passages signify the ultimates of heaven, in which are spiritual-natural angels.
In Ezekiel:
The waters made thee 5to grow, the abyss made it high (518.)
[16] Furthermore "abysses" signify Divine truths in abundance and the arcana of Divine wisdom. Thus in David:
He clave the rock in the desert, and made them to drink out of great abysses (Psalms 78:15).
In the same:
Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like a great abyss (Psalms 36:6; also elsewhere).
Footnotes:
1. Latin "his," Hebrew "their," as we also find in AC 756.
2. Latin "Jehovah," Hebrew "Lord," as we also find in AE 236, 504; AC 10227.
3. Latin "devour," Hebrew "contend."
4. Latin "all the hosts, Hebrew "all the host," as we also find in AE 275, 573; AC 97, 2702.
5. Latin "thee," Hebrew "it," as we also find in AE 518; AC 108, 2588, 2702.
538. Quod autem "abyssus" significet inferna ubi et unde falsa, est quia illa inferna, ubi falsa mali regnant, apparent sicut maria, in quorum profundis est turba infernalis quae in falsis mali est; quod appareant sicut maria, est quia inde continuo effluunt falsa, et falsa apparent sicut aquae, quapropter "aquae" in Verbo etiam significant falsa. Ex ipsis aquis etiam cognoscitur quale ibi falsum est, falsa enim sunt plurium generum, quot nempe mala; falsa ex gravibus malis apparent super infernis illis Sicut aquae crassae et nigrae, ac falsa ex malis amoris sui sicut aquae rubrae; ex crassitudine et colore apparet quale genus falsi est. Tenendum quod in mundo spirituali etiam vera appareant sicut aquae, sed sicut aquae tenues et purae. Causa est quia tres gradus vitae hominis sunt, sicut tres caeli. Illi quibus tertius gradus apertus est, sunt in atmosphaera pura sicut aetherea; in tali sunt illi qui in tertio seu intimo caelo sunt: illi autem quibus modo secundus gradus apertus est, sunt in atmosphaera sicut aerea; in tali sunt illi qui in secundo seu medio caelo sunt: at illi quibus modo primus gradus apertus est, sunt in atmosphaera sicut aquea, tenui et pura; in tali sunt illi qui in primo seu ultimo caelo sunt. Causa est quia perceptiones et cogitationes interiores, quia perfectiores, correspondent simili puritati atmosphaerae in quali illae sunt; effundunt enim se ab unoquovis angelo, et magis ab unaquavis societate angelica, et sistunt sphaeram correspondentem, quae sphaera apparet in simili puritate in qua sunt perceptiones et cogitationes angelorum, seu in qua est intelligentia et sapientia illorum; sphaera illa apparet sicut atmosphaera, sicut atmosphaera aetherea in intimo caelo, sicut aerea in medio caelo, et sicut tenuis aquea in ultimo caelo, ut dictum est. Inde patet quod atmosphaera sicut aquea correspondeat cogitationi et perceptioni naturali; sed sicut tenuis aquea, cogitationi et perceptioni spirituali naturali in qua sunt angeli ultimi caeli; at sicut crasse aquea, vergens vel ad nigrum vel ad rubrum, correspondet cogitationi naturali in qua nihil spirituale est: et cogitatio naturalis in qua nihil spirituale, est illis qui sunt in infernis ubi falsa regnant; nam omnes qui ibi sunt, mere naturales et sensuales sunt. (Quod tres gradus vitae homini sint, sicut tres caeli, et quod differant puritate, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 33, 34, 208, 209, 211.) Ex his constare potest, unde est quod illa inferna in Verbo dicantur "maria" et "abyssi"; "maria" quia apparent ut maria, et "abyssi" ex profunditate illorum.
[2] Quod per "maria", "profunditates" et "abyssos" significentur inferna ubi et unde falsa mali sunt, constare potest ex sequentibus locis in Verbo: Apud Mosen,
"Currus Pharaonis et exercitum ejus projecit in mare, .... abyssi obtexerunt eos; descenderunt in profunditates sicut lapis:.... e vento narium tuarum coacervatae sunt aquae; constiterunt sicut cumulus fluenta; congelatae sunt abyssi in corde maris" (15 [4,] 5, 8):
haec in Cantico Mosis de Pharaone et exercitu illius, postquam submersi sunt in Mari Suph; per "Pharaonem et exercitum ejus" significantur illi qui in falsis ex malo sunt, et per "Mare Suph" significatur infernum ubi illa falsa sunt; inde patet quod per "obtexerunt illos abyssi", significetur quod inferna. (Quid reliqua in sensu spirituali significant, videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 8272-8279, et 8286-8289, ubi explicata sunt.)
[3] Similia significantur per haec apud Davidem,
"Increpavit Mare Suph ut exsiccaretur, et duxit eos per abyssos, sicut in deserto;.... obtexerunt aquae hostes 1
eorum" (Psalms 106:9, 11);
apud Esaiam,
"Nonne Tu Ille qui exsiccavit mare, aquas abyssi magnae? qui posuit profunditates maris in viam, ut transirent redempti?" (51:10, 15);
apud eundem,
"Qui discidit aquas coram illis, .... qui duxit eos per abyssos, sicut equus in deserto, non offenderunt" (63 [12,] 13):
per "filios Israelis", coram quibus exsiccabatur Mare Suph, et per quod exsiccatum tuti transibant, intelliguntur omnes qui in veris ex bono sunt, quos tutatur Dominus, ne falsa mali, quae jugiter ab infernis ascendunt, damno afficiant; hoc intelligitur per quod "exsiccaverit mare, aquas abyssi magnae", et per quod "posuerit profunditates ejus in viam ut transirent redempti", tum per quod "duxerit eos per abyssos"; falsa enim ab infernis exhalata continue obstipant hominem, proinde inferna, (nam sive dicas falsa ab illis, vel illa, idem est, ) at Dominus jugiter dissipat ea apud illos qui in veris ex bono ab Ipso sunt; hoc itaque est quod significatur per "exsiccare mare", et "ducere eos per abyssos"; illi qui in veris ex bono a Domino sunt, intelliguntur per "redemptos."
[4] Simile significatur per "exsiccare abyssum et arefacere fluvios" apud Esaiam,
Jehovah "dicit Hierosolymae, Habitaberis; et urbibus Jehudae, Aedificabimini; et vastitates ejus erigam; dicens abysso, Exsiccare, et fluvios tuos arefaciam " (44:26, 27):
per "Hierosolymam" significatur ecclesia Domini; et per "urbes Jehudae" significantur bona et vera doctrinae; restauratio ecclesiae et doctrinae significatur per "habitari" et "aedificari"; dissipatio malorum et falsorum quae ab infernis, ac tutatio ab illis, significatur per "exsiccare abyssum et arefacere fluvios" (ut supra).
[5] Simile significatur apud Sachariam,
Israel "transibit per mare angustiae, sed percutiet in mari fluctus, et exsiccabuntur omnes profunditates fluminis, et dejicietur superbia Aschuris, et baculus Aegypti recedet" (10:11):
quod 2
illi qui in veris ex bono sunt tutati a Domino vivent, tametsi falsa ab infernis circumfundunt, significatur per quod "Israel transibit per mare, et percutiet in mari fluctus, et exsiccabuntur omnes profunditates fluminis"; per "Israelem" intelliguntur qui in veriS ex bono sunt, per "mare" significatur infernum et omne falsum inde, per "fluctus maris" significantur ratiocinationes ex falsis contra vera, per "exsiccare omnes profunditates fluminis" significatur dissipare omnia falsa mali etiam profundiora, "flumen" Nilus significat scientificum falsum: quare sequitur, quod "dejicietur superbia Aschuris, et baculus Aegypti recedet"; per "Aschurem" significatur ratiocinatio ex falsis contra vera, et per "Aegyptum" scientificum applicatum ad confirmanda falsa; "superbia Aschuris" quae dejicietur significat propriam intelligentiam ex qua ratiocinatio, et "baculus Aegypti" qui recedet significat potentiam quae ratiocinationi accedit per scientifica quae applicantur ad confirmandum.
[6] Apud Ezechielem,
"In die quo descensurus est in infernum, lugere faciam, obtegam super eo abyssum" (31:15):
haec de Pharaone et Aschure, et per "Pharaonem" significatur simile quod per "Aegyptum", nempe scientificum destruens verum ecclesiae per applicationem ad falsa, et per "Aschurem" significatur ratiocinatio ex illis; quod illi qui tales dejicientur in infernum ubi talia falsa et ratiocinia ex falsis sunt, significatur per quod "descendet in infernum et obtegetur abysso"; inde etiam patet quod "abyssus" sit infernum ubi et unde falsa mali.
[7] Apud Micham,
Deus "revertetur, miserebitur nostri, supprimet iniquitates nostras, et projiciet in profunditates maris omnia peccata" nostra (7:19):
quia "profunditates maris", aeque ac "abyssi", sunt inferna ubi et unde mala et falsa, ideo dicitur quod "projiciet in profunditates maris omnia peccata" nostra.
[8] Apud Ezechielem,
"Cum dedero te urbem desolatam, sicut urbes quae non habitantur; cum ascendere fecero contra te abyssum, et obtexerint te aquae multae; et fecero descendere te cum descendentibus in foveam ad populum saeculi; et habitare te fecero in terra inferiorum in desolationibus a saeculo, cum descendentibus in foveam, ut non habites" (26:19, 20):
haec de Tyro, per quam significatur ecclesia quoad cognitiones veri et boni; seu quoad vera naturalis hominis, nam vera naturalis hominis sunt cognitiones veri et boni: hic agitur de vastatione ecclesiae quoad illa; "dare Tyrum urbem desolatam, sicut urbes quae non habitantur", significat doctrinam ejus absque veris et sicut doctrinas quae sunt absque bono, nam vera doctrinae absque bono non sunt vera, quia omnia vera sunt boni; "ascendere facere contra Tyrum abyssum, ut obtegant illam aquae multae", significat immersionem in falsa ab inferno in pluri copia ("abyssus" est infernum, "aquae multae" sunt falsa in pluri copia): "cum descendentibus in foveam ad populum saeculi" significat ad illos in inferno qui ibi fuerunt ab Antiquissima Ecclesia mox ante diluvium; illi vocantur "populus saeculi" quia ab antiquo, et in diris falsis prae aliis: ex quibus patet quid significatur per "facere habitare in terra inferiorum in desolationibus a saeculo, cum descendentibus in foveam, ut non habites"; "non habitare" hic significat non in aliquibus veris esse, quia non in bono; illi etiam non habitant in domibus, sed in foveis.
[9] Similia significantur apud Sachariam,
"Ecce 3
Jehovah depauperabit Tyrum, et excutiet in mare opes ejus, et ipsa igne comederetur" (9:4):
"excutere in mare opes ejus" significat conjicere in infernum falsa; "mare" est infernum ubi falsa mali, et "opes" sunt ipsa falsa.
[10] Apud Ezechielem,
"In aquas multas deduxerunt te contemnentes te, ventus orientalis fregit te in corde marium; opes tuae, negotiationes tuae, mercatus tuus, nautae tui et naucleri tui confirmantes fissuram tuam, et negotiantes negotiationem tuam, et omnes viri belli tui qui in te, et in omni congregatione tua, quae in medio tui, cadent in cor marium in die casus tui" (27:26, 27):
haec etiam de Tyro, et dicta sunt de "navibus" ejus, per quas significantur cognitiones boni et veri, seu vera naturalis hominis quae sibi comparant et quae venditant; hic autem falsitates: per "cor marium" in quo ventus orientalis fregit illam, et in quod cadent die casus sui, simile significatur cum abysso, nempe infernum unde falsa doctrinae; "ventus orientalis" est influxus e caelo, et "dies casus ejus" est ultimum judicium: per "opes" significantur falsitates; per "negotiationes" et "mercatus" significantur illarum acquisitiones et communicationes, per "nautas" ministri, per "naucleros" antistites qui ducunt et docent, per "viros belli" qui defendunt, et per "congregationem" falsa doctrinalia.
2, 3, 5, [6]):
quod per Jonam, quod fuerit in ceto tribus diebus et tribus noctibus, repraesentatum sit quod Dominus ita esset in corde terrae, docet Ipse apud Matthaeum (12:39, 40; 16:4; Luca 11:29, 30); et per haec verba Jonae describuntur dirae tentationes Domini. Et quia tentationes existunt per inundationes malorum et falsorum, quae ascendunt ex inferno et quasi submergunt, dicitur quod "ex ventre inferni vociferatus sit", et quod "projectus sit in profunditatem usque in cor marium", per quae significatur infernum; per "flumen" et per "aquas" quae circumdederunt, et per "fluctus et undas" quae transiverunt, significantur mala et falsa inde; per" abyssum" quae circumcinxit, significantur inferna ubi et unde falsa; per "excisiones montium" ad quas descendit, significantur inferna ubi et unde mala: quod ab illis sicut vinctus fuerit, significatur per "algam alligatam capiti", et per "vectes terrae qui super illum"; quod sicut vinctus per falsa significatur per "algam", et quod sicut vinctus per mala per "vectes terrae": victoria super illis ex propria potentia, significatur per "nihilominus ascendere fecisti e fovea animam meam"; dicitur "ascendere fecisti", sed cum de Domino, intelligitur quod Ipse ex suo Divino Se ascendere fecerit, ita ex propria potentia.
[12] Similia significantur per sequentia apud Davidem,
"Abyssus ad abyssum clamat, ad vocem canalium tuorum; omnes confractiones tuae et fluctus tui super me transiverunt" (Psalms 42:8 [B.A. 7]);
apud eundem,
"Venerunt aquae usque ad animam; submersus sum in luto profunditatis, nec consistens; veni in profunditates aquarum, et fluctus obruit me. .... Eripe me e luto ne submergar; eripiar ab osoribus, et e profunditatibus aquarum, ne obruat me fluctus aquarum nec claudat super me fovea os suum" (Psalms 69:2, 3, 15 [, 161, 2, 14, [15]):
apud eundem,
"Revertere, vivifica me; et ex abyssis terrae, revertere, ascendere fac me" (Psalms 71:20);
apud eundem,
"Reputatus sum cum descendentibus in foveam, .... inter mortuos neglectus, sicut confossi cubantes in sepulchro, quorum non meministi amplius, quique a manu tua excisi sunt; posuisti me in fovea inferiorum, in tenebris, in profunditatibus" (Psalms 88:5-7 [B.A. 4-6])
Tentationes Domini quando fuit in mundo, per quas subjugavit inferna et glorificavit Humanum suum, etiam per illa apud Davidem describuntur: per "fluctus" et "undas" significantur mala et falsa; et per "abyssos" et "profunditates maris", tum per "foveam", significantur inferna ubi et unde illa; nam, ut supra dictum est, tentationes sunt quasi immersiones in inferna, et obsessiones a malis et falsis. Haec significantur per lamentationes apud Davidem pluribus in locis, et quoque apud Prophetas; in sensu enim spirituali Verbi multis agitur de tentationibus Domini, per quas subjugavit inferna, ac disposuit omnia in ordinem in caelis et in infernis, et per quas glorificavit Humanum suum; illae praecipue intelliguntur
per "quae apud Prophetas et in Psalmis Davidis" praedicta sunt de Domino et impleta ab Ipso, apud Lucam (24:44).
[13] Per "abyssum" et per "mare" et ejus "profunditates" etiam significantur inferna in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Jeremiam,
"Fugite, averterunt se, in profundum demiserunt se habitatores Dedanis.... et Chazoris" ( 4
apud 5
eundem,
"Ascendit supra Babelem mare, multitudine fluctuum ejus obtecta est" (51:42);
apud Amos,
"Videre fecit me Dominus Jehovih, et ecce vocans ad 6
contendendum per ignem, .... comedit abyssum magnam" (7:4);
apud Davidem,
"Viderunt Te aquae, Deus, viderunt Te aquae, extimuerunt, etiam commotae sunt abyssi" (Psalms 77:17 [B.A. 16]);
apud eundem,
"Non timebimus cum mutabitur terra, et cum movebuntur montes in corde marium, tumultuabuntur, turbabuntur aquae ejus" (Psalms 46:3, 4 [B.A. 2, 3]);
apud Mosen,
"Hoc ipso die disrupti sunt omnes fontes abyssi magnae, et cataractae caeli apertae sunt" (Genesis 7:11);
et postea,
"Et obturati sunt fontes abyssi et cataractae caeli" (Genesis 8:2);
apud Hiobum,
"Sapientia unde invenitur? et quis est locus intelligentiae? Non novit homo pretium ejus. .... Abyssus dicit, Non in me illa; et mare dicit, Non mecum" (28:12, [13,] 14);
apud eundem,
"Num venisti ad fletus maris, et in pervestigatione abyssi ambulasti? Num revelatae sunt tibi portae mortis, et portas umbrae mortis videras?" (16, 17);
apud Evangelistas,
"Qui scandalizaverit unum parvorum istorum credentium in Me, expedit ei ut suspendatur mola asinaria ad collum ejus, et demergatur in profundum maris" (Matthaeus 18:6; Marcus 9:42; Luca 17:2);
et alibi apud eosdem,
Daemones, qui obsiderunt virum, rogarunt Jesum ut non mandaret illis in abyssum abire; ideo permisit illis ingredi porcos (Luca 8:31, 33; Matthaeus 8:32);
et in sequentibus in Apocalypsi,
"Bestia quae ascendit ex abysso et fecit bellum" (11:7);
"Bestia, quam vidisti, erat et non est, et ascensura est ex abysso" (17:8);
"Vidi angelum descendentem e caelo, qui habebat clavem abyssi, et catenam magnam super manu sua;.... et vinxit draconem mille annos, et conjecit eum in abyssum" ( 7
20:1-3):
in his locis etiam per "abyssum" et per "profundum maris" significatur infernum ubi et unde falsa mali; ex causa quia illi spiritus, qui ibi, dum in mundo vixerunt homines, in falsis mali fuerunt, in fundo sicut marium apparent habitare, et ibi eo profundius, quo malum ex quo falsum gravius fuit.
[14] Sicut per "abyssos" significantur inferna ubi et unde falsa, ita quoque per "abyssos" significantur ultima caeli, ubi et unde cognitiones veri, quae sunt vera naturalis hominis. Causa est quia ultima caeli etiam apparent sicut in aquis, sed tenuibus et claris; nam, ut supra dictum est, atmosphaera supremi caeli est sicut aetherea, atmosphaera medii caeli est sicut aerea, et atmosphaera ultimi caeli est sicut aquea: quod haec sit sicut aquea, est quia vera apud illos Sunt vera naturalis hominis, et naturalis hominis atmosphaera est sicut aquea. Inde quoque sunt apparentiae fluviorum, lacuum et marium in mundo, spirituali. Quare per "maria" etiam significantur cognitiones et scientifica in communi seu in omni complexu: quod haec quoque per "maria" significentur, videatur supra (n. 275, 342).
[15] Similia etiam significantur per "abyssos" in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Mosen,
"Jehovah Deus tuus deducens te ad terram bonam, terram fluviorum aquae, fontium et abyssorum exeuntium e valle et e monte" (Deuteronomius 8:7);
(quae explicata videantur supra, n. 518 [a]): apud eundem,
Deus benedicet Josepho "benedictionibus caeli desuper, benedictionibus abyssi cubantis infra" (Genesis 49:25; et Deuteronomius 33:13);
(quae quoque supra, n. 448 [a] , explicata sunt): apud Davidem,
"Per Verbum Jehovae caeli facti sunt, et per spiritum oris Ipsius 8
omnis exercitus illorum; colligens sicut cumulum aquas maris, dans in thesauris abyssos" (Psalms 33:6, 7);
(videatur supra, n. 275 [d]), ubi explicata): apud eundem,
"Abysso sicut veste obvelasti terram" (Psalms 104:6);
(de his etiam videatur supra, n. 275 [d]): apud eundem,
"Laudate Jehovam e terra, balaenae et omnes abyssi" (Psalms 148:7):
per "abyssos" in illis locis significantur ultima caeli, in quibus sunt angeli spirituales naturales. Similiter apud Ezechielem,
"Aquae crescere fecerunt 9
eam, abyssus altam fecit eam" (31:4).
(De hoc videatur supra, n. 518 [b] .)
[16] Praeterea per "abyssos" etiam significantur Divina vera in copia, et arcana sapientiae Divinae:
- Ut apud Davidem,
"Diffidit petram in deserto, et bibere fecit abyssos magnas" (Psalms 78:15);
et apud eundem,
Jehovah, "justitia tua abyssus magna" (Psalms 36:7 [B.A. 6]);
et alibi.
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