Swedenborg Arcana Caelestia Vol. V (1750)

...are the Philistines." (Genesis 11:6). In the book of Hosea: "Ephraim feeds on the wind, and follows the east wind; every day he multiplies lies and destruction" (Hosea 12:1). Here, "wind" stands for fantasies, and "east wind" for worldly desires original: cupiditatibus. Something similar is meant by the east wind in its internal sense when it is mentioned that it brought the locusts, and that the locusts were cast by it into the sea (Exodus 10:13, 19); and also when the waters of the Red Sea original: maris Suph were divided by it (Exodus 14:21).

5216. "Sprouting after them," which signifies appearing nearby. This is clear from the meaning of "sprouting" here, which is "appearing," and from the meaning of "after them," which is "nearby" or "at the boundary." This is similar to the thin and ugly cows coming up after them—that is, after the beautiful and fat cows (as noted in section 5202). The reason "after them" means "nearby" is that "after" implies a sequence of time; however, in the spiritual world—and consequently in the spiritual sense—there is no such thing as time. Instead, there is a state of being that corresponds to the idea of time.

5217. "And the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears," which signifies that scientific facts term: "scientifics"; the author's term for pieces of factual knowledge stored in the memory of no use would exterminate good scientific facts. This is clear from the meaning of "thin ears" as useless scientific facts (as mentioned above in section 5214); and from the meaning of "fat and full ears" as scientific facts to which the things of faith and charity could be applied (see section 5213), and which are consequently "good" scientific facts.

It is also clear from the meaning of "to swallow up," which is "to exterminate," just as "to eat" was used regarding the cows in section 5206. That good scientific facts are exterminated by useless ones—or that truths are destroyed by falsities—can be seen in section 5207. This is how it works in the spiritual world: where there are falsities, truths cannot remain; and vice-versa, where there are truths, falsities cannot remain. One exterminates the other because they are opposites. The cause is that falsities come from hell and truths come from heaven.

Sometimes it appears as if falsities and truths exist within a single person original: subjecto, but these are not the specific falsities that are directly opposite to those truths; rather, they are ideas associated through various applications. A person in whom truths and their opposite falsities exist at the same time is called "lukewarm" original: tepidum, and a person in whom falsities and truths are thoroughly mixed together is called "profane" original: prophanum.

5218. "And Pharaoh awoke," which signifies a general state of enlightenment original: illustrationis. This is clear from what was explained in section 5208, where the same words appear.

5219. "And behold, it was a dream," which signifies that this happened in a state of obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of a "dream" as an obscure state (see sections 1838, 2514, 2528, and 5210). It is called "obscure" because truths have been exterminated; for where there are no truths, there is obscurity. The light of heaven flows only into truths, for the Light of heaven is Divine Truth from the Lord. Therefore, the truths among angels, spirits, and humans are secondary lights, but they receive their actual light from Divine Truth through the "good" within those truths.

Unless truths are derived from "good"—that is, unless truths have "good" within them—they cannot receive any light from the Divine. They receive it through "good," for "good" is like fire or flame, and truths are like the light coming from it. Even truths without "good" can shine in the afterlife, but they shine with a "wintry light," which becomes thick darkness when exposed to the light of heaven. From this, it is clear what is meant here by "obscurity": namely, the state of the Natural mind when good scientific facts have been exterminated by useless ones. Such an obscurity is the kind that can be generally enlightened.