522. Because they were made bitter.- That this signifies, because the truths of the Word were falsified, is evident from the signification of the waters in the rivers and in the fountains, which denote truths of the understanding and truths of doctrine; see above (n. 518); and from the signification of bitter and bitterness, which denote what is falsified by an intermingling of truth with the falsities of evil. For bitter here means the bitter of wormwood, and wormwood, on account of its bitterness, signifies truth mingled with the falsity of evil, thus truth falsified, as explained above (n. 519). Bitter, in the Word, signifies what is undelightful, but the bitter of wormwood signifies one kind of undelightfulness, the bitter of gall another, the bitter of hemlock another, and the bitter of unripe fruit another, while the bitter which is neither from herbs nor fruit, another; the latter signifies a grief of mind and anxiety arising from various causes.
[2] From these things the signification of bitternesses in the following passages is evident; as in Isaiah:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine (vinum), and men of strength to mingle strong drink (sicera)" (v. 20, 22).
Again, in the same prophet:
"The new wine (mustum) mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh. They shall not drink wine (vinum) with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it" (xxiv. 7, 9).
Again in Moses:
"The waters in Marah, which they could not drink on account of their bitterness, were healed by wood cast into them (Exod. xv. 23-25).
At the time of the passover they ate unleavened bread with bitter herbs (Exod. xii. 8; Num. ix. 11).
Again, waters that caused the curse were given to a woman accused of adultery by her husband, and, if she was guilty, those waters became changed into bitterness in her, and her belly swelled and her thigh fell away (Num. v. 12-29).
The little book which the prophet was told to eat, was sweet as honey in his mouth, but his belly was made bitter by it (Apocalypse x. 9, 10), similarly elsewhere.
But here where it is said that many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter, the bitter of wormwood is meant, the signification of which bitterness has just been explained.
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