Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6969

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6969. Verses 8, 9 [And Jehovah said,] And so it will be, if they do not believe you and do not hear the voice of the former sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs and do not hear your voice, that you are to take some of the water of the river and pour it out onto the dry land; and it will be water which you have taken from the river, and it will become blood on the dry land.

'And so it will be, if they do not believe you' means if they are not in possession of faith. 'And do not hear the voice of the former sign' means that if they did not obey what was declared by the Word, then instead of being spiritual and rational they would become people who were not spiritual or rational. 'That they will believe the voice of the latter sign means that they would possess faith in what had been declared before-hand by the Word, that they would become profaners of truth. 'And so it will be, if they do not believe even these two signs' means if they possessed no faith at all that such things would come about. 'And do not hear your voice' means if they show no sign of obedience either. 'You are to take some of the water of the river' means factual knowledge that has falsities in it. 'And pour it out onto the dry land' means instilling it into the natural. 'And it will be water which you have taken' means an inversion of state. 'And it will become blood on the dry land' means the falsifying of all truth and a consequent deprivation of it in the natural.


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