7786. 'So that you may know that Jehovah makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel' means so that the nature of the difference between those immersed in evil and those governed by good may be known. This is clear from the meaning of 'knowing' as being made known; from the representation of 'the Egyptians' as those immersed in evil (previously 'the Egyptians' meant those steeped in falsity, but now that they have undergone vastation of the Church's truths which they knew they mean those immersed in evil; for 'the death of the firstborn' means damnation, a state of evil); and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 7784, thus those who are governed by good, since those who belong to the spiritual Church are led through faith to charity, that is, through truth to good.