5156. And shall hang thee upon wood. That this signifies rejection and damnation, is evident from the signification of "being hanged upon wood," as being rejection and damnation; for hanging upon wood was a curse, and a curse is a rejection from the Divine, consequently damnation. That hanging upon wood was a curse, is evident in Moses:
When there shall be in a man a crime of judgment of death, and he be put to death, so that thou hangest him upon wood, his carcass shall not remain all night upon the wood, but burying thou shalt bury him the same day, for he that is hanged is the curse of God; that thou defile not the land which Jehovah thy God will give thee for an inheritance (Deut. 21:22-23);
that he "should not remain all night upon the wood" signified perpetual rejection; for in the evening the day began anew, and therefore unless they who had been hanged were cast away before evening, it would have represented that evil was not rejected, and consequently that the land was not freed from it, but was defiled; and therefore it is added, "that thou defile not the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." That the hanged remained until evening and no longer may be seen in Joshua 8:29; 10:26. Among the Jewish nation there were two main penalties-stoning and hanging. Stoning was on account of falsity, and hanging upon wood was on account of evil; and this because "stone" is truth (see n. 643, 1298, 3720), and in the opposite sense falsity; and "wood" is good (n. 2784, 2812, 3720), and in the opposite sense evil; and therefore in the prophetic Word mention is occasionally made of "committing adultery with stone and wood," whereby is signified the perversion of truth, which is falsity, and the adulteration of good, which is evil.