THE EXPLANATION

[Editor's Note: The text of the Isaiah 1, from the translation used by Rev. Smithson, is appended below this explanation].

1. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Ussiah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Verse 1. To see in "vision" denotes to see such things as exist with the angels of heaven, which are representative, and thence significative of things spiritual. These spiritual things, when they appear to Man, do not appear before the sight of his body, but before the sight of his spirit, for the spirit of man has eyes equally as the body; but the eyes of his spirit see those things which are in the spiritual world, by reason that all things which appear there are from a spiritual origin, and the spiritual man, with the understanding sees spiritual things, and with the eyes the same, in a form like the natural. But the eyes of the body see those things which are in the material world by reason that all things which appear there are from a natural origin; and the material man sees with the understanding, natural things, and with the eyes the same, in a material form; wherefore when the eyes of their spirit were opened with the prophets, they saw such things as represented, and thence signified the divine, celestial, and spiritual things of the church, and likewise sometimes such things as represented, and thence signified what was to take place in future in the churches. (Apocalypse Explained 1037). See also Arcana Coelestia 1786.

The visions of the prophets were nothing else than the opening of their interior sight, as when John saw "golden candlesticks", (Revelation 1:12, 13) and the "Holy City as pure gold, and its Luminary like to a stone most precious"; (Revelation 21:2, 10, 11) besides many other things recorded in the Prophets, from which it may be known that the angels live in the greatest light, and that there are indefinite things there, which no one [upon earth] could ever believe. Arcana Coelestia 1532.

The prophets were in vision when they saw objects, as above, in the spiritual world, but not when they spake the Word, for then they were not in the spirit but in the body, and heard the words which they wrote down from Jehovah Himself, that is, from the Lord. These two states of the prophets ought carefully to he distinguished; moreover, the prophets themselves carefully distinguish them, for they say everywhere, when they wrote the Word from Jehovah, that Jehovah spake with them and to them, and very often "Jehovah said", "Jehovah says", etc. But when they were in the other state, they say that they were in the spirit in vision, as may appear from the following passages.

Ezekiel says,

"The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into Chaldea, to the captivity, ill a vision of God; for the vision that I saw went up over me." (Ezekiel 3:12, 14; 11:1, 24)

See also many other passages to the same effect in the same prophet, and in Zechariah, Daniel, and John. Apocalypse Revealed 945.

Concerning Judah and Jerusalem. - That Judah or Judea and also Jerusalem, do not signify Judea nor Jerusalem, is evident from many passages. In the Word indeed it is not so often called Judea as the "land of Judah" and by it, as by the "land of Canaan", is signified the Lord's kingdom, consequently also the church, for this is the Lord's kingdom upon earth; and this because that by "Judah", or by the Jewish nation, was represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, and by " Israel", or by the Israelitish people, His spiritual kingdom; And as they thus represented, therefore, when mentioned in the Word, they have, in the internal sense, no other signification [than that of the Lord's kingdom and church]. This will appear evident from numerous passages in which "Judah" and the "land of Judah" are mentioned. Arcana Coelestia 3654.

By "Jerusalem" is understood the church with respect to doctrine, inasmuch as at Jerusalem in the land of Canaan, and in no other place, there was the temple, the altar, the sacrifices, and consequently all divine worship. Wherefore three festivals were likewise celebrated there every year, to which every male throughout the land was commanded to go. This then is the reason why by "Jerusalem", in the spiritual sense, is signified the church with respect to worship, or what is the same thing, with respect to doctrine; for worship is prescribed by doctrine" and is performed according to it. The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 6.

Kings of Judah. "Kings", when mentioned in the Word, represented the Lord as to His Divine Truth, and "priests" represented Him as to His Divine Good. All the laws of order by which the Lord governs the universe as a King, are Truths; but all the laws by which He governs the universe as a Priest, and by which He also rules truths themselves, are Goods; for rule grounded in truths alone would condemn every one to hell; but rule grounded in good raises up out of hell, and elevates into heaven. Arcana Coelestia 2015.

The "kings of Judah and Israel", both good and bad, represented the Lord's royalty, and the "high priests", both good and bad, represented the Lord's priesthood, and the things belonging thereto. This royalty and this priesthood they represented, when, in the external form, they performed their office according to the statutes and the precepts. In order, therefore, that the type or representative of a church might exist amongst them, such statutes and laws were given to them, by manifest revelation, as were entirely representative of the kingly and the priestly office. Wherefore, so long as they were in these statutes and precepts, and strictly observed them, so long they were types or representatives; but when they declined from these, and went over to the statutes and precepts of other nations, and especially to the worship of another god, they then deprived themselves of the faculty of representing. Hence it was that by external means, such as captivities, slaughters, threatenings, and miracles, they were compelled to observe the truly representative laws and statutes; but not by internal means, like those who have an internal worship in their external. Arcana Coelestia 4281.

2. hearken, O you heavens! and give ear, O earth! for Jehovah speaks: I have nourished sons, and I have brought them up; but they have transgressed against Me.

Verse 2. By the "heavens" are signified the heavens [where angels dwell], and also the internals of the church. The internals of the church are also the "heavens" with men, and by the "earth" is signified the external of the church. Both the heavens and the earth are said to be "expanded" and "extended" (Isaiah 42:5) when truths from good are multiplied therein. Apocalypse Explained 294.

There are three heavens; [2 Corinthians 12:2] the third, or inmost, where the angels dwell who are in celestial love; the second, or middle, where the angels dwell who are in spiritual love; and the first, or ultimate, where those angels dwell who are in spiritual-natural love. Apocalypse Explained 322, 708.

By "earth", when mentioned in the Word, is not meant the universal globe, but the church, and specifically that region where the church is, as formerly the land of Canaan, when the Jewish church was there, and in Europe, where the Christian church now is. Arcana Coelestia 566, 662.

Jehovah speaks, - "Jehovah" [in Hebrew] signifies I AM and TO BE. As GOD alone is the I AM and the ESSE or JEHOVAH, therefore nothing exists. in the created universe but what derives its being (esse) from Him. Jehovah God is essential Love and essential Wisdom, or essential Good and essential Truth. He is the One God the Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, in whom is the Divine Trinity. Thus Jehovah Himself assumed the Humanity to redeem and save mankind; He is a MAN, as in first principles, so also in ultimates. By reason of the marriage of Divine Good and of Divine Truth in every part of the Word, the expression "JEHOVAH GOD" so frequently occurs.

By "JEHOVAH" is signified Divine Love or Divine Good; and by "GOD", Divine Wisdom or Divine Truth. True Christian Religion 3, 19, 82, 102, 159, 253.

I have nourished sons, and have brought them up. - To "nourish sons and bring them up", signifies instruction in divine truths, education, regeneration, and preparation for heaven, God is in the perpetual endeavour to regenerate and to save mankind; He cannot, however, spiritually regenerate any man, but in proportion as man, agreeably to His laws, regenerates himself, or cooperates with God. The work of regeneration is successive, answering, in its several stages, to man's conception, his formation in the womb, his birth, and his education. Everyone becomes regenerate, or a son of God, in proportion as he abstains from the evils of sin and shuns them. A regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and an unregenerate man is in communion with the spirits of hell. True Christian Religion 71, 73, 583-586, 607.

3. The ox knows his owner, and the ass the crib of his master; Israel doth not know; My people do not understand.

Verse 3. The ox knows his owner, etc. - [Although these words are said by way of comparison, showing that animals live according to the order of their creation, but that man, if he rebels against God, does not live according to the order for which he is created, yet they are also correspondences, and imply that the natural man, both as to what is good, or what he conceives to be good, signified by the ox, and as to what is true, or what he considers to be true, signified by the ass, knows what is conducive to his natural states; and to the obtainment of his ends and objects in this life, according to what the Lord says, "The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." (Luke 16:8)

But as to the Lord and the spiritual things of His kingdom; they, that is, merely natural men, neither know nor consider and understand them.]

4. Woe to the sinful nation! a people heavy with iniquity; a seed of evil doers; sons that are corrupters: they have forsaken Jehovah; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel; they have gone astray backward.

Verse 4. "Woe" signifies lamentation over aversion from Goodness and Truth, and consequent damnation; also lamentation over calamity, danger, misery, destruction, or over evils and falsities which devastate the church. Apocalypse Explained 531, 564, 680.

By the "sinful nation" are signified those who are in evils, and by a "people heavy with iniquity", those who are in falsities thence derived; for "nation", in the Word, when used in a bad sense, is predicated of evils, and "people" of falsities; the false of those who are principled in evils is signified by the "seed of evil doers"; and the false principles of those who are in the falsities from that evil, are signified by the "sons who are corrupters." That "sons" signify those who, in a good sense, are in truths, and in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities, and, abstractedly, truths and falsities.

By "they have forsaken Jehovah, and despised the Holy One of Israel", is signified that they have rejected divine Good and divine Truth; "Jehovah" denoting the Lord as to Divine Good, and the "Holy One of Israel", the Lord as to Divine Truth.

By "their going astray backward", is signified that they altogether receded from them, and went away to infernal evil and the false thence derived; for they who are in evils and falsities in the spiritual world, turn themselves backwards from the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 768. Heaven and Hell 123.

In this as in other passages, "nation" and a "seed of evil doers" denote evils which are of the will or lusts; "people" and "sons that are corrupters" denote the falsities which are of the understanding, or persuasions. Arcana Coelestia 622.

By "seed", or those who are born, and by "generations", are meant [in a good sense] those who are in love and faith to the Lord; and, in the abstract sense, the goods of love and the truths of faith; but in the opposite sense, "seed" signifies those who are against the things of the church, thus those who are in evil and the false thence derived, and in the abstract sense, evils and falsities, as in Isaiah 1:4, "Woe to the sinful nation! a seed of evil doers." Arcana Coelestia 10249.

Thus the "seed of the serpent", in Genesis 3:15, signifies everything false derived from evil. Apocalypse Explained 768.

5. Why should you be smitten any more? You will continue to revolt: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness therein; it is wound, and bruise, and running sore: they have not been pressed, neither bound up, nor softened with oil.

7. Your country is desolate; your cities are burnt up with fire; your land before you, strangers devour it; and it is a desolation, as overthrown by strangers.

Verses 6, 7. By these words is described there being no good and thence no truth in the church, but evil and the false thence derived. "From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness", signifies that both natural things and spiritual, which are the interiors of man and of his will, are destroyed; "wound, and bruise, and running sore", signify evils of the will, and falsities of the thought thence derived and continually abounding: evils of the will are also evil works; "not bound up, nor softened with oil", signifies not amended by repentance, nor tempered by good. "Your country is desolate, your cities are burnt with fire", signifies the church being devastated as to all truths, and the doctrinals thereof destroyed by a life according to cupidities arising from evil love. Apocalypse Explained 962.

"Wound" is predicated of destroyed good or charity; and "bruise" of destroyed truth or faith; and "running [or fresh] sore" of each. Arcana Coelestia 9056. See also Apocalypse Explained 431.

Charity and faith constitute spiritual life, which life sickens when the false takes place of the truth which is of faith, and evil takes place of the good which is of charity, for these things [the false and the evil] bring that life to death, which is called spiritual death, and is damnation, as diseases bring the natural life to its death: hence it is that by "diseases", in the internal sense, is signified evil. By all the "diseases" here named, are signified spiritual diseases, which are evils destroying the life of the will of good, and falsities destroying the life of the understanding of truth, - in a word, destroying the spiritual life which is of faith and charity. Natural diseases, also correspond to such, for every disease in the human race is from this source because from sin. Every disease also corresponds to its evil; the reason is, because the all of the life of man is from the spiritual world; wherefore if his spiritual life sickens, evil is also thence derived in to the natural, and becomes a disease there. See what has been said from experience concerning the correspondence of diseases with evils, Arcana Coelestia 5711-5727. Arcana Coelestia 8364.

Verse 7. By "land" is meant the church, in like manner by " ground"; and by "cities" the truths of the church, which are called doctrinals, and which are said to be "burned with fire", when they are consumed by the evils of the loves of self and of the world. Hence it is evident what is signified by "strangers devouring the ground", etc., that is, evils and the falsities of evil destroying the church. Arcana Coelestia 10287.

8. And the daughter of Zion is left us a shed in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Verse 8. By "Zion", in the Word, is not understood Zion, but heaven and the church, where the Lord reigns by His Divine Truth. This is evident from many passages in which there are prophetic declarations concerning the Lord, as that "when He shall come, He will love Zion, and dwell there for ever"; whereas He did not love either that city or Jerusalem, as is evident from His own words concerning them, but He loved heaven and the church, where He is received by His Divine Truth. Hence it is that Zion is called His "rest", His "habitation", the "mountain of Jehovah", the "city of God", the "city of the great King", the "city of Truth", and that His "kingdom will be there to eternity, from generation to generation"; - all which things could by no means be said of the [literal] Zion of David. Apocalypse Explained 850.

"Daughters" and "virgins" signify those who are of the church, or those who are in the spiritual affection of Truth and Good, which makes the church. The "five wise virgins" signify the genuine members of the church, and the "five foolish", the spurious or wicked members. Apocalypse Explained 212, 252, 675.

By the "cucumbers", etc., are meant such things as belong to the lowest natural principle of man, or such things as belong to his sensual corporeal principle, (See Numbers 11:5)

[Hence it is that a "garden of cucumbers" signifies the church reduced to a merely sensual state.] Apocalypse Explained 513.

[A besieged city, is the church as to doctrine, invested and destroyed by false principles of every kind.]

9. Unless Jehovah of Hosts had left unto us a small remnant; we had become as Sodom, we had been like unto Gomorrah.

Verses 9, 24. Jehovah of Hosts. - In the Word, frequent mention is made of "armies" or "hosts", and the Lord is called " Jehovah of Hosts", or Zebaoth; and by "hosts" or armies, are there signified truths from good, combating against falsities from evil: and in the opposite sense, falsities from evil, combating against truths from good. The reason why such things are signified in the Word by "armies", is, because by the "wars" mentioned in the Word, both in its historical and prophetical parts, in the, internal sense, are signified spiritual wars, which exist against hell, and against the diabolic crew there; and these wars have relation to truths and goods against falsities and evils, whence it is that "armies" signify all truths from good, and in the opposite sense, all falsities from evil. That they signify all truths from good, may appear from this circumstance - that the sun, the moon, and the stars, also the angels, are called the "armies" of Jehovah, by reason of their signifying all truths from good. in the complex; also the sons of Israel, by reason of their signifying the truths and goods of the church, are called "armies." And in as much as all truths and goods are from the Lord, and the Lord alone combats for all in heaven and for all in the church, against falsities and evils which are from hell, therefore He is called JEHOVAH ZEBAOTH, that is, "Jehovah of Hosts" or Armies. Apocalypse Explained 573.

Verse 9. A small remnant. - That the true church decreases and remains at length with a few, is evident from the succession of churches. Those who remain are, in the Word, called "remains", and a "remnant", and these are also said to be "in the midst of the land." In the universal it is the same as in the particular; or as in the church at large, so in the individual man in particular. Unless remains are preserved by the Lord with every man, he must needs perish in eternal death, for in remains is spiritual and eternal life.

It is the same in the general or universal church: unless there were some in whom the church or true faith remains, or is preserved, the human race would perish. For the "city", (Genesis 20, 21) as is known, is preserved for the sake of some. It is in this respect, as with the heart in man; so long as the heart is sound, the surrounding viscera can live, but when the heart languishes, disease sets in upon all things, and the man dies. These ultimate remains were signified by Noah, for otherwise, as it is said in Genesis 6:12, the "whole earth would have been corrupted."

The prophets frequently speak of remains with each man, and in the church, as in Isaiah,

"And it shall come to pass that the left: in Zion, and the remnant in Jerusalem, shall be called holy?"(Isaiah 4:3)

In this passage what is holy is predicated of the "left and the remnant in Zion", which could not be holy on that account, but because they signified remains [of what is Good and True] in a church, and also in the man of the church. Arcana Coelestia 408.

In respect to remains which are with a man in particular, the fewer these remains are, the less can his rational and scientific principles be illustrated. For the light of Goodness and Truth flows in from the Lord, from or through the remains. If there were no remains with man, he would not be a man, but much viler than a brute. The more scanty remains are with a man, the less he is a man; and the more abundant they are, the more he is a man. Remains may be considered as a star in the heavens, the smaller it is, the less light there is from it; but the greater it is, the more light it gives. Arcana Coelestia 530.

Sodom and Gomorrah: - That by "Sodom and Gomorrah" are meant all evils and falsities flowing from the love of self, has been told me from heaven; for when they who are in evils grounded in that love, perish, as was the case in the day of the Last Judgment, there appeared, as it were, brimstone and fire raining from heave, which was also seen by me. That such would be the case also in the day of the Last Judgment, is predicted by the Lord in Luke,

"In the day that Lot departed out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:29, 30). Apocalypse Explained 653.

"Sodom" denotes the evil of self-love, and "Gomorrah" the false thence derived. Arcana Coelestia 2220.

10. Hear you the Word of Jehovah, O you princes of Sodom! hearken to the law of our God, O you people of Gomorrah!

Verse 10. By the "Word of Jehovah" is understood the Divine Good, and by the "law of our God" the Divine Truth, for when Good is treated of the term Jehovah is used, but when Truth is treated of the term God is employed; and whereas the Divine Good, to those who are in the love of self, is evil, it is said, their "sin is as Sodom"; likewise, - "Hear the Word of Jehovah, O you princes of Sodom !" And whereas the Divine Truth, to those who are in the false of the love of self is false, it is said - "Hearken to the law of our God, O you people of Gomorrah!" Apocalypse Explained 653.

11. What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says Jehovah: I am satiated with the burnt-offerings of rams, and with the fat of fed beasts; and in the blood of bullocks, and of lambs, and of he-goats, I have no delight.

Verse 11. "Burnt offerings" and "sacrifices" were nothing else but the representatives of internal worship, and when separated from internal worship they became idolatrous. Sacrifices were indeed commanded by Moses to the children of Israel; but the people of the most ancient church, which was before the flood, were altogether unacquainted with sacrifices, nor did it ever enter their minds to worship the Lord by the slaying of animals. The ancient church, which was after the flood, was likewise unacquainted with sacrifices. That church was indeed in representative worship, but not in that of sacrifice. Sacrifices were first instituted in the. succeeding church, which was called, the Hebrew church, and thence spread among the Gentiles; thence also such worship descended to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and thus to their posterity. That the posterity of Jacob were principled in sacrificial worship before they departed from Egypt, thus before sacrifices were enjoined by Moses on Mount Sinai, may appear from Exodus 5:3; 10:25, 26; 18:12; 24:4, 5; and especially from their idolatrous worship of the "golden calf." (Exodus 32:5, 6)

This was done before the command was given to them concerning the altar and sacrifices; which command, therefore, was given because sacrificial worship with them, as with the Gentiles, had become idolatrous. From that worship they could not be withdrawn, because they esteemed it to be of especial sanctity, and because what is once implanted from infancy with all idea of sanctity, particularly if it be implanted into children by their parents, and thereby rooted in them, the Lord never breaks, but bends, unless it be contrary to essential order.

Hence appears the reason why it was prescribed that sacrifices should be under such particular rites and regulations, as written in the law of Moses. That "sacrifices" were never acceptable to Jehovah, but were only permitted and tolerated for the reason just mentioned, plainly appears in the prophets, as in Jeremiah 7:21-23, etc. Arcana Coelestia 922, 2180.

"Burnt-offerings" and "sacrifices" signify all worship; the former worship from love, and the latter worship from faith proceeding from Love. Arcana Coelestia 916, 924.

12. When you come to appear before My face, who has required this at your hands - to tread My courts?

13. Bring no more a vain oblation; as for incense, it is an abomination unto Me; the new moon, and the Sabbath, and the calling of the assembly, I cannot endure; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14. Your new moons and your stated feasts My soul hates: they are a burden upon Me; I am weary of bearing them.

Verses 11, 12. Inasmuch as by the "faces of Jehovah" or the Lord, is signified the Divine Good united with the Divine Truth, going forth and proceeding from His Divine Love, therefore by the "faces of Jehovah" are also signified the interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship; for the Divine Good united. to the Divine Truth is in the interiors of those things. The exterior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, being only the effects and works thence derived, the interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, are signified by "seeing, seeking, and beseeching the faces of Jehovah", as in Isaiah, - "What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices?" etc. Apocalypse Explained 412.

Verses 11-19. - By "sacrifices, oblations, new moons, and feasts", and also by "prayer"; "spreading out of the hands", etc., are understood all things of worship: that such external acts of worship, unless the internal or heart is purified, are entirely evil, yea, abominable, is understood by the above words. The purification of the internal is understood by "wash you, make you clean; remove the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes", etc. When the internal is thus cleansed, then all things both in life and worship become good, which is understood by the following words:

"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow", etc. The interior of man, or his heart, is no otherwise purified than by abstaining from, and shunning evils, according to the precepts of the Decalogue. Those evils, so long as a man does not abstain from them, and shuns and hates them as sins against God, constitute his Internal, and are like a veil or covering interposed [between him and the Lord], and, appear in heaven like an eclipse, by which the sun is obscured and the light intercepted, and it is also like a fountain of pitch or black water, from which nothing but what is impure can emanate. That which proceeds from this unregenerate internal, and which before the world appears as good, is nevertheless not good, because it is defiled with the evils from within; it is consequently a Pharisaic or hypocritical good; this good is from man, and is also meritorious good. The Lord says - "You blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, that the outside may appear clean also." (Matthew 23:26) Apocalypse Explained 939.

These words describe a life of external piety separate from internal vital religion, which is charity. This life is a species of profanation. External worship consists in frequenting churches, hearkening devoutly to sermons, attending the sacrament of the Supper, and to other things of worship as appointed, by reading the Word at home, and sometimes books of devotion, and praying customarily morning and evening; and yet to make no account of the precepts of life which are in the Word, and especially of those in the Decalogue, - by acting insincerely and unjustly in trade, and in judgments for the sake of gain or friendship, - committing whoredom and adultery when lust enkindles, and opportunity serves, - burning with hatred and revenge against those who do not indulge their honour or gain, lying or speaking evil of the good, or good of the evil, and so on. When a man is in these things, and not yet purified from them by aversion and detestation, and still worships God devoutly, as was said above, then he commits profanation, for he mixes his internals which are impure with the externals which are pious, and so defiles the latter. For there can be nothing external which does not proceed and exist from the internals; for man cannot speak except from thought, nor act except from the will, when the life of the thought and of the will is imbued with cunning, in malice, and violence, it cannot be otherwise than that those things, as interior sources of life, will flow into the speech and actions, which are of worship and piety, and defile them, as waters are defiled with mire. This worship is what is understood by "Gog and Magog", (Revelation 20:8) and is described in Isaiah,

"What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices, meat offerings", etc., "when your hands are full of bloods?" etc. (Isaiah 1:11-19) Apocalypse Explained 1061.

15. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: even when you multiply prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of bloods.

16. Wash you, make you clean; remove you the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17. Learn to do good; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow,

Verses 16, 17. That by "washing" is signified to purify from falsities and evils, appears manifestly from the above words, inasmuch as "to wash" signifies to remove falsities and evils, therefore it is also said, "Remove the evil of your doings; cease to do evil." In ancient times, when all the externals of the church were representative and significative of things spiritual and celestial, washings were in use; and by them were represented purifications from falsities and evils: the ground and reason of this signification of washings, was, because "waters" signified truths, and "filth", falsities and evils, and all purification from falsities and evils is effected by truths; that "waters" signify truths, may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 71.

Hence it is that washings were instituted with the people of Israel by command; for with them was a representative church, all things whereof signified things spiritual, and the "washings", purifications from falsities and evils, and thence regeneration. To this end, "a brazen laver was placed at the door of the tent of assembly" (Exodus 30:18-20), and also, "lavers of brass were set without the temple; one great laver, which was called the brazen sea, and ten lesser ones."(1 Kings 7:23-39)

On account of such signification of washings, when Aaron and his sons were inaugurated into the priesthood, it was commanded Moses to "wash them with water at the door of the tent, and so to sanctify them." (Exodus 29:4; 40:12; Leviticus 8:6)

For the priests represented the Lord as to Divine Good, as the kings did as to Divine Truth, consequently the priests represented the divine sanctity, which is pure without blemish. This representation was induced upon Aaron and his sons by Moses washing them: wherefore it is said, that "so they should be sanctified", although they acquired no sanctity by the mere washing. Apocalypse Explained 475.

18. Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be like wool.

Verse 18. The Lord wills not only that man should think and speak of things divine, but also reason concerning them, to the end that he may see that they are so or not so; and such thought, discourse, or reasoning, provided that it has for its end that he may see the truth, may be said to be from the Lord in him, but it is from the man until he sees truth and acknowledges it. In the meantime it is from the Lord alone that man is capable of thinking, speaking, and reasoning; for this he can do by virtue of his two faculties called liberty and rationality, which he possesses from the Lord alone. Divine Providence 219.

Though your sins be as scarlet, etc. - Inasmuch as by "scarlet" is signified truth, in like manner by "snow"; and by "crimson" is signified good, in like manner by "wool"; and by" scarlet" and "crimson", in the opposite sense, is signified what is false and evil, therefore, because falsity and truth, and evil and good; have an opposite correspondence to each other, it is said, - "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; and though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool:" Apocalypse Explained 1042.

19. If you be willing and hearken; you shall eat the good of the land:

Verse 19. By "eating good" is signified spiritual good, wherefore it is said, - "If you be willing and hearken", [or obey] that is, if you do; for spiritual food is given, conjoined, and appropriated to man, by willing and thence doing it. Apocalypse Explained 617.

20. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.

Verse 20. - That a "sword", in the Word, signifies truth combating against the false, and, in the opposite sense, the false against the truth, and hence dispersion of falsities and also spiritual temptation, may appear from many passages therein, of which a few shall be adduced by way of confirmation, as in Matthew, Jesus said that, "He was not come to send peace on earth, but a sword"; (Matthew 10:34) where by "sword" is understood the combat of temptation. The reason that it was thus said, was, because men at that time were in false principles, and the Lord manifested interior truths; and falsities cannot be ejected unless by combats from those truths.

Again in Luke:

"Jesus said, He that has not a sword, let him sell his garment and buy one." (Luke 22:36)

Many other passages might also be adduced. Apocalypse Explained 131.

21. How is the faithful metropolis become a harlot! she that was full of judgment; justice dwelled in her; but now murderers,

22. Your silver is become dross; your wine is mixed with waters:

Verse 21. - A "harlot" signifies what is false, and "whoredoms" signify falsifications of truths. The ground and reason why a "harlot" denotes the false, is, because marriage represents the heavenly marriage, which is that of Good and Truth, - the husband [in the celestial sense] the Good, and the wife the Truth; and hence Sons represent truths, and daughters goods, and the several affinities, according to their degrees, represent those things which are of the heavenly marriage. Therefore, "adulteries and whoredoms", inasmuch as they are opposite, signify what is evil and false, and also, in reality, they are opposite; for those who spend their lives in adultery and fornication, have no concern at all about what is Good and True. The reason is, because genuine conjugial love descends from the heavenly marriage, that is, from the marriage of Good and Truth; but adulteries and fornications from the conjunction of what is evil with what is false, which is from hell; see Arcana Coelestia 2727-2759. Arcana Coelestia 4865.

[When therefore a doctrine, which is signified by a city, is false, it is called a "harlot", and all its teachings are nothing but falsifications of Truth, which falsifications are, in the Word, called "fornications" or "whoredoms", as might be proved from very many passages.]

Verses 21, 22. By "harlot", everywhere in the Word, is signified falsified truth, as may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 141, 161; and by "city" is signified doctrine; hence by he "faithful city becoming a harlot", is signified that doctrine which before was the doctrine of genuine Truth, is become the doctrine of falsified truth.

"Full of judgment, justice lodged in her", signifies where the truth of doctrine and the good of love was in abundance, for "judgment", in the Word, is predicated of the truth of doctrine and of the understanding, and justice of the good of love and of the will.

"But now murderers", signifies that falsification has extinguished the understanding of truth and the perception of good; that these things are signified by "murderers", may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 859.

"Your silver is become dross", signifies that genuine truth was converted into the false.

"[T]hy wine is mixed with waters", signifies truth made vile and destroyed by falsifications. Apocalypse Explained 887.

23. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of robbers: everyone of them loves a gift, and pursues rewards; they judge not the fatherless, and the cause of the widow cometh not unto them.

Verse 23. "Princes", in the Word, are predicated of truths; and, abstractedly from persons, "princes" signify primary truths, and in the opposite sense; as in this passage, falsities. Arcana Coelestia 1482, 2089, 5044.

[To be "rebellious", when said of princes, means to teach things contrary to pure Truth.]

Companions of robbers. - A thief or "robber" is one who, by falsities, destroys the goods of faith. Arcana Coelestia 9125.

A "robber" also denotes the evil of merit, for he who takes from the Lord what is His, and claims it to himself, is called a thief or a robber. This evil, inasmuch as it closes the way, and prevents Good and Truth from the Lord flowing in, is said to "kill and destroy." (John 10:10) Arcana Coelestia 5135.

Thus all who do not enter into the sheepfold by the Lord, who is the "Door", that is, by going to Him, by acknowledging Him, believing in Him, and by loving Him, as He Himself teaches, (John 10:1-10) are "thieves and robbers." Apocalypse Explained 208.

They judge not the fatherless, and the cause of the widow cometh. not unto them.

- The "fatherless", or orphans, in a spiritual sense, signify those who are in truth, and not yet in good, and yet desire to be in good; by a "widow" is signified [in the spiritual sense] good without truth, because left by truth, which is the man [or husband]. Arcana Coelestia 9199. Apocalypse Explained 768.

[Thus to "judge and protect the fatherless", and to "plead the cause of the widow", is to lead a life of charity by uniting Truth with Good, or faith with charity.]

24. Wherefore says the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ah! I will be relieved of Mine adversaries; and I will be avenged of Mine enemies:

Verse 24. - To act, or to be "avenged", as an enemy to enemies, and as an adversary to adversaries, when predicated of the Lord, signifies that He averts all evils, which are enemies, and from which falsities are derived, and all falsities, which are adversaries, derived from evils. For these things are" enemies" and "adversaries" in the spiritual sense, because they continually infest, assault, and endeavour to destroy truths derived from good, for they are opposites.

The reason why to act as an enemy and as an adversary, when said concerning Jehovah or the Lord, denotes to avert, namely evils [enemies], from which falsities are derived, and falsities [adversaries] derived from evil, is, because the Lord in no case acts as an "enemy" or an "adversary"; for He is Mercy itself and Goodness itself, and with Mercy itself and Goodness itself what is adverse cannot act [cadere], not even against what is false and evil; but what is false and evil acts as an enemy and adversary against what is Good and True, that is, they who are in falsity and evil are against those who are in Truth and Good; and because the former destroy themselves, when they attempt to destroy the latter, hence it is that it appears as if the Lord acted as an adversary and an enemy [against the wicked], when yet He only places His own in security. From these considerations it is evident in what manner it is to be understood that by acting as an "enemy" and as an "adversary", when said concerning the Lord, is signified to avert falsities derived from evil. How the case is with this arcanum, see what was shown above, Arcana Coelestia 4299, 7643, 7679, 8266, 8946. Arcana Coelestia 9313, 9314.

25. And I will bring Mine hand over you, and will purge, as with potash, your dross; and I will remove all your tin.

Verse 25. "Dross" and "alloy", [also "tin", ] signify false doctrinal principles called "traditions", (Matthew 15:3) which the Jews and Israelites compacted from the literal sense of the Word, which they applied to themselves and to their own loves only.

Such doctrines are called the "dross of silver", because" silver" signifies the truth of the Word, and "dross", nothing of truth, or what is abstracted from truth, which is rejected.

The things which are of the literal sense of the Word, are signified by "brass, iron, tin, and lead", because these things signify the goods and truths of the natural man, for whom the literal sense of the Word is given; and whereas from this sense they concocted false doctrines, which were traditions, it is said in Ezekiel 22:18-22, that "they should [at the period of judgment] be melted down together in the furnace." Apocalypse Explained 549.

26. And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning: and after this your name shall be called, The CITY OF JUSTICE, The FAITHFUL METROPOLIS.

Verse 26. I will restore your judges and your counsellors, etc. - In the representative church, the priests were at the same time judges; as "priests" they represented divine Good, and as "judges" divine Truth. The "Judge of the whole earth" (Genesis 18:25) includes both, and signifies Good itself, from which Truth proceeds. Arcana Coelestia 2258. See also 6148.

["Judges", therefore, in this passage, signify all truths from good, and "counsellors" all genuine truths of faith. These are said to be restored at the restoration and establishment of a New Church.]

27. Zion shall be redeemed in judgment, and her converts in justice.

Verse 27. - "Judgment", in the Word, is predicated of Divine Truth and of intelligence thence derived, also of the Truth of doctrine and of the understanding thence derived; and "Justice" is predicated of Good, or of the good of love and of the will. Apocalypse Explained 405, 519, 627, 652. [It is by the reception and love of these things that "Zion is redeemed", or the true church of the Lord established.]

28. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; and they that forsake Jehovah shall be consumed.

Verse 28. In the Word, evils are sometimes called "sins", sometimes "iniquities", and sometimes "transgressions"; but what is meant specifically by the latter and the former, is only made evident from the internal sense: those evils are called transgressions, which are done contrary to the truths of faith; those are called iniquities, which are done contrary to the goods of faith; and those sins, "which are done contrary to the goods of charity and love. The two former proceed from a perverted understanding, but the latter from a depraved will; as in David,

"Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sins are continually before me." (Psalm 51:2, 3)

"Iniquity" denotes evil against the goods of faith, "sin" denotes evil against the goods of charity and love, and "transgression" denotes evil against the truths of faith; inasmuch as this latter is evil proceeding from a perverse understanding, and is thus known from the truths of faith, it is therefore said "I acknowledge my transgressions.

Again, -

"Remember Your mercies, Jehovah, and Your compassions; remember not the sins of my youth, and my transgressions"; (Psalm 25:6, 7)

where "sins" denote evils derived from a depraved will, and "transgressions" denote evils derived from a perverse understanding. Arcana Coelestia 9156.

29. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired; and you shall blush for the gardens which you have chosen.

Verse 29. - There are with man things intellectual, things rational, and things scientific; the inmost parts of his mind are things intellectual; his interiors are things rational, and his exteriors are things scientific. These altogether are called his spiritual things, and they exist in the above order. The intellectual things of the celestial man are compared to a garden consisting of all kinds of trees; the things rational are compared to a forest consisting of cedars and trees of that nature, such as flourished in Lebanon; but things scientific are compared to plantations of oaks, on account of the twisted branches which distinguish the oak. By the "trees" themselves are signified perceptions, us by the "trees of the garden of Eden on the east", were signified inmost perceptions, or the perception of things intellectual. By the "trees of the forest of Lebanon", were signified interior perceptions, or the perceptions of things rational; whereas by the "trees of an oak grove", were signified exterior perceptions, or the perceptions of things scientific which appertain to the external man. Arcana Coelestia 1443.

30. For you shall be as an oak casting its leaves; and as a garden wherein are no waters.

31. And the strong shall become as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

Verses 30, 31. - By "oak" is signified the natural man, and by its "leaves", the scientifics and knowledges of truth therein; by "garden" is signified the rational man; hence 'by being as "an oak casting its leaves, and as a garden wherein are no waters", is signified the deprivation of scientific truth, and of rational truth.

By "the strong, and his work", is signified what is produced from self-derived intelligence: he is sometimes called "strong" in the Word, who trusts in himself and his own intelligence, for he supposes himself, and the work which he thence produces, to be strong, and forasmuch as the proprium of man imbibes all that is evil and false, and thereby destroys all good and truth, therefore it is said, - "The strong shall become as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together"; to be "burned" donating to perish by falsities originating in evil. Apocalypse Explained 504.

The Chapter Text:

1. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Ussiah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2. hearken, O you heavens! and give ear, O earth! for Jehovah speaks: I have nourished sons, and I have brought them up; but they have transgressed against Me.

3. The ox knows his owner, and the ass the crib of his master; Israel doth not know; My people do not understand.

4. Woe to the sinful nation! a people heavy with iniquity; a seed of evil doers; sons that are corrupters: they have forsaken Jehovah; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel; they have gone astray backward.

5. Why should you be smitten any more? You will continue to revolt: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness therein; it is wound, and bruise, and running sore: they have not been pressed, neither bound up, nor softened with oil.

7. Your country is desolate; your cities are burnt up with fire; your land before you, strangers devour it; and it is a desolation, as overthrown by strangers.

8. And the daughter of Zion is left us a shed in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

9. Unless Jehovah of Hosts had left unto us a small remnant; we had become as Sodom, we had been like unto Gomorrah.

10. Hear you the Word of Jehovah, O you princes of Sodom! hearken to the law of our God, O you people of Gomorrah!

11. What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says Jehovah: I am satiated with the burnt-offerings of rams, and with the fat of fed beasts; and in the blood of bullocks, and of lambs, and of he-goats, I have no delight.

12. When you come to appear before My face, who has required this at your hands - to tread My courts?

13. Bring no more a vain oblation; as for incense, it is an abomination unto Me; the new moon, and the Sabbath, and the calling of the assembly, I cannot endure; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14. Your new moons and your stated feasts My soul hates: they are a burden upon Me; I am weary of bearing them.

15. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: even when you multiply prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of bloods.

16. Wash you, make you clean; remove you the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17. Learn to do good; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow,

18. Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be like wool.

19. If you be willing and hearken; you shall eat the good of the land:

20. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.

21. How is the faithful metropolis become a harlot! she that was full of judgment; justice dwelled in her; but now murderers,

22. Your silver is become dross; your wine is mixed with waters:

23. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of robbers: everyone of them loves a gift, and pursues rewards; they judge not the fatherless, and the cause of the widow cometh not unto them.

24. Wherefore says the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ah! I will be relieved of Mine adversaries; and I will be avenged of Mine enemies:

25. And I will bring Mine hand over you, and will purge, as with potash, your dross; and I will remove all your tin.

26. And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning: and after this your name shall be called, The CITY OF JUSTICE, The FAITHFUL METROPOLIS.

27. Zion shall be redeemed in judgment, and her converts in justice.

28. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; and they that forsake Jehovah shall be consumed.

29. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired; and you shall blush for the gardens which you have chosen.

30. For you shall be as an oak casting its leaves; and as a garden wherein are no waters.

31. And the strong shall become as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

419. That the wind should not blow, signifies that the good be not injured, and the evil be not cast out before the day. This is evident from the signification of "wind," as meaning the Divine proceeding, which is Divine good united to Divine truth; therefore "that the wind should not blow" signifies that the influx might be moderate and gentle; "the wind not blowing upon the earth" signifies that the good may not be injured, and the evil cast out before the day, because the separations of the good from the evil and the casting out of the evil in the spiritual world are effected by various degrees of moderation and intensity of the Divine proceeding from the Lord as a sun. When this flows in moderately the good are separated from the evil, and when it flows in intensely the evil are cast out; and for the following reasons: when the Divine from the Lord flows in moderately there is everywhere tranquillity and serenity, wherein all appear such as they are in respect to the state of their good, for all then stand forth in light; consequently those who are in good from a spiritual origin are then separated from those who are in good merely from a natural origin; for the Lord looks upon those who are in spiritual good and leads them, and thus separates them. Those who are in good from a spiritual origin are those referred to in what follows where they are said "to be sealed on their foreheads," for they are spiritual, and are angels of heaven; but those who are merely in good from a natural origin are not good because they are not spiritual, for the good appearing with them is evil, because it has regard to self and the world as an end. Such do good in external form with reference to their own glory, honor, and gain, and not with reference to the neighbor's good, consequently they do good only that they may be seen of men. Those who are merely natural are those who are "not sealed," and who are afterwards rejected. But when the Divine from the Lord flows in intensely, the goods with the evils are dispersed, because these goods are in themselves not goods but evils, and evils do not endure the influx of the Divine. This causes the externals in such to be closed up, and when these are closed up the interiors are opened, in which there is nothing except evils and falsities therefrom; and this brings them into pain, anguish, and torment, on account of which they cast themselves down into the hells, where there are evils and falsities like their own.

[2] When the influx of the Divine is intensified, which occurs when the evil are to be cast out, then lower down in the spiritual world a wind springs up that blows strongly like a storm or tempest; this wind is what is called in the Word "the east wind" (of which presently). The casting down of the evil is described also in the Word by violent and impetuous winds, by storms, and by tempests. "The wind of Jehovah" has a similar signification as "the spirit of Jehovah," for the wind of respiration is meant, which is also called spirit (or breath). On this account in the Hebrew and many other languages spirit is expressed by the same word as wind. This is why the greater part of mankind have no other idea of spirit and of spirits than of wind like the wind of respiration; and from this have come the notions in the learned world also that spirits and angels are like wind in which there is merely a vital principle of thought; and this is the reason also that so few of these allow themselves to be persuaded that spirits and angels are men, endowed with body, face, and organs of sensation, like men on the earth. "Wind" and "spirit," in reference to man, signify the life of truth, or a life according to the truths or precepts of the Lord, because respiration, which pertains to the lungs, corresponds to that life, while the heart and its motion corresponds to the life of good. For there are two lives, which should make one in man, the life of truth and the life of good; the life of truth is the life of man's understanding, while the life of good is the life of his will; for truths have their seat in the understanding because these constitute the understanding, while goods have their seat in the will because these constitute the will. "Soul and heart," in the Word, when mentioned together, have a similar significance.

[3] From this it can be seen what is meant by "the wind" and "the spirit of Jehovah," namely, the Divine truth, and by "the four winds," Divine truth united to Divine good. Since wind means the wind or breath of respiration, and it signifies Divine truth and spiritual life with those who receive it, so this wind is called also "the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah," and also "the breath of His mouth," and "breathing;" as can be seen from the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

And I saw, and upon the dry bones, sinews and flesh came up, and skin covered them above, yet there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live (Ezekiel 37:8, 9).

What is here signified by "the dry bones" was told in the preceding article, namely, those who have no spiritual life, or no life through Divine truth. The breathing in of this life by the Lord is signified by "Prophesy about the spirit, and say to the spirit, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." Here "spirit" evidently means the breath of respiration, for there were sinews, flesh, and skin, but as yet no breathing; therefore it is said, "Say to the spirit, Breathe upon them." From this it can be seen that this "spirit" or "wind" signifies spiritual life. That common breathing was not meant is evident from its being said that "these dry bones were the house of Israel," meaning that the house of Israel was without spiritual life; and from its being said of them afterwards, "I will put My spirit in you, that ye may live, and I will place you in your own land that ye may live" ( Ezekiel 37:14); which signifies that they are to be regenerated that a church may be made of them. Regeneration is effected by a life according to Divine truth, from which is spiritual life; and "to bring them back to the land" signifies that they may become a church, the land of Canaan signifying the church.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah God breathed into his nostrils ¹ the soul of lives, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

Here, too, in the sense of the letter, the wind of breathing is meant, as it is said He "breathed into his nostrils;" but spiritual life, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom through Divine truth, is evidently meant, since it is said that He breathed into him "the soul of lives," and that thus man became "a living soul;" "the soul of lives" and "a living soul" meaning spiritual life; for man without that soul is called a dead man, although in respect to the body and the senses he is alive. This, too, makes evident that "soul," "spirit," and "wind" in the Word mean spiritual life.

[5] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples, Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:21, 22).

The Lord "breathed on them, and said to them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit," signifies the like, as Jehovah "breathed into Adam's nostrils the soul of lives" namely, spiritual life; for the Holy Spirit signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which is spiritual life. That they should teach Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you;" for the Lord when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, which He taught from His Divine good which was in Him from conception. This Divine is what the Lord here and in other places calls "the Father;" and because when He went out of the world He united Divine truth to Divine good that in Him they might be one, and because thenceforth Divine truth proceeds from Him He said, "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you."

That the wind of respiration signifies spiritual life comes from correspondence (See Arcana Coelestia 3883-3896). The quality of all in the spiritual world is known from their respiration merely. Those who are in the life of the respiration of heaven are among the angels; but those who are not in that respiration, if they come into heaven, are unable to breathe there, and are therefore in anguish like that of suffocation (respecting which see also Arcana Coelestia 1119, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893). From this correspondence the term "inspiration" is derived, and the prophets are called "inspired," and the Word is said to be "Divinely inspired."

[6] From all this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words in John:

Except one be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 7, 8).

"To be born again" means to be regenerated; and as man is regenerated by a life according to Divine truth, and all Divine truth through which man is regenerated proceeds from the Lord, and flows into him he knows not when, so it is said, "The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth," thus is described the life of man's spirit, which he has by regeneration, "wind" meaning the Divine truth through which he has that life. So long as he is in the world man is utterly ignorant of how Divine truth flows in from the Lord, for he then thinks from the natural man, and merely perceives a something that flows in from the spiritual man into the natural; this therefore is what is meant by "thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth." The "water" of which man is born signifies truth from the Word, and the "spirit" a life according to it. (That "water" signifies truth, see above, n. 71)

[7] In Lamentations:

The breath [spiritus] of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lamentations 4:20).

"The anointed of Jehovah" here means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, for "the anointed of Jehovah" has a similar signification as a king. (That a "king" signifies in the highest sense the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see above, n. 31; and "the anointed of Jehovah" the same, n. 375.) This is why it is said "the breath of our nostrils, of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live;" for "the spirit and breath of the nostrils" signifies in the highest sense Divine truth, as has been said above. That Divine truth perished through falsities of evil is signified by "was taken in their pits;" "pits" meaning the falsities of evil.

[8] Again in Lamentations:

Jehovah Thou hast heard my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry (Lamentations 3:56).

"To hide the ear at the breathing and at the cry" signifies at worship, confession, and prayers, which are from truths and from goods; for all worship, confession, and prayer must be from truths and goods; to be heard they must be from both; if they are from truths alone they are not heard, because there is no life in them; the life of truth is from good. "Breathing" is here predicated of truths, and "cry" of goods (that "cry" is predicated of goods will be seen elsewhere).

[9] In Moses:

Everything that had in its nostrils the breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was on the dry land, died (Genesis 7:22).

What these words signify in the sense of the letter everyone can see, namely, that all things upon the earth were destroyed by the flood, thus all men then living, except Noah and his sons; but what these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 805, 806, where they are explained), namely, that "the breath of the spirit of lives in the nostrils" means spiritual life, which those had who were of the Most Ancient Church; for "the flood" signifies the end of that church and the Last Judgment, which took place when everything of the church was extinct. In David:

They have ears but they hear not; neither is there any breath [ventus] in their mouth (Psalms 135:17);

"no breath in their mouth" signifying that there was no truth in the thought, for "mouth" signifies thought.

[10] In Jeremiah:

The wild asses pant for breath like whales; their eyes were consumed because there was no herb (Jeremiah 14:6).

"To pant for breath like whales" signifies that there is no truth to be imbibed; "because there was no herb" means because there is no truth in the church. As the evil are cast down by a more powerful influx of Divine truth and good proceeding from the Lord as a sun, as has been said above, so the casting down of those who are in the falsities of evil is described also by "the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah." As in Isaiah:

Topheth is prepared of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood made ready; the breath of Jehovah like a brook of brimstone doth kindle them (Isaiah 30:33).

In David:

The channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were disclosed, at the rebuke of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils (Psalms 18:15).

In Moses:

By the breath of Thy nostrils the waters were heaped up; Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them (Exodus 15:8, 10).

And in Job:

Plotters of iniquity, by the blast of God they perish, by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed (Acts of the Apostles 4:8, 9).

In all these passages "the blast," "the breath," and "the breathing of the nostrils of Jehovah" means the Divine proceeding, which disperses and casts down the evil when it flows in intensely and strongly; but respecting this influx more will be said in what follows, where "tempests," "storms," and "the east wind" are treated of.

[11] Again, that "the wind of the earth" also signifies the Divine proceeding is also from correspondence with the winds in the spiritual world; for there exist winds in the spiritual world also, and these arise from the determining of Divine influx, and arise in the lower parts of the earth there. In the heavens rarely any other than gentle winds are perceived; but with those who dwell lower down, upon the lands, winds are frequent, for they grow stronger as they descend; their direction is from the quarters into which the Divine inflows, especially from the north. Because the winds there are from a spiritual origin they also signify spiritual things, in general Divine truth, from which they exist. As in David:

Jehovah layeth the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He maketh the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind; He maketh His angels winds, His ministers a flaming fire (Psalms 104:3, 4).

"Waters," "clouds," and "wings of the wind," signify Divine truth in ultimates, such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; because this is in ultimates, it is said "He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters, He maketh the clouds His chariot, He walketh upon the wings of the wind;" "waters" meaning truths in ultimates, likewise "clouds," and "the wings of the wind" and "chariots" meaning the truth of doctrine; "He maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire," signifies that He makes them to be receptions of Divine truth and Divine good; "angels" mean those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and because such are recipients of Divine truth it is said "He maketh them winds;" while "ministers" mean those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and as these are recipients of the Divine good it is said "He maketh them a flaming fire;" "a flaming fire" signifying the good of love and the truth therefrom. (That those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are recipients of Divine truth, and those who are in the celestial kingdom recipients of Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28; that angels are called "angels" from reception of Divine truth, see above, n. 130, 412; and that ministers are called "ministers" from the reception of Divine good, see also above, n. 155; and that "fire" signifies the good of love, n. 68)

[12] In the same:

Jehovah bowed the heavens, He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet; and He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 18:9, 10).

Jehovah "bowed the heavens, He came down," signifies visitation, which precedes the Last Judgment; "thick darkness under His feet" signifies the falsities of evil in lower things; "He rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind," signifies omnipresence with the Divine, "the wings of the wind" meaning Divine truth in ultimates (as above).

[13] In Jeremiah:

The Maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world by His wisdom, by His intelligence He stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (10 :12, 13; 51:15, 16).

And in David:

He maketh the vapors to go up from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; and He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (Psalms 135:7).

This describes in the spiritual sense the reformation of man and the establishment of the church. Because of that reformation and establishment the Lord is called "the Maker of the earth," and elsewhere "the Former" and "Creator;" "earth" meaning the church. The Divine good, by which reformation is effected, is signified by "He prepareth the world by His wisdom;" "world" means the church, and is predicated of good. The Divine truth, which is also a means, is signified by "at the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;" "the voice that He uttereth" signifying the influx of Divine truth, and "the multitude of waters in the heavens" reception; "waters" meaning truths. Ultimate truths, which are the knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by "the vapors from the ends of the earth;" spiritual truths therefrom are signified by "lightnings for the rain," "lightnings" called from the light of heaven, and "rain" from influx; thus reformation through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "He bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries." This is the meaning of all these things in the heavens.

[14] In David:

He casteth forth His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold? He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow. He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto Israel (Psalms 147:17-19).

This, too, is a description of reformation, but in respect to the natural man. Here knowledges and cognitions which are in man before reformation are signified by "hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold?"-for man before reformation is utterly frigid, and that coldness is also plainly felt when the Divine flows in out of heaven; and as such coldnesses are dissipated by the reception of Divine good and Divine truth, thus by reformation, it is said, "He sendeth His word, He melteth them; He maketh His wind to blow, the waters flow;" "word" signifying Divine good united to Divine truth, "wind" Divine truth, and "the waters flow," the reception of truth; and this being the signification of these words it is added, "He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and judgments unto Israel;" "Jacob" and "Israel" signifying the church, "Jacob" the church that is in good, and "Israel" the church that is in truths; "statutes and judgments" mean external and internal truths which are from good.

[15] In the same:

Praise Jehovah, fire and hail, snow and vapor; stormy wind doing His word (Psalms 148:7, 8).

"Fire and hail, snow and vapor, and wind," evidently signify something different from these, for why should it be said of such things in the Divine Word that "they praised Jehovah?" But "fire and hail, and snow and vapors" signify the delights of the loves of the natural man, and its knowledges and cognitions; for these are "fire and hail, and snow and vapor" before man is reformed and made spiritual, the sphere of life of such when it flows out from them, presenting in the spiritual world appearances like these; and the worship of the Lord from these things is signified by their "praising Jehovah," "to praise" meaning to worship; "stormy wind" signifies Divine truth in respect to reception; it is therefore said "stormy wind doing His word;" "doing His word" signifying to receive into life the things of doctrine.

[16] As all things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has "wind," and in that sense it signifies falsity, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold they are all iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and a void (Isaiah 41:29).

"Wind and a void" mean the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity; "wind" meaning the falsities of evil, and "a void" the evils of falsity; for where there is a void and emptiness, that is, absence of good and truth, there are evil and falsity; "wind" signifies where there are falsities, as is evident from its being said "they are all iniquity, their works are nothing;" also from its being said "their molten images are wind and a void," for "molten images" signify such things as man hatches out of self-intelligence, and these are all falsities and evils. In Jeremiah:

And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (Jeremiah 5:13).

"Prophets" signify those who teach truths, and in an abstract sense the truths of doctrine, here the falsities of doctrine; falsities are signified by "wind;" therefore it is added, "the word is not in them," "word" signifying Divine truth.

[17] In the same:

I will scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness (Jeremiah 13:24).

"The wind of the wilderness" signifies where there is no truth, and therefore falsity, for "wilderness" in the Word signifies where there is no good because there is no truth. In the same:

The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity (Jeremiah 22:22).

"Shepherds" in the Word signify those who teach the good of life and lead to it, which is done by means of truths; but here "shepherds" mean those who do not teach the good of life, still less lead to it, because they are in falsities; this is meant by "the wind shall feed all thy shepherds;" "wind" meaning the falsity which they seize upon and love; "the lovers" who shall go into captivity, signify the delights of the loves of self and the world, and thence the delights of the evil; "lovers" meaning such delights, and "captivity" detention in the hells.

[18] In Hosea:

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind; every day he multiplieth lying and devastation, and they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt (Hosea 12:1).

"Ephraim" signifies the intellectual of the church; "Assyria" reasoning, and "Egypt" the knowing faculty (scientificum); therefore "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind," signifies that the intelligent in the church imbue themselves with falsities which altogether disperse truths; "wind" meaning falsity, and "east wind" falsity drying up and dispersing truths. Because of this signification of "wind" and "east wind" it is added, "every day he multiplieth lying and devastation;" "lying" meaning falsity, and "devastation" the dispersion of truth; "they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt," signifies that by reasonings from knowledges (scientifica) falsely applied they pervert the truths and goods of the church; "to make a covenant with Assyria" signifying to reason from falsities and to destroy truths, and "to carry down oil into Egypt" signifying to destroy the good of the church by knowledges [scientifica]; for he who is in principles of falsity applies to them the knowledges [scientifica] he has imbibed from childhood, since his understanding sees nothing else. For the understanding is formed either of truths or of falsities; if of truths, man sees truths, if of falsities he sees falsities; he sees them in the natural man, in the memory of which knowledges [scientifica] have their seat; and from these he selects such as favor his principles, and those that do not favor them he either perverts or rejects.

[19] In the same:

Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; in whoring they have committed whoredom; they are given up to love; her shields give disgrace. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices (Hosea 4:17-19).

"Ephraim" signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth; here that it has no understanding of truth but of falsity; the falsities of the church are signified by "idols;" which makes clear what is signified by "Ephraim is joined to idols;" "the wind in its wings" signifies reasoning from fallacies, from which are falsities. (What the rest signifies see above, n. 283, and 376, where it is explained.)

Wind in the wings (Zechariah 5:9);

has a similar meaning. In Jeremiah:

Their camels shall be for prey, and the multitude of their cattle for a spoil; and I will disperse them to every wind, them that are the cut off of the corner (4 Jeremiah 49:32).

"To disperse them to every wind" signifies into every falsity and evil when truths and goods are destroyed. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 417)

[20] In Ezekiel:

A third part thou shalt disperse to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them (Ezekiel 5:2, 12).

This is said of the hairs of the head and of the beard, which the prophet, by command, shaved off with a razor; and those hairs signify the ultimate of truth in the church, for the whole heaven and the whole church are before the Lord as one man; whence all things of heaven and of the church correspond to all things of man, both to those without man and to those within him (on which correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-102); therefore the hairs of the head and of the beard, as they are the ultimate things of man, correspond to the ultimates of truth and good. The ultimates of truth and good are such as are the ultimate truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That these ultimates were perverted, falsified, and adulterated by the Jews is signified by what is here said of the hairs of the prophet's head and beard. "A third part thereof he should disperse unto every wind" signifies the destruction of all truth; and because when truth is destroyed mere falsities are seized on, it is added, "I will draw out a sword after them;" "sword" signifying the destruction of truth by falsity (See above, n. 131). Unless this signification of "hairs" is known, who could understand what is involved in the command to the prophet that "he should shave off the hairs of his head and of his beard, and a third part he should burn in the midst of the city, a third part he should smite with a sword round about it, and a third part he should disperse unto every wind, and that a sword should be drawn out after them"?

[21] That this signifies the falsification of truth by the Jews is clearly evident from what follows in the same chapter, where among other things it is said:

This is Jerusalem; she hath altered My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the lands that are round about her (Ezekiel 5:5, 6).

In the same:

All his bands I will disperse unto every wind; and I will draw out the sword after them (Ezekiel 12:14).

This has a similar signification. In Matthew:

The rain descended and the winds blew and beat upon that house, yet it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock (Matthew 7:24, 25, 27).

"The rain descended and the winds blew" signifies temptations, and consequently falsities rushing in; for spiritual temptations are nothing else than infestations of the mind by falsities and evils, so here, too, "winds" signify falsities. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 411)

[22] It has been said above, that in the spiritual world, as in the natural world, strong winds and tempests spring up; but the tempests in the spiritual world spring from the influx of the Divine into the parts below, where those are who are in evils and falsities; as that influx descends from the heavens towards the lands that lie below, it becomes more dense and appears like clouds, and with the evil, dense and dark according to the quantity and quality of the evil. These clouds are appearances of falsity from evil, arising from the spheres of their life; for round about every spirit and angel there is a sphere of life. When from the Lord as a sun the Divine is sent forth powerfully and flows into these dense and dark clouds, a tempest arises which is perceived by spirits there in like manner as tempests on the earth are perceived by men. It has at different times been granted me to perceive these tempests and also the east wind by which the evil were dispersed and cast into the hells, when the Last Judgment was in progress. From this it can be seen what "tempests," "storms," and "violent winds" signify in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (Isaiah 41:16).

In Jeremiah:

Behold, ² the tempest of Jehovah has gone forth in wrath, a whirling tempest; it shall hurl itself upon the head of the wicked (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23).

In David:

I will speed my escape from the rushing wind, from the tempest (Psalms 55:8).

In the same:

O my God, pursue them with Thy tempest, and affright them with Thy storm (Psalms 83:13, 15).

In Ezekiel:

I will make a wind of tempests to break through in My wrath, and in Mine anger there shall be an overflowing rain, for a consummation (Ezekiel 13:13).

In Jeremiah:

Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth (Jeremiah 25:32).

In Isaiah:

Thou shalt be visited of Jehovah of Hosts with tempest, storm and with the flame of a devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6).

In Amos:

I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of storm (Amos 1:14).

In Nahum:

Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest (Nahum 1:3).

In Zechariah:

The Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and shall go with tempests of the south (Zechariah 9:14).

In David:

Upon the wicked a wind of storm, the portion of the cup of the wicked (Psalms 11:6).

In the same:

Our God shall come, and shall not be silent; about Him the tempest shall blow violently (Psalms 50:3).

In Hosea:

They sow the wind, therefore they shall reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).

In these passages "tempest" and "storm" signify the dispersion of falsities and evils, because those who are in the falsities of evil are cast down into hell by a tempestuous wind.

[23] In David:

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do work in many waters. And He spake, and maketh the wind of the tempest to stand, and He raised up its waves on high. He made the tempest to stand still, that their waves might be hushed (Psalms 107:23, 25, 29).

This treats of temptations and of the deliverance from them. "The wind of the tempest," and thus "the waves of the sea lifted up," signify temptations; and as spiritual temptations come through falsities breaking into the thoughts, which is the source of remorse of conscience and grief of mind and spirit, these are signified by "the wind of the tempest stood, and He raised up its waves on high;" deliverance from them is signified by "He made the tempest to stand still, that the waves might be hushed."

[24] The same is signified by these words in Mark:

There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now filling. But Jesus was in the stern, slumbering on a pillow; and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Carest Thou not that we perish? And He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Be still, be dumb. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:37-39).

And in Luke:

As they sailed Jesus fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filling ³ [with water], and were in danger; and coming to Him they awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. And having awakened, He rebuked the wind and the raging of the sea; and they ceased, and there was a calm (Luke 8:23, 24).

This miracle of the Lord, like all the rest, involves arcana of heaven and interior things of the church. The difference between Divine miracles and those not Divine is that Divine miracles also signify Divine things, because the Divine is in them, while miracles not Divine signify nothing, because there is nothing of the Divine within them; and moreover, in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word, and in every particular thereof, there is a spiritual sense. This miracle involves spiritual temptations; "a great storm of wind, so that the waves beat into the boat, and it was filling," signifies such temptations; and that when they were in extreme fear, "Jesus awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be still, be dumb; and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm," signifies deliverance from temptations. Moreover, every single word here contains a spiritual sense; but this is not the place to unfold it particularly, but only to note that the "storm" and "tempest of wind" signify temptations, for these are irruptions of falsities, or inundations of the mind by falsities. This, too, is plain from the rebuke of the wind and the waves, and from the words of the Lord to the sea, "Be still, be dumb," as if He were speaking to those things or those persons that induce temptations.

[25] Furthermore, the winds that spring up in the spiritual world appear to arise there from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east; those from the south disperse truths with such as are in falsities, and those from the east disperse goods with such as are in evils. The winds disperse these because the winds spring from a powerful and strong influx of the Divine through the heavens into the parts below, and where the influx enters it fills truths and goods, that is, it fills the minds and spirits of those who are in truths and goods with the Divine; therefore those, the interiors of whose mind and spirit consist merely of falsities and evils, while exteriorly truths are mixed with falsities and goods are mixed with evils, cannot endure such influx from the Divine, consequently they withdraw into their falsities and evils which they love, and reject the truths and goods, which they do not love except for the sake of self and appearance.

[26] This makes clear what effect is there produced by the wind coming from the east, which is called "the east wind," namely, that with the evil it disperses all the goods and truths which they presented in external form before the world, and all the truths which they talked about for the sake of appearances. This is why withering and drying up are ascribed to that wind, "withered" signifying where there is no good, and "dried up" where there is no truth, as can be seen from passages in the Word where that wind is mentioned. As in Ezekiel:

Behold the vine planted, when the east wind shall touch it, in drying up shall it not dry up? (Ezekiel 17:10).

In the same:

The vine was plucked up in Mine anger, she was cast down to the earth, and the east wind withered her fruit; and the rods of her strength were broken and withered (Ezekiel 19:12).

In Hosea:

Ephraim, fierce among his brethren; an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up; he shall plunder the treasure of every vessel of desire (Hosea 13:15).

In Jonah:

And it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind (Jonah 4:8).

[27] Moreover, the east wind also destroys all things where the evil are, their lands, their habitations, and their treasures (as may be seen in the little work on The Last Judgment 61); it destroys because the lands, habitations, and treasures in the spiritual world are correspondences; therefore when these perish the things that correspond also perish; on this account, when a land in that world on which the evil dwell is destroyed there rises up the aspect of a new land for the good. Because there is such a force in the east wind in the spiritual world, so for the sake of the correspondence:

An east wind was brought by which the waters of the Red Sea were dried up (Exodus 14:21);

And that brought on the locusts (Exodus 10:13);

It is called a hard wind (Isaiah 27:8);

A wind that broke the ships of Tarshish (Psalms 48:7);

A wind that broke Tyre in the heart of the seas (Ezekiel 27:26);

And that scattered enemies (Jeremiah 18:17).

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