heavens
Heavens are celestial and spiritual things. Consequently, they are inmost things, both of the Lord's kingdom in heaven the and in the earth. This also...
earth
'Lands' of different nations are used in the Word to signify the different kinds of love prevalent in the inhabitants.
host
A host and an army come from the same Hebrew word and mean the same thing in Bible; when the Children of Israel were numbered...
seventh
The number 'seven' was considered holy, as is well known, because of the six days of creation, and the seventh, which is the celestial self,...
day
The expression 'even to this day' or 'today' sometimes appears in the Word, as in Genesis 19:37-38, 22:14, 26:33, 32:32, 35:20, and 47:26. In a...
God
The Lord is love itself, expressed in the form of wisdom itself. Love, then, is His essence, His inmost. Wisdom - the loving understanding of...
work
'Works,' as in Genesis 46:33, denote goods, because they are from the will, and anything from the will is either good or evil, but anything...
blessed
The Lord is perfect love expressed as perfect wisdom. He created us so that He could love us, could give us love and wisdom of...
created
The creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis means the new creation of the celestial church called 'Man'.
heaven
Heavens are celestial and spiritual things. Consequently, they are inmost things, both of the Lord's kingdom in heaven the and in the earth. This also...
jehovah god
Many different names for the Lord appear in the Bible, and they all have different shades of meaning. “Jehovah” is the actual name of God,...
Jehovah
The Lord, in the simplest terms, is love itself expressed as wisdom itself. In philosophic terms, love is the Lord's substance and wisdom is His...
Plant of the field
'Plant of the field,' and 'herb of the field,' as in Genesis 2:5, signifies in general everything that the external part of the celestial self...
plant
'A shrub' signifies the knowledges of truth.
field
When we have a desire to be good people and to do good things, the natural first questions are "What does that mean?" "What should...
herb
Every herb in the Word signifies some species of scientifics. 'Herb bearing seed,' as mentioned in Genesis 1:29, signifies every truth which regards use. 'Green...
rain
'Rain,' in a positive sense, denotes blessing, but in the opposite sense, damnation Rain,' as in Genesis 2:5-6, Exodus 34:25-27, and Hosea 6:3, signifies the...
Till the ground
'To till the ground,' as in Genesis 4:12, signifies cultivating division or heresy. 'A tiller of the ground' is someone without charity, but may be...
ground
In Zechariah 8:12, 'the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground her increase,' signifies that the spiritual affection of truth produces the good of...
watered
Water was obviously of tremendous importance in Biblical times (and every other time). It is the basis of life, the essential ingredient in all drinks,...
Face of the ground
The face of the ground being DRIED (Gen. 8:13) signifies regeneration, when falsities no longer appeared.
face
“The eyes are the windows of the soul.” That’s a sentiment with roots somewhere in murky antiquity, but one that has become hopelessly cliché because...
formed
Forming from the womb, as in Isaiah 44:2, 24; 49:1, 5, signifies the reformer. For references to the Lord as Reformer and Regenerator, see Doctrine...
man of the
'The man of the right hand,' as in Psalm 80:17, signifies the Lord with respect to the Word. He is called 'the man of the...
dust
'Powder' or 'dust' refers to love of self and the world.
Nostrils
'A blast of the breath of the nostrils' signify the same thing as 'his anger and wrath.'
life
'Lives' is used in the plural, because of the will and understanding, and because these two lives make one.
living
'Lives' is used in the plural, because of the will and understanding, and because these two lives make one.
soul
The nature of the soul is a deep and complicated topic, but it can be summarized as "spiritual life," who we are in terms of...
planted
'To plant' denotes regeneration.
Garden
A garden and paradise signify intellect and wisdom.
eden
According to the Writings, “Eden” by itself means love, in most cases the love that comes from the Lord and our love for the Lord,...
Put
'To put' has reference to order, arrangement, application, and influx.
to
‘To grow’ signifies to be perfected.
Grow
‘To grow’ signifies to be perfected.
tree
'Trees,' in general, signify the perceptions when discussing the celestial self, but when related to the spiritual church, they signify knowledges. A person in the...
sight
The symbolic meaning of "seeing" is "understanding," which is obvious enough that it has become part of common language (think about it; you might see...
good
It seems rather circular to say that “good” in the Bible represents good, but in a general sense it’s true! The case is this: The...
Tree of life
'The tree of life,' as in Revelation 2:7, signifies the essential celestial, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, because everything celestial is from...
midst
'Middle' denotes what is primary, principal, or inmost.
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a meaningful symbol in the Bible: When Eve ate its forbidden fruit and gave it...
knowledge
Throughout the Word, a distinction is made between wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge. 'Wisdom' means from good, 'intelligence' is from truth, and 'knowledge' is in a...
evil
'Wickedness' signifies evil, and 'iniquity' signifies falsities.
river
'Rivers' signify truths in abundance serving the rational self, and so, the understanding, for the purpose of doctrine and life. 'Rivers' or 'floods' signify temptations....
four
The number "four" in the Bible represents things being linked together or joined. This is partly because four is two times two, and two represents...
heads
The head is the part of us that is highest, which means in a representative sense that it is what is closest to the Lord....
name
It's easy to see that names are important in the Bible. Jehovah changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, changed Jacob to Israel and...
land
'Lands' of different nations are used in the Word to signify the different kinds of love prevalent in the inhabitants.
Havilah
'Sheba, Havilah, Sabthah, Regmah, and Sabthecha,' the sons of Cush, as in Genesis 10:7, were several nations which were did not have internal worship, but...
gold
Gold means good, and just as gold was the most precious metal known to ancient mankind so it represents the good of the highest and...
onyx
'Precious stones,' in application to the Word, symbolizes the Divine truth of the Word in its literal sense which the Divine truth in its spiritual...
stone
Stones in the Bible in general represent truths, or things we know concerning the Lord and what He wants from us and for us in...
Gihon
The river Gihon, as in Genesis 2:13, signifies the knowledge of all things relating to goodness and truth.
Land of Cush
The land of Cush,' as in Genesis 2:13, signifies mind or faculty, or the will and understanding.
third
'Three' denotes fullness, and 'a third,' not full.
Hiddekel
'The river Hiddekel,' as mentioned in Genesis 2:14, signifies reason, or the clarity and lucidity of reason.
fourth
'The fourth watch' signifies the first state of the church at break of day, when good begins to act by truth.
euphrates
The river Euphrates signifies, in Psalms 80:9, 10, signifies the sensual and scientific principle.
Garden of Eden
A Garden in Eden eastward, as in Genesis 2:8... 'Garden' means intelligence, 'Eden' love, 'the east' the Lord. 'A garden in Eden, from the east'...
keep
"Keeping" in the Bible generally has to do with controlling the actual actions of life, though in some cases it can mean holding something away...
commanded
To command is to give an order that something must be done, and is directed to an individual, or a group. It is an imperative,...
eat
When we eat, our bodies break down the food and get from it both energy and materials for building and repairing the body. The process...
eatest
When we eat, our bodies break down the food and get from it both energy and materials for building and repairing the body. The process...
die
Dead (Gen. 23:8) signifies night, in respect to the goodnesses and truths of faith.
said
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...
bird
Fowl signify spiritual truth; a bird, natural truth; and a winged thing, sensual truth. Fowl signify intellectual things. Fowl signify thoughts, and all that creeps...
see
To look,' as in Genesis 18:22, signifies thinking, because seeing denotes understanding. Look not back behind thee,' as in Genesis 19:17, means that Lot, who...
call
'To proclaim' signifies exploration from influx of the Lord.
called
'To proclaim' signifies exploration from influx of the Lord.
names
It's easy to see that names are important in the Bible. Jehovah changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, changed Jacob to Israel and...
birds
Fowl signify spiritual truth; a bird, natural truth; and a winged thing, sensual truth. Fowl signify intellectual things. Fowl signify thoughts, and all that creeps...
beast
"Beasts" represent the affection for doing good things, a true desire to do them from the heart. In the negative sense, "beasts" stand for the...
found
To not to be found any more, signifies not to rise again.
fall
Like other common verbs, the meaning of "fall" is highly dependent on context in regular language, and is highly dependent on context in a spiritual...
one
A company might have executives setting policy and strategy, engineers designing products, line workers building them, managers handling personnel and others handling various functions. They...
ribs
The most famous rib in the Bible is, of course, the one taken from Man (or Adam) and formed into Woman (or Eve) in the...
closed
There are only a couple of references in the Writings to "close" used as a verb, and both stem from Amos 9:11, which talks about...
flesh
Flesh has several meanings just in its most obvious form. It can mean all living creatures as when the Lord talks about the flood "destroying...
rib
The most famous rib in the Bible is, of course, the one taken from Man (or Adam) and formed into Woman (or Eve) in the...
woman
'Women,' as in Genesis 45:19, signify the affections of truth. But in Genesis 31:50, 'women' signify affections of not genuine truth, so not of the...
man
The relationship between men and women is deep and nuanced, and one entire book of the Writings – Conjugial Love or Love in Marriage –...
bone
Bones are strong and supportive, providing a framework for our bodies and making motion and action possible. They are also the least "alive" part of...
bones
Bones are strong and supportive, providing a framework for our bodies and making motion and action possible. They are also the least "alive" part of...
Father
Father, son, mother, and daughter, as in Luke 12:51, 53: By father against son, and by son against the father, is understood evil against truth,...
mother
Father, son, mother, and daughter, as in Luke 12:51, 53: By father against son, and by son against the father, is understood evil against truth,...
cleave
On a natural level, "clinging" to someone clearly indicates a desire to be close to them and conjoined with them. It often has a negative...
wife
It is because of a celestial and angelic proprium, or selfhood, that the church is called 'a woman,' 'a wife,' 'a bride,' 'a virgin,' and...
both
The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see...
naked
Clothing in general represents day-to-day knowledge about spiritual things, held in the memory so it can be used for the goodness of life. For someone...
ashamed
To be ashamed (Gen 2:25) signifies to be in evil
