ord
'Word,' as in Psalms 119:6-17, stands for doctrine in general. 'The Word,' as in Psalms 147:18, signifies divine good united with divine truth. 'Word,' as...
HERREN
The Bible refers to the Lord in many different ways, which from the text seem indistinguishable and interchangeable. Understood in the internal sense, though, there...
Mose
Moses's name appears 814 times in the Bible (KJV), third-most of any one character (Jesus at 961 actually trails David at 991). He himself wrote...
Israels
'Israel,' in Jeremiah 23:8, signifies the spiritual natural church. The children of Israel dispersed all the literal sense of the Word by falsities. 'The children...
barn
A child is a young boy or girl in the care of parents, older than a suckling or an infant, but not yet an adolescent....
Moabs
'Moab,' in a positive sense, signifies people who are in natural good, and allow themselves to be easily seduced, but in an opposite sense, it...
Land
Generally in the Bible a "country" means a political subdivision ruled by a king, or sometimes a tribe with a territory ruled by a king...
Israel
'Israel,' in Jeremiah 23:8, signifies the spiritual natural church. The children of Israel dispersed all the literal sense of the Word by falsities. 'The children...
sett
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...
ögon
It’s common to say “I see” when we understand something. And indeed, “seeing” in the Bible represents grasping and understanding spiritual things. So it makes...
Egyptens
'Mizraim' signifies the same thing as Egypt.
Farao
'Pharaoh' signifies scientific ideas, or the natural principle in general. 'Pharaoh' signifies false ideas infesting the truth of the church. Pharaoh,' in Genesis 40, represents...
tjänare
“Servant” literally means “a person who serves another,"" and its meaning is similar in reference to the spiritual meaninngs of the Bible. Our lives in...
dag
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...
hjärtan
The heart means love. A good heart means love to the Lord and to the neighbor while a hard or stony heart means the love...
Se
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...
höra
Thanks to modern science, we now understand that hearing actually happens in the brain, not the ears. The ears collect vibrations in the air and...
öknen
'Wilderness' signifies something with little life in it, as described in the internal sense in Luke 1:80 'Wilderness' signifies somewhere there is no good because...
fyrtio
'Forty' means completeness because 'four' means what is complete, as does 'ten.' Forty is the product of four and ten. Compound numbers have a meaning...
sko
In the Word, 'the sole of the foot' and 'the heel' signifies the ultimate natural. 'The shoe' is what clothes the sole of the foot...
Fot
The foot, as in Deuteronomy 33:3, signifies an inferior principle. To set the right foot on the sea and the left on the earth, as...
bröd
The word “bread” is used two ways in the Bible. In some cases it means actual bread; in others it stands for food in general....
äta
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...
Vin
Wine played a key role in the ancient world, where safe, reliable water sources were scarce. It could be stored for long periods of time;...
drycker
To be drunken without wine (Isa. 29:9), are they who are unconcerned about the Word, and the truths of faith, and thus have no inclination...
dricka
Food in the Bible represents the desire for good, and water and other drinks represent the understanding and true ideas we need to recognize what...
Gud
Herren är själv kärlek, uttryckt i form av visdom i sig. Kärlek är alltså Hans väsen, Hans inre. Vishet - den kärleksfulla förståelsen för hur...
konungen
The human mind is composed of two parts, a will and an understanding, a seat of loves and affections, and a seat of wisdom and...
Hesbon
'Heshbon,' as mentioned in Jeremiah 49:3, signifies the fructification of truth in the natural self.
strid
Krig i Ordet representerar bekämpningen av frestelser när det som är gott attackeras av det som är ont eller falskt. Det onda som attackerar kommer...
oss
Angels do give us guidance, but they are mere helpers; the Lord alone governs us, through angels and spirits. Since angels have their assisting role,...
slogo
'The smitten' signify people who are oppressed by the falsities of ignorance.
arvedel
In Biblical times, possessions passed from fathers to sons, a patriarchal system that would not be accepted in today's society – but one that is...
hälften
Half and double in reference to numbers in the world have a similar signification as the numbers themselves.
stam
In general, 'the twelve tribes' signify every aspect of the doctrine of truth and good, or of faith and love. Truth and good, or faith...
i dag
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...
man
The relationship between men and women is deep and nuanced, and one entire book of the Writings – Conjugial Love or Love in Marriage –...
stammar
In general, 'the twelve tribes' signify every aspect of the doctrine of truth and good, or of faith and love. Truth and good, or faith...
äldste
Ancients of the people, and the princes thereof ('Isaiah 3:14'), have a similar signification with the twelve disciples.
främlingen
The word "stranger" is used many times in the Bible, and it is sometimes paired with the word "sojourner". They are different concepts in the...
läger
Camps in the Bible represent spiritual order – a person’s (or a church community’s) whole collection of desires for good and true ideas on how...
Guds
Herren är själv kärlek, uttryckt i form av visdom i sig. Kärlek är alltså Hans väsen, Hans inre. Vishet - den kärleksfulla förståelsen för hur...
ed
'To sware' is a binding.
fäder
Father in the Word means what is most interior, and in those things that are following the Lord's order, it means what is good. In...
Abraham
Abraham (eller Abram, som han heter i början av sin berättelse) är en av huvudpersonerna i berättelsen om den heliga skriften. Han var förfader till...
Isak
'Isaac' represents spiritual love. 'Isaac,' in Genesis 17:19, signifies the rational divine. 'Isaac' signifies the Lord's divine rational in reference to divine good. Isaac' signifies...
Jakob
Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to...
stå
'To stay with,' as in Genesis 32:4, relates to the life of truth when accompanied by good, and in this instance, it means to take...
bodde
Many people were nomadic in Biblical times, especially the times of the Old Testament, and lived in tents that could be struck, moved and re-raised...
trä
'Wood' signifies good, as well the good of love to the Lord as the good of charity towards our neighbor.
sten
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...
silver
'Silver,' in the internal sense of the Word, signifies truth, but also falsity. 'Silver' means the truth of faith, or the truth acquired from selfhood,...
guld
'Money' relates to truth.
kvinna
The word "woman" is used a number of different ways in the Bible – as a simple description, as someone connected to a man ("his...
tjäna
Generally speaking, those who are at lower levels of an organization serve those at higher levels. Bosses boss and their employees serve; coaches devise strategy...
gudar
Herren är själv kärlek, uttryckt i form av visdom i sig. Kärlek är alltså Hans väsen, Hans inre. Vishet - den kärleksfulla förståelsen för hur...
rot
'A root,' as in Malachi 4:1, signifies charity. The dried up root,' as in Hosea 9:16, 17, signifies charity which could not bear fruit.
malört
'Wormwood' signifies infernal falsity because of its intense bitterness, which makes meat and drink awful. 'Waters of wormwood' signifies falsities of evil.
hör
Thanks to modern science, we now understand that hearing actually happens in the brain, not the ears. The ears collect vibrations in the air and...
välsignar
Herren är perfekt kärlek uttryckt som perfekt visdom. Han skapade oss så att han kunde älska oss, kunna ge oss vår egen kärlek och visdom...
hjärta
The heart means love. A good heart means love to the Lord and to the neighbor while a hard or stony heart means the love...
gå
To walk in the Bible represents living, and usually means living according to the true things taught to us by the Lord -- to "walk...
vrede
Ilska är en känsla så vanligt för människor att den inte kräver någon definition. Men ett par intressanta punkter kan tas upp. 1) Herren är...
bok
(Rev. 10:9.) "And I went unto the angel, saying, give me the little book," signifies the faculty of perceiving the quality of the Word from...
namn
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...
under
In the Bible, things that are lower down, or under, physically, generally represent things that are lower or more external spiritually. In some cases, the...
himmelen
Himlarna är himmelska och andliga saker. Följaktligen är det inre saker, både av Herrens rike i himlen och på jorden. Detta hänvisar också till kyrkan,...
Kommande
Coming (Gen. 41:14) denotes communication by influx.
släkte
To “generate” something is to create it, and that idea underpins the meaning of a “generation” of people – it is a group that was...
efter
Enligt Swedenborg finns tid och rum inte i andlig verklighet; det är rent naturliga saker som bara finns på det fysiska planet. Det betyder att...
kommer
As with common verbs in general, the meaning of “come” in the Bible is highly dependent on context – its meaning is determined largely by...
säga
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...
plågor
'Plagues' signify evils of love, and falsities of faith. 'The plagues of Egypt' signify the falsities and lust which cause the church to perish. In...
sjukdomar
'The sickness prior to death means a movement towards regeneration, so the next stage towards it. A person is by nature in a state of...
jord
Generally in the Bible a "country" means a political subdivision ruled by a king, or sometimes a tribe with a territory ruled by a king...
till
‘To grow’ signifies to be perfected.
Svavel
Brimstone (Isa. 34:9, etc.) signifies filthy lusts.
salt
'Salt' is the desire of conjunction of truth with good, which is why only salt will conjoin water, which corresponds to truth, and oil, which...
växter
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...
örter
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...
Sodom
"Sodom" in the Bible represents the love of self and the love of ruling or dominating others springing from the love of self. This is...
komma
Coming (Gen. 41:14) denotes communication by influx.
förbannelse
The Lord is love itself, and his love for us never wavers and never changes. What does waver and change is the degree to which...
stor
The word "great" is used in the Bible to represent a state with a strong degree of love and affection, of the desire for good;...
förtörnelse
Fury is a receding from good, and anger is a receding from truth.
Evig
In many cases, the use of “eternity” in the Bible is pretty literal, simple meaning forever. This is especially true when the text is referring...
)