908. 'Every wild animal of all flesh that is with you' means everything that has been made living within the member of this Church. This is clear from the fact that 'wild animal' refers to Noah, the member of this Church who has now been regenerated, and plainly has reference to the things that follow, namely to 'birds, beasts, and creeping thing that creeps', for the words used are 'every wild animal of all flesh that is with you - birds, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creeps over the earth'. In the original language the word for wild animal strictly speaking means life or that which is living; but when used in the Word it means not only that which is living but also that which in one sense is not living, or a wild animal. Consequently unless a person is acquainted with the internal sense of the Word he cannot always know what is meant. The reason it carries both meanings is that the member of the Most Ancient Church, in humiliating himself before the Lord, acknowledged that he himself was not living, not even a domestic beast, but an animal living in the wild, for he knew that man is such when regarded in himself or as to the proprium. Consequently the same word means that which is living and also means a wild animal.

[2] As to its meaning that which is living, this is clear in David,

Your wild animals will dwell in it (the inheritance of God); You, O God, will strengthen the needy with Your goodness. Psalms 68:10.

Here, because he is to dwell in the inheritance of God, nothing else is meant by 'wild animal' than a regenerate person, and so, as is the case here, that which is alive in him. In the same author,

Every wild animal of the forest is mine, beasts on mountains of thousands; I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild animal of My field is with Me. Psalms 50:10-11.

Here too 'wild animal of the field with Me', that is, with God, stands for a regenerate person and so for things with him that are alive. In Ezekiel,

In its branches all the birds of the air ¹ made their nests, and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to the formation of the spiritual Church and so stands for things with the member of the Church that are alive. In Hosea,

I will make a covenant on that day with the wild animals of the field and with the birds of the air. ¹ Hosea 2:18.

This refers to people who are to be regenerated, with whom a covenant is to be made. Indeed the application of 'wild animal' to that which is alive extends even to the cherubs or angels seen by Ezekiel being called four wild animals, in Ezekiel 1:5, 13-15, 19; 10:15.

[3] That 'wild animal' in the contrary sense stands in the Word for that which is not alive, or a fierce wild animal, is clear from many places. Let just the following examples serve to confirm the point: In David,

Give not the soul of Your turtle dove to the wild animal. Psalms 74:19.

In Zephaniah,

The city has become a desolation, a place for the wild animal to lie down in. Zephaniah 2:15.

In Ezekiel,

They will no more be a prey to the nations, and the wild animal of the land will not devour them. Ezekiel 34:28.

In the same prophet,

Upon its ruin will dwell every bird of the air, ¹ and on its branches will be every wild animal of the field. Ezekiel 31:13.

In Hosea,

There I will devour them like a lion, the wild animals of the field will tear them apart. Hosea 13:8.

In Ezekiel,

To the wild animal of the earth, and to the birds of the air ¹ have I given [you] for food. Ezekiel 19:5.

The usage recurs fairly often. Moreover since the Jews were confined solely to the sense of the letter, and understood wild animal by 'wild animal' and bird by 'bird', they did not wish to know of, still less acknowledge, the inner contents of the Word, and so receive instruction. Indeed they themselves were so cruel, and such wild animals, that they took delight in not burying enemies they had slain in battle and in exposing them to be devoured by birds and by wild animals. These things also show what a wild animal man is.

Poznámky pod čarou:

359. And he went forth conquering and that He might conquer, signifies the removal of evils and of falsities thence to the end of life, and afterwards to eternity. This is evident from the signification of "to conquer" in the Word as being to conquer spiritually, which is to subjugate evils and falsities; but as these are not conquered otherwise than that they are taken away by the Lord, "to conquer" signifies the removal of evils and falsities. (That evils and falsities are removed, and not wiped out, or that man is withheld from them, and kept in good and truth by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166; and Arcana Coelestia 865, 868, 887, 894, 929, 1581, 2116, 2406, 4564, 8206, 8393, 8988, 9014, 9333-9338, 9446-9448, 9451, 10057, 10060.) It is said "he went forth conquering and that He might conquer," and "He went forth conquering" signifies the removal of evils and of falsities thence to the end of life; "and that He might conquer" signifies their removal afterwards to eternity; for he who fights against evils and falsities and conquers them, in the world even to the end of life, conquers them to eternity; for such as man is at the end of his life in consequence of his past life, such he remains to eternity. "To conquer" signifies to conquer spiritually, because the Word is in its bosom spiritual, that is, in its bosom it treats of spiritual things, and not of earthly things; the earthly things that are in the sense of its letter merely serve its spiritual sense as a basis, into which spiritual things close and in which they are. "To conquer [or to overcome]" has a like signification in the following passages.

[2] In Revelation:

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7).

He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (Revelation 2:11).

He that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations (Revelation 2:26).

He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of God (Revelation 3:12).

He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne (Revelation 3:21).

They overcame the dragon through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of the testimony (Revelation 12:11).

He that overcometh shall possess all things, and I will be to him God, and he shall be to Me a son (Revelation 21:7).

And in John:

Jesus [said] to the disciples, These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but confide, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

The Lord's "overcoming the world" means that He subjugated all the hells; for "the world" here signifies all evils and falsities, which are from hell (as also in John 8:23; 12:31; 14:17, 19, 30; 15:18, 19; 16:8, 11; 17:9, 14, 16).

[3] "To conquer" has a like signification when predicated of the Lord in Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah? I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people not a man was with Me; therefore have I trodden them in Mine anger, and trampled them in My wrath; wherefore their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment. But I have made their victory to descend to the earth (Isaiah 63:1, 3, 6).

This treats of the Lord, and His combats against the hells and their subjugation. He Himself in respect to His Divine Human is here meant by Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah," "His garments" signifying the Word in the letter, for "garments" signify truths investing, and in reference to the Lord they signify Divine truths, consequently the Word, since in it are all Divine truths (See above, n. 195). The Word in the sense of the letter is also meant here by "garments," because it contains investing truths, for the sense of the letter serves as a garment to the spiritual sense. And as the Word, in respect to that sense, was torn asunder by the Jewish people, and Divine truth was thereby adulterated, it is said, "His garments sprinkled from Bozrah, their victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My raiment," "garments from Bozrah" signify the ultimate of the Word which is the sense of the letter, "their victory upon My garments" signifies the wrong interpretation and application of the truth by those who wrest the sense of the letter to favor their own loves, and the principles thence assumed, as was done by the Jews, and is done also at this day by many; this is meant by "their victory upon My garments."

That the Lord fought alone is signified by "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people not a man was with Me," "wine-press" signifying combat from Divine truths against falsities, because in wine-presses the wine is pressed out from grapes, and "wine" signifies Divine truth; therefore "to tread it alone, and of the people not a man was with Me," signifies alone, with no aid from anyone. That the Lord subjugated the hells is signified by, "I have trodden them in Mine anger, and trampled them in My wrath;" it is said, "I have trodden" and "I have trampled," because of the reference to the wine-press, and because destruction is signified; it is said, "anger" and "wrath" because the hells are destroyed; and in the sense of the letter this is attributed to the Lord, when nevertheless nothing of anger or wrath pertains to Him, but only to those who are against Him; it is according to appearance that it is so said here and in very many places elsewhere. That such were subjugated and condemned to hell is signified by, "I have made their victory to descend to the earth," "to the earth" meaning into damnation, thus into hell. (That "earth" also signifies damnation, see above, n. 304)