THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 29

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. WOE to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add year to year; let the festivals go round.

VERSES 1-4. [The term "Ariel", in Hebrew, signifies the lion of God, and is an appellation given to the city Jerusalem to signify the Lord in His Divine Human, and also the doctrine of celestial Truth, The "city" itself signifies the doctrine of spiritual Truth, but when called "Ariel" it denotes as above. The doctrine of celestial Truth is the doctrine of love to God and of charity to the neighbour, whereas the doctrine of spiritual Truth is the doctrine of Faith. The subject, therefore, treated of in these verses, is specifically the destruction of the celestial doctrine of the church, and the judgment upon those who have perverted it. This perversion consists chiefly in removing love and goodness, embodied in good works, from the church as the essential means of salvation, as is done by the doctrine of Justification by Faith only, or of Faith separate from Charity. It is also perverted by reducing the good of the church to what is merely moral, and thus depriving it of a spiritual principle, derived from love and charity, as the means of salvation. The doctrine of celestial Truth is also perverted by these who assume what is good in the external, as a means of promoting the merely selfish interests of the natural man, and not for the sake of securing the eternal interests of the soul. A "woe" is consequently pronounced upon all such as pervert and destroy this most holy doctrine, which is called the "Lion of God" because of its great power, signified by a "Lion", in removing, when properly applied, everything evil and false from the church, and from the human mind. The Lord, as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda, opens the seals of the book", [Revelation 5:5) and executes Judgment, which is effected by this celestial doctrine of His Divine Truth. See above, Chapter 21:8, the Exposition.]

Verse 1. Add year to year, let the festivals go round. - [This celestial doctrine will perish successively, not all at once, and it will perish although external worship (the festivals) continues to be observed at the appointed times. It is entirely destroyed when external worship is separated from internal, as was the case with the Pharisees, described in Matthew 23, and with those of the church at this day who are in external good, without internal or spiritual good, See Chapter 1:11-19, the Exposition.]

2. Yet will I distress Ariel; and there shall be mourning and sorrow: and it shall be unto Me as Ariel.

3. And I will encamp against you round about; and I will lay siege against you with a mound; and I will erect forts against you.

Verses 2, 3. [It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted these verses and explained them; but from correspondences their meaning may be easily seen. "Ariel" thus perverted, or rather those who have perverted this celestial doctrine, will be besieged and destroyed, at the period of Judgment, by every species of falsity from evil, denoted by "encamping", by "laying siege with a mound", and by "erecting forts against her." See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 1:8.]

4. And you shalt be brought low; you shalt speak out of the earth: and out of the dust shall your speech feebly sound; and your voice shall come out of the ground, like as of one that has a familiar spirit: and out of the dust shall your speech mutter.

Verse 4. [That to "speak out of the dust, and the voice coming out of the ground, like as of one that has a familiar spirit", signifies communication with the hells, and influx thence, may be seen above, Isaiah 8:19, 20, the Exposition.]

5. But the multitude of your strangers shall be like the small dust; and the multitude of the terrible ones like the chaff that passes away: yea, it shall be suddenly, in a moment.

Verse 5. [The dispersion of false principles of doctrine, denoted by "strangers", and of the falsities of evil, signified by the "terrible ones", is here described. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 1:7.]

6. From Jehovah of Hosts you shalt be visited with thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great voice; with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.

Verso 6. "Devouring fire" is the fire of cupidities which arises from the love of self and of the world, because it is this fire which consumes man and devastates the church. This also was represented by "the fire from before Jehovah" which consumed the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, because they had "put strange fire into their censers." (Leviticus 10:1, 2)

To "put strange fire into their censers", is to perform worship from some other love than from that which is heavenly. That such "strange fire" is the love of self and of the world, and the cupidities hence arising, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1297, 1861, 5071. Arcana Coelestia 9434.

As to the meaning of "storms" and "tempests", by which the wicked, at the time of Judgment, are taken away, see above, Chapter 17:13, the Exposition.

7. And as a dream, a vision of the night shall be the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel; even all that fight against her and her ramparts, and they that distress her.

8. It shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and lo! he eats: but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: and as when a thirsty man dreameth, and lo! he drinketh; but he awaketh, and lo! he is faint, and his soul craveth: thus shall it be with the multitude of all the nations which fight against Mount Zion. "

Verses 7, 8. [These words imply that, in this perverted state of the church, at the period of its judgment, what is false will appear as true, and that there will be no spiritual nourishment for the soul.]

Verse 8. These things are said concerning those who are in falsities from evil, and yet suppose them to be truths from good. The false from evil combating against the goods of the church, are signified by "The multitude of all the nations which fight against Mount Zion; "multitude" being predicated of truths; "nations" signifying evils; and "Mount Zion", the church as to the good of love. The belief that evils are good, when notwithstanding they are evils of the false, is signified by "It shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and lo! he eats; but he awaketh, and his soul is fasting"; the "hungry dreaming as if he were eating", signifies the opinion and erroneous faith conerning good; to "dream" denoting such opinion and erroneous faith, and to be "hungry, and as if he were eating", denoting, as it were, desire for good, and to be nourished thereby; but when "he awaketh", signifies when it is discovered what good is; "his soul is fasting", signifies that there is no understanding of good. Similar things are said concerning truth, which are signified by "When the thirsty man dreameth, and lo! he drinketh; but he awaketh, and lo! he is faint, and his soul craveth"; to be "thirsty, and as If he were drinking whilst he dreameth", signifying the opinion and faith, as it were, of Truth; but when "he awaketh, and lo! he is faint, and his soul craveth", signifies that still it is not Truth but the false; the "soul" there signifying the faith of the false, by reason of Truth not being understood, for both evil and the false, as well as Good and Truth, are predicated of faith and understanding, when they are of the thought alone; for man can think so as it were to understand, and thence believe that evil is good, as well as that the false is true. Such are all those who are in falsities of doctrine, and have faith only in their teachers and books, and never think whether what they are taught may not be falsities and evils, but believe them to be truths and goods, because they can be confirmed; not knowing that the false and evil may be equally confirmed as Truth and Good. Apocalypse Explained 750.

9. Stand you amazed, and wonder; be you astonished, and cry out! they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10. For Jehovah has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep: and He has closed up your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers has He covered,

Verses 9, 10. Speaking of those who see nothing at all of the Truth when they hear and read it from the Word. Such persons are said to be "drunken, but not with wine; and to stagger, but not with strong drink"; "wine" signifying specifically the Truth of the spiritual and hence of the rational man; and "strong drink", the Truth of the natural man thence derived. Because such are understood, it is therefore said, "Jehovah has poured out" upon you the spirit of deep sleep; and He has closed up your eyes; the "spirit of deep sleep" denoting no perception, and the "eyes closed" denoting no understanding of Truth. "The prophets, and your heads, the seers has He covered", signifies those who were in the doctrine of Truth, and thence wise and intelligent; "prophets" signifying those who are in the doctrine of Truth, and, abstractedly, doctrine itself; the "heads", the wise, and, abstractedly, wisdom; and the "seer", the intelligent, and, abstractedly, intelligence. Wonder at the greatness of their stupidity is described by "Stand you amazed, and wonder; be you astonished"; and lamentation on all account thereof, by a "cry out!" Such are they who are in a life of evil, and at the same tirne in principles of the false, howsoever learned they are supposed to be; for a life of evil shuts out the perception of Good, from which the life and light of thought is derived, and principles of the false shut out the understanding of Truth, whence they see only from the sensual man, and nothing from the spiritual. Apocalypse Explained 376.

Prophets are here called "eyes", and seers are called "heads", because by eyes is signified the understanding of Truth as to doctrine, and by "seers" intelligence, the same as by "heads." Apocalypse Explained 577.

Verses 10, 11. By "prophets" are meant those who teach Truth and by them that see, or the "seers", are meant those who see Truth who are said to be "covered" when they know nothing of Truth, and see nothing of Truth. Inasmuch as in old times they were called prophets who taught, therefore also they were called "seeing" [or seers], because to "see" signifies to understand, see Arcana Coelestia 2150, 2325.

That they were called "seeing" [or seers], may be seen, 1 Samuel 9:9; 2 Samuel 24:11; they were also called "men of God", from the signification of man [vir], see Arcana Coelestia 158, 265; that they were called "men of God", may be seen, 2 Kings 1:9-16.

That by "prophets", in an Internal sense, are signified those who teach, appears from Jeremiah 23, throughout, and from Ezekiel 13 throughout, where the subject particularly treated of is concerning "prophets".

The same appears also from many other places where mention is made of "prophets." Hence also by "false prophets" are signified those who teach what is false as in Matthew;

"In the consummation of the age, many false prophets shall arise, and shall seduce many; false Christs shall arise, and false prophets shall glve great signs, and shall deceive, if possible, even the elect; (Matthew 24:11, 24)

where, by "false prophets", are meant those who teach what is false. The same is understood by the "false prophet" in the Revelation. (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10)

Hence also it may appear how much the internal sense of the Word is obscured by the ideas which are conceived from the representatives of the Jewish church; for wheresoever "prophet" is mentioned in the Word there instantly occurs the idea of prophets such as existed at that time, which idea is a great hindrance to the perception of what is signified by them. But in proportion to man's increase in wisdom, the Idea conceived from those representatives is more easily removed as for example, where mention is made of "temple", they who think from a deeper ground of wisdom do not perceive the temple which was at Jerusalem, but the temple of the Lord; so in the case of the "mountain of Zion", or of "Zion" itself, they have no perception of that which was at Jerusalem, but of the Lord's kingdom, and where "Jerusalem" occurs, they do not think of that city which was in the tribe of Benjamin and Judah, but of the holy and heavenly Jerusalem. Arcana Coelestia 2534.

11. So that all the vision is to you as the words of a sealed book; which, if it is given to one that knows letters, saying, Read this, I pray you: he says, I cannot; for it is sealed.

12. Or should the book be given to one that knows not letters, saying, Read this, I pray you: he says, I know not letters.

Verses 11, 12. [The "Book" or the Word is sealed, when its genuine doctrines and its interior truths are not understood by the church. To "know letters", or to be learned, is to know the science of correspondences, according to which the Word is inspired and written, which science constituted. the learning of ancient times. Unless this science is understood, the Word is, for the most part, as a "sealed book"; but it is opened by this science, as by the "key of knowledge". The intelligence of the church as to everything spiritual and heavenly can thus be immensely increased, and genuine truths can be seen in clear light by the rational mind. The blessings to the Church of the New Jerusalem, arising from the discovery of the spritual sense of the Word, will be great indeed!]

13. Wherefore Jehovah says, Forasmuch as this people draw near [to Me] with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips but have removed their heart far from Me; and their fear of Me is taught by the precept of men:

14. Therefore, behold, I will again deal with this people", in a manner so wonderful astonishing, that the wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the understanding of their intelligent shall be hid.

15. Woe unto them that deeply conceal their counsel from Jehovah; whose works are in the dark, and who say, Who seeth us? and who knows us?

Verse 13. In respect to external worship when sopnrato from internal, see above, Chapter 1:11-19, the Exposition.

Their fear of me, etc. - As to what understood in the Word by "fearing God", see above, Chapter 11:3, Exposition.

16. Your perverseness is as if the potter should be esteemed as the clay. Shall the work say of the maker of it, He has not made me? and shall the thing formed say of the former of it, He has no understanding?

Verse 16. That a "potter's vessel" signifies, in a good sense, what is true and in a bad sense, what is false, may be proved from the Word. When a man himself forms the "vessel", it signifies what is false; but when the Lord forms it in man, it signifies Truth. Hence it is that in the Word a "potter's vessel" signifies either what is false or what is true, and the "potter" is the former. The Lord Himself, from the formation of man by truths, is called in the Word a "Potter", as in Isaiah:

"O Jehovah, Our Father! we are the clay, and You our Potter; and all we are the work of Thine hands." (Isaiah 64:8; and Isaiah 29:16)

In a bad sense, as in Psalm 2:9:

"As a potter's vessel shalt You break them in pieces."

By the "potter's vessel is signified what is false from man's own or self-intelligence, and not from the Word. (See also Isaiah 30:10-14; 45:9) Apocalypse Explained 177.

17. Shall it not be but a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

Verse 17. "Lebanon" [as a forest] signifies the truths of the church in the natural man, consequently the church as to the rational understanding of Good and Truth. (Apocalypse Explained 654, 730.)

As a "fruitful field", it signifies the Good and Truth of faith. (Apocalypse Explained 328)

The "cedars" and "firs of Lebanon" signify the internal and the external truths of the spiritual church. Apocalypse Explained 405.

18. And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book; and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity; and out of darkness.

Verse 18. The restoration of the church is here treated of. By "the deaf who will hear the words of the book", are understood those who will obey truths and hence lead a good life; and by "the blind whose eyes will see out of obscurity and darkness", are understood those who are not in the understanding of Truth, because in ignorance, who will then understand. That the deaf and the blind [in a literal sense] are not understood, is evident. Apocalypse Explained 239.

To "open the eyes of the blind", is to instruct those who as yet are ignorant of truths, and nevertheless desire them, who are signified by the Gentiles. Apocalypse Explained 152.

19. The miserable shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the needy amongst men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Verse 19. By the "miserable" and "needy" are here also signified those with whom there is a defect of Truth and Good, and who nevertheless are in the desire of those principles. Concerning these it is said that "they shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and shall exult in the Holy One of Israel", and not concerning those who are miserable and needy as to worldly wealth. Apocalypse Explained 238.

The needy amongst men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. In this and in other passages where "the Holy One of Israel" is mentioned, the Lord with respect to His Divine Humanity is signified. True Christian Religion 93.

20. For the terrible one ceases, the scoffer is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

21. Who cause a man to offend in a word, and lay snares for him that reproveth in the gate, and with emptiness turns aside the just.

Verses 20, 21. That "the terrible [or violent] one" is he who offers violence to charity, is signified by "causing a man to offend [or to sin] in a word", and by "laying snares for him that pleads in the gate", etc. Arcana Coelestia 6353.

22. Therefore thus says Jehovah to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be ashamed; his face shall not now turn pale.

Verse 22. Jacob shall not now be ashamed; his face shall not now turn pale. - By "Jacob" are understood those who are of the church: and by "his face not turning pale" is signified that they shall not be in evils and falsities, but in Goods and Truths. That "paleness" signifies the absence and deprivation of spiritual life, which is when there is no Good and Truth, but evil and the false, is grounded in this circumstance, that when a man is deprived of vital heat, he then becomes pale and an image of death, as is the case in extreme terror, and in like manner when he dies; but when a man is spiritually dead, then his face either becomes red like a coal fire, or pale like a corpse. In such a manner do the infernals appear, when viewed in the light of heaven. Apocalypse Explained 381.

23. But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

Verse 23. "The Holy One of Jacob and the God of Israel" is the Lord. "His children" signify the regenerate, who will have the intelligence of Good and of Truth, as is explained in verse 24. Arcana Coelestia 489.

24. They also that erred in spirit shall know intelligence, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Verse 24. By "spirit" is signified the understanding, and by " heart" the will. "Spirit" is literally the breath, for spirit, breath, and wind are expressed by one term in Hebrew, Hence by "loving God with all the heart and with all the soul", is meant with all the love and with all the understanding. That the term "spirit" signifies the understanding or Intelligence, may be seen from many passages, as from this, "They that erred in spirit shall know intelligence." Divine Love and Wisdom 383.

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Isaiah Chapter 29

1. WOE to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add year to year; let the festivals go round.

2. Yet will I distress Ariel; and there shall be mourning and sorrow: and it shall be unto Me as Ariel.

3. And I will encamp against you round about; and I will lay siege against you with a mound; and I will erect forts against you.

4. And you shalt be brought low; you shalt speak out of the earth: and out of the dust shall your speech feebly sound; and your voice shall come out of the ground, like as of one that has a familiar spirit: and out of the dust shall your speech mutter.

5. But the multitude of your strangers shall be like the small dust; and the multitude of the terrible ones like the chaff that passes away: yea, it shall be suddenly, in a moment.

6. From Jehovah of Hosts you shalt be visited with thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great voice; with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.

7. And as a dream, a vision of the night shall be the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel; even all that fight against her and her ramparts, and they that distress her.

8. It shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and lo! he eats: but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: and as when a thirsty man dreameth, and lo! he drinketh; but he awaketh, and lo! he is faint, and his soul craveth: thus shall it be with the multitude of all the nations which fight against Mount Zion. "

9. Stand you amazed, and wonder; be you astonished, and cry out! they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

10. For Jehovah has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep: and He has closed up your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers has He covered,

11. So that all the vision is to you as the words of a sealed book; which, if it is given to one that knows letters, saying, Read this, I pray you: he says, I cannot; for it is sealed.

12. Or should the book be given to one that knows not letters, saying, Read this, I pray you: he says, I know not letters.

13. Wherefore Jehovah says, Forasmuch as this people draw near [to Me] with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips but have removed their heart far from Me; and their fear of Me is taught by the precept of men:

14. Therefore, behold, I will again deal with this people", in a manner so wonderful astonishing, that the wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the understanding of their intelligent shall be hid.

15. Woe unto them that deeply conceal their counsel from Jehovah; whose works are in the dark, and who say, Who seeth us? and who knows us?

16. Your perverseness is as if the potter should be esteemed as the clay. Shall the work say of the maker of it, He has not made me? and shall the thing formed say of the former of it, He has no understanding?

17. Shall it not be but a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

18. And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book; and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity; and out of darkness.

19. The miserable shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the needy amongst men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

20. For the terrible one ceases, the scoffer is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

21. Who cause a man to offend in a word, and lay snares for him that reproveth in the gate, and with emptiness turns aside the just.

22. Therefore thus says Jehovah to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be ashamed; his face shall not now turn pale.

23. But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24. They also that erred in spirit shall know intelligence, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

122. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, signifies that those who are in falsities from evil will set about to deprive them of all truth from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "casting into prison," as being, in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths from the Word (of which presently); and from the signification of the "devil," as being the hells which are in evil and in falsities therefrom (of which above, n. 120. "To cast into prison," in reference to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, is to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths from the Word, for the reason that truths are, as it were, in prison or in confinement when falsities break in; and so long as falsities are under view, truths cannot appear, still less can they be set at liberty. Those that are in the spiritual affection of truth, who are those that love truths because they are truths, are held in such confinement whenever they do not understand the Word and yet wish to understand it; the falsities that imprison rise up from hell into the natural man when the delights of the love of self and the world have rule therein, for these delights are the origins of all evils and of the falsities therefrom (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 65-83).

[2] This is meant, in the spiritual sense, by "being cast by the devil into prison;" for as the devil is hell, and out of hell every evil arises, and as the influx from hell is into the natural man, and not into the spiritual, so the devil affects all who are in the delights of these loves, and subjects them to himself and makes them his crew; for all who are in the hells are in evils and the falsities thence from the loves of self and of the world (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 551-565; but that the delights of those loves are changed into correspondences, the character of which may be seen there, n. 485-490).

This casting into prison by the devil is described in the Word, where it is said that the Jews and the evil will persecute the Lord's disciples, and will evil entreat and kill them; for by the "disciples of the Lord" are meant all who are in truths from good, thus who are in truths from the Lord; and as these are meant by the Lord's disciples, so in a sense abstracted from persons, which is the spiritual sense itself of the Word, truths and goods themselves, which are from the Lord through His Word, are meant. (That by the Lord's twelve disciples all things of faith and love in the complex, thus all the truths and goods of the church, are meant, see Arcana Coelestia 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that the Word in heaven is understood in a sense abstracted from persons, see above, n. 99, 100.)

[3] When one knows that by the "disciples of the Lord" all those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant, and in an abstract sense truths themselves from good; and that by their being "cast into prison by the devil" is meant the endeavor of those who are in falsities from evil to deprive them of truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the detention or imprisonment of truths by falsities, as described above, he can understand what is signified in each of these senses in the following passages:

They shall lay hands on you and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, for My name's sake (Luke 21:12).

That "for the sake of the Lord's name" signifies for the sake of the goods of love and the truths of faith, from Him, see above n. 102.

Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you, and ye shall be held in hatred for My name's sake (Matthew 24:9, 11).

They will deliver you up to councils and to synagogues, and they will scourge you for My sake (Matthew 10:17, 18; Mark 13:9).

Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matthew 23:34).

A man that was a householder planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen. When the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it. But the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, and they did unto them likewise. At length he sent unto them his son. But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and possess his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him (Matthew 21:33-44).

The wisdom of God said, I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).

(That by "prophets" in the Word are meant those who teach truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 2534, 7269; and that "apostles" have a similar signification, see above, n. 100)

Blessed are ye, when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and shall say every evil word against you falsely, for My sake; rejoice and exult, for great is your reward in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).

Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets (Luke 6:22, 23).

[4] Similar to this is the signification of the words of the Lord, that they should follow Him and take up their cross; as in the following passages:

Jesus said unto His disciples, If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34);

"to deny oneself" is to put away evils that are from proprium [the self-life].

Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).

Jesus said to the young man who was rich, One thing thou lackest; go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and come, follow Me, bearing the cross (Mark 10:21).

By this is meant, in the spiritual sense, that he should put away the falsities that were of the Jewish doctrine, and accept the doctrine of truth from the Lord, and should undergo assaults and temptations from falsities. Those, therefore, are deceived who believe that those who wish to follow the Lord are to sell their goods and suffer the cross. Since the Lord was Divine truth itself, which in John 1:1-3, 14, is called the "Word," the Lord's suffering Himself to be scourged and crucified signifies that Divine truth which is in the Word was so treated by the Jews. (That all things related of the Lord's passion in the Evangelists involve and signify that the Jews so treated Divine truth, see above, n. 83 Wherefore the Lord says:

Remember My word, if they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).

[5] That the Jews in particular are meant by the "devil" who was to cast the disciples of the Lord into prisons, and that, in general, all that call themselves "Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of satan," are meant (according to the passages cited above, n. 119, 120), is clear from the Lord's words in John:

Ye do not understand My speech because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof (John 8:43, 44).

That "their father was a murderer from the beginning," "and the truth was not in him, but a lie," signifies that from the beginning they had been against truths and in falsities from evil. For a "murderer" is a destroyer of the truth of the church, and "father" means predecessors. (Of the quality of the Jewish nation formerly and at present, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248; that the "bound in prison" signify those who are in falsities from evil, see the Arcana Coelestia 4958, 5096; "to be overcome ¹ in prison" signifies to be detained and separated from truths, n. 5037, 5038, 5083, 5086, 5096; and also to be tempted, n. 5037, 5038.)

[6] The Jews were such as are here described because they were in the love of self and the world more than other nations; and persons of that character, when they read the Word, apply all things of the Word to their own loves; and especially the Jews, because they are so frequently mentioned. It is similar with others who are in these loves, for the love that is dominant turns the mind of him who reads to those things only that favor the love; for love is like a fire, which lights up the things that favor it, while the rest are either passed by as if not seen, or drawn over to one's side by perverse explanation and thus falsified. Both infest those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, and both are meant by the "devil" who "casts into prison" those who are of the Lord's church; from them, indeed, all falsities from the spiritual world flow into those that long for truths, and hold them as if bound in confinement. The same are meant by those of whom the Lord says:

I was in prison and ye visited Me not (Matthew 25:43).

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