THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 54

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

1. SING, O you barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and exult, you that didst not travail: for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says Jehovah.

VERSE 1. Treating of the advent of the Lord, and of the New Church to be established by Him among the Gentiles, who are understood by "the barren, who did not bear", and by "the desolate, who shall have many sons." They are called "barren", because they knew not the Lord, neither had the Word, where Truths are; wherefore they could not be regenerated. "Sons" denote Truths from the Lord by the Word. The church which is in possession of the Word, from which the Lord is known, is understood by "the married, who has no sons"; the joy of those who are of the New Church; and who before had not Truths, is signified by "her breaking forth in to singing, and exulting, who did not travail", - to "travail" denotes to have in the womb, Inasmuch as "mother" signified the church, and "sons" and "daughters" its Truths and Goods, and whereas in the ancient churches; and afterwards in the Jewish church, all things were representative, and thence significative, therefore it was a disgrace and a reproach for women to be barren; on which account Rachel was angry with Jacob, because she did not bear children, arid said, when she brought forth Joseph, "God has taken away my reproach." (Genesis 30:1, 23)

For the same reason, after Elizabeth had conceived, she said "Thus has the Lord done to me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach amongst men." (Luke 1:25) Apocalypse Explained 721.

Verses 1-3. These words treat of the church about to be established among the Gentiles which is called "barren", and which "did not bear", because they were without Truths from the Word; of which church it is said that "the sons should be more than the sons of the married woman, because its Truths would be more numerous than the Truths of the former church now devastated, for "sons" signify Truths. To "enlarge the place of the tent", signifies the holy principle of worship from the Good of love; to "stretch out the curtains of the habitations, denotes the holy principle of worship from the Truths of faith. Arcana Coelestia 9595.

To "enlarge the place of the tent", is to enlarge those things which are of the church, thus the doctrine of what is Good and True from the Word, and hence those things which are of worship. To "stretch out or to expand the curtains of the habitations", is to multiply Truths; that "curtains" are the Truths of the church, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 9596. The "barren" are those who were not before in the Goods and Truths of the church. Arcana Coelestia 10545.

Verses 1, 5, 6, 13. In these verses occur expressions which have relation to marriage such as being "barren", "not bearing", :" not travailing"; "the sons of the desolate and of the married woman"; "the reproach or shame of widowhood"; "as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit"; "the wife of [one's] youth", etc. The reason why these terms occur is, because the conjunction of what is Good and True is represented by "marriage"; hence, in the spiritual sense, these expressions involve something relating to the marriage of what is Good and True, and to the perversions of that marriage. See Arcana Coelestia 443.

2. Enlarge the place of your tent; and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes;

Verses 2, 3. Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes; for on the right hand and on the left you shalt break forth, etc. - The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is here treated of. By "enlarging the place of the tent", is signified the increase of the church as to worship from Good; by "stretching out the curtains of the habitations", is denoted the increase of the church as to the Truths of doctrine; by "lengthening the cords", is understood their extension; by "strengthening the stakes", is meant their confirmation from the Word.

By "breaking forth on the right hand and on the left", is signified amplification as to the Good of charity, and as to the Truth of faith, "on the right" as to the Good of charity, and "on the left" as to the Truth of faith from that Good.

By "the seed which shall inherit the nations", is understood the Truth by which Goods are acquired, - "seed" is Truth, and "nations" are Goods; and by "the desolate cities which they would cause the nations to inhabit, are understood Truths from Goods of life, "desolate cities" are the Truths of doctrine where before there were no Truths, "nations" are the Goods of life from which are Truths, and to "dwell" or to be "inhabited" is to live. Apocalypse Explained 600. See also 223.

To" lengthen the cords" and to "strengthen the stakes" signifies the more ample connection and confirmation of Truths; for by "cords" is understood the conjunction of Truths, and by "stakes" their confirmation. Arcana Coelestia 9777. See also Apocalypse Explained 799.

As to the meaning of "cords" find "stakes", and the reason "why a "tent" and a "tabernacle" signify the holy principle of worship, see Chapter 33:20, the Exposition.

3. For on the right hand, and on the left, you shalt break forth; and your seed shall inherit the nations, and they shall cause the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Verse 3. By "the seed which shall inherit the nations", is signified the Divine Truth which shall be given to the nations; by "breaking forth on the right and on the left", is denoted the extension and multiplication of Goods and Truths, - by the "right" is understood Truth which is in light, and by the "left" Truth which is in the shade, because, in the spiritual world, to the right is the south, where those are who are in the clear light of Truth, and to the left is the north, where those are who fire in the obscure light of Truth.

By "causing the desolate cities to be "inhabited", is signified their life according to divine Truths, which were previously destroyed; "cities" are the Truths of doctrine from the Word; to be "inhabited" means to live according to those Truths; "desolate cities" signify those Truths previously destroyed, namely, among the Jewish people. Apocalypse Explained 768.

4. Fear not; for you shalt not be confounded: and blush not; for you shalt not be brought to reproach: for you shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more,

Verse 4. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 24:23.

You shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more- The "reproach of widowhood" is predicated of the church when not in Truth, because not in Good, and consequently in the false. Arcana Coelestia 4844.

5. For your Husband is your Maker; Jehovah of Hosts is His name: and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.

Verse 5. The Lord, from Divine Good, is called "Husband and Bridegroom"; and His kingdom and church, from the reception of the Divine Truth which proceeds from the Lord, is called "wife and bride." Arcana Coelestia 9198.

6. For as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit has Jehovah called you; and as a wife of youth, when you wast rejected, says your God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you:

Verses 6, 7. Here by "a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit", is understood the church which is not in Truths, but still in the affection or desire for them, - "Woman" denoting the church, which is said to be "forsaken" when it is not in Truths, and "afflicted in spirit" when in grief from the affection or desire for Truths; by "a wife of youth", is denoted the ancient church, which was in Truths from affection; and by the same, when "repudiated or rejected", is understood the Jewish church, which was not in Truths from any spiritual affection. The establishment of a New Church by the Lord, and liberation from spiritual captivity, is signified by "For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you." Apocalypse Explained 555.

8. In an inundation of anger I hid My face for a moment from you; but with everlasting kindness will I have Mercy on you, says your Redeemer Jehovah.

Verse 8. An "inundation of anger" signifies temptation, in which evils cause anguish and torment; because the Lord appears not to have mercy, it is said, "I hid my face for a moment from you." That the "face of Jehovah" is the Divine Love, is evident from the Lord's face "when He appeared transfigured before Peter, James and John that is, when He showed to them His Divine, and when "His face shone as the sun"; (Matthew 17:2) that the "Sun" is the Divine Love, was shown above. The Lord is never "angry", nor does He "turn away" or "hide His face", but it is so said from the appearance with the man who is In evil; for the man who is in evil turns himself away, and hides the Lord's face from himself, that is, removes from himself the Lord s mercy. This is evident from many passages, but especially from the following:

"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you." (Isaiah 59:2) Arcana Coelestia 5585, 6997.

9. For this is [as] the waters of Noah unto Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth; so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you.

Verse 9. When I sware that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth, etc. - The "waters of Noah" were the false principles and persuasions which destroyed the most ancient church. What is meant by "Jehovah's swearing", see Chapter 45:23, the Exposition.

10. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed; but My loving-kindness shall not depart from you, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed, says Jehovah who has mercy on you.

Verse 10. Where it is evident that it is not the mountains and hills upon the earth which shall "depart or recede, and be removed", but those who are in evil loves and in falsities thence derived; for the subject here treated of is concerning the nations or Gentiles, of whom a New Church was to be formed: wherefore by the "mountains" and "hills" are more especially understood those of the former church, consequently the Jews, with whom were mere evils of the false and falsities of evil, by reason of their being immersed in tbe loves of self and of the world. Apocalypse Explained 405.

Verses 10, 13. The subject here treated of is concerning the New Heaven and the New Church. The former heaven and the former church, which should perish, are understood by "the mountains which shall depart or recede, and the hills which shall be removed." That they who are in the New Heaven and in the New Church will be in Good from the Lord, and possess heavenly joy to eternity, by conjunction with Him, is signified by " My loving-kindness shall not depart [or recede] from you", and "the covenant of My peace shall not be removed"; "loving-kindness" or mercy signifies Good from the Lord, and the "covenant of peace" heavenly joy derived from conjunction with the Lord, - a "covenant" denoting conjunction.

By "the sons who shall be taught by Jehovah, and who shall have much peace", are understood those in the New Heaven and in the New Church, who will be principled in Truths originating in Good from the Lord, and enjoy eternal beatitude and felicity; "sons" in the Word, signifying Truths originating in Good, or those who are principled therein; their being "taught by Jehovah" denoting that those Truths are from the Lord; and "much peace" signifying eternal beatitude and felicity. Apocalypse Explained 365.

11. O you afflicted, tossed about with tempest, not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires.

Verses 11-13. These things are said of "the barren, who brought not forth", and "who should have many sons"; and by the "barren" are signified the Gentiles who had not divine Truths, because they had not the Word, whence they are called "the afflicted, tossed about with tempest, and not comforted"; to be "afflicted and tossed about with tempest" is predicated of the falsities by which they were infested and carried every way. That the Lord, when He came, would reveal to them living Truths, and instruct them, is signified by "I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires", &.c. That by the "precious stones", here mentioned, are understood divine Truths in the ultimate of order, such as are those of the literal sense of the Word, in which are contained internal Truths, such as are those in the spiritual sense of the Word, is evident; for by the "foundations", "gates", and "borders", which were to be laid with those stones are signified ultimate principles, whence it follows that, in the above passage, by "stones" in general, and by "sapphires", "carbuncles" and "fire-stones" [or rubies], are signified such Truths as are in the literal sense of the Word, which are ultimate Truths, because for the natural and sensual man. Inasmuch as the instruction of the Gentiles in divine Truths is here understood, therefore it follows, "And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah"; but what is specifically signified by the sapphire", "carbuncle", and "fire-stone", it is not necessary to explain In this place, only that "precious stones" in general signify ultimate Truths. Apocalypse Explained 717. See also Arcana Coelestia 9407, 9643, 9873.

12. And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of stones of carbuncle; and all your borders of pleasant stones:

Verse 12. These things are said of the Gentiles out of the church, from whom a New Church was to be established by the Lord. By "I will make your suns as rubies" is signified that Goods shall be brilliant from the fire of love; "suns" here denoting the Goods of love, and the "ruby" denotes a brilliance as from fire.

By "I will make your gates of carbuncles", is signified that Truths shall be resplendent from Good; "gates" denoting introductory Truths, specifically the doctrinals which are derived from Good, for all Truths of doctrine, which are genuine, proceed from Good, and are of Good; and "stones of carbuncle" signify their splendour from Good, - all "precious stones" signifying Truths derived from Good, and the colour, splendour, and fire thereof indicating the quality of Truth from Good.

By "all your borders shall be of pleasant stones", is signified that the scientific Truths which appertain to the natural man shall be pleasant and delightful from Good; for by a "border" is understood the same as by a "foundation", and this is the natural man, forasmuch as in the things which are therein the Goods and Truths of the spiritual man are terminated; and "pleasant stones" denote Truths that are pleasant and delightful from Good. The nature and quality of the Goods and Truths of the Word, which will be with those who are of the New Church, is therefore described in this passage. That the "sun" signifies the Good of love, is also evident from the circumstance of their being called, "suns" in the plural number. Apocalypse Explained 401.

I will make [or set] your suns [windows] of rubies, etc. - Here, instead of windows, "suns" are mentioned, from light, because it is let in or transmitted thereby, "Suns" or "windows" are intellectual things, and, indeed, from charity, wherefore they are compared to the "ruby." The "gates" are the rational things hence derived: and the "borders" are the scientific and sensual principles; for the Lord's church is here treated of. Arcana Coelestia 655. See the note.

13. And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of your sons.

14. In justice shalt you be established: you shalt be far from oppression; for you shalt not fear it: and from terror; for it shall not come near you.

15. Behold, they shall be leagued together, but not by Me: whosoever is leagued against you shall fall because of you.

Verse 13. There is a spiritual idea, of which few have any knowledge, which enters by influx into the minds of those who are in the affection of Truth, and dictates interiorly, whether the thing which they are hearing or reading is true or not. In this idea are those who read the Word in illumination from the Lord. To be in illumination is to be in perception and thence in an internal acknowledgement that that which they hear or read [in the Word] is true. Those who are in this illumination are said to be "taught by Jehovah"; (Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45), and of them it is said in Jeremiah

"Behold, the days come that I will make a new covenant; - this shall be the covenant: I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and they shall no more teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know you Jehovah: for they shall all know Me." (Jeremiah 31:31, 33, 34)

From these considerations it is plain that Faith and Truth are a one. This also is the reason that the ancients, who were more accustomed to think of Truth from affection than the moderns, instead of Faith used the word "Truth", and for the same reason, in the Hebrew language, Truth and Faith are expressed by one and the same word, namely, Amuna or Amen. Doctrine of Faith 5, 6.

16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the coals in the fire, and produces an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to lay waste.

17. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises up against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah; and their justice is from Me, says Jehovah.

Verse 16. See Chapter 44:10, 12, the Exposition; see also Chapter 45:7, the Exposition, in which it is explained how all things, both good and evil, are said to be "created" by God.

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Isaiah Chapter 54.

1. Sing, O you barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and exult, you that didst not travail: for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says Jehovah.

2. Enlarge the place of your tent; and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes;

3. For on the right hand, and on the left, you shalt break forth; and your seed shall inherit the nations, and they shall cause the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4. Fear not; for you shalt not be confounded: and blush not; for you shalt not be brought to reproach: for you shalt forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you shalt remember no more,

5. For your Husband is your Maker; Jehovah of Hosts is His name: and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.

6. For as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit has Jehovah called you; and as a wife of youth, when you wast rejected, says your God.

7. For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you:

8. In an inundation of anger I hid My face for a moment from you; but with everlasting kindness will I have Mercy on you, says your Redeemer Jehovah.

9. For this is [as] the waters of Noah unto Me: when I sware that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth; so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you.

10. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed; but My loving-kindness shall not depart from you, and the covenant of My peace shall not be removed, says Jehovah who has mercy on you.

11. O you afflicted, tossed about with tempest, not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones in stibium, and your foundations with sapphires.

12. And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of stones of carbuncle; and all your borders of pleasant stones:

13. And all your sons shall be taught by Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of your sons.

14. In justice shalt you be established: you shalt be far from oppression; for you shalt not fear it: and from terror; for it shall not come near you.

15. Behold, they shall be leagued together, but not by Me: whosoever is leagued against you shall fall because of you.

16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the coals in the fire, and produces an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to lay waste.

17. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises up against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah; and their justice is from Me, says Jehovah.

600. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth, signifies the sense of the letter, which is natural, in which are all things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of "feet," as being in reference to the angel, by whom is meant the Lord in relation to the Word, the Divine truth in ultimates, or the Word in the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter (See above 65, 69). "Feet" in a general sense signify natural things, because man from the head to the soles of the feet corresponds to heaven, which in its whole complex represents one man, the head corresponding to the inmost or third heaven, the angels of which are celestial, the breast down to the loins corresponding to the middle or second heaven, the angels of which are called spiritual, and the feet corresponding to the ultimate or first heaven, the angels of which are celestial-natural and spiritual-natural; and the soles of the feet corresponding to the world, in which everything is natural. This makes clear why the "feet" signify natural things (See more on this correspondence in the work on Heaven and Hell 59-86, and 87-102).

[2] From this it is now evident why "the feet of the angel," who here represented the Lord as to the Word, signify the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter. The above is evident also from the signification of "the right foot upon the sea and the left upon the earth," as being all things of heaven and the church; for the "right" ¹ signifies all things of good which is the source of truth, and the "left" all things of truth from good; and "the sea and the earth" signify all things of heaven and the church exterior and interior, the "sea" exterior things, and the "earth" interior things. And as all things of heaven and the church have relation to good and truth, also to things exterior and things interior, therefore these words signify in general all things of heaven and the church. The angel was seen to stand "upon the sea and upon the earth," because there is a similar appearance of things in the spiritual world as in the natural world; that is, in the spiritual world as in the natural world there are seas and lands, seas round about and lands between them (See above, n. 275, 342, 538). This shows why "sea and earth" signify all things of heaven and also of the church.

[3] As "right and left" are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and in some places "right" alone, or "left" alone, I will explain in a few words what is signified by each of them, and by the two together. This can be known from the quarters in the spiritual world, where the south is to the right, and the north to the left, and the east in front, and the west behind. An angel perpetually faces the Lord as a sun, therefore before him is the Lord as the east, and behind him the Lord as the west, and at his right hand is the south, and at his left hand the north. It is from this way of facing that the "right" signifies truth in light, and the "left" truth in shade; or what is the same, that the "right" signifies spiritual good which is truth in light, and the "left" signifies spiritual truth which is truth in shade; so, too, the "right" signifies good which is a source of truth, and the "left" truth from good. Such is the signification of all the right and left parts of the body, and also of the head; as the right and left eye, the right and left hand, the right and left foot, and so on, the proper signification of each member or part being preserved. From these few statements it can be known what "right" and "left" signify, in general and in particular, in the Word of both the New and the Old Testaments, as in the following passages.

[4] In Matthew:

When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what the right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret (Matthew 6:3, 4).

This signifies that good is to be done from good and for the sake of good, and not on account of self and the world for the sake of appearance; "alms" mean every good work; and "let not the left hand know what the right hand doeth" signifies that good must be done from good itself, and not without good, since that would not be good. The "right hand" signifies good which is a source of truth, and the "left hand" truth from good, as has been said above; these act as one in those who are in the good of love and charity, but not as one in those who have regard to self and the world in the goods they do; therefore the "left hand" means here to know and to act without good. "That thine alms may be in secret" signifies that it may not be for the sake of appearance.

[5] In the same:

And the King shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left; and He shall say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And He shall say unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:33, 34, 41).

He who does not know what is signified in the proper sense by "sheep" and what by "goats," might suppose that "sheep" mean all who are good, and "goats" all who are evil; but in the proper sense "sheep" mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence in faith, and "goats" mean those who are in faith separated from charity; thus all upon whom the judgment in the last time of the church will come; for all who were in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the good of charity and faith, had been taken up into heaven before the Last Judgment; while all who were in no good of charity, and in no faith therefrom, consequently all who were inwardly and at the same time outwardly evil, had been cast down into hell before the Last Judgment; but those who were inwardly good and not equally so outwardly, also those who were inwardly evil but outwardly in good, were all left until the Last Judgment, when those who were inwardly good were taken up into heaven, and those who were inwardly evil were cast into hell (respecting this see what has been said from things seen and heard, in the little work on The Last Judgment). From this it can be seen that "goats" mean those who have been in faith separated from charity; as for instance:

The he-goat in Daniel (Daniel 8:5-25), and in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:17).

This makes evident that the "right hand," where the "sheep" are, means the good of charity and of faith therefrom, and the "left hand," where the "goats" are, means faith separated from charity. It was said to the sheep that they should "possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world," because in the heavens at the right is the south, where all those are who are in truths from good; for in the southern part the Divine proceeding itself is such as is meant by "the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world." So, too, they are called "the blessed of My Father," the "Father" meaning the Divine good, from which are all things of heaven. But respecting the "goats," that are on the left hand, it is not said "prepared from the foundation of the world," but "the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," because the evil prepare their hell for themselves. They are called "cursed" because by the "cursed" in the Word are meant all who turn themselves away from the Lord, for such reject the charity and faith of the church. What the "eternal fire" signifies may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 566-575.

[6] The "two robbers who were crucified one of them on the right hand and the other on the left hand of the Lord" (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:39-43), have a similar signification as the "sheep" and the "goats;" therefore to the one who acknowledged the Lord it was said that he should be with Him in paradise.

[7] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples who were fishing, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, then ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and they were no longer able to draw it for the multitude of fishes (John 21:6).

Since "fishing" signifies in the Word the instruction and conversion of men who are in external or natural good, in which good were most of the Gentiles at that time, "fish" signifying the things of the natural man, and "boat" doctrine from the Word; therefore "the right side of the boat" signifies the good of life. This makes clear the signification of what the Lord said, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," namely, that they should teach the good of life. That they would thus convert the Gentiles to the church is signified by their finding in such abundance that "they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of fishes." Anyone can see that the Lord would not have commanded them "to cast the net on the right side of the ship" unless the "right side" had been significative.

[8] In Matthew:

If thy right eye hath caused thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee. And if thy right hand hath caused thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee (Matthew 5:29, 30).

That by the "right eye" and the "right hand" the Lord did not mean the right eye and the right hand, anyone can see from its being said that the eye "must be plucked out" and the hand "must be cut off" if they cause to stumble; but as the "eye" signifies in the spiritual sense everything belonging to the understanding and to thought therefrom, and the "right hand" everything belonging to the will and to affection therefrom, it is evident that "if the right eye hath caused thee to stumble it must be plucked out" signifies that if one thinks evil the evil must be rejected from the thought; also "if the right hand hath caused thee to stumble it must be cut off" signifies that if evil is willed the evil of the will must be cast out. For the eye itself cannot cause to stumble, nor can the right hand, but the thought of the understanding and the affection of the will, to which they correspond, can. It is said the "right eye" and the "right hand," and not the left eye and the left hand, because the "right" signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, while the "left" hand signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, and all cause of stumbling comes from evil, not from falsity, unless the falsity is the falsity of evil. That these things are said of the internal man, whose part it is to think and to will, and not of the external, whose part it is to see and to act, is evident also from the words that immediately precede respecting the "woman of another," that merely looking upon her from lust is committing adultery.

[9] In the Gospels:

The mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus that one of her sons should sit on the right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom. Jesus said, Ye know not what ye ask; to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give except to those to whom it is given by the Father (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40).

"The mother of the sons of Zebedee," James and John, asked this, because by "mother" the church is meant; by "James" charity, and by "John" the good of charity in act; these two, or those who are in them, are at the right hand and the left of the Lord in heaven; to the right there is the south, and to the left is the north, and in the south are those who are in the light of truth from clear good, and in the north are those who are in the light of truth from obscure good. The Divine itself proceeding from the Lord as a sun produces such a Divine sphere in those quarters; for this reason none can possibly dwell there except those who are in those truths from good; this is the signification of "to sit on the right hand and on the left hand of the Lord is for those only to whom it has been given, or for whom it has been prepared by the Father;" "the Father" meaning the Divine good of the Divine love, from which is heaven and everything of heaven; so these words of the Lord mean that to sit on His right hand and on His left in the heavens is given by the Lord to those for whom it has been prepared from the foundation of the world to have an inheritance allotted to them in the south and in the north.

[10] That the "right hand" means the south in the heavens is clearly evident in David:

The heavens are Thine, and the earth is Thine; the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them; the north and the right hand Thou hast created (Psalms 89:11, 12).

"Heaven and earth" means the higher and lower heavens, likewise the internal and external church; the "world and the fullness thereof" means the heavens and the church in general as to good and truth; the "world" heaven and the church as to good, and the "fullness thereof" heaven and the church as to truth; and as these principles, or those who are in them, are in the north and in the south, and the south is at the Lord's right hand, it is said "the north and the right hand;" and as Divine truth united to Divine good in those quarters is such from the foundation of the world, as has been said above, it is said, "Thou hast founded" and "Thou hast created."

[11] In Isaiah:

The Lord hath given you the bread of distress and the waters of oppression; but thine instructors shall not be made to fly away anymore, and thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors; and thine ears shall hear the word saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right and when ye shall go to the left (Isaiah 30:20, 21).

This treats of those who are in temptations, and who, by means of temptations and after temptations, accept and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine; temptations themselves are signified by "the bread of distress and the waters of oppression," "bread of distress" signifying temptations in respect to the good of love, and "waters of oppression" temptations in respect to the truths of faith; for temptations are of two kinds, namely, in respect to the good which is of love, and in respect to the truth which is of faith; "bread" signifying the good of love, and "waters" the truths of faith, and "distress" and "oppression" states of temptation. Instruction in the truths of doctrine is signified by "thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors," "eyes" signifying the understanding and faith, and "instructors" doctrine. The good of life according to the truths of doctrine is signified by "thine ears shall hear the word," "ears" signifying obedience, and because obedience is of the life, so "to hear the word" signifies a life according to the truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by "saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right hand and when ye shall go to the left;" "way" signifies truth leading, truth leading to the south in heaven is meant by "going to the right," and truth leading to the north there by "going to the left."

[12] In the same:

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; hinder not; make long thy cords, and make firm thy stakes; for on the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth; and thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:2, 3).

This treats of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles; and "Enlarge the place of thy tent" signifies the increase of the church in respect to the worship from good; "to stretch forth the curtains of the habitations" signifies the increase of the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; "to make long the cords" signifies the extension of these truths; "to make firm the stakes" signifies confirmation from the Word; "to break forth on the right hand and on the left" signifies enlargement in respect to the good of charity and the truth of faith; "on the right" meaning in respect to the good of charity, and "on the left" in respect to the truth of faith from that good; "the seed which shall inherit the nations" signifies truth through which are goods; "seed" meaning truth, and "nations" goods; "the desolate cities which the nations shall make to be inhabited," signify the truths from goods of life; "the desolate cities" meaning the truths of doctrine where there were no truths before; "nations" meaning the goods of life from which are truths, and "to inhabit" meaning to live.

[13] In the same:

In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts the land has been obscured, and the people have become as the fuel of the fire; they shall not spare a man his brother; and if he shall cut down ² on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm (Isaiah 9:19-21).

This describes the extinction of good by falsity, and of truth by evil; the extinction of all good and truth, however it is sought for, is signified by "if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied;" "the right hand" meaning good from which is truth; "the left hand" truth from good; "to cut down and to eat of these" means to search for; "to be hungry and not to be satisfied" means not to be found, or if found, still not received. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 386.)

[14] In Ezekiel:

This was the likeness of the faces of the cherubim, the four had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; the four also had the face of an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10).

What is signified by the "cherubim" and by their "faces" which were like the faces of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle, may be seen above (n. 277-281). The faces of the man and of the lion were seen "on the right side" because "man" signifies Divine truth in light and intelligence, and a "lion" Divine truth in power therefrom, such as it is in heaven in the south; and the face of the ox was seen "on the left side," to signify the good of truth in obscurity, for an "ox" signifies the good of the natural man, which is in obscurity in those who in heaven dwell to the north.

[15] In Zechariah:

In that day will I make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, that they may devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left, that Jerusalem may yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:6).

This treats of the establishment of a celestial church, or of a church that will be in the good of love to the Lord; that church is meant by "the house of Judah." Her "leaders" mean the goods with the truths of that church; the dispersion of evils and falsities by these is signified by "they shall be made like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf," and by "they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left;" the evils that will be dispersed by that church are signified by "like a furnace among the wood, and like a torch in a sheaf;" and the falsities that will also be dispersed are signified by "all the peoples round about, whom they shall devour or consume;" that this church will be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities, and will live in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine, is signified by "Jerusalem shall yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem;" "to be dwelt in" is predicated of the good of life, and "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine.

[16] In Ezekiel:

I will set the point of the sword against all their gates, it is made into lightning, it is sharpened for slaughter. Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set (Ezekiel 21:15, 16).

This describes the destruction of truth by direful falsities; "a sword" signifies such falsities destroying truth, and the direfulness and enormity of that falsity is described by "a sword made into lightning, and sharpened for slaughter;" that those who are in such falsity have nothing of good or truth, with however much zeal they may search for it, is signified by "Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set."

[17] In Zechariah:

Woe to the shepherd of naught forsaking the flock! A sword is upon his arm, and upon the eye of his right side; his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim (Zechariah 11:17).

"A shepherd of naught forsaking the flock" means those who do not teach truth and by it lead to the good of life, and who do not care whether it is truth or falsity that they teach; "a sword upon his arm" signifies falsity destroying every good of the will, and "a sword upon the eye of his right side" signifies falsity destroying every truth of the understanding; that they will be deprived of all good and truth is signified by "his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim." (This may be seen further explained, n. 131, 152.)

[18] As the right region of the body and the members of the right region signify good through which is truth, so when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood it was commanded:

That the blood of the ram should be taken and should be put upon the tip of their right ear, upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exodus 29:20).

This was commanded because "blood" signified Divine truth, by means of which is the good of love, for this good was represented by "Aaron," and truth by his "sons;" and because all consecration for representing the Divine good of love is effected by Divine truth, "blood was put upon the tip of the right ear, upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot." The "tip of the right ear" signifies obedience from perception; the "thumb of the right hand" signifies good in the will; and the "great toe of the right foot" signifies good in act.

[19] Because a "leper" signifies good consumed by falsities, the way in which such an evil is to be cured by Divine means is described by the process of the cleansing of the leper, understood in the spiritual sense, from which I will cite only this:

That the priest should take of the blood of the guilt-offering and should put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot; and the priest should take oil from the log and pour it upon the palm of his left hand; and the priest should dip his left ³ finger in the oil that is in his left palm, and should sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah (Leviticus 14:14-17, 24-28).

Here "the tip of the right ear," "the thumb of the right hand," and "the great toe of the right foot," have a similar signification as above; so has the "blood," namely, Divine truth, for this is what purifies man from the falsities that have consumed the goods in him; and when he is purified from these, good can be produced by means of truths, and the man be thus healed of leprosy. From all this it can be seen that "the right and the left" signify the good from which is truth and the truth that is from good (as has been said above). For what other purpose would the blood have been put upon the right part of those members, and the oil be taken from the left palm, and sprinkled with the left finger?

[20] Likewise:

The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to lie upon his left side, and to have laid upon him the iniquities of the house of Israel (Ezekiel 4:4).

For a "prophet" signifies one who teaches, and in an abstract sense the doctrine of the church; the "left side" signifies the doctrine of truth from good, and it is through truths from good that man is purified from his iniquities.

[21] Solomon set the lavers:

Five beside the shoulder of the house on the right, and five beside the shoulder of the house on its left; but he set the brazen sea by the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south (1 Kings 7:39);

for the reason that the "house or temple" represented heaven and the church; the "lavers" the purifications from falsities and evils, and thus the preparations for entering into heaven and the church; "the right shoulder of the house" signified the south in the heavens, where Divine truth is in its light, and "the left shoulder" signified the north, where Divine truth is in its shade. Thus these "ten lavers" signified all things of purification and all who are purified, and "the five on one shoulder and the five on the other" signified those, or that kind of men, with whom Divine truth is in the light and with whom it is in the shade; "ten" signifying all things and all persons, and "five" one part or one kind. The brazen sea represented general purifying. This was placed by "the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south," because purifying Divine truth proceeds from the Lord's Divine love; for the east is where the Lord appears as a sun; Divine truth, which is the light of heaven from that sun, in the south is in its clearness and sunshine; this is why the general purificator was placed "eastward from the region of the south." These arcana of the Word cannot be known in the world until the quarters in heaven are understood, which differ from the quarters in the world. (Respecting the Quarters in Heaven, see what has been said, from things seen and heard, in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153.)

[22] Since everyone in the spiritual world enters and walks in ways that lead to those who are in a like ruling love, and everyone is free to go any way he wishes, thus into and by any way that his love leads him, and these ways to the right or to the left tend to one love or another, thus to the love that has become ingrafted, so "right and left" signifies pleasantly, freely, and of choice. Thus in the book of Genesis:

Abraham said to Lot, Separate thyself; if to the left I will go to the right, if to the right I will go to the left (Genesis 13:9).

And Abraham's servant said to Laban when he asked for Rebecca as a wife for Isaac:

Tell me, that I may look to the right or the left (Genesis 24:49).

Not to recede or to turn to the right hand or to the left, signifies also to go in no other way than that in which the Lord Himself leads, and in which the good and truth of heaven and the church lead, thus not to go astray, as:

That they should not turn aside from the word of the priest, the Levite, and of the judge, nor from the precepts in the Word, to the right hand or to the left (Deuteronomy 17:11, 20; 28:14; Joshua 1:7; 2 Samuel 14:19).

And that the sons of Israel should not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but should go by the king's highway when they passed through the land of Edom (Numbers 20:17).

And when they passed through the land of King Sihon (Deuteronomy 2:27).

Moreover, "the right hand" signifies full power, and in relation to the Lord, Divine omnipotence (as may be seen above, n. 298.

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