2184. That 'butter' is the celestial part of the rational, 'milk' the spiritual deriving from this, and 'the young bull' the corresponding natural part, is clear from the meaning of 'butter', and of 'milk', and also of 'a young bull'. As regards 'butter', this in the Word means that which is celestial, and this because of the fat present in butter; for 'fat' means that which is celestial, as shown in Volume One, in 353, and 'oil', being fat, means the celestial itself, in 886. That 'butter' has the same meaning becomes clear in Isaiah,

Behold, a virgin is bearing a son, and will call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey will he eat that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. Isaiah 7:14-15.

This refers to the Lord, who is Immanuel; and anyone may see that butter is not meant by 'butter', nor honey by 'honey'. But by 'butter' is meant His celestial, and by 'honey' that which is derived from that celestial.

[2] In the same chapter,

And it will be, because of the abundance of milk which they give, that he will eat butter, for butter and honey will everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land. Isaiah 7:22.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, and to those on earth who are members of the Lord's kingdom. 'Milk' here stands for spiritual good, 'butter' for celestial good, and 'honey' for the happiness derived from this.

[3] In Moses,

Jehovah alone leads him, and there is no foreign god with him. He causes him to ride on the heights of the land, and He feeds [him] with the produce of the fields, and He causes him to suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock - butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and of rams, the breed ¹ of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you will drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:12-14.

No one is able to understand what all these things mean unless he knows the internal sense of each one. It seems like a pile of expressions such as belong to the oratory employed by the wise men of the world. But yet each expression means that which is celestial and that which is spiritual going with it, and also the blessing and happiness which flow from these, and all of them in a co-ordinated sequence. 'Butter from the herd' is the celestial-natural, 'milk from the flock' the celestial-spiritual of the rational.

[4] As regards 'milk' however, this means, as has been stated, that which is spiritual derived from that which is celestial, that is, the celestial-spiritual. What the celestial-spiritual is, see Volume One, in 1577, 1824, and in various other places. The reason 'milk' means that which is spiritual derived from that which is celestial is that 'water' means that which is spiritual, 680, 739, while milk, because of the fat in it, means the celestial-spiritual; or (what amounts to the same) truth rooted in good; or (also amounting to the same) faith grounded in love or charity; or (yet the same) the understanding part of the good present in the will; or (likewise amounting to the same) the affection for truth that has the affection for good within it; or (still yet the same) the affection for cognitions and facts that springs from the affection that belongs to charity towards the neighbour, such as exists with those who love the neighbour and confirm themselves in this love from the cognitions of faith and also from factual knowledge, which they love because they love the neighbour. All these are the same as the celestial-spiritual, and may be used in reference to any particular matter under discussion.

[5] That the celestial-spiritual is meant is also evident from the Word, as in Isaiah,

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money on that which is not bread? Isaiah 55:1-2.

Here 'wine' stands for the spiritual element of faith, 'milk' for the spiritual element of love. In Moses,

He washes his garment in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. Genesis 49:11-12.

This is the prophecy of Jacob, who by now was Israel, regarding Judah - 'Judah' being used here to describe the Lord. By 'teeth whiter than milk' is meant the celestial-spiritual which belonged to His Natural.

[6] In Joel,

It will be, on that day, that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will run with milk, and all the streams of Judah will run with water. Joel 3:18.

Here, where the subject is the Lord's kingdom, 'milk' stands for the celestial-spiritual. Also in the Word the land of Canaan, which represents and means the Lord's kingdom, is called 'a land flowing with milk and honey', as in Numbers 13:27; 14:8; Deuteronomy 26:9, 15; 27:3; Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22; Ezekiel 20:6, 15. In these places nothing else is meant by 'milk' than the abundance of celestial-spiritual things, and by 'honey' the abundant happiness derived from these. 'Land' is the celestial part itself of the kingdom from which they come.

[7] As regards 'a young bull' meaning the celestial-natural, this has been shown just above in 2180. The celestial-natural is the same as natural good, that is, good within the natural. Man's natural, like his rational, has its own good and its own truth, for then a marriage of good and truth exists everywhere, as stated above in 2173. The good that belongs to the natural is the delight which is perceived from charity, that is, from the friendship that is the product of charity; and from that delight springs the joy or satisfaction which belongs properly to the body. The truth of the natural consists in that factual knowledge which gives support to that delight. All this shows what the celestial-natural is.

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6745. 'And nurse him for me' means that she should instill into him good compatible with that kind of religion. This is clear from the meaning of 'nursing' as instilling good, dealt with below; and from the representation of' Pharaoh's daughter' as a kind of religion, dealt with in 6729. And since Pharaoh's daughter says that the woman should nurse him for her, the meaning is that she should instill good compatible with that kind of religion.

[2] The fact that 'nursing' means instilling good is evident from the meaning of 'a wet nurse' as the instillation of good, dealt with above in 6740. In addition to the places there which are quoted from the Word there are also the following: In Moses,

They will call peoples to the mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, because they will suck the plentifulness of the sea, and the hidden treasures of the secrets of the sand. Deuteronomy 33:19.

This is a prophetic utterance made by Moses concerning Zebulun and Issachar. 'Calling peoples to the mountain, there offering sacrifices of righteousness' means worship arising out of love. 'Sucking the plentifulness of the sea' means that they will at that time take in a large amount of true factual knowledge, that is, such knowledge will be instilled into them. For 'sucking' here is the same expression as 'being nursed', as it also is in the places commented on below.

[3] In Isaiah,

I will make you an eternal magnificence, a joy of generation after generation; and you will suck the milk of the nations, indeed the breasts of kings will you suck. Isaiah 60:15-16.

This refers to Zion and Jerusalem, which are the celestial Church, 'Zion' being the internal part of it and 'Jerusalem' the external. 'Sucking the milk of the nations' stands for the instillation of celestial good, 'sucking the breasts of kings' for the instillation of celestial truth. Anyone can see that these words conceal a meaning that is not apparent in the letter and that since it is the Divine Word there is a holiness concealed within that meaning. If this were not so what would 'sucking the milk of the nations' or 'sucking the breasts of kings' be? The holy meaning concealed there is not at all evident unless one knows what is meant by 'sucking', 'milk', 'the nations', 'breasts', and 'kings'. 'Milk' is the celestial-spiritual or the truth of good, see 2184;'the nations' are forms of good contained in worship, 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; 'breasts' are affections for goodness and truth, 6432; 'kings' are truths, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148; and 'sucking' is the instillation of good.

[4] From all this one may now know what the meaning of these words is when they apply to the celestial Church, which is Zion and Jerusalem. When Zion and Jerusalem are mentioned together, they mean the celestial Church, 'Zion' the internal part of it and 'Jerusalem' the external, as stated above. But when Jerusalem is mentioned without Zion it in most cases means the spiritual Church.

[5] In the same prophet,

That you may suck and be satisfied with the breast of Jerusalem's consolations, and that you may press out and be delighted by the splendour of her glory. Behold, I spread peace over her like a stream, and the glory of the gentiles like an inundating torrent, in order that you may suck; you will be lifted onto her side and find pleasure on her knees. Isaiah 66:11-12.

Here also 'sucking' stands for the instillation of good.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Even the sea monsters present the breast, they nurse their young; the daughter of My people is cruel, the tongue of the nursling has cleaved to the roof of its mouth because of thirst. Lamentations 4:3-4.

'The daughter of My people' stands for the spiritual Church, here for that Church when it has been laid waste. Its failure, unlike even the sea monsters, to nurse its young stands for no instillation of truth. 'The tongue of the nursling has cleaved to the roof of its mouth because of thirst' stands for the want of such truth, so that every trace of innocence perishes, 'nursling' being innocence and 'thirst' the want of truth.