Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

3424. “以撒的仆人在山谷中挖井, 在那里得了一口活水井” 表含有内义在里面的圣言字义. 这从 “在山谷中挖井” 和 “活水井” 的含义清楚可知: “在山谷中挖井” 表向下查考以寻找真理所在之处, “挖” 是指寻找, “山谷” 表在下之物 (1723, 3417节); “活水井” 是指含有神圣真理的圣言, 因而是指含有内义在里面的圣言字义. 众所周知, 圣言被称为 “源泉”, 尤其被称为 “活水的源泉”. 圣言也被称为 “井” 的原因在于, 相对于圣言的其它意义来说, 字义就像一口井; 还因为就属灵之人而言, 圣言不是 “源泉”, 而是 “井” (2702, 3096节). 由于 “山谷” 表在下之物, 或也可说, 更为外在之物, 而源泉是在山谷里找到的, 字义是圣言较为低下或更为外在的意义, 故所表示的是字义. 但由于内义, 也就是天上和神性意义在这字义里面, 故它的水被称为 “活的”, 和以西结书中新殿门槛下所流出的水一样:

这河所到之处, 凡滋生的活物都可以存活; 并且也必有极多的鱼, 因为这些水流到那里, 得以治愈, 这河所到之处, 百物都必存活. (以西结书 47:9)

此处 “河” 是指圣言, “使百物存活的水” 是指它所含有的神圣真理, “鱼” 是指记忆知识 (40, 991节).

主在约翰福音中教导说, 主的圣言能赋予那口渴的, 也就是渴望生命的人以生命, 它就是那活水的泉源.

耶稣对雅各井旁的撒马利亚妇人说, 你若知道神的恩赐和对你说给我水喝的是谁, 你必早求他, 祂也必早给了你活水. 人若喝我所赐与他的水, 就永远不渴. 我所赐给他的水要在他里头成为水泉, 直涌到永生. (约翰福音 4:10, 14)

圣言是活的, 故能赋予生命. 这是因为就其至高意义而言, 所论述的主题是主; 就至内在的意义而言, 所论述的主题是祂的国度, 主在其国度中就是全部. 既然如此, 圣言所包含, 并且流入那些虔诚阅读圣言之人心灵的, 正是生命本身. 这就为何就来自祂自己的圣言而言, 主自称 “水泉, 直涌到永生” (也可参看2702节).

就像主的圣言被称为 “泉源”, 它也被称为 “井”. 这一点明显可见于摩西五经:

以色列人就唱了这首歌: 井啊, 涌上来吧! 你们在回应这井. 这井是首领们所挖的, 是民中的领袖照立法者的吩咐用他们的杖所挖的. (民数记 21:17-18)

这些话是在 “比珥地”, 也就是 “井之地” 说的. “井” 在此表古教会的圣言, 如前所述 (2897节), 这一点从那里有关圣言的说明清楚可知. “首领” 表为源头的首要真理, “首领” 表首要真理 (参看1482, 2089节); “民中的领袖” 表较为低级的真理, 就是诸如包含在字义中的那些真理 (1259, 1260, 2928, 3295节). “立法者” 显然是指主, “杖” 表这些真理所拥有的能力.