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])

4815. “犹大离开他弟兄下去” 表雅各的后代, 尤其与其余支派分开的犹大支派. 这从 “犹大” 的代表和 “离开他弟兄下去” 的含义清楚可知: “犹大” 在普遍意义上是指雅各的后代, 在具体意义上是指被称为犹大支派的支派; “离开他弟兄下去” 是指与其余支派分开, 在此是指陷入比他们更糟糕的邪恶. 事实上, “下去” 含有堕入邪恶的意思, 因为 “上升” 含有朝良善上升的意思 (3084, 4539节). 这是因为, 如前所述, 迦南地代表主的国度, 耶路撒冷和锡安代表该国度的至内在部分. 但这地边界之外的地区则代表那些在主国度之外的事物, 即虚假与邪恶. 因此, 从锡安和耶路撒冷到这地的边界被称为 “下去”; 而从边界到耶路撒冷和锡安被称为 “上去”. 这就是为何 “上去” 含有朝真理与良善上升的意思, 而 “下去” 含有堕入虚假与邪恶的意思. 由于此处论述的是犹大支派所堕入的虚假与邪恶, 故经上说犹大 “下去”, 然后 “转身去了一个亚杜兰人那里”; “转身” 表示堕入虚假, 然后堕入邪恶.

众所周知, 犹大支派与其余支派分开. 分开的原因是为了叫该支派可以代表主的属天国度, 而其余支派则代表祂的属灵国度. 因此, 犹大在代表意义上也指属天人, 在普遍意义上是指主的属天国度 (3654, 3881节); 其余支派统称为一个名字, 即 “以色列人”, 因为 “以色列” 在代表意义上是指属灵人, 在普遍意义上是指主的属灵国度 (3654, 4286节).

犹大支派堕入比其余支派更糟糕的邪恶, 尤以这些话来表示: “犹大离开他弟兄下去, 转身”. 犹大支派陷入比其余支派更糟糕的邪恶, 这一点从圣言中的许多经文, 尤其先知书中的经文明显看出来, 如耶利米书:

她奸诈的妹妹犹大也看见了. 背道的以色列行淫, 我为这缘故给她休书休她. 然而她奸诈的妹妹犹大还不惧怕, 也去行淫. 因她行淫的声音, 那地就被玷污了, 她和石头木头行淫; 虽有这一切的事, 她奸诈的妹妹犹大还不归向我; 背道的以色列比奸诈的犹大还使灵魂显为义. (耶利米书 3:7-11)

以西结书:

她妹妹虽然看见了, 却败坏自己的爱情, 比她姐姐更甚, 她的淫乱比她姐姐的淫乱更多. (以西结书 23:11-49)

这些话论及耶路撒冷和撒马利亚, 也就是犹大支派和以色列支派. 其它许多地方的话也是如此.

就内义而言, 本章描述了这个支派如何陷入虚假, 由此陷入邪恶, 最终陷入纯粹的偶像崇拜. 诚然, 在该支派与其余的支派分开之前, 以及在它如上文所述之前, 这一点在内义上就已被描述出来; 但内义所包含的, 却是神性, 未来的事都呈现在神性面前. 关于该民族的预言, 参看申命记 (31:16-22; 32:15-44).