314. A Lamb standing, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of "lamb," as being, in reference to the Lord, Himself in respect to the Divine Human. The Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called a "lamb" because a "lamb" signifies the good of innocence, and the good of innocence is the good itself of heaven proceeding from the Lord; and so far as angels receive this good, so far they are angels. This good reigns with angels that are in the third or inmost heaven; for this reason those in that heaven appear as infants before the eyes of other angels. (What the good of innocence is, and that the angels of heaven are in that good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter treating of The State of Innocence of the Angels of Heaven, n. 276-283, also n. 285, 288, 341, 382.) It is believed in the world that the Lord is called "a Lamb" for the reason that the continual burnt-offering, or what was offered every day, evening and morning, was from lambs, and especially on the Passover days, when a lamb was also eaten; and that the Lord suffered Himself to be sacrificed. Such a reason for His being so called may do for those in the world who do not think beyond the sense of the letter of the Word; but nothing of this kind is perceived in heaven when the term "lamb" is predicated of the Lord; but when "lamb" is mentioned, or is read in the Word, the angels, because they are all in the spiritual sense of the Word, perceive the good of innocence; and when the Lord is so called, they perceive His Divine Human, and at the same time the good of innocence that is from Him. I know that this will with difficulty be believed, but yet it is true.

[2] That "lamb" in the Word signifies the good of innocence, and in reference to the Lord Himself, "lamb" signifies His Divine Human, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs into His arm, and shall carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead the sucklings (Isaiah 40:10-11).

This treats of the Lord's coming; the "flock that He shall feed as a shepherd," signify those who are in the good of charity; and the "lambs that He shall gather into His arm," signify those who are in love to Him. It is this love that, viewed in itself, is innocence; therefore all who are in it are in the heaven of innocence, which is the third heaven; and as this love is signified by lambs, it is also said, "He shall gently lead the sucklings." "Sucklings" and "infants" in the Word mean those who are in innocence (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 277, 280, 329-345).

[3] In the same:

The wolf shall sojourn with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them; and the heifer and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together; the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den (Isaiah 11:6-8).

These things are said of the Lord's coming and of His kingdom, also of those therein who are in the good of innocence, that they shall have nothing to fear from the hells and the evils therefrom, because they are protected by the Lord. The Lord's kingdom is here described by innocences of various kinds, and by their opposites from which they shall be protected; a "lamb" means innocence of the inmost degree, its opposite is the "wolf;" a "kid" means innocence of the second degree, the opposite of which is the "leopard;" a "calf" means innocence of the last degree, the opposite of which is the "young lion." (That "lamb," "ram," or "sheep," and "calf," signify three degrees of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 10132.) Innocence of the inmost degree is such as belongs to those who are in the third or inmost heaven, and its good is called celestial good; innocence of the second degree is such as belongs to those who are in the second or middle heaven, and its good is called spiritual good; and innocence of the last degree is such as belongs to those who are in the first or the last heaven, and its good is called spiritual-natural good. (That all who are in the heavens are in some good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 4797.) Because the goods of innocence are described by the animals above named, it is said further "and a little boy shall lead them," also, "the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth his hand on the basilisk's den." These degrees of innocence are signified also by "boy," "suckling," and "weaned child." (That "boy" has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia 430, 5236; that "suckling," or infant of the first age, and "weaned child," or infant of the second age, have these significations see n. 3183 4563, 5608, 6740, 6745)

[4] Because a "lamb" signifies innocence, or those who are innocent, and a "wolf" those who are against innocence, it is said in like manner in another place in the same prophet:

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; they shall not do evil in the whole mountain of holiness (Isaiah 65:25);

"the mountain of holiness" is heaven, especially the inmost heaven. Therefore the Lord said to the seventy whom He sent forth:

I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3).

[5] Because "lambs" signify those who are in the love to the Lord, which love is one with innocence, and because "sheep" signify those who are in love towards the neighbor, which love is charity, the Lord said to Peter:

Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto Him, Feed My lambs; and afterwards, Feed My sheep (John 21:15-17).

These things were said to Peter, because by "Peter" truth from good, or faith from charity was meant, and truth from good teaches; "to feed" meaning to teach.

[6] In Ezekiel:

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, these were the merchants of thy hand, in lambs, rams, and goats (Ezekiel 27:21).

This is said of Tyre, by which those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are meant. "Arabia" and "the princes of Kedar," who are "the merchants of her hand," signify those who are in truths and goods from knowledges; "merchants" signify those who communicate and teach these; "lambs, rams, and goats," signify three degrees of the good of innocence, the same as "lambs, rams, and calves." (That these signify the three degrees of the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 10042, 10132)

[7] In like manner in Moses:

He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the pure blood of the grape (Deuteronomy 32:13-14).

These things are said of the establishment of the Ancient Church, which was the first church after the flood, and all these things describe its various kinds of good; but as scarcely anyone will understand them without explanation, I will briefly explain them. "To ride on the high places of the earth" signifies that the intelligence of those who were of that church was interior; "He fed him with the increase of the fields" signifies that they were instructed in all truth and good; "He made him to suck honey out of the cliff" signifies that they had natural good by means of truths; "oil out of the flint of the rock" signifies that they had spiritual good also by means of truths; "honey" and "oil" signifying those goods, and "cliff," "rock," and "hard rock," signifying truths; "butter of the herd, and milk of the flock," signify the internal and the external good of truth; "the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats," signifies the goods of innocence of the three degrees (as above); "the fat of the kidneys of wheat" and "the blood of the grape" signify genuine good and genuine truth therefrom.

[8] In Isaiah:

The sword of Jehovah shall be filled with blood; it shall be made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and of he-goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams (Isaiah 34:6).

Here, too, "lambs, rams, and goats," signify the three degrees of the good of innocence (of which above); but here their destruction by the falsities of evil is treated of; for "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth and good; the "blood" with which it shall be filled signifies destruction.

[9] Since a "lamb" signifies innocence, which, viewed in itself, is love to the Lord, a "lamb," in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for in respect to this, the Lord was innocence itself; as may be seen in the following passages. In Isaiah:

He endured persecution and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is led as a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

Send ye the lamb of the ruler of the land from the cliff toward the wilderness unto the Mount of the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).

In John:

John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. And afterwards, seeing Jesus walking, he said, Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36).

And in Revelation:

The Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:17).

They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of the testimony (Revelation 12:11;

besides also elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 13:8; 14:1, 4; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23; 22:1, 3).

[10] Since "burnt-offerings and sacrifices" signified all representative worship from the good of love and from the truths thence, "burnt-offerings" worship from the good of love, and "sacrifices" in a special sense worship from the truths thence, so:

Every day, evening and morning, there was a burnt-offering of lambs (Exodus 29:38-43; Numbers 28:1-9);

Every sabbath, of two lambs, besides the continual burnt-offering of them (Numbers 28:9-10);

In the beginnings of the months, of seven lambs (Numbers 28:11-15);

Likewise on the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26 to end);

Likewise in the seventh month, when there was a holy convocation (Numbers 29:1-7);

Likewise, namely of seven lambs on each day of the passover, besides two young bullocks, one ram, and one goat (Numbers 28:16-24).

The burnt-offering was of "seven lambs" because "seven" signifies all and fullness, and it is predicated of what is holy, and because "burnt-offerings" in general signified worship of the Lord from the good of love, and the good of love to the Lord from the Lord is the good itself of innocence; and "lamb" in the highest sense signified the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. (That "burnt-offerings" signified all worship from the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042) On account of this representation there was also instituted:

The supper of the passover of lambs or kids (Exodus 12:1-29);

for "the feast of the passover" represented the glorification of the Lord's Human (See Arcana Coelestia 10655). Because "infants" signified innocence, it was also commanded that:

After birth, on the day of purification, they should sacrifice a lamb, a young pigeon, or a turtle dove; or, instead of a lamb, two young pigeons or two turtle doves (Leviticus 12:6, 8);

"young pigeons" and "turtle doves" signifying the like as "lambs," namely, innocence.

8869. 'You shall not make for yourself a graven image' means no product of self-intelligence. This is clear from the meaning of 'a graven image' as that which does not come from the Lord but from a person's self. A product of one's own understanding is meant by 'a graven image', and a product of one's own will by 'a molded image'. Having either kind as a god or venerating it is loving all that comes from self more than anything else. People who do this do not at all believe that any of their intelligence or wisdom flows in from the Divine; for they attribute it all to themselves. And everything else happening to them which they cannot attribute to themselves they relate to fortune or to chance; they altogether refuse to recognize God's providence in such matters. They suppose that if some higher power is present it lies within the natural order, to which they ascribe all things. They do, it is true, say with their lips that some God and Creator has stamped such things on the natural order; but in their hearts they refuse to recognize any God higher than the natural order. This is what those people are like who at heart attribute everything to their own prudence and intelligence, and nothing to God. And those of them who love themselves venerate their own abilities. They also wish to be venerated by others, indeed to be venerated as gods, openly so if the Church did not forbid it. These are 'the makers of graven images', and the images themselves are what they hatch from their own understanding and will, and wish to be venerated as things that are Divine.

[2] The fact that those things are meant by 'graven images' in the Word is clear from places where they are mentioned, as in Jeremiah,

Every person has been made stupid by knowledge; every metal-caster has been filled with shame by his graven image, for his molded image is a lie; and there is no spirit in those things. Jeremiah 10:14; 51:17.

Because 'a graven image' means that which does not originate in the Lord but is a product of self-intelligence, the words 'every person has been made stupid by knowledge' and 'every metal-caster has been filled with shame by his graven image' are therefore used. And because what is hatched from self-intelligence does not have within it any spiritual life, which comes solely from the Lord, the words 'and there is no spirit in those things' are also therefore used.

[3] In Habakkuk,

What profit is a graven image since its image-maker has graven it, a molded image and a teacher of lies, since the image-maker trusts in the thing he himself has made, when he makes dumb gods? It has no breath in it. ¹ Habakkuk 2:18-20.

Here 'a graven image' stands for what is hatched from self-intelligence and has no life at all from the Lord within it.

[4] In Jeremiah,

A drought on its waters, and they will dry up! For it is the land of graven images, and they glory in idols. ² Therefore the ziim dwell with the iim, and the daughters of the owl dwell in it. Jeremiah 50:38-39.

This refers to Chaldea and Babel. 'A drought on its waters, and they will dry up' stands for truths that have no life at all in them, 'the ziim and the iim and the daughters of the owl dwell' stands for evils and falsities, and so for things which inwardly belong to death This is why the words 'the land of graven images' are used.

[5] In Isaiah,

Makers of the graven image, all are vanity; and their most desirable things are profitless. And they are their own witnesses; they do not see, nor do they know. Isaiah 44:9-11.

'Makers of the graven image' stands for those who hammer out teachings which are not products of truths from the Word but products of self-intelligence, in reference to which teachings the words 'their most desirable things are profitless' and 'they do not see, nor do they know' are used. Verses 12-16 of that chapter go on to refer to the art of conceiving ideas and of using reasonings to hatch them from self-intelligence - ideas which they wish to be recognized as Divine. Regarding these the following is said finally,

The rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He venerates it, bows down [to it]. And yet they do not know or understand; and their eyes do not see, so that their hearts do not understand. Isaiah 44:17-18.

'They do not know, do not understand, and do not see' stands for the absence of truths and forms of good within; for inwardly nothing that is the outcome of self-intelligence has either truths or forms of good in it, only falsities and evils, since it is the outcome of the person's proprium. The fact that the proprium is fundamentally evil, see 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1023, 1044, 1047, 1581, 3812 (end), 4328, 5660, 5786, 8480.

[6] In the same prophet,

To whom will you liken God, and what image will you compare with Him? The craftsman casts a graven image, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts silver chains for it. Whoever is too impoverished to make this oblation ³ chooses a piece of wood that will not rot; he seeks for himself a wise craftsman to make ready a graven image that is immovable. Isaiah 40:18-20.

'A graven image' cast by a craftsman stands for false teachings that spring from the self, and 'a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts silver chains for it' stands for the fact that it uses reasonings to make the falsities in those teachings look like truths.

[7] In the same prophet,

I Jehovah have called You in righteousness, to open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison, out of the dungeon-house those who sit in darkness. I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:6-8.

These words refer to the Lord. They declare that He is Jehovah, that He is the Source of all wisdom, and that none at all springs from man. Their reference to the Lord is self-evident, as is the truth that He is Jehovah; for they declare that Jehovah has called Him in righteousness, and then 'I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another'. The truth that He is the Source of all wisdom which has to do with life is meant when it says that He is to open the blind eyes, bring the bound out of prison, and out of the dungeon-house those who sit in darkness; and the truth that no wisdom at all springs from man is meant by 'My praise I will not give to graven images'.

[8] Ideas belonging to self-intelligence are also meant by 'graven images' in the following places: In Isaiah,

And there came the chariot of a man (vir), a pair of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babel has fallen; and all the graven images he has broken to the earth. Isaiah 21:9.

In the same prophet,

Then you will judge unclean the covering of the graven images of your silver, and the clothing of the molded image of your gold. You will throw them away like a menstruous rag; a piece of dung it will be called. Isaiah 30:22.

In Jeremiah,

Why have they provoked Me to anger through their graven images, through foreigners' idols? ⁴ Jeremiah 8:19.

In Hosea,

[As] they have called themselves, so they have gone for the sake of themselves. They sacrifice to the baals, and burn incense to graven images. Hosea 11:2.

In Moses,

Cursed is the man who makes a graven or a molded image, an abomination to Jehovah, the work of a craftsman's hands. Deuteronomy 27:15.

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