THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 5

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

PARABLES: THE WASTED VINEYARD

1. I WILL now sing to my Beloved, a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a high and fruitful hill:

VERSES 1, 2. By "the vineyard which belonged to the Beloved in the horn of a son of oil", is signified the spiritual church, which is principled in truths originating in the good of love, thus which is most excellent, for a "vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is principled in truths from good; the inauguration thereof is understood by the "horn of oil", forasmuch as inaugurations were performed by oil out of a horn; and a "son of oil" denotes truth derived from good.

By the "Beloved" is signified the Lord, because the churches are established by Him; wherefore it is said that "He fenced it, and gathered out the stones, and planted a noble vine"; the "noble vine" denoting spiritual truth from a celestial origin, or truth derived from the good of love; by the "grapes" which He expected that it should bring forth, are signified the goods of charity, which are goods of life; and by the "wild grapes" which it brought forth, are signified the evils which are opposed to the goods of charity, or evils of life. Apocalypse Explained 375.

In these words there still lies concealed such an arcanum as cannot be expressed by any forms of speech; for by these words is fully described the conjunction of the Lord's spiritual kingdom with His celestial kingdom, that is, the conjunction of the second heaven with the third, consequently the conjunction of the good of faith in the Lord, which is of the spiritual kingdom, with the good of love to the Lord, which is of the celestial kingdom.

A "vineyard" denotes the spiritual kingdom; "in a horn" denotes in power; thus "a son 'of oil" therein, denotes the external good of love in the celestial kingdom; for this kingdom, which is the inmost heaven of the Lord, is called "oil or olive-yard", because "oil" denotes the good of celestial love. Arcana Coelestia 9139.

2. And He fenced it round, and He cleared it of stones, and He planted it with a noble vine; and He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.

Verses 2, 4. He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, etc. "He built a tower in the midst of it", signifies the interior things .which receive influx, and by which there is a communication with heaven; He also "hewed out a wine-press in it", signifies the production of truth from good; and "He expected it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes", signifies the hope of the fructification of those things by virtue of the good of charity, but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good. Apocalypse Explained 918.

That "grapes" signify the good of the spiritual man, thus charity, may appear manifest from several passages in the Word, as in Isaiah, - "My Beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil; He expected that it "would bring forth grapes, but it produced wild grapes"; (Isaiah 5:1, 2, 4) where "vineyard" denotes the spiritual church; "He expected it to bring forth grapes", denotes the goods of charity; but "it produced wild grapes", denotes the evils of hatred and revenge. Apocalypse Explained 5117.

3. And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and O man of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

4. What could have been done more to My vineyard, than I have done unto it? why, then, when I expected that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

Verses 3-6. By "vineyard." is here understood the church with that nation; by "I expected that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes", is signified that there appertained to it evils of the false instead of the goods of truth, which are of the church; by "removing the hedge thereof, and its being eaten up, and by breaking through the wall, and its being trodden down", is signified the destruction thereof as to goods and truths, and invasion by evils and falsities, which are signified by the "thorns and briers" which should come up; by "I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it", is signified that there is no longer with them any reception of truth and good, through the Word, out of heaven. Apocalypse Explained 433.

In this passage, in the sense of the letter, the perverse state of the Israelites and Jews is treated of; but in the internal sense the perverse state of the [Christian] church is treated of, as represented by "Israel and Judah"; the "inhabitant of Jerusalem" is the good of the church; "inhabitant" denotes good, or, what is the same thing, those who are principled in good; and "Jerusalem", the church. In like manner, "the house of Israel" is significative; that "house" denotes good, and "Israel" the church; in like manner the "man of Judah", for by "man" is signified truth, and by "Judah" good, but with this difference, that the "man of Judah" denotes truth grounded in the good of love to the Lord, which is called celestial truth, that is, it signifies those who are principled in such truth. Arcana Coelestia 3654.

5. But now, I will indeed make known unto you what I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will destroy its wall, and it shall be trodden down:

Verse 5. By the "vineyard" is there signified the church of the Lord, which is called the spiritual church; by "removing the hedge", and "breaking through the wall", is signified to falsify and thus to destroy the truths that defend the church; the "wall" and the "hedge" about the vineyard denote the same as the wall and bulwarks of Jerusalem; by "devouring and treading under foot the vineyard" is signified to vastate the church, so that no good and truth can spring up therein, and thus to destroy it. Apocalypse Explained 632.

6. And I will make it a desolation: it shall not be pruned, neither shall it be weeded; but the brier and the thorn shall spring up in it : and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

Verse 6. By these words is understood that there shall not be any understanding of divine Truth or the Word in the church; "vineyard" denotes the church, the "clouds", the Word in the letter, and by their "raining no rain" is signified no understanding of divine Truth, Apocalypse Explained 594.

Here likewise it is said of Jehovah, that "He makes the vineyard a desolation, and commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it"; when notwithstanding this is not done by Jehovah, that is, by the Lord, for He always flows in as well with the evil as with the good, which is understood by His "sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust." (Matthew 5:45)

But the cause hereof is in the man of the church, in that he does not receive any influx of divine Truth; for when this is the case with man, he shuts up the interiors of his mind which should receive, and these being shut up, the divine influx is rejected. By the "vineyard, which is made a desolation", is signified the church; by "not being pruned nor weeded", is signified that it cannot be cultivated, and so prepared to receive; by the "brier and thorn which shall come up", are signified the falsities of evil; by "commanding the clouds that they rain no rain", is signified the non-reception of any influx of divine Truth out of heaven. Apocalypse Explained 644.

The state of desolation and vastation with those who are not regenerated, is also treated of in the Word throughout; in this state are they who altogether deny truths, or turn truths into falsities; this is the state of the church towards the end, when there is no longer either faith or charity, as is described in Isaiah 5:5-7.Arcana Coelestia 5376.

7. For the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah the plant of His delights: and He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry!

Verse 7. And He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry! - Speaking also of the vastation of Goodness and Truth. In this passage there occurs a species of reciprocation, as is common with the Prophets, which is such that evil is found in the place of Truth, signified by "bloodshed, or a scab, instead of judgment", and the false principle in the place of Good, signified by "an outcry, instead of justice"; for "judgment" is Truth, and "justice" is Good. That an" outcry" [clamor] signifies, in a bad sense, the false principle, cannot appear unless from the internal sense of the Word. The expression" outcry" sometimes occurs in the Prophets, when treating of vastation and desolation, on which occasion they speak of "howling" and "crying", signifying thereby that what is Good and True is vastated, and in such case by "howling and crying", in the internal sense, is described the false principle, as in Jeremiah, "A voice of the outcry of shepherds, and a howling of the powerful of the flock, because Jehovah lays waste their pasture;"(Jeremiah 25:36) where an "outcry of shepherds" denotes that they were principled in what is false, whence comes desolation. See also in the same Prophet, 47:2, 4; and in Zephaniah, 1:10, 14; and. other passages which might be adduced. Arcana Coelestia 2240.

An intense supplication is expressed in the Word by an "outcry", and this because the supplication, although tacit, of those who supplicate from the heart, is heard as an outcry in heaven. This occurs when men only think, and more if they deeply sigh from a sincere heart. This was represented by an "outcry" [or clamour] in the representative church; and hence it became a ritual among the Jews. It occurs in like manner with those who teach; they are heard in heaven as though they were crying out. Not only the thoughts but, especially the affections, which are of Goodness and Truth, speak in heaven; that they speak, and if ardent, cry out, has been granted me to know from experience, concerning which, of the Lord's Divine Mercy, I shall speak elsewhere. But the affections of what is evil and false are by no means heard in heaven, although a man who makes supplication from such affections, were to cry aloud, at the same tlme pressing his hands closely together [as in prayer], and praising, up his eyes to heaven; such affections are heard in hell and also as an outcry, if they are ardent. Arcana Coelestia 9202.

To "wait [or look] for judgment", is to wait for intelligence from divine Truth, and a life according to the precepts. Arcana Coelestia 9857.

8. Woe unto you who join house to house, who lay field unto field, until there be no place, and you dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9. To Mine ears [says] Jehovah of Hosts: Surely, [these] many houses shall become a desolation; the great and the good ones, without an inhabitant,

Verses 8, 9. In this passage it signifies the man in whom is evil. The house of man's mind is built up of scientifics, knowledges, and truths united with good. For to collect scientifics, and thereby to raise and to build up the external man; is, in its circumstances, not unlike the building of a house; wherefore the like is signified throughout the Word by "building", and by "erecting houses", as in Isaiah 65:21, 22. "House", in this passage, signifies where there is wisdom and intelligence, consequently where there are the knowledges of Good and of Truth. But in Isaiah 5:8, 9, "house" is used in the opposite sense, and denotes scientifics, by which come falsities. Arcana Coelestia 1488.

"House" signifies various things, as the church, good therein, also a man, and likewise his mind both natural and rational. Arcana Coelestia 9150.

Good pertaining to man is, in the Word, compared to a "house", and on this account 'a man who is principled in good is called the "house of God", but internal good is called the "father's house", whereas good which is in the same, degree is called the "house of brethren", but external good, which is the same as natural good, is called the "mother's house"; all good and truth also is thus born namely, -by an influx of internal good as a father into external good as a mother. Arcana Coelestia 3128.

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath [of wine], and a homer of seed shall yield [scarcely] one ephah [of corn].

Verses 9, 10. By "ten" is signified all and much, as in the following passage in Isaiah:

"Many houses shall be a devastation, great and fair, without inhabitant; for ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath"; treating of the desolation of truth with those who are of the church.

By "many houses which shall be a devastation", are signified the men of the church, specially as to truths from good.

By "great and fair", namely, houses, is signified the affection of good and intelligence of truth; for "great is predicated of good and the affection thereof, and "fair" is predicated of truth and the intelligence thereof; but here in the opposite sense.

By "ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath", is signified that in all things appertaining to the church with man, there is scarcely any truth from good; for by the "bath" is signified the same us by "wine", namely, truth derived from good; wherefore, by "ten acres of vineyard", are signified all things of the church with man. Apocalypse Explained 675.

That the number "ten", and also" tenths", signify remains, may appear from the following passage in Isaiah, Isaiah 5:9, 10; speaking of the vastation of things spiritual and celestial.

"Ten acres of vineyard making one bath", signifies that the remains of things spiritual were so few; and "a homer of seed yielding [scarcely] one ephah [of corn]", signifies that there were so few remains of things celestial. Arcana Coelestia 576.

"Ten acres" denote what is full, and also much; in like manner, a "homer"; but a "bath" and an "ephah" signify few', for when ten denote much, a tenth part means a few. Arcana Coelestia 8468.

11. Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink; who continue late in the evening, that wine may inflame them!

Verses 11, 12, 21, 22. These things are said of those who make to themselves doctrinals from self-derived intelligence, and not from the Lord or from the Word, which is from Him, whence they are in mere falsities; wherefore the perverted state of such persons who believe themselves to be enlightened, in consequence whereof they are in falsities of doctrine, and care not for the Word, from which alone the goods and truths of doctrine and of life can be known, is here described; to "rise early, or at the dawn of morning, and continue to evening", signifies their state of illustration; to "run after strong drink", and to be "inflamed with wine", signifies the fabrication of doctrinals from themselves:

"not to regard the work of Jehovah, nor see the operation of His hands", signifies not to attend to the Word and the goods of life and truths of doctrine there discovered; the "work of Jehovah" being predicated of the goods of life, and the "operation of His hands" of the truths of doctrine, each -from the Word; inasmuch as such persons are understood, therefore it is said, "Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces"; and to be "wise in their own eyes", signifies from self-derived intelligence, and to be "intelligent before their own faces", signifies from self-derived affection; the "eyes" signifying understanding, and the "faces" affection; "woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink", signifies to, such as aspire after great things, and are ingenious in confirming the falsities which favour the loves of self and their own principles; the "mighty" denoting those who aspire to great things, and "men of strength" those who are ingenious and seem to themselves to be intelligent; "to drink wine" [in a bad sense], is to imbibe falsities, and "to mingle strong drink", is to confirm them; such are all they who are in the love of self, and who seek after the fame of erudition, for such are in their proprium, and cannot be elevated therefrom, wherefore their thought is in the sensual corporeal principle, wherein no truth can, appear, nor spiritual good be perceived; whereas they who are not in the love of self, and seek intelligence for the use of life, are elevated by the Lord from the proprium into the light of heaven, whilst they are ignorant of it, and are thereby enlightened. Apocalypse Explained 376 Apocalypse Explained 376[1-40].

12. And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are their feasts: but the work of Jehovah they regard not; and the operation of His hands they do not behold.

Verse 12. The "harp", the "viol", the "tabret", the "pipe", and also" wine", are to be here understood in the opposite sense, in which they signify exultations and boastings from the falsities of evil; that such things are here signified, is evident from its being said, "Woe unto them, they regard not the works of Jehovah, nor behold the operation of His hands." A.. Apocalypse Explained 323.

Inasmuch as "wine" signifies the good of love and of faith, therefore in the supreme sense it signifies the Divine Truth from the Divine Good of the Lord, for from this, by influx, man, who receives, has the good of love and of faith. Whereas several expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also has "'wine", in which sense it signifies the false principle derived from evil [as in this passage]. Arcana Coelestia 6877.

13. Wherefore My people goes into captivity for want of knowledge; and their glory are men [dying] of hunger, and their multitude are dried up with thirst.

14. Therefore hell has enlarged itself, and has stretched open its mouth without measure: her glory, and her multitude, and her throng, and all who exult in her, shall descend into it.

Verse 13. The desolation or destruction of the church for want of the knowledges of good and truth, is signified by "My, people goes into captivity for want of knowledge"; the Divine Truth which constitutes the church, is signified by "glory"; and that this is not in the church, and consequently neither is good, is signified by the "glory thereof being men [dying] of famine"; "men of famine" denoting those who are in no perception of good, and in no knowledges of truth; and that hence they have no truth, is signified by "the multitude thereof being dry with thirst"; "to be dry with thirst" denoting the defect of truth, and "multitude", in the Word, being predicated of truths. Apocalypse Explained 386.

"Thirst" denotes a defect of truth, and hence a privation of spiritual life. Apocalypse Explained 8568.

"Men of famine", signify a scarcity of celestial knowledges; "a multitude dried up with thirst", signifies a scarcity of spiritual knowledges. Arcana Coelestia 1460.

15. And the [mean] man shall be bowed down, and the [great] man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the haughty shall be cast down:

16. And Jehovah of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God the Holy [One] shall be sanctified in justice.

17. Then shall the lambs feed as on their pastures, and the deserted places of the fat ones shall the [flocks of] strangers consume.

Verse 16. Jehovah shall be exalted in judgment, etc. - Inasmuch as the Lord is Divine Good and Divine Truth, and since by "judgment" is signified Divine Truth, and by "justice" or righteousness Divine Good; therefore, in many places where the Lord is spoken of, "justice and judgment" are mentioned, and in other places that men ought to do "justice and judgment." Apocalypse Revealed 668.

18. Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity; and sin, as with the thick traces of a waggon:

19. Who say, Let Him make speed, and let Him hasten His work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and come to pass, that we may know it !

20. Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Verse 18. "Vanity" denotes falsity, and indeed the falsity of doctrine and religion. Arcana Coelestia 2248.

"Cords "of variously twisted appearance and thickness are seen in the other life, and by them are represented various modes of conjunction; hence it is that in the Word "cords" and "ropes" signify, conjoining mediums, thus "cords of vanity" denote conjunctions of falsities, which are productive of iniquity or evil of life. Many passages might be adduced in proof of this, of which the following may suffice, as in Hosea, -

"I have drawn them with the cords of a man, with the thick cords of love"; (Hosea 11:4)

Here "cords" evidently signify conjoining mediums, for "love" is spiritual conjunction,

Again, in Jeremiah,

"My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken"; (Jeremiah 10:20)

Here, too, "cords" are used to signify conjoining find confirming mediums; the "tabernacle" is the church; which is the Lord's heaven upon earth. Arcana Coelestia 9854.

Verse 19. By the "Holy One of Israel" is meant the Lord as to His divine Human and indeed as to the divine Natural; by Israel and Jacob, in the supreme sense, is meant the Lord as to the divine Natural, by "Israel", as to the internal divine Natural, and by "Jacob", as to the external divine Natural. Arcana Coelestia 7091.

Verse 20. To "put darkness for light, and light for darkness, signifies to call the false truth and truth the false; that "darkness" denotes the false and "light" the truth, is evident, for good and evil are first mentioned; therefore, afterwards, mention is made of truth and the false. Apocalypse Explained 526.

Verses 20, 22. That good and truth adulterated is here signified by "bitter", is evident, for it is said, "Woe unto them, that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, by which is, signified the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; for good is adulterated when good is called evil and evil good, and truth is falsified when darkness is put for light and light for darkness, "darkness" denoting falsities, and "light" denotIng truths; hence it is evident that similar things are signified by "putting sweet for bitter, and bitter for sweet"; also by its being said, "woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; by "mighty to drink wine", are signified those who adulterate the truths of the Word, and by "men of strength to mingle strong drink", are signified those who falsify it; "wine and strong drink" denoting the truths of the Word, and "heroes, or the mighty, and men of strength", those who excel in ingenuity and subtlety In adulterating them. Apocalypse Explained 618.

21. Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces!

Verse 21. That the proprium is nothing but mere evil and the false, was made evident to me from this circumstance, that whatever any spirits spoke at any time from themselves was evil and false, insomuch that whenever it was only given me to know that they did speak from themselves, I knew instantly that what they said was false, notwithstanding the power of persuasion in themselves that what they said was true beyond all possible doubt. The case is the same with men also who speak from themselves. In like manner, whenever any have begun to reason concerning the things which respect spiritual and celestial life, or which relate to faith, it was given me to perceive that they were in a state of doubt, yea, of denial touching such things; for to reason about faith is to doubt and deny it. And whereas this proceeds from themselves, or from the proprium, they are mere falsities into which they fall, consequently into an abyss of darknesses, that is, of falsities; and when they are in this abyss, the least scruple prevails over a thousand truths, which scruple is like a small particle of dust falling on the pupil of the eye, and blindlng it in such a manner that it cannot see the universe, or anything contained therein. Concerning such persons the Lord thus speaks in Isaiah, - "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight [or faces]." (Isaiah 5:21) Arcana Coelestia 215. .

22. Woe unto them who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23. Who justify the guilty for a reward, and take away the justice of the just from him!

Verse 22. They who believe nothing but what they comprehend by things sensual and scientific, were also called mighty to drink, as in Isaiah, "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own sight, Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink." They are called "wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own sight", because they who reason against the truths of faith think themselves wiser than others. Arcana Coelestia 1072 Arcana Coelestia 1072[1-6].

24. Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and, as the flame consumes the chaff, so shall their root become like rottenness, and their blossom shall go up like the dust: because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

Verse 24. That hereby are signified the scientifics of truth, appears from the signification of "blossoms and flowers" as denoting the scientifics of truth: the reason why "blossoms" have this signification is, because they are germinations which precede, and in their manner produce fruits and seeds; for it is known that trees and plants bear blossoms before they bear fruit; the case is the same with man, as to intelligence and wisdom : the scientifics of truth precede, and in their manner produce those things which are of wisdom with man; for they serve his rational principle for objects, and thus for means of growing wise; hence it is that the scientifics of truth are as "blossoms", and the good of life, which is the good of wisdom, as "fruit." Inasmuch as all things which are in the spiritual world have reference to such things as appertain to man, by reason that heaven resembles one man, and corresponds to all the things, even the. most minute, appertaining to man, therefore also all things which are in the natural world, according to their agreement with such things as appertain to man, correspond, represent, and signify. Hence now it may be manifest from what ground it is that "blossoms" signify the scientifics of truth, and in general, truths, and that "fruit", and likewise "seeds", signify goods. That "blossoms" denote the scientifics of truth, and in general, truths, is manifest from the following passage :

"Their root shall be as corruption, and their blossoms as dust, because they have refused the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and have despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel." Arcana Coelestia 9553

25. Wherefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has smitten them: and the mountains tremble, and their carcases are as the dung in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched out still.

Verse 25. Inasmuch as "a street" signifies the truth of doctrine leading and, in the opposite sense, the false, therefore by "the mud, the mire and the dung of the streets", is signified the false originating in the love of evil; these things are also said from appearances in the spiritual world, for in the cities in that world where falsities from evil reign, the streets appear full of dung, mire, and mud. Apocalypse Explained 652.

The reason why the "stretching out the hand" denotes the dominion of power, is, because the hand or arm has power when it is stretched out; therefore, when it is said of Jehovah, that "He stretched out the hand or arm", it signifies unlimited or infinite power in act. In very many passages also omnipotence is described by "Jehovah stretching out the hand", also by "His stretched out hand", and by "His stretched out arm"; as in Isaiah, - "The anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them, and has smote them, and the mountains trembled." Arcana Coelestia 7673.

26. And He will erect a standard for the nations afar off, and He will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, with speed shall they come swiftly:

27. None among them is faint, and none stumbles: none shall slumber or sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed; nor shall the latchet of their shoes be unbound:

Verses 26. That by a "standard", or sign, is signified a calling together to war, is manifest from this consideration, that when convocations were made, whether for journeyings, or for festivals, or for war, they "sounded the trumpet", and also "lifted up a sign or standard" upon the mountains. Arcana Coelestia 8624.

The subject here treated of is concerning those who are in ultimates or lowest things as to the understanding of truth, and as to perception of good; those ultimates are called things sensual, which are the ultimates of the natural man; from these, when separated from the spiritual man, stream forth all the evils and falsities which are in the church and in its doctrines. The evils thence derived are signified by the "nations which shall come from afar", and the falsities by "him who cometh from the end of the earth"; "afar off" and the "end of the earth" signifying those things which are remote from the goods and truths of the church; by the "arrows which are sharp", and by the "bows which are bent", are signified falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths; and by the "hoofs of the horses which are accounted as the rock", and by "his wheels which are as the whirlwind", are signified the ultimates of truth, such as are the things in the sense of the letter of the Word, and arguments and confirmations of the false thereby; the "hoofs of horses" denote the ultimates or lowest [principles] of the understanding, in this case of the understanding perverted, because separated from the understanding of the spiritual man; which ultimates being nevertheless from the sense of the letter of the Word, it is said "they are accounted as the rock"; and the "wheels" denote argumentations and confirmations thereby, which, because they appear strong, it is said are" as a whirlwind."Apocalypse Explained 355.

[As to the signification of "horses", see below, Chapter 31:1, 3, the Exposition.]

28. Whose arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are bent; the hoofs of their horses shall be accounted as a rock, and their wheels as a whirlwind:

Verse 28. The reason why hardness is expressed by a "rock", is also from the correspondence of a "rock" with truth from good, for to truth from good appertains all power, but when truth acts against the false from evil, then good is blunted, and the remaining truth acts hardly; truth without good is also hard, but still brittle. Apocalypse Explained 411.

"Arrows" [in a good sense] denote spiritual truths, "bow" doctrine, "horses' hoofs" natural truths, "wheels" the doctrine thereof; which things, having such a signification, are therefore sometimes attributed to Jehovah, to whom they can only be ascribed in a spiritual sense, otherwise they would be empty and improper expressions. Arcana Coelestia 2680.

But in this passage the destroyer of truth is meant, where" arrows" denote falsities, and "bows" the doctrine of the false; the "hoofs of the horses" signify sensual scientifics derived from a perverse intellectual principle; "wheels", the powers of perverting and destroying truths, as "a storm or whirlwind." Arcana Coelestia 8215.

29. Their roaring is like the roaring of a lion; like young lions shall they roar: they shall roar, and shall seize the prey; and they shall bear it away, and none shall deliver.

Verses 29, 30. Here also the "roaring as of a lion, and as of young lions", signifies grief and lamentation over the vastation of divine Truth in the church by the falsities of evil; by "seizing the prey, and none taking it from him", is signified the liberation and salvation of those who are in truths from good. The vastation itself is described by "Lo! darkness, anxiety [or distress], and the light being darkened in the ruins thereof"; "darkness" denotes falsities, "anxiety" denotes evil, the "darkening of the light", the evanescence of divine Truth, and "ruins" signify total subversion. Apocalypse Explained 601.

"Seizing", "rapine", "spoil", and "prey." are predicated of the Lord in the Word, from the circumstance of snatching away and delivering the good. Arcana Coelestia 644:1.

30. In that day shall they roar against them "like the roaring of the sea; and if one look into the land, lo ! darkness, distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof.

Verse 30. This passage relates to the last time of the church, when the Lord shall come in to the world, and judgment be accomplished: inasmuch as at that time there is no longer any good of love or truth of faith, but evil of the false, and the false of evil, it is called a "day of darkness, and of thick darkness." Apocalypse Explained 526.

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Isaiah Chapter 5

1. I will now sing to my Beloved, a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a high and fruitful hill:

2. And He fenced it round, and He cleared it of stones, and He planted it with a noble vine; and He built a tower in the midst of it, and He hewed out also a wine-press therein: and He expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.

3. And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and O man of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

4. What could have been done more to My vineyard, than I have done unto it? why, then, when I expected that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5. But now, I will indeed make known unto you what I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will destroy its wall, and it shall be trodden down:

6. And I will make it a desolation: it shall not be pruned, neither shall it be weeded; but the brier and the thorn shall spring up in it : and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7. For the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah the plant of His delights: and He looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed! and for justice, but behold an outcry!

8. Woe unto you who join house to house, who lay field unto field, until there be no place, and you dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9. To Mine ears [says] Jehovah of Hosts: Surely, [these] many houses shall become a desolation; the great and the good ones, without an inhabitant,

10. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield [scarcely] one bath [of wine], and a homer of seed shall yield [scarcely] one ephah [of corn].

11. Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink; who continue late in the evening, that wine may inflame them!

12. And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are their feasts: but the work of Jehovah they regard not; and the operation of His hands they do not behold.

13. Wherefore My people goes into captivity for want of knowledge; and their glory are men [dying] of hunger, and their multitude are dried up with thirst.

14. Therefore hell has enlarged itself, and has stretched open its mouth without measure: her glory, and her multitude, and her throng, and all who exult in her, shall descend into it.

15. And the [mean] man shall be bowed down, and the [great] man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the haughty shall be cast down:

16. And Jehovah of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God the Holy [One] shall be sanctified in justice.

17. Then shall the lambs feed as on their pastures, and the deserted places of the fat ones shall the [flocks of] strangers consume.

18. Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity; and sin, as with the thick traces of a waggon:

19. Who say, Let Him make speed, and let Him hasten His work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and come to pass., that we may know it !

20. Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21. Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces!

22. Woe unto them who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23. Who justify the guilty for a reward, and take away the justice of the just from him!

24. Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and, as the flame consumes the chaff, so shall their root become like rottenness, and their blossom shall go up like the dust: because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

25. Wherefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has smitten them: and the mountains tremble, and their carcases are as the dung in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned back, but His hand is stretched out still.

26. And He will erect a standard for the nations afar off, and He will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, behold, with speed shall they come swiftly:

27. None among them is faint, and none stumbles: none shall slumber or sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed; nor shall the latchet of their shoes be unbound:

28. Whose arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are bent; the hoofs of their horses shall be accounted as a rock, and their wheels as a whirlwind:

29. Their roaring is like the roaring of a lion; like young lions shall they roar: they shall roar, and shall seize the prey; and they shall bear it away, and none shall deliver.

30. In that day shall they roar against them "like the roaring of the sea; and if one look into the land, lo ! darkness, distress, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof.

726. Who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod, signifies that this doctrine by the power of natural truth from spiritual will convince and refute those who are in falsities and evils and yet are in the church where the Word is. This is evident from the signification of "to tend," as being to teach (of which above, n. 482, but here to convince and refute, because it is said that "he is to tend with an iron rod;" also from the signification of "all the nations," as being those who are in falsities and evils (of which above, n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of an "iron rod," as being the power of a natural truth from spiritual, for "rod" or "staff" signifies power, and it is predicated of spiritual Divine truth, and "iron" signifies truth in the natural man. It is the power of the truth of the natural man from the spiritual that is signified by the "iron rod," because all the power that truths in the natural man have is from the influx of truth and good from the spiritual man, that is, from the influx of Divine truth from the Lord through the spiritual man into the natural; for the Lord alone has power, and He exercises it through Divine truth that proceeds from Him. But that this may be more clearly perceived it shall be shown:

1. That the Lord has infinite power.

2. That the Lord has this power from Himself through His Divine truth.

3. That all power is together in ultimates, and therefore that the Lord has infinite power from things first through ultimates.

4. That so far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.

5. That power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man.

6. That the truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power.

[2] 1. That the Lord has infinite power can be seen from this, that He is the God of heaven and the God of earth; that He created the universe filled with numberless stars, which are suns; and in the universe so many systems and earths in these systems; these systems and the earths in them exceeding in number many hundred thousands; also that He alone preserves and continually sustains these because He created them. Moreover, as He created the natural worlds, so He created the spiritual worlds above them, and these He perpetually fills with angels and spirits to the number of myriads and myriads. Under these, again, He has hid away the hells, as many in number as the heavens. And to each and every thing in the worlds of nature and in the worlds above nature He alone gives life; and because He alone gives life, no angel, spirit, or man is able to move a hand or foot except from Him. What infinite power the Lord has is especially evident from this, that all who come from so many earths into the spiritual worlds, numbering some myriads every week from our earth alone, consequently so many myriads from so many thousand earths in the universe, the Lord alone receives, and by a thousand secret ways of Divine wisdom leads everyone to the place of his life; the faithful to their places in the heavens, and the unfaithful to their places in the hells; and the thoughts, intentions, and wills of all, everywhere He rules in most particular and in most universal things; and He causes each and every one in the heavens to enjoy their happiness, and each and every one in the hells to be held in their bonds, even so that not one of them ventures to lift a hand, much less to rise up to do harm to any angel; and all are thus held in order and in bonds, howsoever the heavens and the hells may be multiplied to eternity. These and many other things too numerous to be mentioned, could not possibly be if the Lord did not have infinite power. That the Lord alone rules all things He Himself teaches in Matthew:

All authority is given to Me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

And that He is the Life (John 5:26; 11:25, 26; 14:6).

[3] 2. The Lord has infinite power from Himself through His Divine truth, because Divine truth is the Divine proceeding, and from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord all those things that have been said above in respect to His infinite power are effected. Divine truth regarded in itself is Divine wisdom, which extends itself in every direction, like the light and heat from the sun in our world; for in the spiritual world, where angels and spirits are, the Lord is seen as a sun, from Divine love; all that proceeds from that sun is called ¹ Divine truth; and that which proceeds brings forth; also that which proceeds is Himself, because it is from Him; consequently the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth. But that it may be known that the Lord has infinite power through Divine truth, something must be said of its essence and existence. This cannot be comprehended from the natural man and its light but by means of such things as proceed from the sun of the world, from which and by which that sun has all power in its world and in the earths that are under its heat and light. From the sun, of our world auras and atmospheres proceed as from their fountain; these are called ethers and airs. From this source nearest about it is pure ether, at a greater distance from it are less pure ethers, and at length airs; but these ethers and airs are around the earths. These ethers and airs when made active in mass produce heat, but when modified in their least parts give light. Through these the sun exercises all its power and produces all its effect outside of itself, thus through ethers and airs by heat as a means and at the same time by light as a means.

[4] From this some idea can be formed of the Lord's infinite power through Divine truth. Likewise from Him as a sun similar auras and atmospheres emanated, but such as are spiritual, because they are from Divine love, which constitutes that sun. That there are such atmospheres in the spiritual world is clear from the respiration of angels and spirits. Those spiritual auras and atmospheres that are nearest to the Lord as a sun are the most pure; but according to the degrees in which they are removed from Him they are less and less pure. Therefore there are three heavens, the inmost heaven in a purer aura, the middle heaven in an aura less pure, and the lowest heaven in an aura still less pure. These auras or atmospheres, which are spiritual, because they have sprung from the Lord as a sun, when made active in common exhibit heat, but when modified in their least parts exhibit light. That heat, which in its essence is love, and that light, which in its essence is wisdom, are called specifically Divine truth; but together with the auras, which are also spiritual, they are called the Divine proceeding. Now from these the heavens were created, and also the worlds; for all things that exist in the natural world are produced from the spiritual world, as effects from their effecting causes. From this the creation of heaven and earth by means of Divine truth proceed from the Lord as a sun, which is above the angelic heavens, can be seen as in a natural mirror. It can also in some degree be comprehended that the Lord has infinite power by means of the Divine proceeding, which in general is called Divine truth. This also is meant by these words in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the world was made by Him (John 1:1, 3, 10).

And in David:

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made (Psalms 33:6).

"The Word" signifies Divine truth.

[5] 3. All power is together in ultimates, and therefore the Lord has infinite power from first things through ultimates. What is meant by ultimates shall first be explained. First things are the things that are in the Lord, and those that most nearly proceed ² from Him; ultimates are those that are most remote from Him, that is, the things in nature, and the ultimate things in it. These are called ultimates because spiritual things, which are prior, close into them and rest and repose upon them as upon their foundation; therefore they are immovable, and are called the ultimates of Divine order. All power is in ultimates because prior things are together in them, coexisting therein in an order that is called simultaneous. For there is a connection of all things from the Lord Himself through the things which are of heaven and the things of the world even to these ultimates; and because prior things that proceed successively are together in ultimates, as has been said, it follows that power itself is in ultimates from things first. But Divine power is power by the Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, as has been shown in the preceding article.

[6] For this reason the human race is to the heavens as a base to a column, or as a foundation to a palace; consequently the heavens subsist in order upon the things of the church that are with men in the world, thus upon Divine truths in ultimates which are such Divine truths as are in the sense of the letter of the Word. What power there is in these truths cannot be told in a few words; into these ultimates with man the Lord flows in from Himself, thus from things first, and rules and keeps together in order and connection all things in the spiritual world.

[7] Now because Divine power itself resides in these ultimates the Lord Himself came into the world and became Man that He might be in ultimates at the same time as in things first, to the end that through ultimates from things first, He might reduce all things to order that had become disordered, namely, all things in the hells and also all things in the heavens. This was the reason of the Lord's coming, for at the time just before His coming there was no Divine truth in ultimates with men in the world, and none whatever in the church which was then with the Jewish nation, that had not been falsified and perverted, and consequently there was no foundation for the heavens; unless, therefore, the Lord had come into the world and had thus Himself assumed the ultimate, the heavens that were made up of the inhabitants of this earth would have been transferred elsewhere, ³ and the whole human race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. But now the Lord, on the earth as in the heavens, is in His fullness, and thus in His omnipotence, because He is in ultimates and in things first. Thus the Lord is able to save all who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in a life according to them, for He can be present and dwell with such in ultimate truths from the Word, because ultimate truths are also His, and are Himself, because they are from Him, according to His words in John:

He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with Him (John 14:21-23).

[8] 4. So far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers. This can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that the Lord has infinite power, and that He alone through His Divine truth has power; also from this, that angels, and men also, are nothing but forms recipient of Divine truth; for this reason angels signify in the Word Divine truths, and are called "gods." It therefore follows that according to the measure and quality of their reception of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.

[9] 5. Power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man. This follows from what precedes, namely, that Divine truths in ultimates from things first have all power, and the natural man is a receptacle of ultimates. But to the natural mind of man there are two ways, one from heaven, the other from the world; the way from heaven leads through the spiritual mind into the rational and through this into the natural, and the way from the world is through the sensual which stands forth nearest to the world and clings to the body. From this it can be seen that the Lord flows in with Divine truth into the natural man only through the spiritual, and so far as the natural man receives influx therefrom is there power in it. By the power in it is meant power against the hells, which is the power to resist evils and falsities, and to put them away; and so far as these are resisted and put away man comes into angelic power and also into intelligence, and becomes "a son of the kingdom." (On the Power of Angels, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 228-233; and on their intelligence and wisdom, n 265-275)

[10] 6. The truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power. This follows as a consequence from what has just been said. The truths of the natural man without influx through the spiritual man have in themselves nothing of the Lord, thus also nothing of life; and truths without life are not truths, and in fact when regarded interiorly are falsities, and falsities have nothing whatever of power, since they are opposites of truths, which have all power. These things have been here set forth to make known what is meant by the power of natural truth from spiritual, which is signified by the "iron rod with which the son a male born of the woman is to tend all nations.”

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