3147. “又拿水给他洗脚” 表那里的洁净. 这从 “清洗的水”, 或用水清洗和 “脚” 的含义清楚可知: “清洗的水” 或用水清洗是指洁净, 如下文所述; “脚” 是指属世之物, 或也可说, 属世人中的事物 (参看2162节). 在代表性教会, 用水洗脚是一种礼仪, 由此表示洗去属世人的不洁之物. 属世人的不洁之物全都是那些属于我欲和物欲的事物. 这些不洁之物被洗去后, 良善与真理便流入进来, 因为唯独这些不洁之物阻碍良善与真理从主流入.

良善不断从主流入, 但当经由内在人或属灵人抵达外在人或属世人时, 它在那里要么被败坏, 要么被弹回, 要么被窒息. 不过, 属于我欲和物欲的事物被除去后, 良善便在那里被接受, 并结出果实, 因为此时人实践仁爱的行为. 这一事实从多种考虑可以看出来, 如当人处于不幸, 悲伤和疾病状态时, 属于外在人或属世人的事物只是沉寂下来, 这人随即开始虔诚地思考, 并意愿良善, 也开始尽可能地实践敬虔的行为. 不过, 一旦这种状态改变, 所有这些事也会改变.

在古教会, 各种 “洗” 是表示这些事的符号; 但在犹太教会, 它们则成了代表形式. 在古教会, 各种 “洗” 是有意义的符号; 而在犹太教会, 它们则成了代表形式. 这是因为古教会成员将仪式视为敬拜的某种外在行为, 他们并不认为自己通过这种清洗就能洁净, 而是相信通过洗去属世人的污秽才能洁净. 如前所述, 属世人的污秽就是属于我欲和物欲的事物. 而犹太教会成员则认为自己通过这种洗就能洁净, 既不知道, 也不想知道所指是内在的洁净.

“洗” 表示洗去那污秽, 这清楚可见于以赛亚书:

你们要洗濯, 自洁, 从我眼前除掉你们的恶行, 要止住作恶. (以赛亚书 1:16)

显然, 这里的 “洗濯” 表示使自己洁净, 除掉邪恶. 又:

主以审判之灵和清洗之灵, 将锡安女子的污秽洗去, 又将耶路撒冷的血从城当中涮净. (以赛亚书 4:3)

此处 “将锡安女子的污秽洗去, 又将耶路撒冷的血涮净” 表从恶与假中洁净. 耶利米书:

耶路撒冷啊, 你当洗去心中的恶, 使你可以得救. 恶念存在你里面要到几时呢? (耶利米书 4:14)

以西结书:

我用水洗你, 洗净你身上的血, 又用油抹你. (以西结书 16:9);

这论及耶路撒冷, 耶路撒冷在此表示古教会. “用水洗” 表洁除虚假, “洗净血” 表清除邪恶, “用油抹” 表那时充满良善. 诗篇:

求你洗净我的罪孽, 并洁除我的罪! 求你用牛膝草洁净我, 我就干净; 求你洗涤我, 我就比雪更白. (诗篇 51:2, 7)

此处 “洗涤” 明显表示从恶及其假中洁净.

这些就是代表性教会中 “洗” 所表示的事. 为了作代表, 当他们变得不洁, 并且需要洁净时, 该教会就要求人们洗皮肤, 手, 脚, 以及衣服. 所有这些都表示属于属世人的事. 同样为了作代表, 铜造的洗濯盆, 也就是说列王纪上 (7:23-39) 所提到的 “铜海和十个铜盆” 被安在圣殿的外面; 还有亚伦和他儿子用来洗濯的铜盆被放在会幕和坛的中间, 因而在会幕外面 (出埃及记 30:18, 19, 21); 它们也表示仅外在事物或属世之物需要被洁净. 除非它们被洁净, 也就是说, 属于我欲和物欲的事物被除去, 否则, 属于对主和对邻之爱的内在事物绝无可能流入进来, 如前所述.

为了更好地理解这些事, 也就是说, 外在事物需要被洁净, 以善行, 或也可说如今被称作信的果子的仁之良善为例来说明. 这些都是外在事物, 因为它们是仁爱的行为. 若不除去那些属于我欲和物欲的事物, 善行就是恶行. 在除去这些事物之前所做的行为表面上看似良善, 内里其实是邪恶. 因为所做的这些行为要么为名, 要么为利, 要么为个人的荣耀, 要么为回报. 相应地, 它们或是邀功的, 或是虚伪的, 因为属于我欲和物欲的事物使这些行为变得如此. 不过, 一旦除去这些恶, 这些行为就变成良善, 并且是仁之良善. 也就是说, 它们无关自我, 这个世界, 名声或回报, 因而不是邀功或虚伪的. 在这种情况下, 属天之爱和属灵之爱便从主流入这些行为, 并使它们变成行为上的爱与仁. 与此同时, 主还通过这些爱洁净属世人或外在人, 将其整理成序, 以便人相应地接受所流入的属天和属灵之物.

这从主给门徒洗脚时所教导的话非常清楚地看出来. 如我们在约翰福音中读到:

然后, 祂挨到西门彼得, 彼得对他说, 主啊, 你洗我的脚吗? 耶稣回答他说, 我所做的, 你如今不知道, 后来必明白. 彼得对祂说, 你永不可洗我的脚! 耶稣回答他说, 我若不洗你, 你就与我无分了. 西门彼得对祂说, 主啊, 不单我的脚, 还有手和头呢! 耶稣对他说, 凡洗过澡的人, 只要把脚一洗, 全身就干净了; 你们是乾净的, 然而不都是乾净的. (约翰福音 13:4-17)

“凡洗过澡的人, 只要把脚一洗, 全身就干净了” 表凡已被改造的人只需洁净属世之物, 也就是说, 将恶与假从他们身上除去. 这时, 一切事物就都被来自主的属灵之物的流注整理成序了. 此外, “洗脚” 是一种仁爱行为, 意味着人不应老想着别人的邪恶; “洗脚” 还是一种谦卑行为, 意味着洁除别人身上如同身体污秽那样的邪恶. 这也可从主的话明显看出来 (约翰福音 13:12-17; 路加福音 7:37, 38, 44, 46; 约翰福音 11:2; 撒母耳记上 25:41).

谁都能看出, 洗自己不是洁除人的恶与假, 只是洗去附着在人身上的脏东西. 然而, 由于洗礼是教会所规定的仪式之一, 故可知, 它含有某种特定概念, 即属灵的洗礼, 也就是洁除内在附着于人身上的污秽. 因此, 凡教会中知道这些事, 并思想心的洁净, 也就是从属世人中除去我欲和物欲的邪恶, 竭尽全力去实现的人会按照规定奉行作为外在敬拜的洗礼仪式. 但在那些不知道, 也不想知道这些事, 反以为仅洗衣, 洗皮肤, 手和脚这样的仪式就会洁净他们, 并且只要做了这些事, 他们就可以继续过着贪婪, 仇恨, 报复, 无情, 残忍 (所有这些都是属灵的污秽) 的生活之人当中, 举行仪式就是进行偶像崇拜. 尽管如此, 他们仍能通过这种仪式去作代表, 并通过代表去展现教会的某种事物, 从而在主到来之前, 天堂与人类能有某种结合. 然而, 这种结合具有这样的特点: 天堂对教会中人影响很小, 或根本没有任何影响.

犹太人和以色列人是这样: 他们根本不思想内在人, 也不愿了解有关它的任何情况, 因此对关系到死后生命的属天和属灵之物一无所知. 为防止与天堂, 因而与主的一切联系终止, 他们与表示内在事物的外在仪式牢牢绑在一起. 一般来说, 他们的被掳和灾祸都是为了外在仪式因代表的缘故而被严格执行. 正因如此, 摩西要用水洗亚伦和他儿子, 好让他们成圣 (出埃及记 29:4; 40:12; 利未记 8:6). 亚伦和他儿子在进入会幕, 或就近供职的祭坛之前, 要洗水洗脚, 免得死亡; 并且这要作他们永远的定例 (出埃及记 30:18-21; 40:30-31). 穿圣服之前, 亚伦要洗身 (利未记 16:4, 24). 要用除罪水弹在利未人身上, 以洁净他们; 他们要用剃头刀刮全身, 洗衣, 从而洁净自己 (民数记 8:6-7). 凡吃动物尸体, 哪怕是洁净动物, 或被撕裂的尸体之人, 都要用水洗衣洗澡, 若不洗自己洗澡, 他必担当自己的罪孽 (利未记 17:15-16). 凡摸了患漏症人的床, 或坐那人所坐之物的, 凡摸那人身体的, 要用水洗衣洗澡, 并且必不洁净到晚上 (利未记 15:5-7, 10-12等). 那放羊归与阿撒泻勒的人要洗身 (利未记 16:26). 求洁净的麻风病人要洗衣, 剃去毛发, 用水洗澡, 就洁净了 (利未记 14:8, 9). 甚至不洁之人所摸的器皿本身也变得不洁, 要放在水中, 并且必不洁净到晚上 (利未记 11:32). 从所有这些律法可以看出, 没有人通过洗礼的仪式而洁净内在事物, 这种人只是因上述原因而代表灵性上纯洁或洁净的人. 主在马太福音 (15:1-20) 和马可福音 (7:1-23) 非常明确地教导了这一点.

2799. 'And he took in his hand the fire and the knife' means the good of love and the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the fire' as the good of love, dealt with in 934, and from the meaning of 'the knife' as the truth of faith. As regards 'the knife' used on the victims in sacrifices meaning the truth of faith, this may be seen from the meaning of 'a sword' or 'a small sword' in the Word, for the expression 'small sword' is used instead of 'knife'. Both have the same meaning, the only difference being that 'a knife' which was used on sacrificial victims meant the truth of faith, whereas 'a sword' meant truth engaged in conflict. Now since the word 'knife' occurs but rarely in the Word, for a hidden reason given below, ¹ let the meaning of 'a sword' be shown. In the internal sense 'a sword' means the truth of faith engaged in conflict, and also the vastation of truth; and in the contrary sense it means falsity engaged in conflict and the punishment of falsity.

[2] A sword means the truth of faith engaged in conflict This becomes clear from the following places: In David,

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One; prosper in Your glory and honour, ride on the word of truth, and Your right hand will teach You marvellous things. Psalms 45:3-4.

This refers to the Lord. 'Sword' stands for truth engaged in conflict. In the same author,

The merciful will exalt in glory, they will sing on their beds. The high praises of God will be in their throats and an extremely sharp sword in their hand. Psalms 149:5-6.

In Isaiah,

Jehovah called Me from the womb, from My mother's body ² He made mention of My name, and made My mouth like a sharp sword, and made Me into a polished arrow. Isaiah 49:1-2.

'A sharp sword' stands for truth engaged in conflict, 'a polished arrow' for the truth of doctrine, see 2686, 2709. In the same prophet,

Asshur will fall by a sword, not of man (vir); a sword, not of man (homo), will devour him; and he will flee before the sword, and his young men will become tributary. Isaiah 31:8.

'Asshur' stands for reasoning in Divine things, 119, 1186, 'a sword, not of man (vir)' and 'not of man (homo)' stand for falsity, 'the sword before which he will flee' stands for truth engaged in conflict.

[3] In Zechariah,

Turn to the stronghold, O prisoners of hope; even today I declare I will render double to you - I who have bent for Myself Judah as a bow, I have filled Ephraim, and have roused your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Javan; and I will set you as the sword of one who is mighty, and Jehovah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. Zechariah 9:12-14.

'The sword of one who is mighty' stands for truth engaged in conflict. In John,

In the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man was holding in His right hand seven stars; out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword was going forth, and His countenance was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:13, 16.

And further on,

These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword, I will come to you quickly and engage in conflict with them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:12, 16.

'A sharp two-edged sword' plainly stands for truth engaged in conflict, which was therefore represented as 'a sword going out of His mouth'.

[4] In the same book,

Out of the mouth of Him who sat on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, and with it He is to smite the nations. And they were slain by the sword of Him sitting on the horse, which went out of His mouth. Revelation 19:15, 21.

Here it is plain that 'a sword going out of His mouth' means truth engaged in conflict. The one 'sitting on the white horse' is the Word, and thus the Lord who is the Word; see above 2760-2763. This explains what the Lord says in Matthew,

Do not think that I have come to bring peace on to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34.

And in Luke,

Now he who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a bag. But he who has none, let him sell his garments and buy a sword. They said to Him, Behold, Lord, here are two swords. And Jesus said, It is enough. Luke 22:36-38.

'A sword' here is used to mean nothing else than the truth, from which and for which they were to engage in conflict.

[5] In Hosea,

I will make for them a covenant on that day with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish ³ the bow, and the sword, and war from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety. Hosea 2:18.

Here the subject is the Lord's kingdom. 'Abolishing the bow, the sword, and war' means the absence of any conflict there over doctrine and truth. In Joshua,

Joshua lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a man was standing before him, with a sword drawn in his hand. He said to Joshua, I am the Prince of the army of Jehovah; and Joshua fell on his face to the earth. Joshua 5:13-14.

These words, which refer to the time when Joshua together with the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, are used to mean the entry - of those who have faith - into the Lord's kingdom. Truth engaged in conflict, which is the Church's, is 'the sword drawn in the hand of the Prince of the army of Jehovah'.

[6] But as for 'small swords' or 'knives' meaning the truth of faith, this becomes clear from the fact that they were used not only in sacrifices but also in circumcision. Those used in circumcision were made of flint and were called 'small swords of flint', as is evident in Joshua,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Make small swords of flint for yourself; and again, circumcise the children of Israel a second time. And Joshua made small swords of flint for himself, and circumcised the children of Israel on the hill of the foreskins. Joshua 5:2-3.

'Circumcision' was a representative of purification from self-love and love of the world, see 2039, 2632. And because such purification is achieved by means of the truths of faith, 'small swords of flint' were therefore used, 2039 (end), 2046 (end).

[7] II A sword means the vastation of truth This is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

These two will happen to you; who is to condole with you? Vastation and demolition, and famine and sword; who is to comfort you? Your sons fainted, they lay at the head of every street. Isaiah 51:19-20.

'Famine' stands for vastation of good, and 'sword' for vastation of truth. 'Lying at the head of every street' stands for being deprived of all truth. 'Street' means truth, 2336; and for what vastation is, see 301-304, 407, 408, 410, 411. In the same prophet,

I will destine ⁴ you for the sword, and all of you will bow down to the slaughter, because I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. Isaiah 65:12.

[8] In the same prophet,

By fire Jehovah will judge, and by sword, all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah will be many. Isaiah 66:16.

'The slain of Jehovah' stands for those who have undergone vastation. In Jeremiah,

On all the hills in the wilderness those who cause devastation have come, for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. There is no peace for any flesh. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns. Jeremiah 12:12-13.

'The sword of Jehovah' plainly stands for the vastation of truth. In the same prophet,

They have lied against Jehovah and said, It is not He; and no evil will come upon us; neither shall we see sword and famine. And the prophets will become wind, and there is no utterance in them. Jeremiah 5:12-13.

[9] In the same prophet,

I am visiting them; the young men will die by the sword; their sons and their daughters will die by famine. Jeremiah 11:22.

In the same prophet,

When they offer burnt offering and minchah I will not accept them, for I am consuming them by sword and by famine and by pestilence. And I said, Ah, Lord Jehovih, behold, the prophets say to them, You will not see the sword, nor will you have famine. Jeremiah 14:12-13.

In the same prophet,

The city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans fighting against it, in face of the sword, and famine, and pestilence. Jeremiah 32:24, 36.

In the same prophet,

I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they are consumed from the ground which I gave to them and their fathers. Jeremiah 24:10.

[10] In these places vastation is described as 'sword, famine, and pestilence'. 'Sword' describes the vastation of truth, 'famine' the vastation of good, and 'pestilence' preying upon even to destruction. In Ezekiel,

Son of man, Take a sharp sword, use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and over your beard. And you are to take balances and you are to divide the hair. A third part you are to burn with fire in the midst of the city; a third part you are to strike with the sword round about it; and a third part you are to scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. A third part will die of pestilence, and be consumed with famine in the midst [of you], and a third part will fall by the sword round about [you], and a third part I will scatter to every wind; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. Ezekiel 5:1-2, 12, 17.

This refers to the vastation of natural truth, which is described in this fashion. In the same prophet,

The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field will die by the sword, and him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour. Ezekiel 7:15.

[11] In the same prophet,

Say to the land of Israel, Thus said Jehovah, Behold, I am against you, and will draw My sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north; and all flesh will know that I Jehovah have drawn My sword out of its sheath, and it will not return any more. The word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus said Jehovah, Say: A sword, a sword has been sharpened and also polished, sharpened, for great slaughter, so that it is polished to flash like lightning! Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovih against the children of Ammon, and against their reproach, Say: A sword, a sword is bared for the slaughter, and polished to consume because [polished to shine like] lightning - while they see vanity for you, while they divine a lie for you. Ezekiel 21:3-5, 8-20, 28-29.

Here 'a sword' means nothing other than vastation, as is evident in the internal sense from each detail included here.

[12] In the same prophet,

The king of Babel will destroy your towers with his swords. By reason of the abundance of horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken. With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. Ezekiel 26:9-11.

What 'Babel' is, see 1326, and that it causes vastation, 1327. In David, If he does not turn back God will whet His sword, bend His bow, and make it ready. Psalms 7:12.

In Jeremiah,

I said, Ah, Lord, truly You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You will have peace; but the sword has reached even to the soul. Jeremiah 4:10.

[13] In the same prophet,

Declare in Egypt, and cause it to be heard in Migdol, Stand up and prepare yourself, for the sword will devour round about you. Jeremiah 46:14.

In the same prophet,

A sword over the Chaldeans and against the inhabitants of Babel, and against her rulers, and against her wise men! A sword against the boasters, and they will become insane! A sword against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed! A sword against her horses, and against her chariots, and against the whole mingled crowd in her midst, and they will become as women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered! A drought on her waters, and they will dry up! Jeremiah 50:35-38.

'A sword' plainly stands for the vastation of truth, for it is said to be 'a sword against the wise men, against the boasters, against the mighty men, against the horses and chariots, against the treasures', and that there will be 'a drought on the waters and they will dry up'.

[14] In the same prophet,

We have given the hand to Egypt, to Asshur to be satisfied with bread. Slaves have had dominion over us; there is nobody to free us from their hand. In [peril of] our souls we acquired our bread, in face of the sword of the wilderness. Lamentations 5:6, 8-9.

In Hosea,

He will not return to the land of Egypt, and Asshur will be his king, because they have refused to return to Me. And the sword will come down on his cities, and consume his bars, and devour because of their counsels. Hosea 11:5-6.

In Amos.

I have sent the pestilence upon you in the way of Egypt, I have slain your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. ⁵ Amos 4:10.

'In the way of Egypt' stands for the facts which cause vastation when, on the basis of these, people reason in Divine things. 'Captured horses' stands for the understanding when stripped of its own inherent qualities.

[15] III A sword in the contrary sense means falsity engaged in conflict. This becomes clear in David,

As to my soul, I lie in the midst of lions setting on fire the children of men; their teeth are spear and arrows, and their tongues a sharp sword. Psalms 57:4.

In the same author,

Behold, they belch out with their mouths, swords are in their lips - for who hears? Psalms 59:7.

In Isaiah,

You are cast out from your sepulchre like an abominable stock, a garment of the slain pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit like a dead body trodden underfoot. Isaiah 14:19

This refers to Lucifer. In Jeremiah,

In vain have I smitten your sons, they took no correction Your own sword is devouring your prophets, like a ravaging lion. O generation, observe the Word of Jehovah, Have I been a wilderness to Israel? Jeremiah 2:30-31.

[16] In the same prophet,

Do not go out into the field, and do not walk on the road, for the enemy has a sword, terror is all around. Jeremiah 6:25-26.

In the same prophet,

Take the cup of the wine of wrath and make all the nations to which I send you drink it. And they will drink and reel, and go mad in face of the sword which I am sending among them. Drink and get drunk, and vomit, and fall, and do not get up again in face of the sword. Jeremiah 25:15-16, 27.

In the same prophet,

Go up, O horses; rage, O chariots; let the mighty men go forth, Cush and Put, that handle the shield, and the Ludim that handle and bend the bow. And that day is to the Lord Jehovih of hosts a day of vengeance. And the sword will devour, and be sated, and become drunk on their blood. Jeremiah 46:9-10.

[17] In Ezekiel,

They will strip you of your garments, and take the jewels ⁶ of your glory, and leave you naked and bare. And they will bring up an assembly upon you, and they will stone you with stones; they will run you through with their swords. Ezekiel 16:39-40.

This refers to the abominations of Jerusalem. In Zechariah,

Woe to the worthless shepherd, the deserter of the flock! The sword will fall upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm will be wholly withered, and his right eye utterly darkened. Zechariah 11:17.

In Hosea,

They thought what was evil against Me. Their princes will fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt. Hosea 7:15-16.

[18] In Luke,

There will be great distress over the earth, and wrath on that people; for they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive among all the gentiles; ⁷ at length Jerusalem will be trodden down by the gentiles. ⁷ Luke 21:23-24.

Here the Lord was referring to the close of the age - in the sense of the letter to the dispersion of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem, but in the internal sense to the final state of the Church. 'Falling by the edge of the sword' means that there was no truth any longer, but merely falsity. 'All the gentiles' means every kind of evil among which 'they will be led captive'. 'The gentiles' - or 'the nations' - means evils, see 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, and 'Jerusalem' means the Church, 2117, which will be so 'trodden down' by them.

[19] IV A sword also means the punishment of falsity

This is clear in Isaiah,

On that day Jehovah will make a visitation with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the full-length serpent, ⁸ and upon Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the monsters that are in the sea. Isaiah 27:1.

This refers to those who by means of reasonings based on sensory evidence and factual knowledge enter into the mysteries of faith. 'The hard, great, and strong sword' stands for the punishments of the falsity that results from those reasonings.

[20] When one reads about people being put to, and being slain by, the edge of the sword, sometimes including 'both men and women, young people and old, oxen, sheep, and asses', the meaning in the internal sense is punishment consisting in the condemnation of falsity, as in Joshua 6:21; 8:24-25; 10:28, 30, 37, 39; 11:10-12, 14; 13:22; 19:47; Judges 1:8, 25; 4:15-16; 18:27; 20:37; 1 Samuel 15:8; 2 Kings 10:25; and elsewhere. This also explains why it was commanded to put to the sword any city which worshipped other gods, and to destroy it utterly and to burn it with fire, and to let it remain a heap for ever, Deuteronomy 13:12-18. 'The sword' stands for the punishment of falsity, 'fire' for the punishment of evil. The angel of Jehovah with a drawn sword who stood in the path against Balaam, Numbers 22:22, 31, meant the truth which stood in the way of the falsity which possessed Balaam. For that reason also he was slain with a sword, Numbers 31:8.

[21] The meaning of 'a sword' in the genuine sense as truth engaged in conflict, and in the contrary sense as falsity engaged in it, also the vastation of truth and the punishment of falsity, has its origin in the representatives that occur in the next life. For in that life, when anyone utters that which he knows to be false, daggers so to speak instantly come down over his head and strike terror, while truth engaged in conflict is represented there as well by objects which have sharp points like the tips of swords; for such is the nature of truth if it is devoid of good, but if it exists together with good it is rounded and gentle. Such being the origin of the meaning of a sword, therefore with angels, whenever a knife, spear, small sword, or sword is mentioned in the Word, truth engaged in conflict comes to mind.

[22] The reason why a knife is hardly mentioned at all in the Word is that in the next life there are evil spirits who are called 'knifers'. They seem to have knives hanging by their sides, and the reason for this is that they possess so brutal a nature that they wish to cut everyone's throat with their knife. This is why knives are not mentioned, but small swords and swords, for the latter being implements normally used in battle give rise to the idea of war and so of truth engaged in conflict.

[23] Because it was well known to the ancients that a small sword, a lance, and a knife meant truth, the gentiles, who received the practice through tradition, were therefore accustomed during sacrifices to stab and slash themselves, even until they bled, with small swords, lances, or knives, as one reads of the priests of Baal,

The priests of Baal cried out with a loud voice and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until blood gushed out. 1 Kings 18:28.

As regards all weapons of war in the Word meaning things that have to do with spiritual conflict, each one having some specific meaning, see 2686.

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