388. And by the wild beasts of the earth, signifies the evils of life, which are lusts and falsities therefrom springing from the love of self and of the world, which devastate all things of the church with man. This is evident from the signification of "wild beasts," as being the lusts and falsities that spring from the love of self and the world; and because these are the evils of life themselves, since an evil life is a life of lusts and falsities, therefore these are here meant by "the wild beasts of the earth;" that this is the signification of "wild beasts" will be seen in what follows. Also from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (of which see above, n. 29, 304); and as "wild beasts" signify the evils of life, and these devastate the church with man, and "the earth" signifies the church, so the "wild beasts of the earth" signify the evils of life which devastate the church with man. It is said the church with man, because the church is in man; for the church is a church from charity and faith, and these are in man; and if these are not in him, the church is not with him. It is believed that the church is where the Word is, and where the Lord is known; but still the church consists of those only who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and who learn truths from the Lord by the Word and do them; others do not constitute the church. That "the wild beasts of the earth" here signify, in particular, the evils of life can be seen from the series of things in the internal sense. It is said that "there was given unto them power over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth," "sword" signifying falsity destroying truth, "famine," the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good, "death" the extinction of spiritual life; therefore "the wild beasts of the earth" signify the evils of life, since these rule when spiritual life is extinct, for where there is no spiritual life there life is merely natural, and natural life apart from the spiritual is full of lusts from the love of self and the world, thus is infernal; therefore that life is meant by "the evil wild beast."

[2] Moreover, in respect to the evil life that is signified by "the evil wild beast," such may be the life as well with those who lead a good moral life, if they have no spiritual life; for such do good and speak truth and practice sincerity and justice but only because of reputation, honor, gain, and the laws, thus for the sake of appearance, that they may emulate those who are spiritual, while inwardly they have no will of good and no thought of truth, and laugh at sincerity and justice, unless for the causes mentioned above; consequently they are infernal within. This is also clearly manifest when such persons become spirits, which takes place immediately after death; then the external bonds mentioned above are taken away from them, and they then rush without restraint into evils of every kind. But it is otherwise with those who have led a good moral life from a spiritual origin. (On this subject see further in the work on Heaven and Hell 484, 529-531, 534 and above, n. 182.) This has been said to make known what is meant by an evil life, namely, that it is not the external life that pertains to the body and has reference to the world where men are, which is called the natural world, but is the internal life that pertains to the spirit and has reference to the world where angels are, which is called the spiritual world. For in respect to his body, its gestures and speech, man is in the natural world, but in respect to his spirit, that is, in respect to thought and affection, man is in the spiritual world; in fact, as the bodily sight has extension into the natural world and sweeps about there, so the sight of the spirit, which is thought from affection, has extension into the spiritual world and sweeps about there. That this is so is known to few; and it is therefore supposed that thinking evil and willing evil is of no consequence if only one does not do evil and speak evil; and yet every thought and volition affects the spirit of man and makes up his life after death.

[3] That "evil wild beasts" signify the lusts and the falsities from them springing from the love of self and the world, that devastate all things of the church with man, and in a contrary sense signify also the affections of truth that vivify all things of the church, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:

Go ye, gather together every wild beast of the field; come to eat. Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trodden down My field, they have made the field of desire a wilderness of solitude (Jeremiah 12:9-10).

This treats of the vastation of the church in respect to its truths and its goods. Vastation is described by "the shepherds have destroyed the vineyard of the Lord," and "have trodden His field under foot;" "shepherds" mean those who teach truths, and by means of them lead to good of life; here those who teach falsities and by means of them lead to evil of life; "vineyard" means the church in respect to truths; and "field" the church in respect to good; its vastation is meant by "have destroyed" and "have trodden down," also by "they have made the field a wilderness of solitude." And as lusts and falsities springing from the love of self and the world devastate it, it is said, "Go ye, gather together every wild beast of the field; come to eat;" "every wild beast of the field" signifying the falsities and lusts springing from those loves, and "to eat" signifying to devastate and consume. "The wild beast of the field" does not mean evidently the wild beast of the field, for it is said "shepherds have destroyed the vineyard and trodden down the field;" and "shepherds" mean shepherds (pastors) of the church, and not shepherds of the flock.

[4] In David:

Why doth the boar out of the forest tread under foot [thy vine], and the wild beast of the fields doth feed on it (Psalms 80:13)?

"Vine" here signifies the same as "vineyard" above, namely, the church in respect to truth, which is called the spiritual church; its vastation by the lusts and falsities of the natural man separated from the spiritual is meant by "the boar out of the forest treadeth it under foot;” "the boar out of the forest" signifying the evil lusts of the natural man, and "the wild beast of the field" falsities.

[5] In Hosea:

I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree; and I will make them a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them (Hosea 2:12).

"Vine" and "fig-tree" signify the church, "vine" the internal church which is of the spiritual man, and "fig-tree" the external church which is of the natural man; the vastation of both is signified by "I will lay them waste, and make them a forest; and the wild beast of the field shall eat them," "a forest" signifying the sensual man who is in mere fallacies and in falsities therefrom, and the "wild beast of the field" signifying falsities therefrom and evil lusts; for when the church with man is laid waste, that is, when the truth of the church is no longer believed, then man becomes sensual, believing nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands; and such a man gives himself up wholly to the love of self and the love of the world, thus to lusts. That the church is here meant by "the vine" and "fig-tree" is evident from the second verse of the same chapter, where it is said that they should plead with their mother, "for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband," "mother" and "wife" in the Word signifying the church.

[6] In Moses:

By little and little I will drive out the nations, lest the land become a waste, and the wild beast of the field be multiplied against thee (Exodus 23:29-30Deut. Deuteronomy 7:22).

What this signifies can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 9333-9338), namely, that "nations" signify the evils that man has, even those from inheritance; and that these with man are removed "by little and little," since if they were removed suddenly, before good is formed in him by truths, falsities would enter which would destroy him. "The wild beasts of the field" signify the falsities springing from the delights of natural loves.

[7] In the same:

If ye walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, I will give peace in the land, so that ye may lie down securely, and none make afraid; and I will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through your land. But if ye do not hearken unto Me and do all My commandments, I will send among you the wild beast of the field, which shall bereave you of your children, and cut off your cattle, and make you few in number, that your ways may be laid waste (Leviticus 26:3, 6, 14, 22).

This describes the state of life of those who are in charity, and of those who are not in charity. The life of charity is meant by "walking in the statutes and keeping the commandments and doing them," for this is charity; the state of their life is described by "peace," by "they shall lie down securely, and none make them afraid," which signifies blessedness of heart and soul arising from the conjunction of good and truth, whence there is no longer any combat of evil and falsity against good and truth. It is also described by "I will cause the evil beast to cease out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through it," which signifies that there will no longer be any lusts or falsities springing from the love of self and the world, "the evil wild beast" signifying the lusts that destroy good affections, and "the sword" signifying the falsities that destroy truths. That those who are not in charity are in a contrary state is described by "if ye do not hearken unto Me and do all My commandments, I will send among you the wild beast of the field, which shall bereave you of your children, and cut off your cattle, and make you few in number, that your ways may be laid waste," which signifies that by lusts and falsities from them they shall be deprived of every good and truth. The lusts and falsities therefrom that will deprive are signified by "the wild beasts of the field that shall bereave you of your children;" the good affections of which they will be deprived are signified by "the cattle that shall be destroyed," and the truths themselves therefrom by their "ways" that shall be laid waste, "ways" meaning the truths that lead to good.

[8] In Ezekiel:

Then I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, and the wild beast of the field shall not devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make afraid (Ezekiel 34:25, 28).

This treats of the Lord's coming and His kingdom at that time; what is signified in the internal sense, can be seen from the passages just now explained, where many like words occur; the evil wild beast in the land" signifies lusts; and "the wild beast of the field" falsities.

[9] In Hosea:

I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and I will rend the caul of their heart, and I will devour them like a fierce lion; the wild beast of the field shall cleave them asunder (Hosea 13:8).

This treats of the vastation of good by falsity, "a bear bereaved of her whelps" signifying the power of evil from falsity, and "a fierce lion" the power of falsity from evil, and "the wild beast of the field" lusts and falsities; destruction by these is signified by "the wild beast shall cleave them asunder;" the separation of truth from good by falsity and evil is signified by "rending the caul of their heart."

[10] In Isaiah:

No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not go up thither (Isaiah 35:9).

This chapter treats of the Lord's coming, and the state of those who are in His kingdom. "No lion shall be there" signifies that there shall be no falsity destroying truth; "the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not go up thither" signifies that there shall be no lust of destroying; it is said "shall not go up thither," because this lust is from hell.

[11] In Zephaniah:

Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north, and will destroy Assyria; that the droves may lie down in! the midst of her, every wild beast of the nation; both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge in the chapiters thereof. Such is the city that dwelleth securely, saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me; how is she become a waste, a place for the wild beast to lie down in! (Zephaniah 2:13-15).

This treats of self-intelligence, which confirms falsities and evils by reasonings from knowledges [scientifica], and by applying to them things from the sense of the letter of the Word. "The north" signifies the natural and sensual man, and the knowing [faculty] [scientificum] that belongs to it; and "Assyria" signifies reasoning therefrom; and "saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me" signifies self-intelligence. This makes clear what is involved in these particulars, in series, namely, "Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north, and will destroy Assyria" signifies that He will deprive such a natural man, and its power to understand and reason thence, of all perception of good and understanding of truth; "the droves shall lie down in! the midst of her, every wild beast of the nation; both the pelican, and the bittern, shall lodge in the chapiters thereof" signifies that there shall be falsities of evil, and falsities of thought and perception in the knowledges from the Word everywhere therein, "the wild beast of the nation" meaning the falsity of evil, "pelican and bittern" the falsity of thought and perception, and "chapiters" the knowledges from the Word. "Such is the city that dwelleth securely, saying in her heart, I, and none other beside me" signifies that such intelligence trusts in itself and draws only from self [ex proprio], "city" signifying doctrine from such intelligence; "how is she become a waste, a place for the wild beast to lie down in!" signifies that it has nothing of truth in it but is full of falsities.

[12] In Ezekiel:

Speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude, Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon, he has become high above all the trees of the field; but because he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs, therefore strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down. Upon his ruin every fowl of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches (Ezekiel 31:2-3, 5, 10, 12 - 31:12-13).

These things have a like signification as those above; "Pharaoh king of Egypt" meaning the like as "the north," namely, the natural man and the knowing [faculty] [scientificum] that belongs to it; "Asshur" reasoning from it; "he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs" signifies glorying in intelligence from reasoning, thus in self-intelligence. From this general idea of the contents it can be seen what the particulars here involve, namely, "Speak unto pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude" signifies what pertains to the natural man, and its knowledges [scientifica], "Pharaoh king of Egypt" meaning the natural man, and "his multitude" the knowing faculty there; "Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, has become high above all the trees of the field" signifies the rational increasing by knowledges [scientifica], "Asshur" meaning the rational, and "cedar" the intellectual, and "its becoming high above all the trees of the field" signifying immense increase from the knowledges of truth and good; "but because he was lifted up in his height, and hath set his top among the thick boughs" signifies because he gloried in his intelligence, and in the knowledge [scientia] belonging to the natural man; and this glorying, which is an elation of mind from the love of self is from the selfhood; for the natural man separated from the spiritual exalts itself, because when separated from the spiritual it is in one's own [proprium, and] attributes all things to itself and nothing to God; "to set his top" is exalting oneself; and "thick boughs" are the knowledges [scientifica] that belong to the natural man (See Arcana Coelestia n.2831, 8133).

"Strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down" signifies that falsities and evils therefrom shall destroy the rational, "strangers" meaning falsities, and "the violent of the nations" evils therefrom; whence "upon his ruin every fowl of the heavens shall dwell, and every wild beast of the field shall be upon his branches" signifies that then there will be the falsities of thought and the evils of affection;" "fowl" signifying the knowledges both of truth and of falsity, "wild beast" the evils of affection therefrom, and "field" the church, for no other falsities and evils are meant than those that are in the church. (That birds signify thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, in both senses, with a difference according to their genera and species, Arcana Coelestia 776[1-6], 778, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441

[13] In the same:

I will abandon thee in the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers; upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall; thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together; I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and to the fowl of heaven (Ezekiel 29:5; 32:4).

This, too is said of Pharaoh and the Egyptian, who signify the natural man separate from the spiritual, and this, when separated is in mere falsities and evils, for it is then without the light of heaven, which gives all intelligence; therefore "I will abandon thee in the wilderness" signifies to be without truths and goods; "the fish of his rivers" signify the sensual knowing faculty [scientificum sensuale] (See above, n. 342; "upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall" signifies that for it everything of the church is to perish; "thou shalt not be gathered nor brought together" signifies that good and truth will not be seen, for the spiritual man sees these in the natural, for the natural brings together and gathers knowledges [scientifica] and forms conclusions; "I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the land and the fowl of heaven" signifies here as above, to be about to perish by the falsities of thought and the evils of affection therefrom. Because the natural man separated from the spiritual is carried away into falsities of every kind and becomes hurtful, therefore "Egypt" is to be:

A wild beast of the reed (Psalms 68:30).

[14] In Ezekiel:

Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee; I have given thee for food to the bird of prey, the bird of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field (Ezekiel 39:4).

This is said of Gog, which signifies external worship separated from internal, which in itself is no worship, for it is the worship of the natural man separated from the spiritual. "Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel" signifies that such have nothing of the good of charity, "mountains of Israel" signifying the goods of charity, and "to fall" there signifying to perish; "thou and all thy hordes, and the people that are with thee," signifies that such worship, with its doctrinals and falsities, would perish; "I have given thee for food to the bird of prey, the bird of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field," signifies the extinction of truth and good by falsities of every kind and by evils; the evils that are signified by "the wild beast of the field" are the evils of life, which are the lusts arising from the love of self and the world.

[15] In David:

O God, the nations have come into Thine inheritance; the temple of Thy holiness have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps; the dead body of Thy servants have they given for food to the fowl of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth (Psalms 79:1-2).

"Nations" here does not mean nations, but the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine; for God's "inheritance" signifies the church wherein the Lord is all the good and all the truth, because these are from Him; "to defile the temple of holiness, and to lay Jerusalem in heaps," signifies to profane worship and to pervert the doctrine of the church, "the temple of holiness" signifying worship, because worship is there, and "Jerusalem" signifying the church in relation to doctrine, thus also the doctrine of the church; "to give the dead body of Thy servants for food to the fowl of the heavens, and the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth" signifies to destroy all truths by falsities, and all goods by evils; here, too, "the fowl of the heavens" means thoughts of falsity, and "the wild beast of the earth" the affections of evil therefrom.

[16] In the same:

Give not the soul of Thy turtle dove unto the wild beast; forget not the life of Thy wretched ones perpetually (Psalms 74:19).

"Turtle dove" signifies spiritual good, so, too, those who are in that good; and "the wild beast" signifies the falsity of evil lusting to destroy, so, too, those who are in the falsity of evil and are eager to destroy; this makes clear what "give not the soul of Thy turtle dove unto the wild beast" signifies. "Wretched ones" mean those who are infested by falsities, and are thence in anxiety, and are waiting for deliverance.

[17] In Ezekiel:

The sheep were scattered with no shepherd, and became food for every wild beast of the field, and were scattered (Ezekiel 34:5, 8).

This signifies that the goods of charity have been destroyed by falsities and utterly consumed by evils of every kind therefrom; "the wild beast of the field" meaning the evils of life springing from the falsities of doctrine; "sheep," in the Word, mean those who are in the good of charity; but the genuine spiritual sense is a sense abstracted from persons, consequently "sheep" signify the goods of charity; "shepherds" signify those who by truths lead to good, and in an abstract sense, the truths themselves through which there is good; therefore "without a shepherd" signifies that there is no truth through which there is good, and therefore falsity. "To become food" signifies to be consumed, the same as "to be eaten" when wild beasts are spoken of; "the wild beast of the field" signifying the evils from falsities.

[18] In Job:

Blessed is the man whom God chasteneth. In famine He shall ransom thee from death; and in war from the hands of the sword. At devastation and famine thou shalt laugh, and thou shalt not fear the wild beast of the land (Job 5:17, 20, 22).

This treats of temptations; "Blessed is the man whom God chasteneth" signifies one who is tempted; "In famine he shall ransom thee from death" signifies deliverance from evil when tempted through the lack and non-perception of good; "in war from the hands of the sword" signifies deliverance from falsities when tempted through the lack and non-understanding of truth; "war" meaning temptation; "at devastation and famine thou shalt laugh" signifies that to him there shall be no lack of good; and "thou shalt not fear the wild beast of the earth" signifies that no falsity shall be in him.

[19] In Ezekiel:

Thus shalt thou say unto them, Those who are in the desolate places shall fall by the sword, and him that is upon the faces of the field I will give to the wild beast to be devoured, and they that be in the fortresses and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. For I will make the land a desolation and wasteness (Ezekiel 33:27-28).

This treats of the desolation of all the truth and the vastation of all the good in the church, as is also said, "I will make the land a desolation and wasteness," "land" signifying the church. "Those who are in the desolate places shall fall by the sword" signifies that those who are in knowledges [scientifica] shall perish by falsities, for the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man without light from the spiritual are here meant by desolate places; "him who is upon the faces of the field I will give to the wild beast to be devoured" signifies that those who are in knowledges from the Word shall perish by the evils of falsity, "the faces of the field" meaning the things of the church, here knowledges from the Word, and the "wild beast" the evil of falsity; "they that are in the fortresses and in the caves shall die of the pestilence" signifies those who by the Word and those who by knowledges [scientifica] have confirmed themselves in falsities and evils, that such shall utterly perish by evils and falsities," "fortresses" meaning confirmations from the Word, and "caves" confirmation from knowledges. That such is the signification of these words, can be seen only from the series in the internal sense, for that sense treats, as has been said, of the total vastation of the church.

[20] In the same:

I will send upon you famine and the evil wild beast, and I ¹ will make thee bereaved; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee: especially will I bring the sword upon thee (Ezekiel 5:17).

In the same:

When I shall send famine upon the land, and cut off from it man and beast; when I shall cause the evil wild beast to pass through the land and bereave it, that it may become a waste, so that none pass through because of the wild beast, and when I shall bring the sword, and send the pestilence; thus when I shall send my four evil judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, the famine, the evil wild beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast (Ezekiel 14:13, 15, 17, 19, 21).

In the internal sense "to cut off man and beast" signifies to deprive of every affection of good and truth, both internal or spiritual and external or natural. (That this is signified by "man and beast" in the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872. "Famine" signifies the deprivation of the good of love; "sword" the deprivation of the truth of faith, both through falsity; "the evil wild beast" the deprivation of both by the evils of the love of self and of the world; and "pestilence" the consequent loss of spiritual life. These are called here "the four judgments," because man is judged by them.

[21] From the explanation of these and the preceding passages the meaning of each particular here in the series can be seen. "The evil wild beast" means all ravenous beasts, such as lions, bears, tigers, panthers, wild boars, wolves, dragons, serpents, and many others, which seize and rend asunder good animals, such as lambs, sheep, bullocks, oxen, and the like. That such wild beasts, and in general, "the evil wild beast," signify lusts springing from the love of self and the world, from which are all the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine, is from correspondence, as can be seen from the appearances in the spiritual world. There all lusts of evil and of falsity appear as wild beasts of various kinds; moreover, those from whom such appearances spring are like wild beasts, for their highest delight is to attack and destroy the good. This delight is an infernal delight, and is inherent in the loves of self and of the world, in which the hells are. From this it can be seen why it is that "the evil wild beast" in general signifies the evils of life, or lusts and the falsities therefrom springing from the loves of self and of the world, which lay waste all things of the church with man.

[22] Hitherto it has been shown from the Word that "wild beasts" signify evil lusts and falsities, in particular, the lusts of ravaging and destroying goods and truths, thus the spiritual life of man, by means of falsities. It shall now be shown that "wild beasts" in the Word also signify the affections of truth and good, which are contrary to the affections of falsity from evil, which are called lusts. "Wild beasts" signify also in the Word the affections of truth and good, because the word in the original by which they are designated and called signifies life, for in that language a "wild beast" is called chayah, and chayah means life, and the life itself of the spiritual man is in the affection of truth and good; so when "wild beast" is mentioned in the Word in this good sense, it ought rather to be rendered and called animal, which means a living soul. But when "wild beast" is spoken of in this sense, the idea that adheres to the word fera in the Latin must be entirely laid aside, for in that language an idea of what is fierce and ferocious adheres to the word fera, thus an idea of something bad or evil. It is otherwise in the Hebrew tongue, in which fera means life, and in general, a living soul or animal; in this sense chayah or fera cannot be called "beast" [bestia], since frequently in the Word fera and bestia are mentioned together, when fera signifies the affection of truth, and bestia the affection of good. Because fera or chayah in this contrary sense signifies the affection of truth and good, Eve, the wife of Adam, is called Chavah, from that word, as is evident in Moses:

And the Man called his wife's name Eve [chavah], because she was to be the mother of all chay [that is, living] (Genesis 3:20).

Also "the four animals" that were cherubim, are called from the same word, chayah, in the plural; and because, as was said, the idea of fierce and ferocious adheres to the word fera in the Latin, therefore the translators have used "living creatures" [animalia] for the cherubim which appeared as animals (See Ezekiel 1:5, 13-15, 22; 10:15 elsewhere).

[23] Likewise animals that may be eaten, as lambs, sheep, she-goats; rams, kids, he-goats, heifers, oxen, cows, as also animals that are not to be eaten, are called by the common word wild beasts [ferae], and yet they are mild and useful, consequently not wild or ferocious. Thus in Moses:

This is the wild beast that ye shall eat of all the beasts, among all the wild beasts that go on all four, to distinguish between the wild beast that is eaten and the wild beast that is not eaten (Leviticus 11:2, 27, 47).

And elsewhere:

He that hunteth a hunting of the wild beast or ² of the fowl that is eaten (Leviticus 17:13).

Also the animals that were sacrificed, and that have been named above, were termed wild beasts. Thus in Isaiah:

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, and the wild beast thereof is not sufficient for a burnt-offering (Isaiah 40:16).

And in David:

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds for sacrifice; for every wild beast of the forest is Mine, and the beasts upon the mountains of thousands. I know every fowl of the mountains and the wild beast of My fields is with Me. If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof. Sacrifice unto God confession (Psalms 50:9-12, 14).

[24] That "wild beast" signifies the affection of truth and good can be seen further from the following passages. In Moses:

In the seventh year, which is the sabbatical year, thou shalt let the land rest and shalt abandon it; that the needy of thy people may eat it, and what they leave the wild beast of the field may eat (Exodus 23:11).

And in another place:

In the year of the Sabbath, all the produce that is in thy land shall be for food for thy beast and for the wild beast (Leviticus 25:7).

Here "beast and wild beast" mean lambs, sheep, she-goats, kids, rams, he-goats, bullocks, oxen, cows, horses, and asses, but not lions, bears, boars, wolves, and the like rapacious wild beasts; so here "wild beasts" mean domestic wild beasts which are useful, which signify the affections of truth and good.

[25] In David:

Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and deeps, the wild beast and every beast, the creeping thing and the bird of wing, kings of the earth and all peoples (Psalms 148:7, 10-11).

These signify goods and truths of every kind with man, from which man worships God; and as man worships God from these, and these are not of man but of the Lord with him, it is meant that these worship God, for no one can worship God rightly from himself, but from God, that is, from the goods and truths that are of God with him. That no one of himself but only from the Lord, is able to name Jesus, is known to some in the church, and is fully known in heaven. "To praise Jehovah" signifies to worship Him; "whales and deeps" signify knowledges and cognitions in general or in the whole complex; "wild beast and every beast" signify the affections of truth and good; "creeping thing and bird of every wing" signify the delight of good and truth of the natural and of the spiritual man; consequently it is also said, "Praise Jehovah, ye kings of the earth and all peoples," these signifying truths of good of every kind. That such things are signified by these words is evident from their signification in the internal sense, and from the Word in heaven, where the Word is spiritual, because it is for the angels who are spiritual. (That the Word is also in the heavens, and there it is in its internal sense, see Heaven and Hell 259-261.)

[26] In the same:

O God, Thou makest the rain of good will to drop down; Thou shalt confirm Thine inheritance when it is weary; Thy wild beasts shall dwell therein (Psalms 68:9-10).

Here too, "wild beast," or "animal," stands for those who are in the affections of truth and good, or in an abstract sense, those affections themselves; for "the rain of good will which God makes to drop down," signifies Divine truth from Divine good; "the inheritance when it is weary which God shall confirm," signifies the church that is in Divine truth in respect to doctrine and life, "inheritance" meaning the church where these are, which is said "to be weary" from the earnest endeavor to do good; "the wild beasts that shall dwell therein," that is, in the inheritance or church, signify the affections of truth and good. That nothing else is here meant by "wild beast," is evident, for no rapacious wild beast, that is, no lust of falsity and evil, can dwell in the inheritance upon which God causes the rain of good will to drop down.

[27] In Hosea:

In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the earth; and I will make them to lie down securely. And I will betroth Me to thee ³ forever (Hosea 2:18-19).

These things are said of a new church from the Lord; and "the wild beast of the field, the fowl of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth," have the same signification as above in David (Psalms 148:7, 10, 11), where they have been explained. "Covenant" signifies conjunction; so "to make a covenant" signifies to be conjoined (See Arcana Coelestia 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632). For Jehovah cannot "make a covenant" or be conjoined with the affections of evil and falsity, or with the lusts that are signified by "wild beasts" in the sense first given, nor can He make a covenant with the wild beast, the fowl, and the creeping thing generally, but only with such things as are signified by these. But these things may be seen more fully explained above n. 357.

[28] In Ezekiel:

Speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, Behold Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in branch, and with shady foliage, and high in stature. The waters made him to grow great, whence his stature became higher than all the trees of the field; in his branches did all the birds of the heavens build their nests, and under his boughs every wild beast of the field brought forth; and in his shade have dwelt all the great nations; no tree in the garden of God was equal to him in beauty (Ezekiel 31:2-9).

"Pharaoh and Egypt" here signify the knowing faculty, [scientificum] that belongs to the natural man; and "Asshur" the rational which the knowing faculty serves; the growth of this through knowledges and cognitions is described by "cedar in Lebanon," this also signifying the rational; "the waters that made him to grow great" signify truths, and "branches" signify extension, such as pertains to the thought of the rational man. From this it can be seen what is signified by "in his branches did all the birds of the heavens build their nests; under his boughs every wild beast of the field brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all the great nations," namely, rational and spiritual truths of every kind, the affections of truth and goods; "the birds of the heavens" signifying the rational and spiritual truths of every kind, "the wild beast" the affections of truth, "to bring forth" signifies to multiply, since every spiritual birth or multiplication is effected by the affections of truth, and "the great nations" signify goods. (That "birds" signify thoughts, and things rational, intellectual, and spiritual, and thus truths, since all things of thought are either truths or falsities, see Arcana Coelestia 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441; that "to bring forth" signifies to multiply truths and goods, and that this is spiritual birth, n. 3860, 3868, 9325; that "nations" signify those who are in goods, and thence in an abstract sense, goods, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; and above, n. 175, 331; that "Pharaoh" and "Egypt" signify the knowing faculty [scientificum] in both senses, good and evil, see n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391; and that "Asshur" signifies the rational in both senses, n. 119, 1186)

[29] That "Egypt" signifies the true knowing faculty [verum scientificum] and "Assyria" the rational, and that the whole of man's rational has its birth by means of knowledges [scientifica], or that these serve it, as was said above, can be seen from these words in Isaiah:

In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt into Assyria, that Assyria may come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and they shall serve [Jehovah], the Egyptians with Assyria. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, whom Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).

Here "Egypt" signifies the knowing faculty [scientificum], "Assyria" the rational, and "Israel" the spiritual.

[30] From the passages already cited it can be seen what "bird" and "wild beast of the field" signify in Ezekiel:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Assemble yourselves and come; gather yourselves from the circuit to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. And ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood, even to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I will sacrifice for you. And ye shall be satiated at My table with horse and chariot, with mighty man and with every man of war. So will I give My glory among the nations (Ezekiel 39:17-21).

From the particulars here it is evident that this is said of the church to be established by the Lord among the nations; therefore "the bird of every wing, and every wild beast of the field, that are to be assembled and invited to the sacrifice," signify all who are in the affection of truth and good, for "the flesh that they will eat" signifies the good of love, and "the blood that they will drink," the truth from that good, and "sacrifice" the worship itself from these. But these things may be seen more fully explained above n. 329.

[31] Sometimes in the Word, "wild beast" and "beast" are mentioned together, sometimes "wild beast" alone, and "beast" alone; and sometimes "wild beast of the earth" or "wild beast of the field;" and when "wild beast" and "beast" are mentioned together, then the affection or love of falsity and evil is signified, "the wild beast" signifying the affection or love of falsity, and "beast" the affection or love of evil; or in a contrary sense "the wild beast" the affection or love of truth, and "beast" the affection or love of good. But when "wild beast" alone, or "beast" alone is mentioned, then "a wild beast" means the affection of both falsity and evil, and in a contrary sense the affection both of truth and good; while "beast" means the affection of evil and of the falsity therefrom, and in a contrary sense, the affection of good and of the truth therefrom. But what "beast" signifies will be seen below where it is explained. When, however, "the wild beast of the earth" is mentioned, it means a wild beast that devours animals and men; but when "the wild beast of the field" is mentioned, it means a wild beast that eats up the crops; therefore "the wild beast of the earth" signifies such things as destroy the goods of the church, and "the wild beast of the field" such things as destroy the truths of the church; for both "earth" and "field" signify the church, "earth" signifying the church from the nation and people there, and "field" the church from what is sown, or from the reception of seeds.

Poznámky pod čarou:

275. Verse 6. And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal, signifies the appearance of [Divine] truth in ultimates where its generals are, and its pellucidity by virtue of the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts. This is evident from the signification of "in sight of the throne," as being appearance; also from the signification of "glassy," as being pellucid. It is also said "like crystal," that pellucidity from the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts may be described; this is signified by "the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne" (as shown just above, n. 274. In this and what precedes, the state of the whole heaven arranged in order for judgment is described, and its ultimate is meant by "the glassy sea like crystal." The truth of the ultimate heaven is signified by "a glassy sea" because "sea" signifies the generals of truth, such truth as exists in the ultimates of heaven, and with man in the natural man, which truth is called knowledge [scientificum]. The "sea" signifies such truths because in the sea is the gathering together of waters, and "waters" signify truths (See above, n. 71).

[2] That this is the signification of "sea" is evident from many passages in the Word, a number of which I will cite here. In Isaiah:

I will shut up the Egyptians into the land of a hard lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them. Then the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry (Isaiah 19:4, 6).

By "the Egyptians" knowledges [scientiae] that are of the natural man are meant; "the hard lord into whose hands they should be shut up" signifies the evil of self-love; "a fierce king" signifies falsity therefrom; "the waters shall fail from the sea" signifies that with all the abundance of knowledges [scientiarum] there still are no truths; and "the river shall dry up and become dry" signifies that there is no doctrine of truth and no intelligence therefrom.

[3] In the same:

Jehovah will visit with His sword, hard, great, and strong, upon leviathan the stretched out serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and will slay the whales that are in the sea (Isaiah 27:1).

This is also said of "Egypt," by which knowledges [scientiae] that are of the natural man are signified; "leviathan the stretched out serpent" signifies those who reject all things which they do not see with the eyes, thus the merely sensual, who are without faith, because they do not comprehend. "Leviathan the crooked serpent" signifies those who, for the same reason, do not believe, and yet say that they believe. "The sword, hard, and great, and strong, with which they shall be visited," signifies the extinction of all truth, for "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth. "The whales in the sea," that shall be slain, signify knowledges [scientifica] in general. (That these are signified by "whales," see Arcana Coelestia 7293.)

[4] In the same:

Let the inhabitants of the isle be still; thou merchant of Zidon passing over the sea, they have filled thee. Blush, O Zidon, for the sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, and I have not brought forth, and I have not brought up young men, and have not raised up virgins; when the report comes to Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as by the report respecting Tyre (Isaiah 23:2-5).

"Zidon" and "Tyre" signify the knowledges of good and truth; therefore it is said "the merchant of Zidon passing over the sea," "merchant" meaning one who acquires these knowledges for himself and communicates them. That they acquired for themselves thereby nothing of good and truth is signified by "the sea said, I have not travailed and I have not brought forth, I have not brought up young men, and have not raised up virgins;" "to travail and bring forth" is to produce something from knowledges; "young men" mean truths, and "virgins" goods. That the use of cognitions and knowledges (cognitionum et scientiarum) would therefore perish, is signified by "when the report comes to Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as by the report respecting Tyre."

[5] In Ezekiel:

All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and cast away their robes, and strip off their broidered garments, they shall be clothed with terrors. They shall take up a lamentation over thee, and shall say, How hast thou perished, thou that dwelt by the seas, the renowned city which was strong in the sea; therefore the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy outcome (Ezekiel 26:15-18).

These things are said of "Tyre," which signifies the cognitions of truth, the neglect and loss of which are thus described; the "princes of the sea that shall come down from their thrones" signify primary cognitions; that these together with knowledges [scientificis] shall be abandoned is signified by "they shall cast away their robes, and strip off their broidered garments;" "broidered work," is knowledges [scientificum]; "the city that dwelt by the seas and was strong in the sea" signifies the power of knowing in all abundance ("seas" signify collections); "the islands in the sea" signify nations more remote from truths that long for cognitions, of which it is said "therefore the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy outcome."

[6] In Isaiah:

They shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves in all the mountain of My holiness; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge [scientifia] of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).

This treats of a new heaven and a new church, which are meant by "mountain of holiness," in which "they shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves;" their understanding of truth from the Lord is described by "the earth shall be full of the knowledge [scientia] of Jehovah; "and as waters" signify truths, and the "sea" the fullness of them, it is said, "as the waters cover the sea."

[7] In the same:

By My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish shall become putrid because there is no water, and shall die of thirst (Isaiah 50:2).

"To dry up the sea" signifies an entire lack of the general knowledges of truth; "to make the rivers a wilderness" signifies the deprivation of all truth and of intelligence therefrom; "the fish shall become putrid" signifies that the knowledges [scientifica] pertaining to the natural man shall be without any spiritual life; this takes place when they are applied to confirm falsities in opposition to the truths of the church; "by cause there is no water" signifies because there is no truth; "to die of thirst" signifies the extinction of truth. (That "rivers" signify the things of intelligence, see Arcana Coelestia 108, 2702[1-17], Arcana Coelestia 2702[1-17], 3051; that "wilderness" signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, n. 2708, 4736, 7055; that "fish" signifies the knowledge [scientificum] pertaining to the natural man, n. 40, 991; that "water" signifies truth, n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 5668, 8568; and that "to die of thirst" signifies the absence of spiritual life from lack of truth, n. Arcana Coelestia 8568[1-10].

[8] In David:

O Jehovah, Thou rulest in the uprising of the sea; when it raiseth up its waves (Psalms 89:9).

The "sea" here signifies the natural man, because in the natural man are the generals of truth; "the uprising of the sea" signifies its exalting itself against the Divine, denying the things that are of the church; the "waves" which it raiseth up signify falsities.

[9] In the same:

Jehovah hath founded the world upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers (Psalms 24:2).

The "world" signifies the church; the "seas" knowledges in general which are in the natural man; and "rivers" the truths of faith; upon these two the church has its foundation.

[10] In Amos:

Jehovah, who buildeth His steps in the heavens, and calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the faces of the earth (Amos 9:6).

"The steps that Jehovah buildeth in the heavens" signify interior truths which are called spiritual; "the waters of the sea" signify exterior truths, which are natural because they are in the natural man; "to pour them out upon the faces of the earth" signifies upon the men of the church, for the "earth" is the church.

[11] In David:

By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; He giveth the deeps in treasuries (Psalms 33:6-7).

"The word of Jehovah by which the heavens were made," and "the breath of His mouth by which all the hosts of them were made," signify Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; "the hosts of the heavens" are all things of love and faith; "the waters of the sea that He gathereth together as an heap" signify the knowledges of truth, and truths in general, which are together in the natural man; "the deeps that He gives in treasuries" signify sensual knowledges [scientifica sensualia], which are the most general and ultimate things of the natural man, and in which at the same time are interior or higher truths, therefore they are called "treasures."

[12] In the same:

Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its bases, that it be not removed for ever and ever. Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture (Psalms 104:5-6).

The "earth" signifies the church; "the bases on which Jehovah hath founded it for ever" are the knowledges of truth and good; "the deep with which He hath covered it as with a vesture" signifies sensual knowledge [scientificum sensuale], which is the ultimate of the natural man, and being the ultimate, it is said that "He covered it as with a vesture."

[13] In the same:

Jehovah, Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in many waters, yet Thy footsteps have not been known (Psalms 77:19).

In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, I who have given a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters (Isaiah 43:16).

That "sea" here does not mean the sea, nor "waters" the waters, is clear, since it is said that therein "are the way and the path of Jehovah;" therefore by "sea" and by "waters" are meant such things as Jehovah or the Lord is in, which are the knowledges of truth in general from the Word, and the truths therein; "the sea" being such knowledges, and "waters" truths. Knowledges and truths differ in this, that knowledges are of the natural man, and truths of the spiritual man.

[14] In Jeremiah:

Behold, I will plead thy cause, and will revenge thy revenging; that I may dry up the sea of Babylon, and make dry her fountain. The sea shall come up upon Babylon, she shall be covered with the multitude of its waves (Jeremiah 51:36, 42).

By "Babylon" those who profane goods are meant; "the sea of Babylon" means their traditions, which are the adulterations of good from the Word; "the waves" are the falsities from these; their destruction at the Last Judgment is hereby described.

[15] In the same:

A people coming from the north, and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. Their voice maketh a tumult like the sea, and they ride upon horses (Jeremiah 50:41, 42).

"A people coming from the north" are those who are in falsities from evil; "the great nation" means evils; and "many kings" falsities; "the sides of the earth" are the things outside of the church, and those that are not of the church, for the "earth" means the church; "their voice maketh a tumult like the sea" means falsity from the natural man exalting itself against the truth of the church; "the horses upon which they ride" are reasonings from the fallacies of the senses.

[16] In the same:

Jehovah giveth the sun for light by day, the statutes of the moon and stars for light by night, stirring up the sea so that the waves thereof roar (Jeremiah 31:35).

"The sun from which is the light of day" signifies the good of celestial love, from which is the perception of truth; "the statutes of the moon and stars, from which is the light of night," signify truths from spiritual good and from knowledges, by which there is intelligence; "the sea that is stirred up, and the waves that roar," signify the generals of truth in the natural man, and knowledges [scientifica].

[17] In Isaiah:

The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot be quiet, but its waters cast up filth and mire (Isaiah 57:20).

"The troubled sea which is like the wicked," signifies reasonings from falsities; "the waters that cast up filth and mire," signify the falsities themselves, from which come evils of life and falsities of doctrine.

[18] In Ezekiel:

I will stretch out Mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast (Ezekiel 25:16).

"The Philistines" signify those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and "the remnant of the sea coast that shall be destroyed," signifies all things of truth.

[19] In Hosea:

I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah; and the sons from the sea shall draw near with honor, with honor shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria (Hosea 11:9-11).

"Ephraim" signifies the church in respect to the understanding of truth; "the sons from the sea, who shall draw near," signify truths from a common fountain, which is the Word; "a bird out of Egypt" signifies knowledge [scientificum] agreeing; and "a dove out of the land of Assyria" signifies the rational.

[20] In Zechariah:

In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; part of them to the eastern sea, and part of them to the hinder sea (Zechariah 14:8).

"Living waters from Jerusalem" signify truths from a spiritual origin in the church, which are the truths that are received by man when he is illustrated by the Lord while he is reading the Word. "Jerusalem" is the church in respect to doctrine, the "sea" signifies the natural man, into which those things that are in the spiritual man descend; the "eastern sea" signifies the natural man in respect to good; and the "hinder sea" the natural man in respect to truth; and as the natural man is in the generals of truth, "sea" also signifies the general of truth.

[21] He who knows nothing about the spiritual man, and the truths and goods that are therein, may suppose that the truths that are in the natural man, and are called cognitions and knowledges [scientifica] are not merely the generals of truth, but are all there is of truth with man. But let him know that the truths in the spiritual man, from which those are that are in the natural, are incomparably more numerous; but these truths in the spiritual man do not come to the perception of the natural man until he enters the spiritual world, which is after death; for then man puts off the natural and puts on the spiritual. That this is so can be seen from this fact alone, that angels are in intelligence and wisdom ineffable as compared with man, and yet they are from the human race. (That angels are from the human race, see in the small work onThe Last Judgment 14-22 and 23-27)

[22] As the "sea" signifies the generals of truth, therefore the great vessel, which was for general washing, was called "the brazen sea" (1 Kings 7:23-26); for the "washings" represented purifications from falsities and evils, and "waters" signify truths, by which purifications are effected; and as all truths are from good, the containing vessel was made of brass, and was therefore called "the barren sea," for brass signifies good. Spiritual purification, which is called purification from falsities and evils, is there fully described by the measurements of that vessel, and by the bases thereof, understood in a spiritual sense. From what has been brought forward it can be seen that "sea" signifies the generals of truth or the knowledges of truth together and collectively. But what further is signified by "sea" will be shown in the explanation of what follows, for "sea" is used in various senses (as in Revelation 5:13; 7:1-3; 8:8, 9; 10:2, 8; 12:12; 13:1; 14:7; 15:2; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21; 20:13; 21:1).