THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 30

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

1. WOE to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not from Me; who make a molten image, but not by My spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

VERSES 1-3. "Woe to the rebellious sons" signifies lamentation concerning the damnation of those who avert themselves from the Lord; '"taking counsel, but not from Me", signifies thoughts and conclusions concerning the things of heaven from self, and not from the Lord; and "making a molten image, but not by My spirit", signifies worship from the infernal false, and not from Divine Truth. "Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth", signifies from the proprium of the natural man, and not from the Word; and to "trust in the shadow of Egypt", signifies to have faith and confidence in such things as are suggested by the natural man, who is in no light of heaven. "Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace", signifies that there will be no faculty of resisting evils from self-derived intelligence, nor from science in the natural man; "shame" and "disgrace" signifying the state of such, when, on account of evils, they are esteemed as evil. Apocalypse Explained 654.

2. Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth; to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3. Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame: and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace.

Verse 2. To "go down." or to descend [into Egypt] involves the going down into evil, for to "go up", or to ascend, involves elevation to good. The reason of this is, because the "land of Canaan" represented the Lord's kingdom, in which land Jerusalem and Zion were the inmost, The things which were beyond the boundaries of that land, represented those things which are out of the Lord's kingdom, which are what is false and evil; wherefore to go from Zion and Jerusalem towards the boundaries, was said to descend or to "go down"; but to go from the boundaries up to Jerusalem and to Zion, was said to ascend or "go up." Hence it is that to ascend involves elevation to what is True and Good; and to descend the going down to what is false and evil. Arcana Coelestia 4815.

4. For his princes wore at Zoan; and his ambassadors arrived at Hanes:

5. They were all ashamed of a people that profited them not; who were of no help, and of no profit; but a shame, yea, a reproach [unto them].

Verse 4. "Princes in Zoan" here stand for falsified Truths, thus for falsities. See above; Chapter 19:11, 12, 13, the Exposition.

6. The burden of the beasts of the south: In a land of straitness and anguish, whence come forth the young lion and the old lion; the viper and the fiery flying serpent: they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures, to a people that will not profit them,

7. For Egypt is vain and empty; [in vain] shall they help: wherefore have I called this [land], Rahab the inactive.

Verses 6, 7. By "the beasts of the south" are signified the cupidities, which are from the natural man, extinguishing the light which the man of the church ought to possess from the Word. By "the land of straitness and anguish" is signified the church where there will be no good of charity nor truth of faith; by "the young lion and the old lion, which were before them", is signified the power of the false destroying the Truth and Good of the church; by "the viper and the fiery flying serpent" is meant the crafty and subtle reasoning of the sensual principle. By "they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures", are signified the scientifics of the sensual and natural man, from which they draw all their conclusions; "wealth" and "treasures" denote the knowledges of Truth and Good from the Word, but, in this case, false scientifics, because from self-derived intelligence; "asses" denoting such things as appertain to the sensual man, and " camels ' such as appertain to the natural. By "Egypt, which is vanity and emptiness", is signified both, as well the sensual as the natural principle, which, viewed in themselves, are void of either 'Good or Truth. Apocalypse Explained 654.

"The beasts of the south" denote those who are in the light of knowledges, or in knowledges, but in a life of evil. To "carry their wealth on the shoulder of young asses", denotes the knowledges appertaining to their rational principle. [But by an evil life, or by cupidities, reduced to a sensual state, as in the previous extract.] A "young ass", as distinguished from an ass, signifies rational Truth. (See Arcana Coelestia 2781)

By "the Egyptian helping in vain, and to no purpose", is signified that science [or the knowledge of what is Good and True] is of no use to them. That "Egypt" is science, may be seen, Chapter 19, the Exposition. That "camels" here are not camels is evident, for it is said that "the young lion and the old lion carry their treasures on the back or bunches of camels", by which expression everyone nay see that some arcanum of the church is signified. (Arcana Coelestia 3048)

See also Arcana Coelestia 10227, where it is said that "the beasts of the south" are those who are within the church thus in the light of Truth from the Word, but who only read the Word for the sake of knowledge, and not for the sake of the uses of life; for the south is where the light of Truth is, thus where the Word is. See Arcana Coelestia 3195, 3708.

8. Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and engrave it in a book; that it maybe for after time for ever and ever:

9. That this is a rebellious people, lying sons; sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah:

Verse 8. To "'write on a tablet, or in a book", signifies perpetual remembrance; and because remembrance is signified by "writing in a book", hence the faithful are said to be "written in the Book of Life." For by the "Divine remembrance" is signified salvation; and by "non-remembrance", or oblivion, is signified damnation. Arcana Coelestia 8620.

10. Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;

Verses 10, 11, 12, 14. That they have altogether deprived themselves of truths, and immersed themselves in falsities, is described by their "saying to them that see, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits; turn aside from the way." That they had thus immersed themselves in falsities, so that nothing of Truth remained, is described by "the breaking of a potter's vessel, so that there should not be found a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit", whereby is signified that there did not remain with them so much of Truth, as to enable them to perceive any Good and Truth from the Word; for "fire" signifies Good, and "water" Truth: the "hearth", the Word as to Good; a "pit" and "fountain", the Word as to Truth, Apocalypse Explained 177.

11. Turn aside from the way; decline from the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces.

12. Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have rejected this word, and have trusted in oppression and perversion, and have leaned upon it:

13. Therefore shall this iniquity be unto you like a breach [in a wall] about to fall, a swelling out in a high wall, whose destruction cometh suddenly in an instant.

14. And He shall break it as the breaking of a potter's vessel: He dasheth it to pieces, and spareth it not; so that there shall it not be found, a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit.

Verse 11. To "cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces", signifies to remove the Lord from the thought and affection, and thereby everything of the church; the "Holy One of Israel" denoting the Lord. To recede from the Truth and Good of the church, which is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, is signified by "turn aside from the way; decline from the path"; the "way" and "path" denoting the Truth and Good of the church. Apocalypse Explained 412.

15. Verily, thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel: By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength: but you would not.

16. And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee; therefore shall you flee: and upon the swift will we ride; therefore shall they be swift that pursue you.

Verses 15, 16. The subject here treated of is concerning confidence in the Lord, and concerning confidence in self. Concerning confidence in the Lord by these words - "Thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength"; and concerning confidence in self by these words "And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee, and upon the swift will we ride."

By "fleeing upon the horse, and riding upon the swift", is signified to covet and to love those things: which are of their own understanding, and of the thought and ratiocination thence derived. That falsities will then break in and take possession of them, is signified by "Therefore shall you flee, and they shall be swift that pursue you"; "swiftness" and "haste" signifying what is done from lust or from love. Apocalypse Explained 356.

Verses 16, 17. Here and elsewhere are described, in the Word, those who are in the false and in evil. It is said that "they flee", and that "they are afraid lest they be killed." They are afraid of everything, because no one protects them. Everyone who is in the evil and the false hates the neighbour; hence everyone of them desires to kill another. Arcana Coelestia 390 .

What is signified by the "horse", in a bad sense, see Chapter 31:1, the Exposition.

17. One thousand before the rebuke of one; before the rebuke of five shall you flee: till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain, and as a standard on a hill.

18. And therefore shall Jehovah wait to show favour unto you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him!

19. For you, O [My] people, who dwellest in Zion and Jerusalem, shalt weep no more:

He shall surely show you favour at the voice of your cry; when He shall hear it, He shall answer you.

Verse 17. That "five" signify some or somewhat, may appear from the passages in the Word where hat number occurs; for the numbers "ten", "one hundred", "one thousand", signify much and all, hence "five" signify some and somewhat; for those numbers which signify much arise from the number "five", which signifies some; and the numbers which are compounded and derived, draw their signification from the simple numbers, from which, by multiplication, they are compounded and derived, as may be seen above, n. 429, 430. For as much as this number signifies somewhat and the all of one part, hence it also signifies little and few, when a great quantity, which is also marked by numbers, follows or precedes; for in this case the all of one part is respectively few, as in the above passage. Apocalypse Explained 548.

Till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain; and as a standard on a hill. - As to the meaning of a "standard", see above, Chapter 13:2, the Exposition.

Verse 18. "Mercy" and "favour" or "grace" are distinguished in the Word, and the distinction is according to the difference of the recipient subjects. Mercy is applied to those who are celestial, but grace to those who are spiritual; for the celestial acknowledge nothing else but "mercy", , the spiritual scarcely anything but "grace." The celestial know not what grace is; the spiritual scarcely know what mercy is, which they make to be one and, the same thing with grace; and this is in consequence of the difference there is between the humiliation of each. Such as are in humiliation of heart implore the mercy of the Lord; but such as are in humiliation of thought petition for grace, and if they implore mercy, it is only in a state of temptation, or they do it with the lips alone, and not with the heart. That a distinction is made in the Word between "mercy" and "grace", is evident from several passages where Jehovah is called "a merciful and gracious", as in Psalm 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; Joel 2:13. Arcana Coelestia 598.

20. Though the Lord has given you the bread of straitness: and the waters of oppression, yet your teachers shall not flee away any more, and thine eyes shall look to your teachers:

21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is. the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left.

Verses 20, 21. The subject here treated of is concerning those who are in temptations, and who by means thereof, and after them, admit and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine. The temptations themselves are signified by "the bread of straitness and the waters of oppression"; by the "bread of straitness" are signified temptations as to the Good of love, and by" waters of oppression" temptations as to the Truths of faith; for temptations are of two kinds, that is, as to Good which is of love, and as to Truth which is of faith. "Bread" signifies the Good of love, and " waters" the Truths of faith; and "straitness" and "oppression" signify states of temptations. Instruction in the Truths of doctrine is signified by "Thine eyes shall look to your teachers"; "eyes" denoting understanding and faith, and "teachers" doctrine. The Good of life according to Truths of doctrine, is signified by "Thine ears shall hear the Word"; "ears" denoting obedience; and whereas obedience is of the life, therefore by "'hearing the Word" is signified a life according to Truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by saying, "This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left"; by "way" is signified Truth leading. Truth leading to the south in heaven is understood by "going to the right", and Truth leading to the north there is signified by "going to the left." Apocalypse Explained 600.

22. And you shall treat as defiled the covering of the graven images of your silver, and the clothing of the molten images of your gold: you shalt cast them away like a menstruous cloth; you shalt call it dung.

Verse 22. "The covering of the graven images of your silver" is the appearance of falsities, as though they were truths. "'The clothing of the molten images of your gold" is the appearance of evils, as though they were goods. For a "covering" and "clothing" are external appearances which are induced, or by which they are clothed. Arcana Coelestia 10405.

As to the meaning of "idols of silver and of gold", see Chapter 2:20, the Exposition.

You shalt cast them. away like a menstruous cloth. - A "menstruous cloth" signifies things unclean; (Arcana Coelestia 4161), specifically the impure things arising from the love of self and of the world which still adhere to the affections of Truth both in the male and female, signified by "virgins" and "women." It is well known that at the beginning of regeneration, and during its entire process whilst we remain in this life, there is much of selfish and of worldly loves, and of earthly considerations, adhering to our affections of Truth from the Word. These affections have to be constantly purified, and their uncleanness removed, otherwise we can make no progress in the regenerate or spiritual life. This process, amongst the means of purification, is represented by "menstruation", and is described, in Leviticus 15:19-31, by mere correspondences between the purifications of the bodily life and those of the spiritual life. These purifications are effected by the conjunction or marriage of Truth with Good in the internal, and thence in the external man. Hence it is that menstruation is the purification of the blood which circulates in the sexual organs of women, in which, by correspondence, regeneration or the marriage union of Goodness with Truth from the Lord is effected and established; and as all the work of purification is the Lord's, (John 13:8).

He is, in this respect, among other reasons, said to "form from the womb." (Isaiah 44:2, 24).

23. And He shall give rain for your seed, with which you shalt sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the earth: and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall your cattle feed in a broad pasture;

24. And the oxen, and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat salted provender, winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Verse 23. Speaking of the advent of the Lord. The influx of Divine Truth proceeding from Him, is signified by "the rain which the Lord shall then give to the seed"; the "rain" is the divine influx, the "seed" is the Truth of the Word; to "sow the ground", signifies to plant and form the church. By "the bread of the produce, which Jehovah will give", is signified the Good of love and charity, which is produced by the Truths of the Word, vivified by divine influx. By "fat and plenteous" is signified full of the Good of love, and of Truths thence derived; for "fat" is predicated of Good, and "plenteous" of Truth. By "the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad pasture", is signified the extension and multiplication thereof from the divine influx, and spiritual nourishment thence derived; "cattle" denoting the goods and truths with man, "that day" the advent of the Lord, and the "broad pasture" the Word, by which is the divine influx and spiritual nourishment; "breadth", is predicated of the extension and multiplication of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 644.

25. And on every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

Verse 25. The Last Judgment, which is here treated of, is understood by "the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall." The "great slaughter" denotes the destruction of the evil; the "towers which shall fall", are the falsities of doctrine originating in the love of self and of the world. The ground of this signification of "towers" is from appearances in the spiritual world: for they who seek to rule by such things as appertain to the church, there build themselves towers in high places. Concerning which see what is shown in the work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58. That they who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards their neighbour, are then elevated into heaven and endued with intelligence and wisdom, is understood by its being said "On every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water"; the "lofty mountain" signifying where they are who are in love to the Lord, and the "high hill" where they are who are in the love of the neighbour, or in charity; "rivers" signify wisdom, and "streams of water" intelligence, for "waters" are truths, from which intelligence and wisdom are derived. Apocalypse Explained 405.

Verses 25, 26. These things are said concerning the Last Judgment; which is understood by "the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall." By "the towers which shall fall", are meant those who are in evils, and thence in false's, specifically those who are in the love of ruling by the holy things of the church, as may be seen in the work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58. That it shall then be given to those who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards their neighbour, to understand Truths, is signified by "On every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water." They who are upon the lofty mountains are those who are principled in the Good of love to the Lord, "lofty mountains" signifying that good; and they who are upon high hills are those who are principled in the Good of charity towards their neighbour, "hills" denoting that good; "rivers" and "streams of water" signify intelligence from Truths. That then there shall be Truth in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, as was the Truth before in the celestial kingdom, and that then Truth in the celestial kingdom shall be the Good of love, is understood by "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days"; for by "light" is understood the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; by the "light of the moon", the Divine Truth in the spiritual kingdom; and by the "light of the sun", the Divine Truth in the celestial kingdom; by "seven-fold" is signified full and perfect, and Truth is then full and perfect when it becomes Good, or is Good in form. It may be evident to every one that the "sun" and the "moon" in the heavens are here understood, and not the sun and moon of the world. It is also to be observed that when the Last Judgment is performed or executed, the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendour than at other times, and this by reason that the angels there are then to be more powerfully defended, for things inferior, with which the exteriors of the angels have commuuication, are then in a state of perturbation; and hence also it is that, the Last Judgment being treated of in this place, it is said, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; and hence also it is said that on every lofty mountain and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water", by which is signified abundant intelligence with those who are upon the superior mountalns and hills, forasmuch as it is the inferior mountains and hills upon which judgment is executed. That the Lord appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a Sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a Moon, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 116-127; and that the light from them is the Divine Truth, Heaven and Hell 127-140. Apocalypse Explained 401.

26. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke.

Verse 26. The "light of the sun" signifies the Divine Truth frorn the Divine Good; that "that light shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, signifies that the Divine Truth in heaven shall be without any false principle, thus altogether and fully pure. Apocalypse Explained 257.

The light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, etc. In the spiritual world there is a Sun, and in the midst of it the Lord. From that Sun the Lord, by the medium of hght and heat, enters by influx into the whole spiritual world, and all that dwell there; and from this source are all the light and heat in that world. The Lord, from the same Sun enters also by influx with the same light and heat into the souls and minds of men. That heat in its essence is His Divine Love and that light in its essence is His Divine Wisdom, which light and heat the Lord adalpts to the ability and quality of every recipient angel and man; and this is effected by means of spiritual airs or atmospheres, which convey and transfer such light and heat. The Divine Itself immediately encompassing the Lord is what constitutes that Sun. This Sun is distant from the angels, as the sun of the natural world is from men, in order to prevent its touching them with its naked and consequently immediate rays; for in such a case they would be consumed like a stake cast into the body of the sun. Hence it may appear that the Lord's merit and righteousness, being purely Divine, cannot possibly by imputation be applied to any angel or man; indeed, if even a single spark of it were to touch them without being tempered, according to what was said above, they would instantly be tortured like persons in the agonies of death; their limbs would be convulsed, their eyes wander, and thus they would expire. This truth was made known to the Israelitish church by the declaration "No one can see God and live." The Sun of the spiritual world, such as it is since Jehovah God assumed the Humanity, and added to it redemption and new righteousness, is described in these words in Isaiah :

"The light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people"; (Isaiah 30:26) in the whole of which chapter is described the coming of the Lord. True Christian Religion 641.

Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke. - By "the breach of His people" is signified the false of doctrine, and by "the wound of their stroke" is denoted evil of life. The reformation of doctrine by Truths, is signified by "Jehovah binding up the breach of His people"; and the reformation of life by Truths [Goods?], is denoted by "hearing the wound of their stroke." Apocalypse Explained 962.

27. Lo! the name of Jehovah cometh from afar; His wrath burns, and the burden is heavy: His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue is as a devouring fire.

28. His breath is like an overflowing torrent; it shall reach to the middle of the neck: to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle, leading astray, in the jaws of the peoples.

Verses 27, 28. By the "lips", the "tongue"; and the "spirit" of Jehovah, is signified Divine Truth, which is the Word, from its ultimate to its inmost principle. This is "That is said to be "full of indignation, a devouring fire, and as an overflowing torrent", when it is adulterated and falsified, by reason that the adulteration and falsification thereof shut heaven to man and devastates him, From the appearance that heaven does this, or what is the same, the Divine Truth from which heaven is derived, it is said that it has "indignation", that "it is a devouring fire", and that "it is like an overflowing torrent." "It shall reach to the middle of the neck", signifies the devastation thereof by falsities, even till it is not understood: for by the "neck" is signified conjunction, which perishes when that which is beneath is taken away. "To sift the nations with the sieve of vanity", signifies the adulteration of the Word, by means of fictions, by those who are in evils; and "a seducing bridle in the jaws of the people", signifies the falsification of Truth in the Word, by those who are in falsities; "a seducing bridle which leads astray" properly denotes the abstraction or withdrawing from the understanding of Truth; the "jaws denote thoughts from the corporeal sensual [principle], thus from fallacies; "people" are predicated of those who are in falsities, and "nations" of those who are in evils. They who are not acquainted with correspondences, may suppose that it is from comparison that a "horse's bridle" signifies government over the understanding, but it is from correspondence, which may manifestly appear from this consideration, that in the spiritual world there appear horses variously harnessed and caparisoned, and the horses themselves, with everything upon them, are correspondences. Apocalypse Explained 923.

As to "anger" and "indignation", when ascribed to Jehovah, see Chapter 9:12, 17, 21, the Exposition.

Verse 28. Like an overflowing torrent, it shall reach to the middle of the neck. - See Chap, Isaiah 8:6, 7, 8, the Exposition.

29. You shall have a song, as in the night when a festival is proclaimed; and joy of heart, as of one going with the pipe; to go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

Verse 29. the "mountain of Jehovah" is the Lord in respect to the Goods of love; and the "Rock of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Goods of charity. Arcana Coelestia 795.

30. And Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and the descent of His arm to be seen; with indignation of anger, and with a flame of devouring fire; with scattering, and inundation, and hail-stones.

Verse 30. "Hail" and "fire" are grounded in appearances in the spiritual world; for when the Divine Truth flows down out of heaven into the sphere where they are who are in falsities from evil and who desire to destroy the goods and truths of the church, then there appears to those who stand afar off, as a raining down of hail and fire; as a raining down of "hail", in consequence of the falsities with them, and as of "fire", in consequence of their evils. The reason of this appearance is, because the Divine Truth, when it flows in into the sphere where evils and falsities are, is changed so as to become like what is in that sphere; for all influx is changed in the recipient subject according to the quality thereof, as is the case with the light of the sun when it flows into dark subjects, and with the heat of the sun when it flows into putrid subjects; so it is with respect to the Divine Truth, which is the light of heaven, and the Divine Good, which is the heat of 'heaven, when they flow in into evil subjects, which are the spirits who are in falsities from evil; hence is that appearance. From this circumstance it is that "hail" and "fire" have such a signification, when they are mentioned in the Word; the literal sense being for the most part derived from appearances in the spiritual world. That "hail" signifies the infernal false destroying the Truth of the church, may appear elsewhere from the Word, where the destruction of Truth is described by "hail", as in Egypt, when Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel go. Apocalypse Explained 503.

31. By the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down; He shall smite [him] with a rod.

32. And it shall be, that every passage of the staff of foundation, upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest, shall be with tabrets and harps; and with battles of shaking shall He fight against him.

Verses 31, 32. Treating concerning the Last Judgment, when a New Church shall take place. By "Ashur [or the Assyrian] who shall be beaten down by the voice of Jehovah, and shall be smitten with a rod", is signified ratiocination from falsities, which shall be dissipated by Divine Truth. That then the truths of the literal sense of the Word shall be understood and received with joy, is signified by "the passage of the staff of foundation being then with tabrets and harps"; "passage" signifying opening and free reception, and "tabrets" and "harps" the delights of the affection of Truth. The reason why the truths of the literal sense of the Word are signified by the "staff of foundation", is, because that sense is a foundation to the truths of the spiritual sense; and whereas the latter rests upon the former, it is said, "upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest." Apocalypse Explained 727.

As to the meaning of "Ashur" or Assyria, see Chapter 8:7, 8; 10:5, 7, 8, 24, 26, the Exposition.

33. For Tophet was long since ready; yea, for the king was it prepared: he shall descend into the deep, and wide [pit]; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; and the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it.

Verse 33. By "Tophet" is signified the hell where reigns the direful and cruel love of destroying all the truths and goods of the church, especially where reigns the cruel lust of destroying the goods of innocence. That that direful hell is from the falsities of evil, is signified by "He shall descend into the deep and wide [pit]"; "the king, for whom it was prepared", signifies the infernal false itself; "the pile thereof is fire and much wood", denotes evils of eyery kind originating in that love; and because that hell burns from the concupiscence of destroying, it is said that "the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it"; for there, as soon as they hear from anyone the truths of the church and perceive the goods thereof, they are enkindled with a rage of destroying and extinguishing them. Apocalypse Explained 578.

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Isaiah Chapter 30

1. WOE to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not from Me; who make a molten image, but not by My spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

2. Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth; to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3. Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame: and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace.

4. For his princes wore at Zoan; and his ambassadors arrived at Hanes:

5. They were all ashamed of a people that profited them not; who were of no help, and of no profit; but a shame, yea, a reproach [unto them].

6. The burden of the beasts of the south: In a land of straitness and anguish, whence come forth the young lion and the old lion; the viper and the fiery flying serpent: they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures, to a people that will not profit them,

7. For Egypt is vain and empty; [in vain] shall they help: wherefore have I called this [land], Rahab the inactive.

8. Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and engrave it in a book; that it maybe for after time for ever and ever:

9. That this is a rebellious people, lying sons; sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah:

10. Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;

11. Turn aside from the way; decline from the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces.

12. Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have rejected this word, and have trusted in oppression and perversion, and have leaned upon it:

13. Therefore shall this iniquity be unto you like a breach [in a wall] about to fall, a swelling out in a high wall, whose destruction cometh suddenly in an instant.

14. And He shall break it as the breaking of a potter's vessel: He dasheth it to pieces, and spareth it not; so that there shall it not be found, a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit.

15. Verily, thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel: By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength: but you would not.

16. And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee; therefore shall you flee: and upon the swift will we ride; therefore shall they be swift that pursue you.

17. One thousand before the rebuke of one; before the rebuke of five shall you flee: till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain, and as a standard on a hill.

18. And therefore shall Jehovah wait to show favour unto you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him!

19. For you, O [My] people, who dwellest in Zion and Jerusalem, shalt weep no more:

He shall surely show you favour at the voice of your cry; when He shall hear it, He shall answer you.

20. Though the Lord has given you the bread of straitness: and the waters of oppression, yet your teachers shall not flee away any more, and thine eyes shall look to your teachers:

21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is. the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left.

22. And you shall treat as defiled the covering of the graven images of your silver, and the clothing of the molten images of your gold: you shalt cast them away like a menstruous cloth; you shalt call it dung.

23. And He shall give rain for your seed, with which you shalt sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the earth: and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall your cattle feed in a broad pasture;

24. And the oxen, and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat salted provender, winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

25. And on every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke.

27. Lo! the name of Jehovah cometh from afar; His wrath burns, and the burden is heavy: His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue is as a devouring fire.

28. His breath is like an overflowing torrent; it shall reach to the middle of the neck: to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle, leading astray, in the jaws of the peoples.

29. You shall have a song, as in the night when a festival is proclaimed; and joy of heart, as of one going with the pipe; to go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

30. And Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and the descent of His arm to be seen; with indignation of anger, and with a flame of devouring fire; with scattering, and inundation, and hail-stones.

31. By the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down; He shall smite [him] with a rod.

32. And it shall be, that every passage of the staff of foundation, upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest, shall be with tabrets and harps; and with battles of shaking shall He fight against him.

33. For Tophet was long since ready; yea, for the king was it prepared: he shall descend into the deep, and wide [pit]; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; and the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it.

600. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth, signifies the sense of the letter, which is natural, in which are all things of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of "feet," as being in reference to the angel, by whom is meant the Lord in relation to the Word, the Divine truth in ultimates, or the Word in the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter (See above 65, 69). "Feet" in a general sense signify natural things, because man from the head to the soles of the feet corresponds to heaven, which in its whole complex represents one man, the head corresponding to the inmost or third heaven, the angels of which are celestial, the breast down to the loins corresponding to the middle or second heaven, the angels of which are called spiritual, and the feet corresponding to the ultimate or first heaven, the angels of which are celestial-natural and spiritual-natural; and the soles of the feet corresponding to the world, in which everything is natural. This makes clear why the "feet" signify natural things (See more on this correspondence in the work on Heaven and Hell 59-86, and 87-102).

[2] From this it is now evident why "the feet of the angel," who here represented the Lord as to the Word, signify the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter. The above is evident also from the signification of "the right foot upon the sea and the left upon the earth," as being all things of heaven and the church; for the "right" ¹ signifies all things of good which is the source of truth, and the "left" all things of truth from good; and "the sea and the earth" signify all things of heaven and the church exterior and interior, the "sea" exterior things, and the "earth" interior things. And as all things of heaven and the church have relation to good and truth, also to things exterior and things interior, therefore these words signify in general all things of heaven and the church. The angel was seen to stand "upon the sea and upon the earth," because there is a similar appearance of things in the spiritual world as in the natural world; that is, in the spiritual world as in the natural world there are seas and lands, seas round about and lands between them (See above, n. 275, 342, 538). This shows why "sea and earth" signify all things of heaven and also of the church.

[3] As "right and left" are mentioned in many passages in the Word, and in some places "right" alone, or "left" alone, I will explain in a few words what is signified by each of them, and by the two together. This can be known from the quarters in the spiritual world, where the south is to the right, and the north to the left, and the east in front, and the west behind. An angel perpetually faces the Lord as a sun, therefore before him is the Lord as the east, and behind him the Lord as the west, and at his right hand is the south, and at his left hand the north. It is from this way of facing that the "right" signifies truth in light, and the "left" truth in shade; or what is the same, that the "right" signifies spiritual good which is truth in light, and the "left" signifies spiritual truth which is truth in shade; so, too, the "right" signifies good which is a source of truth, and the "left" truth from good. Such is the signification of all the right and left parts of the body, and also of the head; as the right and left eye, the right and left hand, the right and left foot, and so on, the proper signification of each member or part being preserved. From these few statements it can be known what "right" and "left" signify, in general and in particular, in the Word of both the New and the Old Testaments, as in the following passages.

[4] In Matthew:

When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what the right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret (Matthew 6:3, 4).

This signifies that good is to be done from good and for the sake of good, and not on account of self and the world for the sake of appearance; "alms" mean every good work; and "let not the left hand know what the right hand doeth" signifies that good must be done from good itself, and not without good, since that would not be good. The "right hand" signifies good which is a source of truth, and the "left hand" truth from good, as has been said above; these act as one in those who are in the good of love and charity, but not as one in those who have regard to self and the world in the goods they do; therefore the "left hand" means here to know and to act without good. "That thine alms may be in secret" signifies that it may not be for the sake of appearance.

[5] In the same:

And the King shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left; and He shall say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And He shall say unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:33, 34, 41).

He who does not know what is signified in the proper sense by "sheep" and what by "goats," might suppose that "sheep" mean all who are good, and "goats" all who are evil; but in the proper sense "sheep" mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, and thence in faith, and "goats" mean those who are in faith separated from charity; thus all upon whom the judgment in the last time of the church will come; for all who were in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the good of charity and faith, had been taken up into heaven before the Last Judgment; while all who were in no good of charity, and in no faith therefrom, consequently all who were inwardly and at the same time outwardly evil, had been cast down into hell before the Last Judgment; but those who were inwardly good and not equally so outwardly, also those who were inwardly evil but outwardly in good, were all left until the Last Judgment, when those who were inwardly good were taken up into heaven, and those who were inwardly evil were cast into hell (respecting this see what has been said from things seen and heard, in the little work on The Last Judgment). From this it can be seen that "goats" mean those who have been in faith separated from charity; as for instance:

The he-goat in Daniel (Daniel 8:5-25), and in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:17).

This makes evident that the "right hand," where the "sheep" are, means the good of charity and of faith therefrom, and the "left hand," where the "goats" are, means faith separated from charity. It was said to the sheep that they should "possess as inheritance the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world," because in the heavens at the right is the south, where all those are who are in truths from good; for in the southern part the Divine proceeding itself is such as is meant by "the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world." So, too, they are called "the blessed of My Father," the "Father" meaning the Divine good, from which are all things of heaven. But respecting the "goats," that are on the left hand, it is not said "prepared from the foundation of the world," but "the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," because the evil prepare their hell for themselves. They are called "cursed" because by the "cursed" in the Word are meant all who turn themselves away from the Lord, for such reject the charity and faith of the church. What the "eternal fire" signifies may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 566-575.

[6] The "two robbers who were crucified one of them on the right hand and the other on the left hand of the Lord" (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:39-43), have a similar signification as the "sheep" and the "goats;" therefore to the one who acknowledged the Lord it was said that he should be with Him in paradise.

[7] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples who were fishing, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, then ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and they were no longer able to draw it for the multitude of fishes (John 21:6).

Since "fishing" signifies in the Word the instruction and conversion of men who are in external or natural good, in which good were most of the Gentiles at that time, "fish" signifying the things of the natural man, and "boat" doctrine from the Word; therefore "the right side of the boat" signifies the good of life. This makes clear the signification of what the Lord said, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," namely, that they should teach the good of life. That they would thus convert the Gentiles to the church is signified by their finding in such abundance that "they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of fishes." Anyone can see that the Lord would not have commanded them "to cast the net on the right side of the ship" unless the "right side" had been significative.

[8] In Matthew:

If thy right eye hath caused thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee. And if thy right hand hath caused thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee (Matthew 5:29, 30).

That by the "right eye" and the "right hand" the Lord did not mean the right eye and the right hand, anyone can see from its being said that the eye "must be plucked out" and the hand "must be cut off" if they cause to stumble; but as the "eye" signifies in the spiritual sense everything belonging to the understanding and to thought therefrom, and the "right hand" everything belonging to the will and to affection therefrom, it is evident that "if the right eye hath caused thee to stumble it must be plucked out" signifies that if one thinks evil the evil must be rejected from the thought; also "if the right hand hath caused thee to stumble it must be cut off" signifies that if evil is willed the evil of the will must be cast out. For the eye itself cannot cause to stumble, nor can the right hand, but the thought of the understanding and the affection of the will, to which they correspond, can. It is said the "right eye" and the "right hand," and not the left eye and the left hand, because the "right" signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, while the "left" hand signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, and all cause of stumbling comes from evil, not from falsity, unless the falsity is the falsity of evil. That these things are said of the internal man, whose part it is to think and to will, and not of the external, whose part it is to see and to act, is evident also from the words that immediately precede respecting the "woman of another," that merely looking upon her from lust is committing adultery.

[9] In the Gospels:

The mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus that one of her sons should sit on the right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom. Jesus said, Ye know not what ye ask; to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give except to those to whom it is given by the Father (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40).

"The mother of the sons of Zebedee," James and John, asked this, because by "mother" the church is meant; by "James" charity, and by "John" the good of charity in act; these two, or those who are in them, are at the right hand and the left of the Lord in heaven; to the right there is the south, and to the left is the north, and in the south are those who are in the light of truth from clear good, and in the north are those who are in the light of truth from obscure good. The Divine itself proceeding from the Lord as a sun produces such a Divine sphere in those quarters; for this reason none can possibly dwell there except those who are in those truths from good; this is the signification of "to sit on the right hand and on the left hand of the Lord is for those only to whom it has been given, or for whom it has been prepared by the Father;" "the Father" meaning the Divine good of the Divine love, from which is heaven and everything of heaven; so these words of the Lord mean that to sit on His right hand and on His left in the heavens is given by the Lord to those for whom it has been prepared from the foundation of the world to have an inheritance allotted to them in the south and in the north.

[10] That the "right hand" means the south in the heavens is clearly evident in David:

The heavens are Thine, and the earth is Thine; the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them; the north and the right hand Thou hast created (Psalms 89:11, 12).

"Heaven and earth" means the higher and lower heavens, likewise the internal and external church; the "world and the fullness thereof" means the heavens and the church in general as to good and truth; the "world" heaven and the church as to good, and the "fullness thereof" heaven and the church as to truth; and as these principles, or those who are in them, are in the north and in the south, and the south is at the Lord's right hand, it is said "the north and the right hand;" and as Divine truth united to Divine good in those quarters is such from the foundation of the world, as has been said above, it is said, "Thou hast founded" and "Thou hast created."

[11] In Isaiah:

The Lord hath given you the bread of distress and the waters of oppression; but thine instructors shall not be made to fly away anymore, and thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors; and thine ears shall hear the word saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right and when ye shall go to the left (Isaiah 30:20, 21).

This treats of those who are in temptations, and who, by means of temptations and after temptations, accept and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine; temptations themselves are signified by "the bread of distress and the waters of oppression," "bread of distress" signifying temptations in respect to the good of love, and "waters of oppression" temptations in respect to the truths of faith; for temptations are of two kinds, namely, in respect to the good which is of love, and in respect to the truth which is of faith; "bread" signifying the good of love, and "waters" the truths of faith, and "distress" and "oppression" states of temptation. Instruction in the truths of doctrine is signified by "thine eyes shall look again to thine instructors," "eyes" signifying the understanding and faith, and "instructors" doctrine. The good of life according to the truths of doctrine is signified by "thine ears shall hear the word," "ears" signifying obedience, and because obedience is of the life, so "to hear the word" signifies a life according to the truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by "saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye shall go to the right hand and when ye shall go to the left;" "way" signifies truth leading, truth leading to the south in heaven is meant by "going to the right," and truth leading to the north there by "going to the left."

[12] In the same:

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; hinder not; make long thy cords, and make firm thy stakes; for on the right hand and on the left thou shalt break forth; and thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:2, 3).

This treats of the establishment of the church among the Gentiles; and "Enlarge the place of thy tent" signifies the increase of the church in respect to the worship from good; "to stretch forth the curtains of the habitations" signifies the increase of the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; "to make long the cords" signifies the extension of these truths; "to make firm the stakes" signifies confirmation from the Word; "to break forth on the right hand and on the left" signifies enlargement in respect to the good of charity and the truth of faith; "on the right" meaning in respect to the good of charity, and "on the left" in respect to the truth of faith from that good; "the seed which shall inherit the nations" signifies truth through which are goods; "seed" meaning truth, and "nations" goods; "the desolate cities which the nations shall make to be inhabited," signify the truths from goods of life; "the desolate cities" meaning the truths of doctrine where there were no truths before; "nations" meaning the goods of life from which are truths, and "to inhabit" meaning to live.

[13] In the same:

In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts the land has been obscured, and the people have become as the fuel of the fire; they shall not spare a man his brother; and if he shall cut down ² on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm (Isaiah 9:19-21).

This describes the extinction of good by falsity, and of truth by evil; the extinction of all good and truth, however it is sought for, is signified by "if he shall cut down on the right hand he shall still be hungry, and if he shall eat on the left hand they shall not be satisfied;" "the right hand" meaning good from which is truth; "the left hand" truth from good; "to cut down and to eat of these" means to search for; "to be hungry and not to be satisfied" means not to be found, or if found, still not received. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 386.)

[14] In Ezekiel:

This was the likeness of the faces of the cherubim, the four had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; the four also had the face of an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10).

What is signified by the "cherubim" and by their "faces" which were like the faces of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle, may be seen above (n. 277-281). The faces of the man and of the lion were seen "on the right side" because "man" signifies Divine truth in light and intelligence, and a "lion" Divine truth in power therefrom, such as it is in heaven in the south; and the face of the ox was seen "on the left side," to signify the good of truth in obscurity, for an "ox" signifies the good of the natural man, which is in obscurity in those who in heaven dwell to the north.

[15] In Zechariah:

In that day will I make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, that they may devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left, that Jerusalem may yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:6).

This treats of the establishment of a celestial church, or of a church that will be in the good of love to the Lord; that church is meant by "the house of Judah." Her "leaders" mean the goods with the truths of that church; the dispersion of evils and falsities by these is signified by "they shall be made like a furnace of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf," and by "they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left;" the evils that will be dispersed by that church are signified by "like a furnace among the wood, and like a torch in a sheaf;" and the falsities that will also be dispersed are signified by "all the peoples round about, whom they shall devour or consume;" that this church will be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities, and will live in the good of life according to the truths of doctrine, is signified by "Jerusalem shall yet dwell in her own place in Jerusalem;" "to be dwelt in" is predicated of the good of life, and "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to the truths of doctrine.

[16] In Ezekiel:

I will set the point of the sword against all their gates, it is made into lightning, it is sharpened for slaughter. Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set (Ezekiel 21:15, 16).

This describes the destruction of truth by direful falsities; "a sword" signifies such falsities destroying truth, and the direfulness and enormity of that falsity is described by "a sword made into lightning, and sharpened for slaughter;" that those who are in such falsity have nothing of good or truth, with however much zeal they may search for it, is signified by "Gather thee together, turn to the right, set thyself in array, turn to the left, whithersoever thy faces are set."

[17] In Zechariah:

Woe to the shepherd of naught forsaking the flock! A sword is upon his arm, and upon the eye of his right side; his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim (Zechariah 11:17).

"A shepherd of naught forsaking the flock" means those who do not teach truth and by it lead to the good of life, and who do not care whether it is truth or falsity that they teach; "a sword upon his arm" signifies falsity destroying every good of the will, and "a sword upon the eye of his right side" signifies falsity destroying every truth of the understanding; that they will be deprived of all good and truth is signified by "his arm in withering shall wither, and the eye of his right side in growing dim shall grow dim." (This may be seen further explained, n. 131, 152.)

[18] As the right region of the body and the members of the right region signify good through which is truth, so when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood it was commanded:

That the blood of the ram should be taken and should be put upon the tip of their right ear, upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exodus 29:20).

This was commanded because "blood" signified Divine truth, by means of which is the good of love, for this good was represented by "Aaron," and truth by his "sons;" and because all consecration for representing the Divine good of love is effected by Divine truth, "blood was put upon the tip of the right ear, upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot." The "tip of the right ear" signifies obedience from perception; the "thumb of the right hand" signifies good in the will; and the "great toe of the right foot" signifies good in act.

[19] Because a "leper" signifies good consumed by falsities, the way in which such an evil is to be cured by Divine means is described by the process of the cleansing of the leper, understood in the spiritual sense, from which I will cite only this:

That the priest should take of the blood of the guilt-offering and should put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot; and the priest should take oil from the log and pour it upon the palm of his left hand; and the priest should dip his left ³ finger in the oil that is in his left palm, and should sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah (Leviticus 14:14-17, 24-28).

Here "the tip of the right ear," "the thumb of the right hand," and "the great toe of the right foot," have a similar signification as above; so has the "blood," namely, Divine truth, for this is what purifies man from the falsities that have consumed the goods in him; and when he is purified from these, good can be produced by means of truths, and the man be thus healed of leprosy. From all this it can be seen that "the right and the left" signify the good from which is truth and the truth that is from good (as has been said above). For what other purpose would the blood have been put upon the right part of those members, and the oil be taken from the left palm, and sprinkled with the left finger?

[20] Likewise:

The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to lie upon his left side, and to have laid upon him the iniquities of the house of Israel (Ezekiel 4:4).

For a "prophet" signifies one who teaches, and in an abstract sense the doctrine of the church; the "left side" signifies the doctrine of truth from good, and it is through truths from good that man is purified from his iniquities.

[21] Solomon set the lavers:

Five beside the shoulder of the house on the right, and five beside the shoulder of the house on its left; but he set the brazen sea by the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south (1 Kings 7:39);

for the reason that the "house or temple" represented heaven and the church; the "lavers" the purifications from falsities and evils, and thus the preparations for entering into heaven and the church; "the right shoulder of the house" signified the south in the heavens, where Divine truth is in its light, and "the left shoulder" signified the north, where Divine truth is in its shade. Thus these "ten lavers" signified all things of purification and all who are purified, and "the five on one shoulder and the five on the other" signified those, or that kind of men, with whom Divine truth is in the light and with whom it is in the shade; "ten" signifying all things and all persons, and "five" one part or one kind. The brazen sea represented general purifying. This was placed by "the right shoulder of the house eastward from the region of the south," because purifying Divine truth proceeds from the Lord's Divine love; for the east is where the Lord appears as a sun; Divine truth, which is the light of heaven from that sun, in the south is in its clearness and sunshine; this is why the general purificator was placed "eastward from the region of the south." These arcana of the Word cannot be known in the world until the quarters in heaven are understood, which differ from the quarters in the world. (Respecting the Quarters in Heaven, see what has been said, from things seen and heard, in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153.)

[22] Since everyone in the spiritual world enters and walks in ways that lead to those who are in a like ruling love, and everyone is free to go any way he wishes, thus into and by any way that his love leads him, and these ways to the right or to the left tend to one love or another, thus to the love that has become ingrafted, so "right and left" signifies pleasantly, freely, and of choice. Thus in the book of Genesis:

Abraham said to Lot, Separate thyself; if to the left I will go to the right, if to the right I will go to the left (Genesis 13:9).

And Abraham's servant said to Laban when he asked for Rebecca as a wife for Isaac:

Tell me, that I may look to the right or the left (Genesis 24:49).

Not to recede or to turn to the right hand or to the left, signifies also to go in no other way than that in which the Lord Himself leads, and in which the good and truth of heaven and the church lead, thus not to go astray, as:

That they should not turn aside from the word of the priest, the Levite, and of the judge, nor from the precepts in the Word, to the right hand or to the left (Deuteronomy 17:11, 20; 28:14; Joshua 1:7; 2 Samuel 14:19).

And that the sons of Israel should not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but should go by the king's highway when they passed through the land of Edom (Numbers 20:17).

And when they passed through the land of King Sihon (Deuteronomy 2:27).

Moreover, "the right hand" signifies full power, and in relation to the Lord, Divine omnipotence (as may be seen above, n. 298.

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