449. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies the conjunction of those who are in the ultimate heaven with the Lord, is evident from the representation of Benjamin and of the tribe named after him, as denoting the Spiritual-celestial in the natural man, like Joseph in the spiritual. The Spiritual-celestial is truth conjoined to good. For truth, regarded in itself, is spiritual, and good celestial; hence Benjamin and his tribe signify the conjunction of truth and good in the Natural, here therefore the conjunction of those who are in the ultimate heaven with the Lord; for those who are in natural good and truth from the spiritual and the celestial are in the ultimate heaven. Those who are in the ultimate heaven are either spiritual-natural, or celestial-natural. The spiritual-natural in that heaven belong to the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and the celestial-natural belong to the celestial kingdom of the Lord; wherefore the spiritual-natural communicate with the second heaven, where all are spiritual, but the celestial-natural communicate with the third heaven, where all are celestial, as stated above.

[2] It is evident from these things what Joseph and Benjamin, who were brethren, signify in the Word. Since Benjamin signifies truth conjoined to good in the natural man, and consequently truth conjoined to good in those who are in the ultimate heaven, therefore he was also the last son born to Jacob, and was called by him the son of the right hand, for Benjamin, in the original language, signifies the son of the right hand; and also he was born in Bethlehem, which city signifies truth conjoined to good in the Natural. That he was born in Bethlehem, see Genesis (35:16-19). He was born last, because the Natural, consisting of truth conjoined to good, is the ultimate of the church in man. For there are in man three degrees of life, the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate. The inmost degree is that in which those are who dwell in the inmost or third heaven, the middle degree that in which those are who dwell in the middle or second heaven, and the ultimate degree that in which those are who dwell in the ultimate or first heaven. Therefore those who are in the inmost degree are called celestial, those in the middle are called spiritual, and those in the ultimate degree are called either spiritual-natural or celestial-natural. The conjunction of those in the ultimate heaven with the Lord is signified by Benjamin. Concerning these three degrees of life in a man and in an angel, see Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 435). These are the reasons why Benjamin was the last born of the sons of Jacob.

[3] He was called the son of the right hand, because son signifies truth, and right hand the power of truth from good, and all power in the spiritual world is in truth from good in the natural man. In this resides all the power possessed by the spiritual man, because the efficient cause is in the spiritual man, and the effect in the Natural, and all the power of the efficient cause is brought into active operation by means of the effect. That all the power of the spiritual man is in the Natural, and [acts] by means of the Natural, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia. (n. 9836). For this reason he was called Benjamin, that is, son of the right hand. And because Bethlehem has a similar signification, that is, truth conjoined to good in the natural man, therefore also David was born there and also anointed king (1 Sam. 16:1-14; 17:12). For David as a king represented the Lord as to truth from good, which is also signified by a king, as may be seen above (n. 29, 31, 205). And the Lord also was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1, 5, 6) because He was born King, and from His birth truth in Him was conjoined to good. For every infant is born natural, and the Natural is first opened because it is nearest to the external senses and the world, and with all men it is ignorant of truth and inclined to evil, but with the Lord alone the Natural hungered for good and desired truth. The ruling affection with man is from the father, for it is his soul, but with the Lord the affection or soul from the Father was the Divine Itself, which is the Divine Good of the Divine Love.

[4] Because Benjamin and his tribe signify truth conjoined to good in the natural man, therefore his lot in the land of Canaan was between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph; and Jerusalem also, which was then inhabited by the Jebusite, fell to that tribe for an inheritance (Joshua 18:11-28); so that the sons of Benjamin dwelt there with the Jews, who afterwards occupied that city. The tribe of Benjamin was granted a lot between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph, because that tribe represented and thence signified the conjunction of good and truth; for Judah signifies the good of the church, and Joseph, the truth of the church. The reason why Jerusalem was given to that tribe was, that Jerusalem signified the church in regard to doctrine and worship, and all the doctrine of the church is the doctrine of truth conjoined to good, and all worship according to doctrine takes place by means of the natural man, for, as stated above, worship is an effect from the efficient cause in the spiritual man.

[5] From these observations the signification of Benjamin in the following passages is evident.

In Jeremiah:

If ye hallow the sabbath "they shall come in from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountain, and from the south, bringing the burnt-offering, and the sacrifice, and the meat-offering, and frankincense" (17:26).

The reason why such things are said to be the result of hallowing the sabbath is that the sabbath signified the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord, and in the respective sense (sensu respectivo), the conjunction of His Divine Human with heaven and the church; and in general the conjunction of good and truth, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 8495, 8510, 10356, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730). The cities of Judah, the places about Jerusalem, and the land of Benjamin, signify truths conjoined to good in the natural man. The cities of Judah, signify the truths of good, the places about Jerusalem, the truths of doctrine in the natural man, and the land of Benjamin, their conjunction. For cities signify truths, and Judah signifies the good of the church; Jerusalem the doctrine of truth. The places round-about signify such things as are around, or beneath, which are the truths of good in the natural man; and the land of Benjamin signifies the church as to the conjunction of those things in the natural man. From the plain, from the mountain, and from the south, signifies good and truth in the natural man from a celestial and from a spiritual origin. The plain signifies good and truth in the natural man, because those who are in the ultimate heaven, and are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural (of which above) dwell in plains or below mountains and hills. The mountain signifies those who are in celestial good, and the south, those who are in spiritual good, and therefore in the light of truth. To bring the burnt-offering and the sacrifice, and the meat-offering, and frankincense, signifies worship from celestial good and from spiritual good in the natural man. The burnt-offering signifies worship from celestial good, the sacrifice, worship from spiritual good; the meat-offering and frankincense signify good and the truth of good in the natural man. These are the things signified by the above words. For what other object could there be in saying that if they hallowed the sabbath they should come in from the cities of Judah, from the places about Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the plain, the mountain, and the south? Why not from the whole land of Canaan?

[6] Because these details signify such things as relate to heaven and the church, therefore similar things are also mentioned elsewhere in the same prophet:

"In the cities of the mountain, in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places round-about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that numbereth" (Jeremiah 33:13).

So again:

"They shall buy fields for money, and write it in a book, and cause witnesses to witness it in the land of Benjamin, and in the places round-about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south; because I will bring back their captivity, saith Jehovah" (Jeremiah 32:44).

In these passages similar things are signified as above by the land of Benjamin, the places round-about Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, the mountain, the plain, and the south; therefore, Benjamin signifies the conjunction of truth and good in the natural man, and thus the conjunction of truth and good with those who are in the ultimate heaven.

[7] In the same prophet:

"Assemble yourselves, ye sons of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem, and sound the trumpet, and upon the house of the vineyard kindle a fire, for evil looketh out of the north, and great destruction" (6:1).

The subject here treated of in the spiritual sense is the devastation of the church in regard to truth and good, because it is against Zion and Jerusalem, for Zion signifies the good of the church, and Jerusalem, its truth. And because the sons of Benjamin signify the conjunction of good and truth they are therefore commanded to assemble themselves out of the midst of Jerusalem, to blow the trumpet, and kindle a fire upon the house of the vineyard. To blow the trumpet, signifies combat against that church from truths which are from good. The house of the vineyard signifies that church itself, and to kindle a fire upon it, its destruction by evil loves. The north from which the evil looketh signifies the falsity of evil; and the great destruction signifies the dissipation of good and truth.

[8] Again, in David:

"Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come to save us" (Psalm 80:1, 2).

Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, do not mean Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, but those who are in natural truth and good, and in whom there is the conjunction of these. See above (n. 440:6), where this passage is explained.

[9] In the same:

"Bless ye God in the congregations; the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali" (Psalm 68:26, 27).

In these passages, neither Benjamin, nor the princes of Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali, are meant, but those things pertaining to the church, which are signified by those tribes. Little Benjamin there signifies the innocence of the natural man. The innocence of the natural man consists in the conjunction of good and truth therein. This passage also is explained above (n. 439:5).

[10] In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses:

"And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, he shall dwell in safety by him; he shall cover him all the day long, dwelling between his shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12).

Benjamin here signifies the Word in the ultimate sense, which is natural. For the Word is described in this blessing pronounced by Moses, and each tribe signifies some essential of it. And because in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is natural, there is the marriage of good and truth, as we have shown in many places, therefore he is called the beloved of Jehovah, and it is said "that he shall dwell in safety by him; he shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders."

[11] To dwell between the shoulders, denotes to dwell in security and in power. The signification of Benjamin in the prophecy of Israel the father concerning his sons (Genesis 49:27) is explained in the Arcana Coelestia 6439-6444). Benjamin in that prophecy is the last spoken of, because he signifies the ultimate of heaven and of the church, the ultimate being the Natural in which truth is conjoined to good.

[12] Because these things are signified by Benjamin, therefore the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin encamped in the wilderness about the tent of the congregation, on the west side (Num. 2:18-24); and these three tribes signify all those who are in natural truth and good, and in the conjunction thereof. Ephraim signifies truth [in the natural man], Manasseh, good, as shown above, and Benjamin, the conjunction of these. The reason why they encamped on the west side, was, that in heaven, those dwell in the west and in the north, who are in the obscurity of good, and in the obscurity of truth, consequently those who are in natural good and truth; but those dwell in the east and in the south in heaven, who are in the lucidity of good and truth. Concerning this circumstance see the work on Heaven and Hell 141-153).

[13] From what has been stated it is now evident that Benjamin, in the Word, signifies the conjunction of good and truth in the natural man, and conjunction with the Spiritual by means of good; for all that good which is good in the natural man flows in from the spiritual man, that is, by means of the spiritual man from the Lord. Without such influx good does not exist in the natural man. Therefore Benjamin also signifies the conjunction of the spiritual man with the natural, and Joseph, the conjunction of the celestial man with the spiritual.

440. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies the goods of life thence, is evident from the representation, and thence the signification of the tribe of Manasseh, which denotes the Voluntary (voluntarium) of the church, and thence the good of life. The good of life is signified, because this makes one with the Voluntary of the church, or of the men of the church. For a man does what he wills, when it is possible a deed being nothing else but the will (voluntas) acting as is evident from this fact that action ceases when the will ceases, and continues so long as the will remains. What the will of the regenerated man does, is called the good of life. Since then Manasseh and his tribe signify the Voluntary of the church, he also signifies the good of life. Also after regeneration good of life from charity towards the neighbour succeeds as an effect from its cause, and this is signified by Asher and Naphtali. For those who are in charity towards the neighbour are regenerated by the Lord, and those who are regenerated are in the good of life, for they act from charity, and every action from charity is good of life.

[2] The two things which make the church, are, truth of doctrine and good of life, and a man must possess both of these in order to be a man of the church. These two were represented, and thence are signified in the Word, by Ephraim and Manasseh; the truth of doctrine, by Ephraim, and the good of life, by Manasseh. Truth of doctrine is also called the Intellectual of the church, and the good of life its Voluntary (voluntarium). For truth is of the understanding (intellectus), and good of the will (voluntas); and therefore Ephraim and Manasseh signify the Intellectual and the Voluntary of the church, Ephraim signifying the Intellectual, and Manasseh the Voluntary. In order that such things might be represented, and thence signified by Ephraim and Manasseh, they were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. For Joseph signifies the Celestial-Spiritual, or the spiritual kingdom itself, which is adjoined to the celestial kingdom, and the land of Egypt signifies the Natural. Therefore good of the will in the Natural, born from the Celestial-Spiritual, is signified by Manasseh, and truth of the understanding in the Natural, also born from the same, is signified by Ephraim. It is said of their nativity in Moses,

"And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh; for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim; for God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" (Genesis 41:50-52).

What is meant by these words in the spiritual sense, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 5347-5356), namely, that by the name of the first-begotten, Manasseh, is meant the new Voluntary in the Natural, and its quality, and by the name of the second, Ephraim, the new Intellectual in the Natural and its quality, or what is the same, by Manasseh, the good of the new natural man, and by Ephraim, the truth thereof (see n. 5351, 5354).

[3] That Ephraim and Manasseh have this signification, is evident from the fact that they were adopted by Jacob as Reuben and Simeon, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

"And Jacob said unto Joseph, Now thy two sons which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance" (Genesis 48:5, 6).

Because Reuben signifies truth in the understanding, which is the truth of doctrine, and Simeon, truth in the will, which is the good of life, therefore Jacob said that Ephraim and Manasseh should be to him as Reuben and Simeon, consequently Ephraim signifies intellectual truth, and Manasseh voluntary good. But these things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 6234-6241).

[4] The same is also evident from the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh by Jacob, at that time Israel, which is as follows:

"Israel blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and in them shall my name be called, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:15, 16).

That Ephraim here also means intellectual truth, and Manasseh, voluntary good, both of them in the natural man, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 6274-6285). Again, in the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh by Moses, it is said of Joseph:

"In the firstling of his bullock he hath honour, and his horns the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the ends of the earth; and they are the myriads of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh" (Deuteronomy 33:17).

The explanation of these words may be seen above (n. 316:23, 336:4).

That Ephraim signifies the understanding of truth, and Manasseh, the will of good, each in the natural man, is clear also from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Through the wrath of Jehovah of hosts is the land darkened and the people have become as fuel of fire; a man shall not spare his brother. And if he cut down on the right hand, he shall yet be hungry; and if he eat on the left hand, they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm; Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; they together against" Jehovah (9:19-21).

That by Manasseh eating Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh, is here signified that all the good and truth of the church would perish, the good by falsity, and the truth by evil, may be seen above (n. 386:2), where these things are explained in detail.

[5] In David:

"Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of my head; Judah is my lawgiver" (Psalm 60:7; 108:8).

Manasseh here signifies the good of the church, Ephraim, its truth, and Gilead, the Natural; and because truth from good in the Natural possesses Divine power, it is therefore said, "Ephraim is the strength of my head." The reason why there is Divine power by means of truth from good in the Natural is, that the Natural is the ultimate into which interior things, which are celestial and spiritual, flow, and there they exist and subsist together; they are consequently there in their fulness, in which and from which is all Divine operation. Therefore the sense of the letter of the Word possesses Divine power, because it is natural; concerning this see above (n. 346), and in the Arcana Coelestia 9836). From these considerations the reason is evident why Ephraim is called the strength of the head of Jehovah. Judah is called His lawgiver, because by Judah is signified Divine Truth internal, or the Word in the spiritual sense, and similarly by lawgiver and law.

[6] In the same:

"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us" (Psalm 80:1, 2).

It is plain from the spiritual sense that these words contain a supplication to the Lord to instruct those who are of the church, and lead them by truths to good, and so to heaven. The Lord is called "shepherd of Israel" because He instructs and leads; it is therefore said, "Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock," and by Joseph are meant those of the church who are in truths from good. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, signifies the Lord above the heavens, whence He sends forth the light which enlightens the mind and therefore it is said "shine forth." Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, signifies that the light of truth may penetrate even to those who are in natural truth and good, thus to the ultimates in the church. Ephraim means those who are in natural truth, such as the truth of the Word in the sense of the letter; Manasseh means those who are in natural good, which is the delight of doing good and learning truth; Benjamin means the conjunctive [principle] of good and truth, or the conjoining medium in the Natural; by stirring up strength is meant to penetrate even there with light. Come and save us, signifies that they should be saved.

[7] Because all the good which is in the natural man flows in from the Lord through the Spiritual, and apart from that influx no good can exist in the Natural, and because Manasseh represented, and thence signifies, good from a spiritual source in the natural man, therefore an inheritance was given to that tribe beyond or without the Jordan, and also on this side, or within the Jordan; to half of the tribe, beyond or without the Jordan, and to the other half, on this side, or within the Jordan (see Num. 32:33, 39, 40; Deuteronomy 3:13; Joshua 13:29-31; 17:5-13, 16-18). The land beyond, or without the Jordan, represented and signified the external church with men in the natural man, but the land on this side, or within the Jordan, represented and signified the internal church with men in the spiritual man. Concerning this distinction, see above (n. 434:11). And good is that which makes the church; this good flows in immediately out of the spiritual man into the natural; apart from this influx the church does not exist in man. This is the reason why an inheritance both within and without the Jordan was given to the tribe of Manasseh, which signified the good of the church. That spiritual good flows into natural good immediately, but into natural truth mediately, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (3314, 3573, 3576, 3616, 3969, 3995, 4563); and that hence there is a parallelism between spiritual good and natural good, but not between spiritual truth and natural truth (1831, 1832, 3514, 3564).

[8] That Manasseh signifies the good of the church, or the good of life, which is the same with the good of the will, is evident from the representation and thence the signification of Ephraim, which denotes the truth of the church, or the truth of doctrine, and this is the same with truth of the understanding; for they were brethren, and good and truth are termed brethren in the Word. That Ephraim signifies the truth of doctrine, and thence the Intellectual of the church, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 5354), where many passages from the Word, in which Ephraim is mentioned, are quoted and explained; see also in the same work (n. 3969, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296).