9338. And inherit the land. That this signifies until in good, and thus regenerate, is evident from the signification of “inheriting,” as being to receive as an heir (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “the land,” here the land of Canaan, as being the kingdom of the Lord, thus heaven (see n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4240, 4447). Therefore by “inheriting the land” is signified receiving heaven as an heir. By “an heir,” when said of heaven, is especially meant a man who has the Lord’s life (n. 2658, 2851, 3672, 7212), thus one who is in good from the Lord, and consequently who is regenerate. (That when a man is in good from the Lord, he is in heaven, thus regenerate, see n. 9274, and the passages there cited.)

[2] That this is signified by “inheriting,” when said of heaven, is plain in Matthew:

Then shall the King say to those on His right hand, Come ye blessed of My Father, possess as an inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink. Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me (Matthew 25:34-35, 40);

here “to possess as an inheritance the kingdom of the Lord,” that is, heaven, is said of those who are in good; the very goods of charity are also enumerated in their order; and finally it is said, “inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me.” Those are called the Lord’s “brethren” who are in good (n. 6756); thus also those who do what is good, for good is the Lord with man. Therefore it is said, “inasmuch as ye did it unto one of [the least] of these brethren;” but not “to one of the brethren.”

[3] In Revelation:

He that overcometh shall receive by inheritance all things; and I will be his God, and be shall be My son (Revelation 21:7);

speaking of those who overcome it is said they “shall receive by inheritance all things,” and they are called “sons,” because heirs; “to overcome” denotes to fight from good and truth; for evil is overcome by means of good; and falsity by means of truth.

[4] In David:

God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah; and they shall dwell there, and possess it by inheritance. The seed also of His servants shall inherit it; and they that love His name shall dwell therein (Psalms 69:35-36); where “to possess by inheritance” is predicated of those who are in celestial good; and “to inherit” of those who are in spiritual good. Celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good is the good of charity toward the neighbor (n. 9277).

In Isaiah:

He that confideth in Me shall inherit the land, and shall possess by inheritance the mountain of My holiness (Isaiah 57:13).

[5] From all this it is evident what is signified by the land of Canaan being distributed into twelve inheritances for the twelve tribes of Israel (Josh. 14 to 19; and Ezekiel 47:13-22; also Ezekiel 48); for by “the land of Canaan” was signified the kingdom of the Lord, or heaven (n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4240, 4447); by the “twelve tribes” were signified all goods and truths in general and in particular (n. 3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397, 6640); thus by the twelve inheritances was signified heaven with all the heavens and the societies therein, distinct in respect to the goods of love and the derivative truths of faith (n. 7836, 7891, 7996); thus in the abstract sense the goods themselves which are from the Lord, consequently which are the Lord in heaven.

[6] For heaven is nothing else than the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good. The angels of heaven are recipients of truth in good; and insofar as they receive this, so far they make heaven. And-this is a secret-the Lord does not dwell with an angel except in His own with him. In like manner He dwells with a man; for the Divine must be in what is Divine, and not in what belongs to any man. This is meant by the words of the Lord concerning the union of Himself with those who are in the good of love, in John:

In that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:20, 23).

The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given them; that they may be one; as We are one; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:22, 26).

3705. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it. That this signifies the good in which He was, that it was from what was His own, is evident from the signification of “land,” as being here the good of the natural, concerning which in what follows; from the signification of “whereon thou liest,” as being that in which He was; and from the signification of “giving it to thee,” as being from what was His own; concerning which also in what follows. That the “land” signifies the good of the natural which will hereafter be represented by Jacob, is because by the “land of Canaan” is signified the Lord’s kingdom (see n. 1413, 1437, 1585, 1607, 1866); and because it signifies the Lord’s kingdom, it also in the supreme sense signifies the Lord (see n. 3038); for the Lord is the all in all of His kingdom, and whatever there is not from Him, and does not look to Him, is not of His kingdom. The Lord’s kingdom is also signified in the Word by “heaven and earth” (n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118); but in this case its interior is signified by “heaven,” and its exterior by “earth” (n. 82, 1411, 1733, 3355); consequently in the supreme sense “heaven” signifies the Lord as to His Divine rational, and “earth” as to his Divine natural; here therefore “the land whereon thou liest” signifies the good of the natural, in which He was and which was to be represented by Jacob. That “Jacob” denotes the Lord as to the Divine natural has already been frequently stated.

[2] Moreover, that the signification of “land” is various, see above (n. 620, 636, 1067, 2571, 3368, 3379); and this for the reason that Canaan, which is called the “holy land,” signifies the Lord’s kingdom in general; and when mention is made of “heaven” together with “land” (or “earth”), then, as before said, “heaven” signifies what is interior, and “earth” what is exterior; and consequently it also signifies the Lord’s kingdom on earth, that is, the church; and therefore it also signifies the man who is a kingdom of the Lord, or who is a church. Thus in such a man “heaven” signifies what is interior, and “earth” what is exterior; or what is the same, “heaven” signifies the rational, and “earth” the natural; for the rational is interior with man, and the natural exterior. And as “earth” has these significations, it also signifies that which makes man a kingdom of the Lord, namely, the good of love which is from the Divine; from all which it is evident how various are the significations of “earth” (or “land”) in the Word.

[3] That “to thee will I give it” signifies that it was from what was His own, may be seen from the signification of “giving,” in the Word, when it is predicated of the Lord; for as before shown, the Lord is Divine good and also Divine truth; and the former is what is called “Father,” and the latter “Son”; and whereas Divine good is of Himself, consequently His own, it follows that by “giving to thee,” when said by Jehovah, and predicated of the Lord, is signified that it is from what is His own. This shows what is signified in the internal sense by what the Lord so often said, that the Father “gave” to Him, that is, that He Himself gave to Himself; as in John:

Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee; even as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh; that whatsoever Thou hast given Him, to them He should give eternal life. I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. I have manifested Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are from Thee; for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given them. I pray for them whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine (John 17:1-10); where by the Father “having given” is signified that they were from Divine good which was His; thus from what was His own.

[4] From all this it is evident how deep an arcanum lies concealed in each word that the Lord spoke; also how much the sense of the letter differs from the internal sense, and still more from the supreme sense. The reason why the Lord so spoke, was that man, who at that time was in total ignorance of any Divine truth, might still in his own way apprehend the Word, and thus receive it; and the angels in their way; for they knew that Jehovah and He were one, and that the “Father” signified the Divine good; hence also they knew that when He said that the Father “gave” to Him, it was that He Himself gave to Himself, and that thus it was from what was His own.