A congregation is a group of people with common loves, interests, and purposes. It often refers to a church group. In the Word it is almost always used to speak of the whole group of the Children of Israel, as the tabernacle of the congregation, or the people of the congregation. Sometimes the original Hebrew is translated as assembly, too. This is a case where readers and translators need to be aware of the context and potential nuances of meaning. Swedenborg writes that,'The congregation of the people' stands for people who are ruled by truths constituting intelligence, since 'congregation' is used with reference to truths... as also is 'people'... 'the assembly of the old' stands for people who are ruled by good. The usage of the term congregation also implies an ordering, or arrangement of truths.

(Odkazy: Apocalypse Explained 417; Arcana Coelestia 6338, 7843, 7891; The Apocalypse Explained 724 [17])

723. Verse 5. (Revelation 12:5) And she brought forth a son, a male, who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod; and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne.

5. "And she brought forth a son, a male," signifies the doctrine of truth for the church that is called the New Jerusalem (n. 724, 725); "who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod," signifies that this doctrine, by the power of natural truth from spiritual, will refute and convince those who are in falsities and evils and yet are in the church, where the Word is (n. 726, 727); "and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne," signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church n. 728.