5149. And the bird did eat them out of the basket from upon my head. That this signifies that falsity from evil consumed it, is evident from the signification of “the birds” as being intellectual things, and also thoughts, consequently the things thence derived; namely, in the genuine sense truths of every kind, and in the opposite sense falsities (see n. 40, 745, 776, 778, 866, 988, 3219); and from the signification of “eating,” as being to consume (in the original tongue also, the word “eat” means to consume); and from the signification of a “basket,” as being the will part (n. 5144, 5146), here evil from the will part, because the basket had holes in it (n. 5145). From this it follows that by the “bird eating out of the basket from upon the head” is signified that falsity from evil consumed.

[2] There is falsity from two origins-falsity of doctrine, and falsity of evil. Falsity of doctrine does not consume goods, for a man may be in falsity of doctrine, and yet in good, and therefore men of every doctrine, even Gentiles, are saved; but the falsity of evil is that which consumes goods. Evil in itself is opposite to good, yet by itself it does not consume goods, but by means of falsity, for falsity attacks the truths which belong to good, because truths are as it were outworks that encompass good. These outworks are assaulted by means of falsity, and when these are assaulted good is given to destruction.

[3] One who does not know that “birds” signify things of the intellect, cannot know otherwise than that where “birds” are mentioned in the Word, either birds are meant, or else they are used by way of comparison, as in common speech. Except from the internal sense no one can know that by “birds” are meant things of the understanding such as thoughts, ideas, reasonings, principles, consequently truths or falsities; as in Luke:

The kingdom of God is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew and became a great tree; so that the birds of the heaven dwelt in the branches of it (Luke 13:19).

The “birds of the heaven” here denotes truths.

[4] In Ezekiel:

It shall go forth into a magnificent cedar; and under it shall dwell every bird of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell (Ezekiel 17:23);

“bird of every wing” denotes truths of every kind. And again:

Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon. All the birds of the heavens made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches all the beasts of the field brought forth, and in his shadow dwelt all great nations (Ezekiel 31:3, 6);

“birds of the heavens” in like manner denote truths.

[5] Again:

Upon his ruin all the birds of the heavens shall dwell, and all the wild animals of the field shall be upon his branches (Ezekiel 31:13); where “birds of the heavens” denote falsities.

In Daniel:

Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream; behold a tree in the midst of the earth; the beast of the field had shadow under it, and the bird of the heaven dwelt in the branches thereof (Daniel 4:10, 12, 18); where again “birds of the heaven” denote falsities.

[6] In Jeremiah:

I beheld and lo there was no man, and all the birds of the heaven were fled (Jeremiah 4:25);

“no man” denotes no good (n. 4287); the “birds of the heaven that were fled” denotes that truths were dispersed. Again:

From the bird of the heavens, even to the beast, they are fled, they are gone (Jeremiah 9:10); where the meaning is similar. And in Matthew:

The sower went forth to sow; and some seeds fell upon the hard way, and the birds came and devoured them (Matthew 13:3-4); where “birds” denote reasonings, and also falsities. The meaning is similar in many other passages.

5144. And behold three baskets. That this signifies the successives of the things of the will, is evident from the signification of “three,” as being what is complete and continuous even to the end (see n. 2788, 4495, 5114, 5122), thus what is successive; and from the signification of “baskets,” as being things of the will. That “baskets” are things of the will is because they are vessels to hold food; and also because food signifies celestial and spiritual goods, and these are of the will; for all good pertains to the will, and all truth to the understanding. As soon as anything comes forth from the will, it is perceived as good. In what precedes, the sensuous subject to the intellectual part has been treated of, which was represented by the butler; what is now treated of is the sensuous subject to the will part, which is represented by the baker (see n. 5077, 5078, 5082).

[2] What is successive or continuous in intellectual things was represented by the vine, its three shoots, its blossoms, clusters, and grapes; and finally the truth which is of the intellect was represented by the cup (see n. 5120); but what is successive in the things of the will is represented by the three baskets on the head, in the uppermost of which there was of all food for Pharaoh, the work of the baker. By what is successive in the things of the will is meant what is successive from the inmosts of man down to his outermost, in which is the sensuous; for there are steps or degrees as of a ladder, from inmosts to outermosts (see n. 5114). Into the inmost there flows good from the Lord, and this through the rational into the interior natural, and thence into the exterior natural or sensuous, in a distinct succession, as by the steps of a ladder; and in each degree it is qualified according to the reception. But the further nature of this influx and its succession will be shown in the following pages.

[3] “Baskets” signify the things of the will insofar as goods are therein, in other passages of the Word, as in Jeremiah:

Jehovah showed me, when behold two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah; in one basket exceedingly good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; but in the other basket exceedingly bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness (Jeremiah 24:1-2);

here “basket” is expressed in the original by a different word, which signifies the will part in the natural; the “figs” in the one basket are natural goods, while those in the other are natural evils.

[4] In Moses:

When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God will give thee, thou shalt take of the first ripe of all the fruit of the land, which thou shalt bring in from thy land, and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah shall choose. Then the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it before the altar of Jehovah thy God (Deuteronomy 26:1-2, 4);

here “basket” is expressed by still another word that signifies a new will part in the intellectual part; “the first ripe of the fruit of the earth” are the goods thence derived.

[5] In the same:

For the sanctifying of Aaron and his sons, Moses was to take unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened mingled with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil; of fine wheaten flour shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them upon one basket, and bring them near in the basket. Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting (Exodus 29:2-3, 32);

“basket” here is expressed by the same term as in the present chapter, signifying the will part in which are the goods signified by “bread,” “cakes,” “oil,” “wafers,” “flour,” and “wheat;” by the will part is meant the containant; for goods from the Lord flow into the interior forms of man, as into their vessels, which forms, if disposed for reception, are the “baskets” in which these goods are contained.

[6] Again:

When a Nazirite was being inaugurated he was to take a basket of unleavened things of fine flour, cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, with their meat-offering, and their drink-offerings; a ram also he shall make a sacrifice of peace-offerings to Jehovah, besides the basket of unleavened things; and the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hand of the Nazirite, and the priest shall wave them with a waving before Jehovah (Numbers 6:15, 17, 19-20);

here also “basket” denotes the will part as the containant; the “cakes,” the “wafers,” the “oil,” the “meat-offering,” the “boiled shoulder of the ram,” are celestial goods which were being represented; for the Nazirite represented the celestial man (n. 3301).

[7] At that time such things as were used in worship were carried in baskets; as was also the kid of the goats by Gideon, which he brought forth to the angel under the oak (Judges 6:19); and this for the reason that baskets represented the containants, and the things in the baskets, the contents.