768. And went away (abivit) to make war with the rest of her seed.- That this signifies, And thence a determined effort, springing from a life of evil, to attack the truths of the doctrine of that church, is plain from the signification of going away, as denoting a determined effort springing from a life of evil (concerning which we shall speak presently); from the signification of making war, as denoting to attack and to desire to destroy (concerning which see above, n. 573, 734); and from the signification of her seed, as denoting the truths of the doctrine of the church (concerning which we shall also speak presently). It is said the rest of her seed, because those who are in those truths, are meant, and in an abstract sense the truths of that church, which they believe themselves able to assault and destroy. To go away (abire) signifies here a determined effort from a life of evil, because to go (ire) in the spiritual sense signifies to live, therefore in the Word, the expressions "to go (ire) with the Lord," and "to walk with Him" and "after Him," are used, and they signify to live from the Lord; but when "to go" (ire) is said of the dragon, whose life is a life of evil, it signifies to make an effort from that life, and because that effort is an effort from hatred, which is signified by his anger (see above, n. 754, 758), therefore a determined effort is signified, because he who makes an effort from hatred makes a determined effort.

[2] Since the hatred of those meant by the dragon is a hatred against those who are in the truths of the doctrine of the church which is the New Jerusalem, therefore it is a hatred against the truths of doctrine which such possess. For those who love any one, also those who cherish hatred against any one, indeed love or hate the person in whom those things are which they love or hate, and these things are truths of doctrine in them, therefore truths of doctrine are signified by "the rest of her seed." It is therefore evident that, in the spiritual sense of the Word, person is not regarded, but something considered apart from personality, as in the present case, that which is in the person. This may be further illustrated in this way. It is said in the Word, that the neighbour should be loved as a man loves himself, but in the spiritual sense it does not mean that the neighbour should be loved as to the person, but that those things should be loved which are in the person from the Lord. For a person is not actually loved because he is a person or man, but on account of his character, and thus a person is loved for his qualities; this then is meant by neighbour; and it is the spiritual neighbour, or the neighbour in the spiritual sense, who is to be loved. This quality or neighbour with those who are of the church of the Lord is everything that proceeds from the Lord, which in general has reference to all good, spiritual, moral, and civil, therefore those who are in these goods love those who are in the same; this then is to love the neighbour as oneself.

[3] From these things it is evident that the rest of her seed, namely, of the woman, who signifies the church, mean those who are in the truths of the doctrine of that church, and in a sense apart from personality - which is the true spiritual sense - the truths of the doctrine of that church; similarly in other passages of the Word, as in the following in Moses:

"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall tread upon thine head, and thou shalt wound his heel" (Genesis 3:15).

This is a prophecy concerning the Lord. The serpent there signifies man's Sensual, where his proprium resides, which in itself is nothing but evil, while the woman signifies the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths. And because the Sensual of man has been destroyed, and the man of the church becomes spiritual when he is raised up out of the Sensual, it is therefore said, there shall be enmity between thee and the woman. The seed of the serpent signifies all falsity from evil, and the seed of the woman all truth from good, and in the highest degree, Divine Truth; and as all Divine Truth is from the Lord, and as the Lord by its means destroyed falsity from evil, it is therefore said, "He shall tread upon thy head;" "He" signifies the Lord, and head all falsity from evil. That the Sensual would still do injury to Divine Truth in its ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by "thou shalt wound his heel," the heel signifying that ultimate and that sense. That these have suffered and do still suffer injury from the Sensual, is evident from this single example, that the Roman Catholics understand the woman here to mean Mary and the worship of her, therefore in their Bibles the reading is not "He" (ille), but "it" (illud) and she (illa).

[4] So also in a thousand other passages.

In Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days shall come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast" (31:27).

This is said of the Lord, and of a new church from Him; His coming is signified by "Behold the days shall come." To sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah, signifies to reform those who will be of that church, the house of Israel signifying the spiritual church, and the house of Judah the celestial church. And as reformation takes place by means of spiritual truths and by means of natural truths therefrom, it is said, "with the seed of man and the seed of beast," the seed of man signifying spiritual truth, from which man has intelligence, and the seed of beast natural truth, from which man has knowledge (scientia), also a life according to it, both of these from the affection for good. That man signifies affection for spiritual truth and good, may be seen above (n. 280); and that beast signifies natural affection (n. 650); thus the seed of man and the seed of beast signify the truths of those affections.

In Malachi:

"There is not one who doeth [this] who hath the spirit; is there one that seeketh the seed of God?" (2:15).

Is there one that seeketh the seed of God? signifies that no one seeks Divine Truth; the seed of God here evidently signifies Divine Truth; so "the born of God" mean those who are regenerated by the Lord by means of Divine Truth, and a life according to it.

[5] In Isaiah:

"Jehovah willed to bruise him, he hath weakened [him]; if thou shalt make his soul a guilt offering, he shall see seed, he shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand" (53:10).

This is said of the Lord. The whole of this chapter treats of His temptations, by means of which He subjugated the hells. The increasing severity of His temptations is described by Jehovah willed to bruise Him, and weaken Him; and the severest temptation, which was the passion of the cross, is signified by, "If thou shalt make His soul a guilt offering, - to make His soul a guilt offering signifying the last temptation, by which He completely subjugated the hells, and fully glorified His Human, through which comes redemption. The Divine Truth that afterwards proceeded from His Divine Human, and the salvation of all those who receive Divine Truth from Him, is signified by, He shall see seed; that this will continue for ever is signified by, He shall prolong days, to prolong, when said of the Lord, signifying to continue for ever, and days signifying states of light, which are the states of the enlightenment of all by means of Divine Truth. That this is from His Divine for the salvation of mankind is signified by The will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand.

[6] In the same:

"Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east, and I will gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back, bring my sons from afar, my daughters from the end of the earth" (43:5, 6).

It is supposed that these words have reference to the bringing back of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan; this, however, is not there meant, but the salvation by the Lord of all those who receive Divine Truth from Him, and of whom a new church is formed. This is the signification of His seed which shall be brought from the east and gathered from the west, and which the north shall give up and the south shall not keep back. Therefore, the words follow, "Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth," sons denoting those who are in the truths of the church, and daughters those who are in its goods. But these words may be seen explained above (n. 422:5, 724:20).

[7] In the same:

"Thou shalt break forth to the right and to the left, and thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited" (54:3).

This is said of a church from the Lord with the Gentiles, and this church is here meant by the barren woman that did not bare, and who should have many sons (ver. 1). The seed that shall inherit the nations, signifies the Divine Truth that shall be given to the nations. To break forth to the right hand and to the left, signifies extension and multiplication, the right hand signifying truth in light, and the left hand truth in shade. The reason of this signification is, that in the spiritual world, to the right hand is the south, where those are who are in the clear light of truth, and to the left is the north, where those are who are in an obscure light of truth. To make the desolate cities to be inhabited, signifies their life according to Divine truths, which before this had been destroyed, cities denoting the truths of doctrine from the Word, to be inhabited signifying to live according to truths, and desolate cities those truths previously destroyed, that is, with the Jewish nation.

[8] In the same:

"Their seed shall become known in the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed that Jehovah hath blessed" (Isaiah 61:9).

This also is said of the church to be established by the Lord. The seed that shall become known in the nations, signifies Divine Truth that will be received by those who are in the good of life; and the offspring in the midst of the peoples, signifies life according to Divine truth. Those that see them shall acknowledge that they are the seed, signifies enlightenment that it is the real truth that they receive; that Jehovah hath blessed, signifies that it is from the Lord. Such is the signification of these words in a sense apart from personality, but in a strict sense those who will receive Divine Truth from the Lord are meant.

[9] In the same:

"They are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them" (65:23).

This also is said of a church from the Lord. By the seed of the blessed of Jehovah are meant those who will receive Divine Truth from the Lord; and by their offspring are meant those who live according to it, but in a sense apart from personality, which is the true spiritual sense, seed means Divine Truth, and offspring a life according to it, as shown above. By offspring are meant those who live according to Divine Truth, and in an abstract sense, life according to it, because the word in the original, rendered offspring, is from a word which means to go forth and to proceed, and that which goes forth and proceeds from the Divine Truth received is a life according to it.

[10] In the same:

"As new heavens and a new earth, which I will make, shall stand before me, so shall your seed and your name stand" (Isaiah 66:22).

This also treats of the Lord, and the salvation of the faithful by Him. A new church from Him is meant by new heavens and a new earth, by new heavens the internal church, and by a new earth, the external church. That Divine Truth and its quality shall continue is signified by "your seed and your name shall stand," seed signifying Divine Truth, which also is truth of doctrine from the Word, and name its quality. That name signifies the quality of a thing and of a state, may be seen above (n. 148).

[11] In David:

"Thou hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, and thou shalt continue; they shall all wax old like garments, like a garment shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end; the sons of thy servants shall abide, and their seed shall be established before thee" (Psalm 102:25-28).

The earth which God hath formed, and the heavens the work of His hands, which shall perish, have a similar signification to that of the former heaven and former earth which have passed away (see Apoc. 21:1).

And because the face of the earth and of the heavens in the spiritual world will be entirely changed at the day of the Last Judgment, and there will be a new earth and new heavens in the place of the former, it is therefore said, that "they shall all wax old like garments, like a garment shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed;" they are compared to garments, because garments signify external truths, such as those had who were in the former heaven (caelo) and former earth, which heaven and earth do not endure, because not in internal truths. The state of Divine Truth that shall endure from the Lord to eternity is signified by "thou shalt continue, and thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end," the years of God signifying states of Divine Truth. The sons of Thy servants shall abide, and their seed shall be established before Thee, signifies that angels and men who are recipents of Divine Truth shall have eternal life, and that truths of doctrine with them shall endure to eternity, sons of the servants of God denoting angels and men who are recipients of Divine Truth, and their seed denoting the truths of doctrine.

[12] In the same:

"The seed that shall serve him shall be numbered to the Lord for a generation" (Psalm 22:30).

This also is said of the Lord. The seed that shall serve Him, means those who are in truths of doctrine from the Word; while it shall be numbered to the Lord for a generation, signifies that they shall be His to eternity, to be counted signifying to be arranged and disposed in order, here to be added to, thus to be His.

[13] In many passages in the Word mention is made of the seed of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, also of the seed of Israel, and this in the historical sense of the letter means their posterity; but, in the spiritual sense, Divine Truth and the truth of doctrine from the Word are meant, because Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, in this sense, mean the Lord, as can be seen from passages in the Word, where they are mentioned. For example, where it is said, that they shall come from the east and from the west, and shall recline (accumbo) ¹ with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 8:11), which means the enjoyment of celestial good from the Lord. So in other passages. And as the Lord is meant by them in the internal sense, therefore their seed signifies the Divine Truth which is from the Lord, and thus also truth of doctrine from the Word, as in the following passages.

In Moses:

Jehovah said to Abraham, "All the land which thou seest will I give to thee and to thy seed for ever; and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth" (Genesis 13:15, 16):

"Look up towards the heavens and number the stars, so shall thy seed be" (Genesis 15:5).

"In thy seed shall all nations be blessed" (Genesis 22:18).

To Isaac,

"To thee and to thy seed will I give all these lands, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 26:3-5).

To Jacob,

"Unto thy seed after thee will I give this land" (Genesis 35:12).

The land "given to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed after them" (Deuteronomy 1:8):

"The seed of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Deuteronomy 4:37; chap. 10:15; chap. 11:9).

Since by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as stated, the Lord is meant, by Abraham the Lord as to the celestial Divine of the church, by Isaac as to the spiritual Divine of the church, and by, Jacob as to the natural Divine of the church; therefore their seed signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, the seed of Abraham signifying celestial Divine Truth, the seed of Isaac spiritual Divine Truth, and the seed of Jacob natural Divine Truth; consequently those are meant who are in Divine Truth from the Lord. But the land which the Lord will give to them means the church, which is in Divine Truth from Him; it can therefore be understood what is signified by all nations being blessed in their seed; for they could not be blessed in their posterity, that is, in the Jewish and Israelitish nation, but in the Lord and from the Lord by the reception of Divine Truth from Him.

[14] That the Jews are not meant by the seed of Abraham, is plain from the words of the Lord in John:

The Jews answered, "We are Abraham's seed, and have never been in bondage to any man. Jesus answered, I know that ye are Abraham's seed, yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you; ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:33, 34, 37, 44).

It is evident from these words that the Jews are not meant by the seed of Abraham, but that Abraham means the Lord, and the seed of Abraham Divine Truth from the Lord, which is the Word; for it is said, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed, yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." By the Lord saying, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed," is signified that He knew that the truth of the church, which is the Word, was with them; "but that they nevertheless rejected the Lord is signified by "ye seek to kill me." That they were not in Divine Truths from the Lord is signified by "because my word hath no place in you" and that there was in them nothing but evil and falsity therefrom, is signified by "ye are of your father the devil, and the truth is not in him"; and afterwards, "when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh from his own," where a lie signifies Divine Truth or the Word adulterated. The Lord said, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed," also for the reason that Judah signifies the Lord as to the Word, as may be seen above (n. 119, 433).

[15] In David,

"He will make them to fall in the wilderness, and will make their seed to fall among the nations, and will scatter them in the lands" (Psalm 106:26, 27).

To make their seed fall among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands, signifies that Divine Truth would perish with them through evils and falsities.

The seed of Israel has a similar signification in these passages:

"Thou Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 41:8, 9).

"I will pour out my Spirit upon" the seed of Israel and Jacob, "and my blessing upon their offspring" (Isaiah 44:3).

"In Jehovah all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory" (Isaiah 45:25).

"Jehovah, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the land towards the north, and out of all the lands whither I have driven them, that they may dwell upon their own land" (Jeremiah 23:8).

Israel, in the highest sense, means the Lord as to the internal of the church, therefore his seed also signifies the Divine Truth which is with those who are of the church signified by Israel. Israel means the church with those who are interiorly natural, and have truths therein from a spiritual source. Therefore Israel signifies a spiritual natural church.

[16] Since David, in the Word, means the Lord as to royalty, and the royalty of the Lord signifies Divine Truth in the church, therefore also his seed means those who are in the truths of the church from the Word, and these are also called sons of the king, and sons of the kingdom; it means also that Divine Truth is in them, as in the following passages:

"As the host (exercitus) of the heavens cannot be numbered, or the sand of the sea be measured, so will I multiply the seed of David and the Levites my ministers" (Jeremiah 33:22).

"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn to David my servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and I will build up thy throne to generation and generation. I will set his seed for ever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. His seed shall be to eternity and his throne as the sun before me" (Psalm 89:3, 4, 29, 36).

That David, in the Word, means the Lord as to royalty, which is Divine Truth in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, may be seen above (n. 205); therefore his seed signifies that Divine Truth with those who are in truths from good, thus also those who are in truths of doctrine from the Word. For truths of doctrine from the Word, or truths of the Word, are all from good; and as such are meant by the seed of David, therefore, in an abstract sense, the truth of the Word, or the truth of doctrine from the Word, is also meant by it. That the seed of David does not mean his posterity can be seen by any one, for it is said that his seed shall be multiplied as the host of the heavens and the sand of the sea, and that it shall be established and set to eternity, also that his throne shall be built up to generation and generation, and shall be as the days of the heavens and as the sun. Such things can in no way be said about the seed of David, that is, about his posterity, and his throne, for where now are these to be found? But all those things harmonize, when it is seen that by David the Lord is meant, by his throne, heaven and the church, and by his seed, the truth of heaven and of the church.

[17] In Jeremiah:

"If I shall not have fixed my covenant of day and night, the ordinances of heaven and of the earth, I will cast away also the seed of Jacob and of David my servant, that I will not take of his seed to rule over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them" (33:25, 26).

In the same:

"Jehovah said, who giveth the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night; If these ordinances shall depart from before me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever" (31:35, 36).

In these passages the seed of Jacob and of David, also the seed of Israel, mean also those who are in Divine truths, but the seed of Jacob mean those who are in natural Divine Truth, David means those who are in spiritual Divine Truth, and Israel means those who are in Divine Truth spiritual-natural, which is mediate between natural Divine Truth and spiritual Divine Truth. For there are degrees of Divine Truth as there are degrees of its reception by the angels in the three heavens, and in the church. The covenant of day and night, and the ordinances of heaven and earth, signify the conjunction of the Lord with those who are in Divine truths in the heavens, and who are in Divine truths on earth. Covenant signifies conjunction; statutes the laws of conjunction, which are also the laws of order, and the laws of order are Divine truths; day signifies the light of truth such as it is with the angels in the heavens; and night the light of truth such as it is with men on earth, and also such as it is with those, both in the heavens and on earth, who are under the Lord as a moon; therefore it is also said, "Who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night." But the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, here mean all those who are of the Lord's church in every degree; of these, and of the seed of Jacob and David it is said that if they acknowledge not the Lord, and do not receive Divine Truth from Him, the Lord will not reign over them.

[18] In the same:

"No one of his seed shall prosper who sitteth upon the throne of David, and ruleth any more in Judah" (22:30).

This is said of Coniah, king of Judah, who is there called a despised and worthless idol; and it is said of him that "he and his seed shall be taken away and cast unto the earth" (verse 28 of the same chapter). This king has a signification similar to that of Satan, and his seed signifies infernal falsity; that this shall not rule in the Lord's church in which is celestial Divine Truth, is signified by No one of his seed shall sit upon the throne of David, nor rule any more in Judah, Judah here denoting the celestial church in which the Lord reigns.

[19] As David represented the royalty of the Lord, so Aaron represented His priesthood, therefore the seed of Aaron means those who are in affection for real truth which is from celestial good. Because of this representation the following statute was given for Aaron:

"The high priest shall not take to wife a widow, or a divorced woman, or one polluted, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, lest he profane his seed amongst his people; I Jehovah do sanctify him" (Leviticus 21:14, 15).

As man (vir) and wife (uxor), in the Word, in its spiritual sense, signify the understanding of truth and the will of good, and as thought belongs to the understanding and affection to the will, therefore man and wife also signify the thought of truth and affection for good, also truth and good. It is consequently evident what a widow, one divorced, and one polluted, a harlot, signify; a widow signifies good without truth, because left by truth, which is the man; a woman divorced signifies good rejected by truth, thus discordant good; and one polluted, a harlot, signifies good adulterated by falsities, which is no longer good but evil. Because of this signification of these women, the high priest was forbidden to take any of them to wife, because he represented the Lord as to the priesthood, which signified the Divine Good. And as a virgin signifies the will or affection for genuine truth, and since genuine truth makes one with and is in agreement with Divine Good, and these two are conjoined in heaven and in the church, and their conjunction is called the heavenly marriage, therefore it was enacted that the high priest should take a virgin to wife. And as truth of doctrine is a result of this marriage, but from a marriage with such as are signified by a widow, a divorced woman, and one polluted, a harlot, falsity of doctrine is produced, it is therefore said, "Lest he profane his seed among his people." Seed signifies genuine truth of doctrine, and thus also the doctrine of genuine truth from the good of celestial love; and his people signify those who are of the church in which is the doctrine of genuine truth from the Word. And as this was representative of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of the Lord with the church, it is therefore said, "I Jehovah do sanctify him."

[20] Because the high priest represented the Lord as to Divine Good, and his seed signified Divine Truth, which is the same as genuine truth of doctrine, it was therefore also made a statute, that a man a stranger, who was not of the seed of Aaron, should not come near to burn incense before Jehovah (Numbers 16:40). A man a stranger signifies falsity of doctrine, and to burn incense signifies worship from spiritual good, which, in its essence, is genuine truth; while the seed of the high priest signifies Divine Truth from a celestial origin; for this reason a law was made that no stranger, who was not of the seed of Aaron, should offer incense in the tent of meeting before Jehovah.

[21] When it is known what feature of heaven and the church was represented by other persons also mentioned in the Word, the signification of their seed will be understood, as in the case of the seed of Noah, Ephraim, and Caleb, in the following passages.

Concerning Noah, "I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you" (Genesis 9:9).

Israel said of Ephraim, "His seed shall be the fulness of the earth" (Genesis 48:19).

And Jehovah said of Caleb, "His seed shall inherit the earth (Numbers 14:24).

What Noah and Ephraim represented and signified has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. Caleb represented those who were to be introduced into the church, therefore by their seed is signified the truth of doctrine of the church.

[22] The signification of the seed of man is also similar to that of the seed of the field, because a field equally as man signifies the church; therefore, in some passages, the terms seed and sowing are applied to the people of the earth, just as they are applied to a field; as in the following.

In Jeremiah:

"I had planted thee a noble vine, a seed of truth; how art thou turned into branches of a strange vine unto me" (2:21).

In David:

"Their fruit will I destroy from the earth, and their seed from the sons of man" (Psalm 21:10).

In Hosea:

"I will sow" Israel "unto me in the earth" (2:23).

In Zechariah:

"I will sow" Judah and Joseph "among the peoples, and in remote places they shall remember me" (10:9).

In Ezekiel:

"I will look again to you, that ye may be tilled and sown; then will I multiply man upon you, all the house of Israel, the whole of it" (36:9, 10).

In Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days come in which I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and the seed of beast" (Jeremiah 31:27).

In Matthew:

"The seed sown are the sons of the kingdom" (Matthew 13:38).

But it is not necessary to show here that the seed of the field has a signification similar to that of the seed of man, for we have here only to explain the signification of the seed of the woman, and to confirm it from the Word.

[23] Because seed signifies truth of doctrine from the Word, and, in the highest sense, Divine Truth, therefore, in the opposite sense, seed signifies falsity of doctrine, and infernal falsity.

As in Isaiah:

"Draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, seed of an adulterer, and ye that have committed whoredom. Against whom do ye sport yourselves, against whom do ye make wide the mouth and draw out the tongue? Are ye not the children of transgression, the seed of falsehood" (57:3, 4).

By sons of a sorceress and seed of an adulterer, are signified falsities from the Word when it has been falsified and adulterated, by the sons of the sorceress, falsities from the Word falsified, and by the seed of an adulterer, falsities from the Word adulterated. The Word is said to be falsified when truths are perverted, and to be adulterated when its goods are similarly perverted, also when its truths are applied to the loves of self. Children of transgression and the seed of falsehood, signify falsities flowing from such former falsities. To sport themselves, signifies to take delight in things falsified; to make wide the mouth, signifies the delight in thought therefrom, and to draw out the tongue, signifies delight in teaching and propagating such falsities.

[24] In Isaiah:

"Woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, sons that are corrupters; they have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel, they have gone away backwards" (1:4).

The sinful nation signifies those who are in evils, and a people laden with iniquity, those who are in falsities therefrom; for nation is used in the Word, in reference to evils, and people in reference to falsities, as may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625). The falsity of those who are in evils is signified by the seed of evil doers, and the falsities of those who are in the falsities from that evil are signified by the sons who are corrupters. That sons signify those who are in truths, and, in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense, truths and falsities, may be seen above (n. 724). They have forsaken Jehovah and provoked the Holy One of Israel, signifies that they have rejected Divine Good and Divine Truth, Jehovah denoting the Lord as to Divine Good, and the Holy One of Israel the Lord as to Divine Truth. Their going away backwards, signifies that they utterly departed from good and truth, and went away to infernal evil and falsity; for those in the spiritual world who are in evils and falsities turn themselves backwards from the Lord, as may be seen in Heaven and Hell 123).

In the same:

"Thou shalt not be united with them in the sepulchre, for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of the wicked shall not be named for ever" (Isaiah 14:20).

This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant. The seed of the wicked which shall not be named for ever, signifies the direful falsity of evil from hell; the rest may be seen explained above (n. 589, 659:20, 697).

[25] In Moses:

"He who hath given his seed to Molech shall surely die, the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will set My faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane the name of my holiness" (Leviticus 20:3; 18:21).

To give of his seed to Molech, signifies to destroy the truth of the Word, and thus of the doctrine of the church therefrom, by application to the vile loves of the body, as to murders, hatreds, revenges, adulteries, and similar things, which leads to the acceptance of infernal falsities instead of Divine things; such falsities are signified by the seed given to Molech. Molech was the god of the sons of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7), and was set up in the valley of Hinnom, which was called Topheth, where they burnt their sons and daughters in the fire (2 Kings 23:10); the loves mentioned above are signified by that fire. And as the seed given to Molech signifies such infernal falsity, and stoning was a punishment of death for injury done to and for destruction of the truth of the Word, and of doctrine therefrom, it is therefore said, that the man "who hath given of his seed to Molech shall surely die, and the people of the land shall stone him with stones." That stoning was the punishment for doing injury to or for destroying truth, may be seen above (n. 655). That such falsity is destructive of all the good of the Word and of the church is signified by, "I will set my faces against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath polluted my sanctuary, and profaned the name of my holiness," sanctuary signifying the truth of heaven and of the church, and the name of holiness all its quality. From the passages quoted, it is now evident that seed, in the highest sense, means Divine Truth from the Lord, and it consequently means the truth of the Word and of the doctrine of the church which is from the Word, while in the bad sense it means, infernal falsity which is the opposite of that truth.

Poznámky pod čarou:

357. That a bow signifies doctrine fighting, or doctrine from which evils and falsities are fought against, and that arrows, javelins, and darts signify the truths of doctrine which fight, is evident from the following passages. In Zechariah:

"I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off. On the contrary, he shall speak peace to the nations. Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope, and I will bend Judah to me, and with the bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, for Jehovah shall appear over them, and his dart shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and he shall go in the whirlwinds of the south" (9:10, 12-14).

The vastation of the Jewish church is here treated of, and the establishment of the church among the gentiles. The vastation of the Jewish church is described by, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off; by which is signified that truth in doctrine would be no more, nor the understanding of truth, and thence no combat or resistance against falsity. By the chariot is signified the doctrine of truth; by the horse, the understanding thereof; by the bow of war, combat from doctrine against falsity. It is said the bow of war, because doctrine fighting is meant. By Ephraim is signified the church as to the understanding of truth, and by Jerusalem [the same] as to doctrine. And the establishment of the church among the nations, is described by these words, "On the contrary, he shall speak peace to the nations. Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; and I will bend Judah to me, and with the bow I will fill Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion." By which is signified, that the church shall be established among those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in truths thence. By peace is signified that good; by Judah those who are in that good; and by Ephraim those who are in the understanding of truth thence; therefore it is said concerning Ephraim, "with the bow he will fill him," that is, with the doctrine of truth. Their enlightenment in truths is described by these words, "His dart shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovih shall blow with the trumpet, and he shall go in the whirlwinds of the south." The dart which shall go forth as lightning, signifies truth enlightened, thus truth from the good of love; He shall blow with the trumpet signifies the plain perception of good; and the whirlwinds of the south signify the plain understanding of truth, the south denoting the light of truth; the subject here treated of is the Lord, thus that those things are from the Lord.

[2] In Moses:

"The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one near a fountain; the daughters, as he walketh upon the wall, shall embitter him, and shall shoot at him, the archers shall hate him; and he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Genesis 49:22-24).

By Joseph, in the highest sense, is signified the Lord as to the spiritual kingdom. There are two kingdoms of heaven; one is called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual kingdom; the celestial kingdom is described in the prophetic declaration concerning Judah, and the spiritual kingdom in this concerning Joseph. Those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom are in the good of love to Him, which is called celestial good; and those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are in the good of love towards the neighbour, and thence in truths; and because all truths proceed from the Lord through the spiritual kingdom, it is thence that Joseph is called the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one near a fountain. By a fruitful one is signified spiritual good, which is the good of charity; by son is signified truth from that good; and by a fountain is signified the Word; combat against evils and falsities is described by "the daughters shall embitter him, and shoot at him, and the archers shall hate him," daughters signify those who are in evils, and who by falsities are desirous of destroying goods. Those who assault by evils are signified by, they shall shoot, and those who [assault] by falsities of evil by the archers who shall hate him. The Lord's victory over them is described by these words: "And he shall sit in the firmness of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, thence is he the shepherd, the stone of Israel." By sitting in the firmness of the bow is signified in the doctrine of genuine truth, and by the arms of his hands shall be strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, is signified the power [given] to them from the Lord; the arms of the hands denoting power, and the Mighty One of Jacob the Lord, who also is called the shepherd, the stone of Israel, from the doctrine of charity and of the faith thence which is from Him. That Joseph, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord as to the Divine Spiritual, and, in the internal sense, His spiritual kingdom, may be seen, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what [he signifies] besides, n. 4286, 4592, 4963, 5086, 5087, 5106, 5249, 5307, 5869, 5877, 6224, 6526).

[3] In the second book of Samuel:

"David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan his son; and wrote, For teaching the sons of Judah the bow" (1:17, 18).

In that lamentation the fighting of truth from good against falsity from evil is treated of; for by Saul as a king is there signified truth from good, for such truth is meant by a king in the Word (see above, n. 31); and by Jonathan, as the son of a king, is signified the truth of doctrine; therefore he wrote the lamentation, For teaching the sons of Judah the bow, by which is signified to teach them the doctrine of truth which is from good. The fighting of that truth against falsities and evils is described in that lamentation by these words:

"Without the blood of the slain, without the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty" (verse 22).

The blood of the slain signifies falsities conquered and dispersed; similarly the fat of the mighty signifies evils. That these are conquered and dispersed by the doctrine of truth which is from good, is signified by, "The bow of Jonathan returned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty," the bow of Jonathan denoting doctrine, and the sword of Saul denoting truth from good.

[4] In David:

"God teacheth my hands war, and placeth a bow of brass in mine arms" (Psalm 18:34).

By war here is signified war in the spiritual sense, which is that against evils and falsities; this war God teaches; and by the bow of brass is signified the doctrine of charity, God places this in the arms, that is, that it may prevail.

[5] In Isaiah:

"Who raised up one from the east, whom in justice he called to his train, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow" (41:2).

These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning His dominion over evils and falsities. By the nations which He gave before him are signified evils; and by the kings over whom he made Him to rule, are signified falsities. That he disperses the latter and the former as nothing by means of His Divine truth, and the doctrine thence, is signified by, "He gave them as dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow," his sword denoting Divine truth, and his bow denoting doctrine. That evils and falsities are dispersed as nothing, is signified by, "As the dust, and as driven stubble"; it is said that evils and falsities are so dispersed, and it is meant that those who are in evils and thence in falsities are so [dealt with] in the other life.

[6] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah shall visit his flock, the house of Judah, and shall place them as the horse of his glory in the battle. Out of him [shall come forth] the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the bow of war" (10:3, 4).

This may be seen explained in the article immediately preceding, where the signification of the horse is treated of"; by the bow of war is signified the truth fighting from doctrine.

[7] In Habakkuk:

"Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou ridest upon thy horses, thy chariots salvation? With bareness shall thy bow be made bare" (3:8, 9).

This was also explained in the preceding article; by, "Thy bow shall be made bare," is signified that the doctrine of truth shall be opened.

[8] In Isaiah:

"Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow; and for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed, and the remains of the number of the bow of the strong sons of Kedar shall be few" (21:15-17).

The subject here treated of, in the spiritual sense, is that the knowledges of good would perish, and that few would remain; by Kedar or Arabia are signified those who are in the knowledges of good, and abstractedly those knowledges themselves. That the knowledges of truth would perish by falsities and by the doctrine of falsity, is signified by, "Before the swords shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow." The sword denotes falsity combating and destroying, and the bow denotes the doctrine of falsity. That the knowledges of good would perish, is signified by these words, "for the grievousness of the war all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed," the grievousness of war denoting the state of assault, and all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed, denoting vastation. And that few knowledges of good would remain, is described by the remains of the number of the bow of the strong sons of Kedar shall be few. The bow of the mighty, denoting the doctrine of truth from the knowledges which prevail against falsities.

[9] In the same:

"He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hath made me a polished dart; in his quiver hath he hid me" (49:2).

The Lord is treated of here also; and by the sharp sword is signified truth dispersing falsity; by the polished dart truth dispersing evil; and by the quiver the Word. Hence it is manifest what is signified by, "He hath made my mouth as a sharp sword, and he hath made me a polished dart, and in his quiver hath he hid me," namely, that in Him and from Him is Divine truth, by which falsities and evils are dispersed, and that in Him and from Him is the Word, where and whence those truths are.

[10] In David:

"Lo, sons are the heritage of Jehovah; the fruit of the womb is his reward. As darts in the hand of a mighty man, so are the sons of youth. Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalms 127:3-5).

By the sons who are the heritage of Jehovah, are signified truths, whence is intelligence; by the fruit of the womb which is His reward, are signified goods, whence is happiness; by the sons of youth which are as darts in the hand of a mighty man, are signified the truths of the good of innocence; because nothing evil or false can resist those truths, therefore, it is said "they are as darts in the hand of a mighty man." The good of innocence is the good of love to the Lord; because those truths have such power, it is therefore said, "Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them"; by quiver here is signified the same as by bow, namely, doctrine from the Word. "They shall not be ashamed, when they speak with the enemies in the gate," signifies, that they shall be in no fear of evils from the hells; enemies denoting evils, and the gate denoting hell (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 428, 429, 583, 584, 585).

[11] In the same:

"The sons of Ephraim, who were armed, shooters of the bow, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God" (Psalms 78:9, 10).

By Ephraim here, as above, is signified the understanding of truth, and by his sons the truths themselves; therefore they are also called shooters of the bow, that is, combatants against evils and falsities. That in this case they did not resist these, because they were not conjoined with the Lord, is signified by, "they turned back in the day of battle, because they did not keep the covenant of God." Covenant denotes conjunction, and not to keep it, is not to live according to the truths and goods that conjoin. From the passages adduced it is evident, that by a bow is signified the doctrine of truth fighting against falsities and evils, and dispersing them.

[12] That this is signified by bow is still further evident from the opposite sense of it, in which bow signifies the doctrine of falsity fighting against truths and goods, and destroying them; and by darts and arrows the falsities themselves. The bow is mentioned in this sense in the following passages: In David:

"Lo, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart" (Psalms 11:2).

The wicked bending the bow, signifies that they frame doctrine; their making ready the arrow upon the string, signifies that they apply to it falsities that appear as truths; to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart, signifies to deceive those who are in truths from good. Bow here denotes the doctrine of falsity; arrow denotes falsity itself; to shoot denotes to deceive; and the darkness denotes appearances, for they reason from appearances in the world and from fallacies, by applying also the sense of the letter of the Word.

[13] In the same:

"The wicked uncover the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and needy. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken" (Psalms 37:14, 15).

By the sword is signified falsity fighting against truth, and by the bow is signified the doctrine of falsity. To cast down the miserable and the needy, signifies to pervert those who are in ignorance of truth and good. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, signifies that they shall perish from their own falsity; and their bows shall be broken, signifies that their doctrine of falsity shall be dissipated, which also is done after their departure out of the world; then their falsities destroy them, and their doctrine, so far as it concerns truths adjoined to falsities, is dissipated.

[14] In the same:

"Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their arrows with a bitter word; that they may shoot in the hiding places at the perfect (Psalms 64:3, 4).

Because a sword signifies falsity fighting against truth, therefore, it is said they sharpen their tongue like a sword; and because an arrow signifies falsity of doctrine, therefore it is said "they bend their bow with a bitter word; to shoot in the hiding places at the perfect," signifies the same as above to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart, namely, to deceive those who are in truths from good.

[15] In Jeremiah:

"They are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men, who bend their tongue, their bow is a lie; neither in the truth have they prevailed in the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, neither have they known me" (9:2, 3).

By adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men, are meant those who falsify the knowledges of truth and good; adulterers denote those who falsify the knowledges of truth, and the treacherous those who [falsify] the knowledges of good; concerning, such it is said that they bend the tongue, and that their bow is a lie, the bow denoting doctrine whence come the principles of falsity, and a lie denoting falsity; and hence it is also said, "in the truth they have not prevailed in the earth," that is, in the church, where genuine truths are; that those are of such a quality who are in a life of evil, and do not acknowledge the Lord, is signified by, "for they proceed from evil to evil, neither have they known me."

[16] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, I cause to come up against Babel an assembly of great nations from the land of the north; their darts as of a mighty one, none shall return vain; set yourselves in array against Babel round about, all ye that bend the bow shoot against her, spare not the arrows; make the shooters heard against Babel, all that bend the bow encamp against her round about, let there be no escape for her" (50:9, 14, 29, 42; 51:3).

By these words is described the total devastation of truth with those meant by Babel; these arrogate to themselves the Divine power, and indeed acknowledge the Lord, but deprive Him of all power of salvation, and thence profane Divine truths. And because the Lord very carefully provides that genuine truths may not be profaned, therefore, those [truths] are entirely taken away from them, and they are imbued with absolute falsities instead. By the assembly of great nations from the land of the north, are signified direful evils rising up from hell; the great nations denoting direful evils, and the land of the north denoting hell, where there is nothing but falsity; by their darts as of a mighty man, none shall return vain, is signified that thence they shall be imbued with absolute falsities. By "Put yourselves in array against Babel round about; all ye that bend the bow, shoot against her, spare not the arrows," is signified also as to all doctrinals; the total devastation of truth with them is signified by "all ye that bend the bow, camp against her round about; let there be no escape for her."

[17] In Isaiah:

"I stir up against them the Medes, who will not esteem the silver, and in the gold they will not delight, whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and the fruit of the belly they will not pity; so shall Babel be as the overthrowing of God, Sodom and Gomorrah" (13:17-19).

These things also are said of Babel and of the devastation of all things of the church with those who are meant by Babylon, concerning which we have spoken just above. By the Medes are signified those who regard the truths and goods of heaven and the church as nothing; therefore it is said concerning them, "who will not esteem the silver, and in the gold they will not delight"; silver signifying truth, and gold good, both of the church. By their bows which shall dash in pieces the young men, and by the fruit of the belly which they shall not pity, are signified the doctrinals that destroy all truth and all the good thence; the young men signifying truths, and the fruit of the belly goods; and because all evil with them is from the love of self, and all falsity is from that evil, and because that evil and the falsity thence are condemned to hell, therefore it is said, "so shall Babel be as the overthrowing of God, Sodom and Gomorrah"; God's overthrowing signifying damnation to hell, and Sodom and Gomorrah signifying the evils from the love of self and the falsities thence. (That these things are signified by Sodom and Gomorrah, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2220, 2246, 2322.)

[18] In the same:

"In that day, every place where there were a thousand vines for a thousand of silver, shall even be for thorn-brake and bramble-bush. With arrow and with bow shall he come thither; because the whole land shall be thorn-brake and bramble-bush" (7:23, 24).

The church devastated as to all truth and good is thus described; the quality of the church before, when genuine truths, which are truths from good, were there in abundance, [is described] by there being a thousand vines for a thousand of silver; a thousand vines denoting truths from good in abundance, a thousand of silver denoting that they are most highly esteemed because they are genuine; silver denoting truth, and a thousand many, thus, in abundance. But what the quality of the church became when vastated as to all truth and good, is described by these words, "with arrow and with bow shall he come thither; because the whole land shall be thorn-brake and bramble-bush." Arrow denotes falsity destroying truth, and the bow denotes the doctrine of falsity. A thorn-brake signifies falsity from evil, and a bramble-bush evil from falsity; the land denotes the church.

[19] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred from the sides of the earth. They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice resoundeth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, equipped as a man for war against thee, O daughter of Zion" (6:22, 23).

The devastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described here also; what a people from the land of the north signifies, and a great nation from the sides of the earth, also what their voice signifies which resoundeth as the sea, and their riding upon horses, was explained in the article just preceding. That they lay hold on bow and spear signifies falsity of doctrine destroying truth, and a spear the falsity of evil destroying good; the daughter of Zion denotes the church.

[20] In the same:

"The whole land is a desolation, for the voice of the horseman and of the archers the whole city fleeth; they have entered the clouds, they have ascended into the rocks, the whole city is deserted, no one dwelling therein" (4:27, 29).

This also may be seen explained in the article immediately preceding. The voice of the horseman and of the archers signifies reasonings from falsities, and assaults of the truth; the archers or those who bend the bow, denoting those who assault truths from falsities of doctrine; hence it is said the whole city fleeth, the whole city is deserted, city signifying the doctrine of the church.

[21] In Isaiah:

Jehovah "hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and behold the swift one shall come quickly, his arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent; the hoofs of his horses are counted as rocks, and his wheels as the whirlwind" (5:26, 28).

By his arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent, are signified falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths; what is signified by the nations from far, and by the hoofs of the horses are counted like rocks, and by the wheels which are like a whirlwind, may be seen in the article just above, where they are explained.

[22] In Amos:

"He that handleth the bow shall not stand, neither the swift with his feet deliver himself; neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver his own soul. But the strong in his heart among the heroes shall flee naked in that day" (2:15, 16).

Man's own intelligence is here described, and confidence therefrom that he can reason from falsities against truths. By, "he that handleth the bow shall not stand, and the swift with the feet shall not deliver himself," is signified that he who knows how to reason readily and skilfully from the doctrine and the memory which belong to the natural man, cannot provide anything for his own salvation, or stand in the day of judgment. The same is signified by, he that rideth the horse shall not deliver his own soul. By the strong in heart who shall flee in that day, is signified that he who therefrom trusts in himself that he can reason from falsities, shall then be deprived of all truth; by the strong in heart is meant one who trusts in himself on that account, and by naked, is signified, deprived of all truth.

[23] In David:

"God is a just judge, God, who is angry all the day; if [the evil] will not return, he hath sharpened his sword, he hath bent his bow, and directed it, and hath prepared for him the instruments of death, he maketh his arrows burning" (Psalms 7:11-13).

It is here attributed to God, that He is angry with the wicked, that He sharpens His sword, that He bends and directs His bow, prepares instruments of death, and makes His arrows burning; but the spiritual sense means that man acts thus to himself. Those things are attributed to God in the sense of the letter, because that sense is natural, and for the natural man who believes that God is to be feared on account thereof; and fear with him operates as love does afterwards, when he becomes spiritual. It is therefore evident what is here signified by those words, namely, that the wicked man is angry with God, that he sharpens the sword against himself, and bends the bow and directs it, prepares the instruments of death, and makes his arrows burning. By, he sharpeneth the sword, is signified that he procures to himself falsity by which he fights against truths; by, he bended the bow and directs it, is signified that from falsities he makes for himself doctrine against truths; and by he prepareth the instruments of death, and maketh his arrows burning, is signified that from infernal love he makes for himself principles of falsity, by which he destroys good and its truths.

[24] In Lamentations:

The Lord "hath bent his bow like an enemy; he stood with his right hand as an adversary, he slew all the desirable things of the eyes" (2:4).

Here also similar things are attributed to the Lord, for a similar reason, as explained above. That He bends His bow like an enemy, and stands with His right hand like an adversary, signifies that the evil man does so to himself, that is, he defends evil against good, and falsity against its truths, from the doctrine which he has framed to himself from his own intelligence, and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. For in the Lamentations the vastation of all good and all truth with the Jewish nation, on account of the application of the sense of the letter of the Word to favour their own loves, is treated of; the bow there denotes the doctrine of falsity thence; the enemy denotes evil, and the adversary falsity. That, consequently, all understanding of truth and good perished, is signified by the Lord shall slay all the desirable things of the eyes, the desirable things of the eyes denoting all things belonging to intelligence and wisdom.

[25] In Moses:

"A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall consume the earth with her produce, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will empty out evils upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them" (32:22, 23).

These words are in the song of Moses, in which the Israelitish and Jewish nation is treated of, and what they were in their heart is described, namely, that they had nothing of the church because there was absolute falsity from evil. By the earth and her produce which should be consumed, is signified the church, and all its truth and good; by the earth is signified the church, and by the produce, all its truth and good. By the foundations of the mountains which shall be set on fire, are signified truths upon which the goods of love are founded; specifically the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, because those are the foundations. By the evils that shall be emptied out upon them, and by the arrows which shall be spent upon them, is signified that they shall be imbued with all evils and falsities. What was the character of that nation from the beginning, and also what it is at this day, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248.

[26] In the first book of Samuel:

"The bows of the mighty are broken, and they who were smitten were girded with strength" (2:4).

This is a prophetic declaration of Hannah the mother of Samuel, in which the deprivation of truth with those who belonged to the church is treated of, because they had no spiritual affection of truth; also concerning the reception and enlightenment of those who were outside the church, because they had a spiritual affection of truth. That the doctrines of falsities in which those were who belonged to the church are as nothing, is signified by, the bows of the mighty are broken; and the reception and enlightenment of those who were outside the church, are signified by, they who were smitten were girded with strength; those are called smitten, who are bound by the falsities of ignorance; and strength is predicated of power and abundance of truth from good.

[27] In Jeremiah:

"Behold, I break the bow of Elam, the beginning of his power" (49:35).

By Elam is meant the knowledge (scientia) of the natural man, and confidence therefrom; by his bow is signified knowledge from which he fights as from doctrine; and by the beginning of his power is signified confidence; for knowledge avails nothing if it does not serve the rational and spiritual man. That by Elam is meant the knowledge which belongs to the natural man, is evident from those places where it is named in the Word (as Genesis 10:22; Isaiah 21:2; Jeremiah 25:24-26; 49:34-39; Ezekiel 32:24).

[28] In David:

Jehovah "maketh wars to cease even to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; he burneth the chariots with fire" (Psalms 46:10).

Because by wars are signified spiritual combats, which are here those of falsity against the truth and against the good which belong to the church, it is hence evident what is signified by, Jehovah shall make wars to cease even to the end of the earth, namely, that all combat, and all disagreement [should cease] from the first to the last of the truth of the church, the end of the earth signifying its last. That there shall be no combat of doctrine against doctrine, is signified by, He shall break the bow; that there shall be no combat from any falsity of evil, is signified by, He shall cut the spear asunder; and that everything of the doctrine of falsity shall be destroyed, by, He shall burn the chariots with fire.

[29] In the same:

"In Salem is the tabernacle" of Jehovah, "and his dwelling place in Zion. There brake he the strings of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle" (Psalms 76:1-3).

The cessation of all combat and all dissension in the Lord's kingdom is here also treated of. By Salem where Jehovah's tabernacle is, and by Zion where His dwelling place is, are signified His spiritual kingdom, and His celestial kingdom; by Salem, the spiritual kingdom, where genuine truth is; and by Zion, the celestial kingdom, where genuine good is; and by, He shall break the strings of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the battle, is signified the dispersion of all combat of the falsities of doctrine against good and truth; the strings of the bow denoting the principal things of doctrine.

[30] In Hosea:

"In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, and I will make to lie down safely" (2:18).

The Lord's advent is here treated of, and then His conjunction with all those who are in truths from good. By the covenant with the beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the ground, is signified conjunction with their affection of good, with their affection of truth, and with their affection for the knowledges of the truth and good that belong to the church; for the beast of the field signifies the affection of good; the bird of the heavens, the affection of truth; and the creeping thing of the ground, the affection for the knowledges of truth and good. That no beast, or bird, or reptile of the earth is here meant, every one sees; for how can any covenant be made with them? By, I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, is signified that from conjunction with the Lord there shall exist no combat of falsity against truth; the bow here denotes doctrine, the sword denotes falsity, and the battle denotes combat.

[31] In Ezekiel:

"This is the day whereof I have spoken, then the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and they shall set on fire and burn the arms, and the shield and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and with the handstaff, and with the spear, and they shall kindle a fire with them seven years" (39:8, 9).

Gog is here treated of, by whom are meant those who are in external worship and not in internal; these, because they are opposed to the spiritual affection of truth, which is to love truths because they are truths, and hence are in falsities as to doctrine, and in evils as to life; for no one can be reformed, that is, withdrawn from falsities and evils, but by truths. This is the reason why it is said, that the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth, and they shall burn the arms, and the shield and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and with the handstaff, and with the spear. By the inhabitants of the cities of Israel are meant those who are in the affection of truth from good, that is, in the spiritual affection of truth, and thence in the doctrine of genuine truth; by burning the arms is signified to extirpate falsities of every kind; by the shield, falsity destroying good; by the buckler, falsity destroying truth; by the bow with the arrows, doctrine with its falsities; by the handstaff and the spear are signified one's own power and confidence. Such are those who place everything of the church, and thence of salvation, in external worship. That they should kindle a fire with them seven years, signifies that those falsities and evils shall be altogether extinguished; seven years signifying all things, what is full, and altogether (as may be seen above, n. 257, 299).