THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 46

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)

1. HEARKEN unto Me, you that pursue justice, you that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence you were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit, whence you were digged.

VERSE 1. By the "rock." is understood the Lord as to Divine Truth; and by the "pit" is here signified the Word, as also in other places. To be "hewn out of the rock, and digged out of the pit", signifies to be regenerated from divine Truths and divine Goods, thus by Truths from Good from the Lord; for "stones" which are cut out of a rock signify Truths from the Lord, and "ground" which is dug out of the pit signifies Good from the Lord, wherefore it is called "the excavation [effossio] out of the pit." Apocalypse Explained 411.

Verses 1-3. Look unto the rock whence you were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit whence you were digged; etc. - These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning the New Church from Him. The Lord as to Divine Truth, and as to the doctrine of Truth, is understood by "the rock whence you were hewn", and by "the pit whence you were digged", see above, n.411; but the Lord as to the Divine, from which comes reformation, is understood by "Abraham, to whom they should look", and by "Sarah, who bare them;'' for by "Abraham", "Isaac", and "Jacob", in the Word, are not understood those persons, but the Lord as to His Divine Itself, and the Divine Human, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1893, 2833, 3245. But the heavenly marriage, which is of Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which comes all reformation, and. thence the church, is signified by "Abraham" and, "Sarah, who bare them."

Inasmuch as the Lord is understood by "Abraham", therefore it is said, "I called, him alone [or when he was but one], and, I blessed him, and I multiplied him"; and afterwards that "Jehovah will comfort Zion, and all her waste places"; "Zion" signifying the New Church, "waste places" Truths destroyed, and "comfort" or "consolation" the restoration of the church. That they who will be of that church will acknowledge the Lord, and receive love to Him, and thence wisdom, is signified by "He shall make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah"; "Eden" denoting love to the Lord, and the "garden of Jehovah" wisdom thence derived. Apocalypse Explained 721.

That the Lord, and the Divine Truth, as well as a true faith, is signified by a "Rock", see Chapter 16:1, : Exposition;

2. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah who bare you: for I called him alone, and I blessed him, and I multiplied him.

Verse 2. The Lord, as to Divine Truth, is called a "rock" and a "pit", and as to Divine Good, "Abraham the father"; and because the marriage of Goodness and Truth is represented by "Abraham and Sarah", as may be seen Arcana Coelestia 1468, 1901, Abraham is called "father", and of Sarah it is said; "she bare you.'" That "Abraham", as father, signifies the Lord as to Divine Good, may be seen in John 8:38, 39; Matthew 3:9, 10; Luke 16:19-31. Arcana Coelestia 3703 Arcana Coelestia 3703[1-23].

3. For Jehovah will comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of singing.

Verse 3. Speaking of the advent of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church, which at that time was devastated or destroyed. By "Zion" is signified the church where the Lord is to be worshipped; by her "waste places" are signified the defect of Truth and Good from a want of knowledge.

By "making her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah", is signified that they shall have Truth and Good in abundance; "wilderness" is predicated of the want of Good, and "desert" of the want of Truth :

"Eden" signifies Good in abundance, and the "garden of Jehovah" Truth in abundance. Inasmuch as a "song" and "singing" signify thanksgiving [confession] from joy of heart, therefore it is said, "Joy and gladuess shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of singing"; the "voice of singing"; denoting the same as a "song." Apocalypse Explained 326.

As to "thanksgiving" (or confession), see Chapter 12:1, the Exposition.

He shall make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah, etc. - The spiritual meaning of a "garden" is grounded in the nature of representations in the spiritual world, in which world gardens and paradises appear where dwell the angels who excel in intelligence and wisdom. The intelligence and wisdom which they receive from the Lord form themselves into such representations around them, and this takes place from correspondence; all things that exist in the spiritual world being correspondences. True Christian Religion 467.

Hence it is that man is so often compared to a "tree", and the church to a "garden", as in Isaiah 51:3; 58:11; Jeremiah 31:12. Coronis 27.

4. Attend unto Me, O My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for the law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment will I cause to break forth for a light to the peoples.

5. My justice is near; My salvation is gone forth; and Mine arms shall judge the peoples: the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.

Verses 4, 5. These things are also said concerning the Lord. "Attend unto Me, O My people, and give ear unto Me, O My nation", signifies all of the church who are in Truths and Goods; "people" those who are In Truths, and "nation" those who are in Goods; it is said "attend you" and "give ear" in the plural number, because all are understood. "The law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment will I cause to break forth for a light to the peoples, "signifies that from Him is Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which is illustration; "law" signifies the Divine Good of the Word, and "judgment" the Divine Truth of the Word; and "for a light to the peoples" denotes illustration. "My justice is near, My salvation is gone forth", signifies judgment, when they are saved who are in the Good of love, and who are in Truths thence derived; "justice" is predicated of the salvation of those who are in Good at the day of judgment, and "salvation" of the salvation of those who are in Truths. "Mine arms shall judge the peoples", signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities; "peoples" here being taken in an opposite sense. "The islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust" signifies the access of those to the church who are remote from the Truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; "islands" denoting those who are remote from the Truths of the church, because they are in natural light, and not yet in spiritual light from the Word; and to "trust in His arm" signifying confidence in the Lord, who has all power, - "arm", when predicated of the Lord, denoting Omnipotence. Apocalypse Explained 406. See also Arcana Coelestia 9857.

6. Lift up unto the heavens your eyes, and look unto the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke; and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and its inhabitants shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be for ever, and My justice shall not be broken.

Verse 6. The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, etc. - By "the heavens which shall vanish away, and the earth which shall wax old like a garment", is understood the church, which successively falls away, and at length is desolated, but not the visible heaven and the habitable earth; wherefore it is said, "and its inhabitants shall die in like manner", - to "die" signifying spiritually to die. Apocalypse Explained 304.

By "smoke" is signified what is false, by which those in the former heaven would perish; and by "a garment waxing old" is signified Truth destroyed by the falsities of evil. A comparison is made between "smoke vanishing away" and "a garment waxing old", because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and equally signify. Apocalypse Explained 539.

7. Hearken unto Me, you that know justice; the people in whose heart is My law: fear you not the reproach of men, neither be you dismayed by their revilings.

8. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them up like wool: but My justice shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.

Verses 7, 8. Fear you not the reproach of men, neither be you dismayed by their revilings; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them up like wool, etc. - The "moth" stands for falsities in the extremes of man, and the "worm" for evils therein; for "a garment which the moth eats" signifies inferior or exterior Truths, which are of the sensual man; (see Arcana Coelestia 2576, 5248) and "the wool which the worm eats" signifies inferior or exterior Goods, which are of the sensual man, as is evident from many passages, and also from the signification of a "sheep", from which wool is derived, and which signifies the Good of charity, n. 4169. Arcana Coelestia 9331.

9. Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of Jehovah! awake, as in the days of antiquity, in the generations of old. Art you not the same that smote Rahab, that wounded the dragon?

Verses 9, 10. The "arm of Jehovah "is the Lord as to the Divine Human. The "days of antiquity" [or of eternity] signify the state of the most ancient church; "eternity" is predicated of that church, because it was in the Good of love to the Lord, of which Good, because immediately from the Lord, "eternity" is predicated; the "generations of old" [or eternities] signify Goods in the ancient church hence derived. "The waters of the great deep and the depths of the sea" is the hell, where those are who are in faith separate from charity, and in a life of evil; "the waters of the sea", under which they are, signify falsities; for falsities, in the other life, appear as dense and dark clouds, and as inundations of waters; "the redeemed, who pass over", are those who are liberated by the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 8099. See also 6239, 9789.

Verse 9. Art you not the same that smote Rahab, etc. - See above, as to "Rahab", Chapter 30:7, note; and as to the "dragon", see Chapter 27:1, the Exposition.

10. Art you not the same that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep? that made the depths of the sea a path for the redeemed to pass over?

Verses 10, 15. By "the sons of Israel, before whom the Red Sea [Suph] was dried up, so that they passed through safe", are understood all who are in Truths from Good, whom the Lord, defends, lest the falsities of evil which ascend continually from the hells should injure them. This is what is understood by "drying up the sea, the waters of the great deep", and by "making the depths thereof into a path for the redeemed to pass over"; likewise by "leading them through the abysses or depths"; for the falsities exhaled from the hells continually cling to man, consequently the hells; for, whether we speak of falsities from the hells, or of the hells themselves, it is the same thing; but the Lord continually dissipates them with those who are in Truths originating in Good from Himself. This, then, is what is signified by "drying up the sea, and leading them through the abysses." They who are in Truths grounded in Good from the Lord; are understood by the "redeemed." Apocalypse Explained 538.

11. Thus shall the ransomed of Jehovah return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: joy and gladness shall they obtain, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Verse 11. Joy and gladness shall they obtain, etc. - It is said "joy and gladness" on account of the marriage of what is Good and True; for "joy" is predicated of what is Good, because from love, as it is properly of the heart and of the will; and "gladness" is predicated of Truth, because of the love thereof, for it is properly of the mind [animi] and of its thoughts; wherefore it is said, "joy of heart and gladness of mind." There are everywhere in the Word two expressions, of which one relates to what is Good and the other to what is True and this because the conjunction of what is Good and True makes heaven and the church; hence both heaven and the church are compared to a "marriage", and the Lord is said to be "the Bridegroom and the Husband", and heaven and the church "the bride and wife"; Wherefore every one who is not in that marriage is not an angel of heaven or a man of the church. The reason is, because no Good can be given with anyone except it is formed by Truths, nor can Truth be given with anyone except it live from Good; for all Truth is the form of Good, and all Good is the esse of Truth; and because one cannot be given without the other, it follows that the marriage of what is Good and True must necessarily exist with the man of the church as with an angel of heaven. All intelligence and wisdom come from this marriage, for from it there constantly spring forth Goods and Truths from which the intellect and the will are formed. Apocalypse Explained 660.

12. I, even I, am He that comforts you: who art you, that you should fear man that shall die, and the son of man that shall become as the grass?

Verse 12. By these words is signified that all things are from the Lord, and nothing from self-derived intelligence and wisdom. "Man" signifies man as to wisdom, and the "son of man" the same as to intelligence; that this latter is only science is understood by "becoming as grass." Apocalypse Explained 507.

13. And forgets Jehovah your Maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth; and fears continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? but where is the fury of the oppressor?

Verse 13. Here by the "heavens" and the "earth" is signified the church as to its internal or spiritual things, and as to its external or natural things; and by "stretching out" and "laying at the foundation thereof", is signified to establish them. Apocalypse Explained 1057.

14. He that leads out shall hasten to open; and [the captive] shall not die in the pit, and his bread shall not fail.

Verse 14. Treating concerning the Lord. His advent is understood by "He that leads out shall hasten." Liberation from the falsities of ignorance is signified by "not dying in the pit"; wherefore the same is here understood by "pit", as by the "'pit" mentioned above, (Chapter 24:22) in which were the bound, Supply of spiritual instruction and nourishment is signified by "his bread not failing"; for by "bread", is understood all spiritual food, and by spiritual "food" is meant instruction in Truths and Goods, whence come intelligence and wisdom. Apocalypse Explained 537.

15. For I am Jehovah your God, who rebukes the sea, when the waves thereof roar: Jehovah of Hosts is His name,

Verse 15. Who rebukes the sea, etc. - To "rebuke the sea" is to dissipate falsities; the "waves roaring" are noisy ratiocinations from falsities against the Truths of the Word. Apocalypse Explained 304.

16. I have put My words in your mouth: and with the shadow of My hand have I covered you: to plant the heavens, and to found the earth; and to say unto Zion, You art My people.

Verses 16, 17. Here by "planting the heavens, and founding the earth", is manifestly meant to establish the church; for this is said unto the prophet" that "the Word should be put into his mouth, and that he should be covered with the shadow of the hand, to plant the heavens, and to found or to lay the foundation of the earth", whereas the foundation of the earth cannot be laid by a prophet, but that of the church may; wherefore also it is added, "to say unto Zion, You art My people"; likewise, "Awake, awake; arise, O Jerusalem" for by "Zion" and by "Jerusalem", in the Word, is understood the church. Apocalypse Explained 1057.

17. Arouse yourself, arouse yourself; arise, O Jerusalem! who have drunk from the hand of Jehovah the cup of His fury: the dregs of the cup of trembling have you drunk, you have sucked them out.

18. There is none to lead her, of all the sons she has brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand, of all the sons she has brought up.

Verses 17, 18. The restoration of the church which was fallen into mere falsities of evil, is signified by "Arouse, or stir up yourself; arise, O Jerusalem I who have drunk from the hand of Jehovah the cup of His fury: the dregs of the cup of trembling have you drunk, you have sucked them out." "Jerusalem" denotes the church as to doctrine; to "awake or stir up" and to "arise" denotes the restoration thereof; to "drink the cup of fury" denotes the false, and "the dregs of the cup" mere falsities, from which are evils; and to attract them is signified by "drinking and sucking them out." "There is none to lead her, of all the sons she has brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand, of all the sons she has brought up", signifies that no Truths of the Word which she has learned and imbibed withdraw her from falsities; "sons" here denoting Truths. Apocalypse Explained 724.

19. These two things have befallen you; who shall bemoan you? desolation, and destruction; the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort you ?

Verse 19. By "famine" is here understood the deprivation of the knowledges of Good, even until Good is no more; and by the "sword", the deprivation of the knowledges of Truth, until Truth is no more; therefore mention is also made of "devastation" and "breaking up" [confractio], the former having relation to Good being no more, and the latter to Truth being no more. Apocalypse Explained 386. See also A. O. 2799.

20. Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of all the streets, like a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of Jehovah, the rebuke of your God.

Verse 20. Speaking of "Jerusalem", that is, of the church, devastated as to doctrine. By "sons" are meant those who are in Truths of doctrine; to "faint" and to "lie at the head of all the streets", signifies to be deprived of all Truth; the "head" or beginning of the streets denoting the entrance to Truth, consequently. all Truth.Apocalypse Explained 652.

As to "streets", etc., see Chapter 24:10-12; 35:8, the Exposition.

Your sons have fainted, etc. - These words signify that Truths are dissipated by falsities of every kind. Inasmuch as "sons" denote Truths, by "fainting" is signified to be dissipated; and by" lying at the head of all the streets", is signified by falsities of every kind; for the "streets" of a city signify doctrinal Truths, but here doctrinal falsities. Apocalypse Explained 724.

Like a wild bull in a net. - [The antelope or some wild animal is meant, which, being caught in a net, struggles to emancipate itself, but is not able; in like manner Truths in bondage to the natural man struggle, as it were, to come forth and to make him spiritual and free, but, in the perverse state of the church and of the unregenerate mind here depicted, are not able. Swedenborg has quoted the sentence in Apocalypse Explained 652, but has not. explained it.]

21. Wherefore hear now this, O you afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

22. Thus says your Lord, Jehovah, and your God, who pleads for His people, Behold, I will take from your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shalt drink of it no more:

23. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflicted you; who have said to your soul, Bow down, that we may pass over: and you didst lay down your back, as the ground; and as the street, to them that passed over.

Verse 21. By "the drunken, but not with wine", are here understood those who are in falsities from ignorance of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 376 Apocalypse Explained 376[1-40].

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Isaiah Chapter 51.

1. HEARKEN unto Me, you that pursue justice, you that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence you were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit, whence you were digged.

2. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah who bare you: for I called him alone, and I blessed him, and I multiplied him.

3. For Jehovah will comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of singing.

4. Attend unto Me, O My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for the law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment will I cause to break forth for a light to the peoples.

5. My justice is near; My salvation is gone forth; and Mine arms shall judge the peoples: the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.

6. Lift up unto the heavens your eyes, and look unto the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke; and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and its inhabitants shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be for ever, and My justice shall not be broken.

7. Hearken unto Me, you that know justice; the people in whose heart is My law: fear you not the reproach of men, neither be you dismayed by their revilings.

8. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them up like wool: but My justice shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.

9. Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of Jehovah! awake, as in the days of antiquity, in the generations of old. Art you not the same that smote Rahab, that wounded the dragon?

10. Art you not the same that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep? that made the depths of the sea a path for the redeemed to pass over?

11. Thus shall the ransomed of Jehovah return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: joy and gladness shall they obtain, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

12. I, even I, am He that comforts you: who art you, that you should fear man that shall die, and the son of man that shall become as the grass?

13. And forgets Jehovah your Maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth; and fears continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? but where is the fury of the oppressor?

14. He that leads out shall hasten to open; and [the captive] shall not die in the pit, and his bread shall not fail.

15. For I am Jehovah your God, who rebukes the sea, when the waves thereof roar: Jehovah of Hosts is His name,

16. I have put My words in your mouth: and with the shadow of My hand have I covered you: to plant the heavens, and to found the earth; and to say unto Zion, You art My people.

17. Arouse yourself, arouse yourself; arise, O Jerusalem! who have drunk from the hand of Jehovah the cup of His fury: the dregs of the cup of trembling have you drunk, you have sucked them out.

18. There is none to lead her, of all the sons she has brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand, of all the sons she has brought up.

19. These two things have befallen you; who shall bemoan you? desolation, and destruction; the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort you ?

20. Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of all the streets, like a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of Jehovah, the rebuke of your God.

21. Wherefore hear now this, O you afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

22. Thus says your Lord, Jehovah, and your God, who pleads for His people, Behold, I will take from your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shalt drink of it no more:

23. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflicted you; who have said to your soul, Bow down, that we may pass over: and you didst lay down your back, as the ground; and as the street, to them that passed over.

406. Thus far it has been shown what "mountain" signifies; it remains to be shown what "island" signifies, for it is said, "Every mountain and island were moved out of their places;" and elsewhere:

Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found (Revelation 16:20).

"Islands" in the Word do not mean islands nor those who dwell upon islands, but the natural man in respect to the truths that are in it is meant, and thus, in an abstract sense, the truths of the natural man are signified. The truths of the natural man are true knowledges [scientifica], which are under the intuition of the rational man, and the cognitions of truth which are under the intuition of the spiritual man; the cognitions of truth are such as the natural man knows from the Word, while true knowledges [scientifica] are such as the natural man sees from the rational, and by which he is accustomed to confirm the truths of the church. There are with man two minds, one higher or interior, which is called the spiritual mind; and the other lower or exterior, which is called the natural mind. The natural mind is first opened and cultivated with men, because this most nearly stands forth in the world; and afterwards the spiritual mind is opened and cultivated, but only to the extent that man receives in the life the cognitions of truth from the Word, or from doctrine from the Word; consequently with those who do not apply knowledges to the life it is not opened. But when the spiritual mind is opened the light of heaven flows in through that mind into the natural mind and enlightens it, whereby the natural mind becomes spiritual-natural; for the spiritual mind then sees in the natural almost as a man sees his face in a mirror, and acknowledges the things that are in agreement with itself. But when the spiritual mind is not opened, as is the case with those who do not apply to their life the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word, there is nevertheless formed in man a mind in the interior part of the natural; but this mind consists of mere falsities and evils; because the spiritual mind, by which the light of heaven is let into the natural by a direct way is not opened; but [light is let in] only through chinks round about; from this a man has the faculty to think, reason, and speak, and also the faculty to understand truths, but not the faculty to love them, or to do them from affection. For the faculty to love truths because they are truths is given only through an influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual mind; for the light of heaven through the spiritual mind is conjoined with the heat of heaven, which is love, which is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of spring; but the light of heaven flowing only through chinks into the natural is a light separated from the heat of heaven which is love, and this light is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of winter. This makes clear that a man in whom the spiritual mind is opened is like a garden and a paradise; but a man in whom the spiritual mind is not opened is like a wilderness, and like land covered with snow. Because the mind makes the man (the mind consisting of understanding and will) it is the same whether you say the mind or the man, thus whether you say the spiritual and natural mind or the spiritual and natural man.

The natural mind or natural man, in respect to its truths and its falsities, is signified by "islands" in the Word, in respect to truths with those in whom the spiritual mind is opened, and in respect to falsities with those in whom the spiritual mind is closed.

[2] That these are signified by "islands" can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Tyre: Shall not the islands quake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded shall groan, when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee? And all the princes of the sea shall come down from ¹ their thrones. The islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted at thy departure. All the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered shuddering, their faces were troubled (Ezekiel 26:15-16, 18; 27:35).

These two chapters treat of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and in an abstract sense the knowledges of truth and good. In the first place the intelligence and wisdom of the men of the church through the knowledges of truth and good from the Word is treated of, and afterwards the church vastated in respect to these. The church vastated in respect to these, or where the knowledges of truth and good have perished is described by what is said by the prophet in these verses; the vastation of the knowledges of truth and good by "when the wounded shall groan, and when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee," "the wounded" meaning those in whom truths are extinguished, and "slaughter" meaning the very extinction of truth and good.

That all knowledges that man from his infancy has imbibed from the Word, also all true knowledges by which he has confirmed them, are then disturbed, moved out of their place, and recede is signified by "the islands shall tremble, and all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones," also by "the islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted," "islands" meaning these cognitions and knowledges in the natural man; "the princes of the sea" primary things therein, "sea" signifying the natural man and all things therein in general. That all goods of truth of the natural man, because of the vastation of the knowledges of truth, shall be changed as to their state is signified by "all the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered, their faces were troubled;" "the inhabitants of the islands" mean the goods of truth of the natural man, for "to inhabit," in the Word, signifies to live, and "inhabitants" the goods of life; "kings" mean all truths from good; "faces" signify the interiors and the affections; "to be astonished," "affrighted," and "troubled" signify to be entirely changed as to state. This makes clear what these things involve in the internal sense, namely, that all cognitions of truth and good and the confirming knowledges that man from infancy has imbibed from the Word and from teachers, will change their places and their state in the natural man and perish out of sight when falsities enter.

[3] In Isaiah:

The king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away; then shall they be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of this island shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape? (Isaiah 20:4-6).

No one can perceive anything about the church in these words, but only something obscurely historical, which is not known to have occurred, as that the king of Assyria will lead away Egypt and Cush into captivity, and that the dwellers of some island would grieve in heart over it; yet, here as elsewhere, some matter of the church is treated of, and this matter becomes manifest when it is known that "the king of Assyria" signifies the rational perverted, and thence the reasoning from false knowledges which favor the delight of natural loves, over which the natural man grieves because it is perverted thereby; for "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away" signifies that the perverted rational will claim to itself the knowledges of the natural man, and will confirm itself by these and by its delights, which these favor, "the king of Assyria" meaning the rational perverted, "to lead the captivity" and "to carry away the crowd" meaning to claim for itself and to confirm itself by reasonings, "Egypt" meaning the knowing faculty of the natural man, and "Cush" the delight which it favors.

That the goods of truth of the natural man grieve on this account, or that the natural man, in which are the goods of truth, grieves is signified by all the things that follow, namely, that "they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of the island shall say in that day," and what follows; "the inhabitant of the island" meaning the good of truth, of the natural man, or the natural man in whom is the good of truth, "inhabitant" signifying good, and "island" truth, both in the natural man (as above). That there is such a sense in these words can hardly be believed, and yet it is there.

[4] In the same:

These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea; therefore glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of [Jehovah] the God of Israel in the islands of the sea (Isaiah 24:14-15).

This chapter treats of the vastation of the church, and in these verses of the establishment of a new church among the gentiles; the joy of these is described by "they shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea," or from the west; "the sea" when it means the west signifying the natural, for the reason that those who dwell in the western quarter in the spiritual world are in natural good, while those who dwell in the eastern quarter are in celestial good; and as the Gentiles of whom the church was constituted were in natural good it is said "glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea," which signifies that they were to worship the Lord from the goods and truths in the natural man, for "Urim" means a fire and a hearth, and these signify the good of love of the natural man; "the islands of the sea" signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and "to glorify" signifies to worship and adore; "Jehovah" and "God of Israel" mean the Lord, who is called "Jehovah" where good is treated of, and "the God of Israel" where truth is treated of; it is therefore said "glorify Jehovah in Urim," that is, from good, "and the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea," that is, from truths. This makes clear that "islands of the sea" signify the truths of the natural man.

[5] In the same:

He shall not quench nor break till He have set judgment in the earth; and the islands shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and its cities extol, the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isaiah 42:4, 10-12).

This, too, treats of the Lord and of a new church to be established by Him, and "islands" mean those who are merely in truths from the natural man, and are therefore as yet remote from true worship; so, "till He have set judgment in the earth, and the islands shall hope in His law," signifies until He shall have given intelligence to those who are of the church, and the knowledges of truth to those who are more remote from the church; "to set judgment" meaning to give intelligence; "to hope in the law" meaning to give the knowledges of truth, for "the earth" signifies those who are of the church, and in an abstract sense the church itself in respect to intelligence from spiritual truths, and "the islands" signify those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or the church in respect to the truths of the natural man that correspond to spiritual truths; "sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof," signifies the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from truths and goods; "to sing a song" and "to praise" signify worship from a glad mind; "the end of the earth" signifies those who are in the ultimates of the church, and in an abstract sense its ultimates; "the sea and its fullness" signify the natural man and all things therein; "islands and inhabitants" signify the truths and goods of the natural man, "islands" its truths, and "inhabitants" its goods (as above). What is signified by "let the wilderness and its cities extol, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains," see above n. 405, where this is explained; "let them give glory unto Jehovah, and let the islands declare His praise," signifies worship from internals and externals; "to give glory" meaning worship from internals, and "to declare praise" worship from externals, for externals declare, and "islands" mean the truths of the natural man from which is worship.

[6] In the same:

Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation; for the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the peoples; the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust (Isaiah 51:4-5).

This is said of the Lord; "Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation," signifies all who are of the church who are in truths and goods, "people" meaning those who are in truths and "nation" those who are in goods. It is said "attend" and "give ears," in the plural, because all are meant; "the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples," signifies that from Him are Divine good and Divine truth, from which is illustration; "law" signifying the Divine good of the Word, and "judgment" the Divine truth of the Word, "for a light of the people" signifying illustration; "My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth," signifies the judgment, when those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom are saved, "righteousness" having reference to the salvation of those who are in good at the day of judgment, and "salvation" of those who are in truths; "Mine arms shall judge the peoples" signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities, "peoples" here having the contrary sense; "the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust," signifies the approach of those to the church who are remote from the truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; "the islands" signifying those who are remote from the truths of the church because they are in natural light and not yet in spiritual light from the Word, and "to trust on His arm" signifies trust in the Lord who has all power, "arm" in reference to the Lord meaning omnipotence.

[7] In the same:

Hear, O islands, and attend ye peoples from afar (Isaiah 49:1).

"The islands" stand for those who are in truths, and "the peoples from afar" for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense, truths and goods, both in the natural man; "from afar" is predicated of the goods that are in the natural man, while "near" is predicated of the goods that are in the spiritual man. "Peoples" here signify goods, because in the original a different word is used from that which signifies truths; for this word is also applied to nations, whereby goods are signified (as is evident from the same word in Genesis 25:23).

[8] In Jeremiah:

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare it in the islands afar off (Jeremiah 31:10).

"Nations" stand for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense for goods; and "islands" for those who are in truths, and in an abstract sense, for truths in the natural man; "afar off" signifies remote from the truths of the church, which are spiritual (that "afar off" has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia 8918). But these words in a purely spiritual sense, signify that the internal man shall teach the external, or the spiritual the whole natural man, the truths of the Word, for it is this that "the nations declare in the islands afar off;" but this pure sense, which is for angels, is with difficulty perceived by men, for it is with difficulty that men can think abstractedly from persons and places, for the reason that the thought of men is natural, and natural thought differs from spiritual thought in this, that it is tied down to places and persons and is consequently more limited than the spiritual. And this is why many things that have been explained will perhaps with difficulty fall into the ideas of the thought of those who keep the sight of the mind fixed on the sense of the words.

[9] In David:

The kings of Tarshish and of the islands shall bring an offering; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer a gift (Psalms 72:10).

This is said of the Lord, and "to bring and offer a gift" means to worship; and "kings of Tarshish and of the islands" mean the interior and exterior truths of the natural man, "the kings of Tarshish" its interior truths, and "islands" its exterior truths; "the kings of Sheba and Seba" mean the interior and exterior goods of the natural man, "Sheba" its interior goods, and "Seba" its exterior goods. By the truths of the natural man the knowledges of truth are meant, and by the goods of the natural man the knowledges of good are meant. (That these are meant by "Sheba and Seba," see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1171, 3240; and that the interior truths of the natural man are meant by "Tarshish," see just below.) And because these are meant, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are also meant.

[10] In Isaiah:

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows? Because the islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far (Isaiah 60:8-9).

This, too, is said of the Lord, and it signifies that those will receive and acknowledge Him who are in simple truth and good, who are such as perceive the truths of the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, and do them, "the islands" signifying those who perceive the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, "the ships of Tarshish in the beginning" meaning the goods that they bring forth and do, for "Tarshish" signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges, and "Tarshish in the beginning" the natural man in respect to the knowledges of good, because Tarshish abounded in gold and silver, and these the ships brought away thence (1 Kings 10:22); at first, gold, which signifies good; and as truths are from good it is also said "to bring thy sons from far." And as "islands" and "ships of Tarshish" signify the knowledges of truth and good of the natural man, it is said, "Who are these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows?" "cloud" signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, "doves" the goods therein, and "windows" truths from good in light. (That "ships" signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 1977, 6385; and that "windows" signify truths in light, and therefore the intellectual, n. 655, 658, 3391)

[11] In the same:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter; from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them. The inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee. Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea saith, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins. When the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre. Pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island (Isaiah 23:1-2, 4-6).

This describes the desolation of truth in the church; for "the ships of Tarshish" signify the knowledges of good from the Word, and "Tyre" the knowledges of truth therefrom. That there is no good because there are no truths is signified by "howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter," that falsities then enter until there are no longer any goods of truth and truths of good in the natural man, is signified by "from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them; the inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee;" "the land of Kittim" signifies falsities; "the inhabitants of the island" signify the goods of truth in the natural man (as above); "the merchant of Zidon" signifies the knowledges from the Word; "passeth over the sea" signifies which are in the natural man; "they have filled thee" (that is, the ships of Tarshish) signifies, they have enriched thee by them. The vastation of truth and good in the natural man is further described by "Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea said, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins;" "Zidon," as well as "Tyre," signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the church; "the sea, the stronghold of the sea," signifies the whole natural man; "I have not travailed, neither brought forth," signifies that there is nothing of the church conceived or generated; "young men" signify the affections of truth, and "virgins" the affections of good. This took place because cognitions from the Word and confirming knowledges [scientifica] were applied to falsities and evils which is signified by "when the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre;" "Egypt" signifying knowledges [scientifica]; "Tyre," the cognitions from the Word, here those vastated by the falsities and evils to which they have been applied; and as there is lamentation on this account it is said "they shall be in travail." That all good in the natural man and all truth there would thus perish is signified by "pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island;" "Tarshish" signifying interior goods and truths in the natural man; "the inhabitants of the island" signifying exterior goods and truths therein (as above), "to howl" signifying grief on account of vastation.

[12] In Jeremiah:

I took the cup out of Jehovah's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah sent me, all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the island which is in the crossing (beyond) the sea (Jeremiah 25:17, 22).

Many nations are enumerated in this chapter that are not cited here, all of which signify the goods and truths of the church in general and in particular that are vastated; and "the kings of Tyre and Zidon" signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word in the natural man; for all the knowledges of truth and good, so far as they are knowledges, are in the natural man; they become truths and goods when men live according to them, because it is by means of the life that they are received in the spiritual man; "the kings of the island which is in the crossing beyond the sea" signify the knowledges of truth in the ultimate of the natural man, which is called the natural-sensual, because through this there is a crossing into the interiors of the natural man, "sea" signifying the natural man in general (See above, n. 275, 342). The vastation of these things is meant by "the cup of Jehovah which the prophet made the nations to drink."

[13] In the same:

Because of the day that cometh to devastate all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth; for Jehovah devastates the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor (Jeremiah 47:4).

"The Philistines" mean those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, therefore they are also called "the uncircumcised," which signifies that they have no charity (See Arcana Coelestia 2049, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8313); "to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth" signifies that they have no knowledge of truth and good; "the residue that helpeth" signifying that they are no longer concordant; "the remnant of the island of Caphtor" has a like signification.

[14] In the same:

Pass over into the islands of the Kittim and see; send into Arabia and consider well, and see whether there hath been such a thing, whether a nation hath changed gods (Jeremiah 2:10-11).

"To pass over and to send into the islands of the Kittim and into Arabia" does not signify to send to those places, but to all who live naturally in truths and goods according to their religious principle; "the islands of the Kittim" meaning where those are who live naturally in truths, and "Arabia" where those are who live naturally in goods, that is, according to their religious principle; "the Kittim" and "Arabia" signify such persons and things; for all who do not have the Word or any revelation from heaven, and live according to their religious principle, live naturally; for to live spiritually is to live solely in accordance with truths and goods from the Word and from revelation out of heaven.

[15] In Zephaniah:

Jehovah will be fearful upon them; for He will make lean all the gods of the earth, ² that they may worship Him, every man from his place, all the islands of the nations, ye Kushites also, slain by my sword shall they be (Zephaniah 2:11-12).

This, in the internal sense, signifies that the falsities of evil will be dispersed, and truths and goods given to those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; "the gods of the nations that He will make lean" signify the falsities of evil, "gods" signifying falsities, "nations" evils, and "to make lean" to remove evils from falsities; "the islands of the nations" and "the Kushites" signify those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; and in an abstract sense they signify falsities, but not falsities of evil; and as falsities not of evil are in the natural man, therefore "the islands of the nations" signify the natural man in respect to such falsities, or in respect to falsities in the natural man; these falsities are signified by "slain by my sword." (Respecting the falsities of evil, and the falsities not of evil, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[16] In David:

He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth. The islands shall bow low before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust (Psalms 72:8-9).

This is said respecting the Lord; and "to have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth," means His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; for the boundaries in the spiritual world are seas, and the intermediate regions are lands, where there are habitations for angels and spirits; therefore "from sea to sea" signifies all things of heaven, and because all things of heaven, it signifies also all things of the church; for the goods of love and the truths therefrom are what constitute both heaven and also the church, so "from sea to sea" signifies also all things of the church.

All things of heaven and of the church are signified by "from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth;" but this signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to truths, while "from sea to sea" signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to goods; for in the spiritual world the seas are the boundaries of the land east and west, and in the lands from the east to the west those dwell who are in the good of love; while "the river" means the first boundary, and "the uttermost parts of the earth" the last boundaries from south to north, where those dwell who are in truths from good; these boundaries were represented in respect to the land of Canaan by the rivers Jordan and Euphrates. Because the places that are about the last boundaries are meant by "islands," these signify truths in last things; and these, although they are not truths, are accepted as truths; for genuine truths are diminished from the midst towards the borders, since those who are about the borders are in natural light, and not so much in spiritual light. "Enemies" signify evils, of whom it is said that they "shall lick the dust," that is, that they are damned.

[17] In the same:

Jehovah reigneth; the earth shall exult; many islands shall be glad (Psalms 97:1).

This signifies that the church where the Word is and the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are in spiritual truths and those who are in truths not spiritual, shall rejoice on account of the Lord's kingdom. "The earth" signifies the church where the Word is, and "the islands" the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are far away from spiritual truths; for the truths of the Word only are spiritual, whereas those who are outside the church, as they do not have the truths of the Word, have only natural truths; this is why they are called "islands."

[18] By "islands" in the Word certain islands of the sea are not meant, but places in the spiritual world inhabited by those who have a natural knowledge of cognitions that in some measure agree with the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word; and these places sometimes appear there as islands in a sea; so in an abstract sense "islands" signify the truths of the natural man. This is so called from a sea in which there are islands, for "the sea" signifies the generals of truth, or the truths of the natural man in general. This is the signification of "islands" in Genesis:

The sons of Javan were Elisha and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these were the islands of the nations separated in their lands; everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations (Genesis 10:4-5).

And in Isaiah:

He will come to gather all nations and tongues that they may come and see My glory; and I will set a sign among them, and I will send those of them that escape unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the islands afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the nations (Isaiah 66:18-19; likewise Isaiah 11:10-11).

[19] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have islands; and in this sense "islands" signify the falsities opposed to the truths in the natural man. In this sense "islands" are mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:

I will make waste mountains and hills and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isaiah 42:15-16).

This may be seen explained in the preceding article, n. 405. In Ezekiel:

I will send a fire upon Magog, and upon the secure inhabitants of the islands (Ezekiel 39:6).

In Isaiah:

[He will repay] wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; to the islands He will repay retribution (Isaiah 59:18).

Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are reckoned as the dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the islands as a very little thing (Isaiah 40:15).

"Nations" here stand for evils, and "the islands" for falsities. In the same:

Keep silence, O islands; let the peoples renew power; let them draw near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. The islands saw and feared; the ends of the earth trembled (Isaiah 41:1, 5).

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