1033. That sitteth upon many waters, signifies that has dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church. This is evident from the signification of "to sit," as being to subject to her judgment and to bring under her jurisdiction, and thus to have dominion over. This is why the expressions "sitting in judgment" and "sitting upon a throne" are used (See above, n. 687). Also from the signification of "waters," as being truths (See n. 71, 483, 518, 854), but here all things of the Word, because it is said "many waters," and has reference to the "harlot," which is Babylon, by which is meant adulteration and profanation of the Word from which comes every good and truth of the church. "Many waters" signify also the holy things of the church, because all holy things of the church have reference to goods and truths, which are from the Word.

[2] "To dwell upon many waters" has a like signification in Jeremiah:

Jehovah shall do that which He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. O thou that dwellest upon many waters, upon many treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy gain (Jeremiah 51:12-13).

Because "many waters" signify the truths of the Word, and thus the holy things of the church, it is here added, "upon many treasures"; for "treasures" signify Divine truths, which are in the Word. "Many waters" here signify also the holy things of the church, as will be evident from the explanation of the fifteenth verse, where it is said, "The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, nations and tongues," and "peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues," there mean all things of the church; because the "earth" in the Word signifies the church, and thus those on the earth signify all things of the church. But on this more will be said in the explanation of that verse. That the Babylonians have subjected the truths of the Word and the holy things of the church to their judgment, jurisdiction, and dominion, can be seen from this, that they persuade the people that the Word is understood by them alone and not by any who have not been inaugurated into the ministry; and by this means they subject all things of the Word and thus all things of the church to their dominion.

[3] Moreover, the Word is such in the sense of its letter that it may be drawn aside to confirm any heresy whatever; for the sense of the letter consists of appearances of truth, which hold enclosed in them the genuine truths of heaven, which are called spiritual truths; and unless these truths are revealed and laid bare, that is, unless they are taught in the doctrines of the church, the appearances they present may be drawn over and perverted to favor any falsity whatever, and even to favor evil. For the genuine truths of the Word are like a man, and the appearances of truth, of which the sense of the letter consists, are like his garments, from which alone no judgment can be formed respecting who the man is or what he is. If a man were judged from his garments alone, a king might be called a servant, and a servant a king, and a good man might be called an evil man, and an evil man a good man; and so on. So those who arrogate to themselves dominion over all things of the church and heaven can apply the sense in its letter a thousand ways to favor their dominion. And this is an easy task, because all things of the church, which are called holy, they place above the human understanding, and when this is assented to and no genuine truth is taught, infernal falsities may be called truths, and devilish evils may be called goods; and the simple may even be persuaded that the edicts of the Pope are just as holy as the commandments of the Word, and even more holy; and yet these are from heaven, while those edicts are for the most part from hell. For every edict respecting government, faith, and worship in the church, that has for an end dominion in the world, however it may appear in the external form, and may sound as if from the Word, is from hell; while every commandment from the Word, because it has for its end the salvation of souls by the Lord, is from heaven. From all this it can be seen that "sitting upon many waters," when predicated of Babylon as a harlot, signifies having dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church.

3815. Et dit Laban à Jacob : Est-ce que, parce que mon frère, toi, signifie parce qu'ils sont consanguins d'après le bien : on le voit par la représentation de Laban, en ce qu'il est le bien collatéral de la souche commune, et par la représentation de Jacob, en ce qu'il est le bien du Naturel, ainsi qu'il a été dit ci-dessus ; et par la signification du frère, en ce qu'il est le bien, numéro 3803, ici, le bien consanguin, parce que cela est dit par Laban à Jacob, conséquemment par le bien au bien ; toute consanguinité tire même son origine du bien, car le bien appartient à l'amour ; c'est le plus proche degré de l'amour en ligne descendante, qui est appelé consanguin, et entendu dans le sens propre par le frère. Que dans le monde spirituel ou le ciel, il n'y ait d'autres consanguinités ni d'autres affinités que celles de l'amour pour le Seigneur et de l'amour envers le prochain, ou, ce qui est la même chose, que celles du bien ; c'est ce que j'ai pu voir clairement en ce que toutes les sociétés qui constituent le ciel, et elles y sont innombrables, sont très-distinctes entre elles, selon les degrés et les différences de l'amour et de la foi provenant de l'amour, voir numéros 685, 917, 2739, 3612, et encore en ce qu'on s'y reconnaît mutuellement, non par suite de quelque affinité qu'on aurait eue ensemble dans la vie du corps, mais seulement d'après le bien et le vrai qui procède de ce bien, non pas que le père y reconnaisse son fils ou sa fille, le frère son frère ou sa sœur, ni même le mari son épouse, à moins qu'ils n'aient été dans un bien semblable ; ils se réunissent, il est vrai, dès qu'ils viennent dans l'autre vie, mais ils se séparent, car le bien même, ou l'amour et la charité, fixe et attache chacun à sa société ; c'est dans la société, où chacun est placé, que commence la consanguinité, et de là les affinités s'étendent jusqu'aux circuits.