551. Qui séduit tout le globe, signifie qu'ils pervertissent toutes les choses de l'Église. Par séduire il est signifié pervertir, et par le globe est signifiée l'Église, de même que par la terre, No. 285 : par le Globe il est signifié, non le globe de la terre, mais l'Église sur ce globe, dans les passages suivants :

— « Elle sera dans le deuil et elle sera confondue, la terre ; il languira et il sera confondu, le globe. » — Ésaïe 24:4.

— « Les terres apprendront tes jugements, et les habitants du globe ta justice. » — Ésaïe 26:9.

— « Facteur de la terre par sa vertu, disposant le globe par sa sagesse. » — Jérémie 10:12 ; 51:15.

— « Découverts ont été les fondements du globe par le souffle de ton esprit. » — Psaumes 18:16.

— « A Jéhovah la terre et sa plénitude, le globe et ceux qui y habitent ; Lui, sur les mers il l'a fondé, et sur les fleuves il l'a établi. » — Psaumes 24:1-2.

— « A Toi les deux et à Toi la terre, le globe et sa plénitude, Toi tu les as fondés. » — Psaumes 89:12.

— « Un trône de gloire il les fera hériter ; car à Jéhovah les bases de la terre, et il a disposé sur elles le globe. » — 1 Samuel 2:8.

— « Babel, tu as réduit le globe en désert ; ta terre tu as perdu ; ton peuple lu as tué. » — Ésaïe 14:17, 20 ;

— et en outre ailleurs ; par exemple, — Ésaïe 18:3 ; 26:18 ; 27:6 ; 34:1 ; Nahum 1:5 ; Psaumes 9:9 ; Psaumes 77:19 ; Psaumes 98:9 ; Lamentations 4:12 ; Job 18:18 ; 24:14 ; Luc 21:26 ; Apocalypse 16:14 :

— mais il faut qu'on sache que quand le Globe et la Terre sont nommés ensemble, par le Globe est signifiée l'Église quant au bien, et par la Terre l'Église quant au vrai.

2362. That 'behold now, I have two daughters, who have not known a man' means the affections for good and for truth is clear from the meaning of 'daughters' as affections, dealt with in 489-491. 'They have not known a man' means that they have not been defiled by falsity, for 'a man' means rational truth, and also in the contrary sense falsity, 265, 749, 1007. There are two types of affection, namely the affection for good and the affection for truth, see 1997. The first - the affection for good - constitutes the celestial church and in the Word is called 'the daughter of Zion' and also 'the virgin daughter of Zion'.

[2] But the second - the affection for truth - constitutes the spiritual church, and in the Word is called 'the daughter of Jerusalem'; as in Isaiah,

She has despised you, she has scorned you, the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. Isaiah 37:22; 2 Kings 19:21.

In Jeremiah,

What shall I liken you to, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equate you with and comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? Lamentations 2:13.

In Micah,

You, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you will it come and the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4:8.

In Zephaniah,

Shout with joy, O daughter of Zion! Make a noise, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! Zephaniah 3:14.

In Zechariah,

Exult greatly, O daughter of Zion! Make a noise, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king will come to you. Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15.

[3] That the celestial Church, which is the Lord's celestial kingdom, is called 'the daughter of Zion' from the affection for good, that is, from love to the Lord Himself, see in addition Isaiah 10:32; 16:1; 52:2; 62:11; Jeremiah 4:31; 6:2, 23; Lamentations 1:6; 2:1, 4, 8, 10; Micah 4:10, 13; Zechariah 2:10; Psalms 9:14. And that the spiritual Church, which is the Lord's spiritual kingdom, is called 'the daughter of Jerusalem' from the affection for truth and so from charity towards the neighbour, see Lamentations 2:15. Both of those Churches, and the nature of each one, have been dealt with many times in Volume One.

[4] Because the celestial Church exists from love to the Lord which is present within love towards the neighbour it is likened in particular to an unmarried daughter or a virgin. Indeed it is also called 'a virgin', as in John,

These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins; these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes; for they are spotless before God's throne. Revelation 14:4-5.

And so that the same might be represented in the Jewish Church, the priests were commanded not to marry widows but virgins, Leviticus 21:13-15; Ezekiel 44:22.

[5] From the contents of the present verse it becomes clear how pure the Word is in the internal sense, however else it may appear in the letter. For when these words are read, 'Behold now, I have two daughters, who have not known a man; let me now bring them out to you and you may do to them as is good in your eyes; only do nothing to those men', nothing else comes to mind than something impure, especially to those leading an evil life. Yet how chaste these words are in the internal sense is evident from the explanation already given, which is that they mean the affections for good and truth and the blessedness perceived from the enjoyment of those affections by people who do no violence to the Lord's Divinity and [proceeding] Holiness.