261. And the first voice that I heard, signifies revelation now of things to come. This is evident from the signification of "voice," as being whatever proceeds from the Lord and is perceived by angels and by men; here especially revelation of things to come, that were to occur before the Last Judgment, about the time of it, and after it, since these are treated of in what now follows. That "the voice of Jehovah" in the Word signifies the Divine proceeding which is Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom (See Arcana Coelestia 219, 220, 375, 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926); this is clear also from the following passages. In David:

The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, the voice of Jehovah is in power; the voice of Jehovah is with honor. The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars. The voice of Jehovah hewing as a flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to shiver. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to travail; and in His temple everyone saith: Glory (Psalms 29:3-9).

This Psalm treats of the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and that is called, in a word, Divine truth. Its effect both with the good and with the evil is described in this passage; from which it is evident what is meant by "the voice of Jehovah."

[2] In John:

He is the Shepherd of the sheep; to Him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear His voice. A stranger they do not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice. But ye are not of My sheep, for My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:2-5, 16, 26-27).

"Sheep" in the Word mean those who are in truths from good, thus who are in faith from charity; "voice" here means not a voice but the Divine proceeding, which is Divine truth. This flows in with those who are in the good of charity, and gives them intelligence, and so far as they are in good gives them wisdom; intelligence is of truth, and wisdom is of truth from good.

[3] In Jeremiah:

The Maker of the earth, through His intelligence hath He stretched out the heavens, at the voice which He utters there is a multitude of waters in the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12-13; 51:16).

In David:

The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters. Jehovah upon great waters (Psalms 29:3).

In Revelation:

The voice of the Son of man was as the voice of many waters (Revelation 1:15).

Again:

I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters (Revelation 14:2).

"The voice of Jehovah" and "the voice from heaven" is the Divine proceeding, or Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom; it is said to have been heard "as the voice of many waters" because "waters" signify Divine truths in ultimates (that this is the signification of "waters," see above, n. 71).

[4] In David:

Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing psalms unto the Lord. To Him, that rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old; behold, He will give forth with His voice, a voice of strength (Psalms 68:32-33).

In John:

I say unto you, that the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man, ¹ and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).

In Joel:

Jehovah shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem, that the heavens and the earth may shake (Joel 3:16).

In the same:

Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His army; for it is numberless that doeth His word (Joel 2:11).

That Divine truth here is "the voice of Jehovah" is evident, as in many other places.

Poznámky pod čarou:

2709. 'And was an archer' means the member of the spiritual Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'darts, arrows, or shafts' as truth, and from the meaning of 'a bow' as doctrine, dealt with above in 2686. The member of the spiritual Church was in former times called 'an archer' because such a member uses truths to defend himself, and discusses truths, unlike the member of the celestial Church who is protected by good and does not discuss truths, see above in 2708. The truths which the member of the spiritual Church uses to defend himself and which he discusses are derived from the doctrine he acknowledges.

[2] The fact that the spiritual man was in former times called 'an archer' and 'a bowman', and that doctrine was called a bow and a quiver, and the truths of doctrine, or rather matters of doctrine, were called arrows, darts, and shafts, is further clear in David,

The children of Ephraim who were armed (they were archers) turned back on the day of battle. Psalms 78:9.

'Ephraim' stands for the intellectual side of the Church. In the Book of Judges,

You who ride white she-asses, you who sit on Middin, ¹ and you who walk along the way, may you ponder. From the voice of the bowmen among those drawing water, there they will discuss the righteous acts of Jehovah, the righteous acts of His village in Israel. Judges 5:10-11.

In Isaiah.

Jehovah called me from the womb, from my mother's body ² He made mention of my name and set my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of His hand He hid me and turned me into a polished arrow; in His quiver He hid me, and He said to me, You are My servant Israel, for I will be glorified in you. Isaiah 49:1-3.

'Israel' stands for the spiritual Church.

[3] In David,

Like arrows in the hand of a powerful man so are the children of the days of one's youth. Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them. Psalms 127:4-5.

'A quiver' stands for the doctrine of good and truth. In Habakkuk,

The sun, the moon, stood still in their place. At the light of Your arrows they will go, at the flash of Your glittering spear. Habakkuk 3:11.

In the reference to Joash king of Israel who at Elisha's command shot the arrow from the bow through the window, with Elisha saying as he shot it, Jehovah's arrow of salvation, Jehovah's arrow of salvation against the Syrian, 2 Kings 13:16-18, arcana to do with the doctrine of good and truth are meant.

[4] Since most things in the Word also possess a contrary sense, darts, arrows, shafts, bows, and archers accordingly possess such. In that contrary sense they mean falsities, doctrine that teaches what is false, and those who are under the influence of falsity, as in Moses,

The son of a fruitful one is Joseph, the son of a fruitful one beside a spring, O daughters, ³ he trails over the wall; and they bitterly grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him did the archers. Genesis 49:22-23.

In Jeremiah,

They shot with their tongue, their bow is a bow of lies and not used for truth. Their tongue is a shaft extended; it speaks deceit. Jeremiah 9:3, 8.

In David,

They sharpened their tongue like a sword, they aimed their shaft, a bitter word, to shoot in secret places at the upright; they will shoot suddenly and will not fear him. They will make strong for themselves an evil matter; they will tell of laying snares secretly. Psalms 64:3-5.

In the same author,

Behold, the evil bend the bow, they make ready their shaft upon the string, to shoot in thick darkness itself at the upright in heart. Psalms 11:2.

In the same author,

His truth is a shield and buckler; you will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the shaft that flies by day. Psalms 91:4-5.

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