9995. Of fine flour of wheat shalt thou make them. That this signifies the truth that is from Divine good, and from which are these things, is evident from the signification of “fine flour,” as being truth (of which below); and from the signification of “wheat,” as being the good of love (see n. 3941), thus in the supreme sense Divine good; and from the signification of “making them,” as being that these celestial goods, which are signified by “bread, cakes, and wafers, of unleavened things,” are from this truth. The case herein is as follows. All the truths and goods that are in the heavens are from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good. As received by the angels in the celestial kingdom this Divine truth is called “celestial good;” but in the spiritual kingdom, as received by the angels there, it is called “spiritual good.” For howsoever the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good is called truth, it is nevertheless good. The reason why it is called truth, is that it appears in the heavens, before the external sight of the angels there, as light; for the light in the heavens is Divine truth. But the heat in this light, which is the good of love, makes it to be good. Similar is the case with man. When the truth of faith proceeds from the good of charity, which is the case when the man has been regenerated, it then appears as good, which from this is called “spiritual good;” for the being of truth is good, and truth is the form of good.

[2] From this it can be seen why a man finds it so difficult to distinguish between thinking and willing; for when he wills anything, he says that he thinks it; and often when he thinks anything, that he wills it. And yet they are distinct, like truth and good; for the being of thought is will, and the form of will is thought; as the being of truth is good, and the form of good is truth, as just said. As a man finds such difficulty in distinguishing between these two, he therefore does not know what is the being of his life, and that it is good; and not truth except insofar as this comes forth from good. Good pertains to the will, and will is that which man loves; and therefore truth does not become the being of man’s life until he loves it; and when a man loves it he does it. But truth pertains to the understanding, the office of which is to think, and when a man thinks it, he can speak about it. Moreover, it is possible to understand and think truth without willing and doing it; but when it is devoid of will, it is not appropriated to the man’s life, because it has not in it the being of his life. Being ignorant of this, a man attributes everything of salvation to faith, and scarcely anything to charity; when yet faith has its being of life from charity, as truth has it from good.

[3] Moreover, all the good with man is formed by means of truth; for good flows in by an internal way from the Lord, and truth enters by an external way; and they enter into a marriage in the internal man; but in one way with a spiritual man and angel, and in another way with a celestial man and angel. With a spiritual man and angel, the marriage is effected in the intellectual part; but in a celestial man and angel in the will part. The external way, by which truth enters, is through the hearing and sight into the understanding; but the internal way, by which good flows in from the Lord, is through his inmost into the will (on which subject see what was shown in the passages cited in n. 9596). From all this it is evident that the celestial goods signified by the “bread, cakes, and wafers of unleavened things” come forth from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good; and that this is meant by “of fine flour of wheat thou shalt make them.” As this is so, all the meat-offerings, which were prepared in various ways, were made of fine flour mingled with oil (Leviticus 2:1; 6:13-16; Numbers 7:13, and following verses; 15:2-15; 28:11-15).

[4] That “fine flour,” and also “meal,” denote the truth which is from good, is evident from the following passages, in Ezekiel:

Thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou becamest beautiful exceedingly (Ezekiel 16:13);

this is said of Jerusalem, by which is here meant the Ancient Church; “fine flour” denotes the truth from the good of this church; “honey” denotes its delight; “oil” denotes the good of love; and “to eat” denotes to appropriate; therefore it is said “thou becamest beautiful,” for spiritual beauty is from truths and goods.

[5] In Hosea:

It hath no standing crop, the shoot shall yield no meal; if perchance it yield, strangers shall swallow it up (Hos. 8:7).

The “standing crop” denotes the truth of faith from good in conception (n. 9146); “the shoot shall yield no meal” denotes barrenness, because there is no truth from good; the “strangers who shall swallow it up” denote the falsities from evil which will consume it.

[6] In the first book of Kings:

The woman of Zidon in Zarephath said to Elijah that she had nothing of which to make a cake, except a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse. Elijah said that she should make for him a cake in the first place, and the cask of meal would not be consumed, and the cruse of oil would not fail; which also came to pass (1 Kings 17:12-15);

by “meal” is here signified the truth of the church; and by “oil” its good; for by the woman in Zidon is represented the church which is in the knowledges of truth and good; and by Elijah the prophet, the Lord as to the Word; from which it is evident what this miracle involves, for all the miracles treated of in the Word involve such things as are of the church (n. 7337, 8364, 9086). From this it is evident what is signified by the barrel of meal not being consumed, and the cruse of oil not failing, if the woman made a cake of what little she had for Elijah in the first place, and for her son afterward. (That “woman” denotes the church, see n. 252, 253; that “Zidon” denotes the knowledges of truth and good, n. 1201; and that “Elijah” denotes the Lord as to the Word, n. 2762, 5247)

[7] In Isaiah:

O daughter of Babel, take the millstone and grind meal (Isaiah 47:1-2);

“the daughter of Babel” denotes those in the church who are in a holy external, but in a profane internal; “to grind meal” denotes to select from the sense of the letter of the Word such things as serve to confirm the evils of the loves of self and of the world, which evil is profane; “to grind” denotes to select, and also to explain in favor of these loves; and “meal” denotes truth serving for this (n. 4335).

[8] From this it is plain what is meant by “grinding,” consequently what by that which is ground; as in Jeremiah:

Princes were hanged up by their hand, the faces of elders were not honored, they carried away the young men to grind (Lam. 5:12-13).

Moses took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder; then he strewed it upon the faces of the waters, and made the sons of Israel drink (Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21).

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left: two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Matthew 24:40-41);

from this it is evident what is meant by “grinding;” that in a good sense it denotes to select truths from the Word and explain them so as to be of service to good; and in a bad sense so as to be of service to evil (n. 7780); from which it is also evident what is signified by that which is ground, consequently by “meal,” and “fine flour.”

2762. That a “horse” signifies the faculty of understanding is from no other source than the representatives in the other life. Often there, in the world of spirits, horses are seen, and this with great variety, and those also that sit on them; and whenever they are seen they signify the faculty of understanding. There are such representatives continually with spirits. It is from the representation of the horse, as being the understanding, that when horses are mentioned in the Word, the spirits and angels with man at once know that the understanding is what is treated of. It is also from this that when spirits from a certain distant world on being imbued with intelligence and wisdom are taken up from the world of spirits into heaven, there appear to them horses shining as with fire; which also I have seen when they were taken up.

[2] From this I could see what is signified by the chariot of fire and horses of fire seen by Elisha when Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven; as also what is signified by the exclamation of Elisha then: “My Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof” (2 Kings 2:11-12); and by Joash king of Israel saying the same to Elisha when he was dying: “My Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof” (2 Kings 13:14). That by Elijah and Elisha was represented the Lord as to the Word, will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be told elsewhere; the doctrine of love and charity from the Word being meant by the “chariot of fire,” and the doctrine of faith therefrom by the “horses of fire.” The doctrine of faith is the same as the understanding of the Word as to its interiors, or as to its internal sense.

[3] That chariots and horses are seen in the heavens with spirits and angels, is evident from the fact of their being seen by the prophets, as by Zechariah (Zechariah 1:8-10; 6:3-7), and by others, and also by Elisha’s servant, as thus described in the book of Kings:

Jehovah opened the eyes of Elisha’s boy, and he saw; and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).

Moreover, where the abode of the intelligent and wise is, in the world of spirits, chariots and horses appear continually; for the reason as said that by chariots and horses are represented the things of wisdom and of intelligence. Resuscitated persons after death, who are entering into the other life, see represented to them a young man sitting upon a horse, and then alighting from the horse; and by this is signified that they are to be instructed in the knowledge of good and truth before they can come into heaven (see Part First,n. 187-188).

[4] That chariots and horses signified these things, was well known in the Ancient Church, as also is evident from the book of Job, which is a book of that Church, where are these words:

God hath made her to forget wisdom, and hath not imparted to her intelligence; what time she lifteth up herself on high she scorneth the horse and his rider (Job 39:17-19).

From the Ancient Church the signification of the horse, as being the faculty of understanding, was extended to the wise round about, even into Greece. From this it came to pass that when they described the sun (by which was signified love, n. 2441, 2495), they placed in it the god of their wisdom and intelligence, and gave him a chariot and four horses of fire; and that when they described the god of the sea, because by the sea were signified knowledges in general (n. 28, 2120), they gave horses also to him; and that when they described the rise of knowledges from the understanding, they represented a flying horse which with his hoof broke open a fountain, where dwelt the virgins that were the sciences; and by the Trojan horse nothing else was signified than a contrivance of their understanding for destroying city walls.

Even at this day the intellect is often described, according to the custom received from those ancient people, under the figure of a flying horse, or Pegasus; and learning is described as a fountain; but scarcely anyone knows that a horse, in the mystic sense, signifies the understanding, and a fountain truth; still less that these significatives were handed down to the Gentiles from the Ancient Church.