559. And they had tails like unto scorpions.- That this signifies sensual scientifics, which are persuasive, is evident from the signification of tails, as denoting sensual scientifics, concerning which in what follows; and from the signification of scorpions, as denoting things persuasive, infatuating, and suffocating (see above, n. 544). Hence tails like unto scorpions signify sensual scientifics, which are persuasive. Tails signify sensual scientifics, because the tails which the animals of the earth have, are continuations of the spine of the back, which is called the spinal marrow, and this is a continuation of the brain, and the brain like the head, signifies intelligence and wisdom, because intelligence and wisdom reside there in their beginnings, and because tails are the ultimates of it, they signify sensual scientifics, for these are the ultimates of intelligence and wisdom.

[2] Sensual scientifics are those scientifics which enter from the world through the five senses of the body, and hence, viewed in themselves, are material, corporeal, and worldly, as compared with those which are more interior. All those who are in the love of self, and have confirmed themselves against Divine and spiritual things, are sensual men, and when they think in their spirit, as is the case when they are left to themselves, they think concerning things Divine and spiritual things from sensual scientifics, and therefore they reject Divine and spiritual things as not worthy of belief, because they do not see them with their eyes, or touch them with their hands, and they apply their own scientifics, which they have made sensual and material, for the purpose of destroying them.

Take for example, learned men of this kind who are skilled in natural philosophy, anatomy, botany, and the other branches of human learning; when such persons see the wonderful things that exist in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, they say in their hearts that all these things are from nature, and not from the Divine, because they believe in nothing but what they can see with their eyes, and touch with their hands. For they cannot raise their minds, and thus see those things from the light of heaven, this light being thick darkness to them, but they keep their minds fixed on earthly things, almost like the animals of the earth, with which they also compare themselves. In a word, with such persons, all knowledges (scientiae) become sensual. For as is the man himself, such are all things pertaining to his understanding and will. If the man is spiritual, all things become spiritual; if he is only natural, all things become natural and not spiritual; if he is sensual, all things become sensual, and this is the case, however learned and scholarly he may appear to be before the world. But since all men have the faculty of understanding truths and perceiving goods, they are able to speak, by virtue of this faculty, as though they were spiritual-rational, but still they are sensual as to the spirit, for when such persons speak before the world, they do so not from the spirit, but from the memory which pertains to the body. These things are stated in order that it may be known what sensual scientifics are.

[3] The reason why these are exceedingly persuasive is, that they are the ultimates of the understanding; for the understanding terminates therein, as in its ultimates, and these captivate the vulgar, because they are appearances arising from such things as they see with their eyes in the world; and as long as the thought adheres in them, the mind cannot be disposed to think interiorly or above them, until they are removed. For the interior things of the mind all terminate in ultimates, and rest upon them as a house upon its foundation, wherefore [sensual scientifics] are exceedingly persuasive, but only in the case of those whose minds cannot be elevated above sensual things. But with those who are in the light of heaven from the Lord, the mind is elevated above these things, and the light of heaven dissipates them. Spiritual men therefore rarely think from sensual things, for they think from things rational and intellectual, while sensual men, who have confirmed themselves in falsities against things divine and spiritual, think only from things sensual when they are left to themselves.

[4] That tails signify sensual scientifics, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Isaiah:

"Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush. The old man and honourable, he is the head; but the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail" (9:14, 15).

These words mean that all intelligence and wisdom are about to perish, and all the knowledge (scientia) of truth. By the head are signified intelligence and wisdom, therefore it is said, "the old man and honourable, he is the head," for an old man signifies the intelligence of truth, and the honourable, the wisdom of good. But by the tail is signified sensual knowledge (scientificum), which is the ultimate of intelligence and wisdom; when this is not conjoined with spiritual intelligence, it becomes false knowledge, or knowledge applied to confirm falsities, which is sensual knowledge like that of the sensual man, who sees nothing from the understanding. Hence the prophet that teacheth a lie is called the tail; for a prophet signifies the doctrine of truth, and therefore the knowledge (scientia) of truth, but in this case the doctrine and knowledge (scientia) of falsity. For a lie signifies falsity, and the teacher of a lie, him who teaches falsity by applying scientifics from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm falsities.

[5] Again, in the same prophet:

"Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which may make the head and tail, branch and rush" (19:15).

Here Egypt signifies the knowledge (scientia) of both spiritual and natural things. By there being no work for it which may make the head and tail, is signified, that it possesses neither spiritual things, nor natural things that confirm the spiritual, the head there denoting the cognitions of spiritual things by means of which comes intelligence, and the tail denoting natural scientifics, which are serviceable to spiritual things as means of intelligence. Similar things are signified by the branch and the rush, the branch denoting spiritual truth, and the rush, the sensual scientific, which is ultimate truth; for if the prior and the posterior, or the first and ultimate, do not make one in man, then he has not the head and the tail.

[6] So in Moses:

"Thus Jehovah shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath, if that thou hearken unto the commandments of thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:13).

"To make the head" signifies to make [a man] spiritual and intelligent, so that he may be elevated out of the light of the world into the light of heaven; and to make the tail, denotes to make [a man] sensual and foolish, so that he looks not to heaven but to the world; therefore it is said, "and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath." To be above denotes to be elevated by the Lord so as to look to heaven, and to be beneath denotes not to be elevated by the Lord, but from self, and man from self looks only to the world. For the interiors of man which pertain to thought and affection are raised to heaven by the Lord, when he is in good of life and thence in truths of doctrine, but if he is in evil of life, and consequently in falsities, then lower things look downwards, thus only to his own body and to such things as are in the world, and thus to hell, whence he puts off the nature which is truly human, and puts on the nature of a beast; for beasts look downwards, and to such things only as they meet with in the world and upon the earth. Elevation into the light of heaven by the Lord is an actual elevation of the interiors of man to the Lord, and depression or casting down to such things as are beneath and outside of the eyes, is an actual depression and casting down of the interiors, and when this is the case, then all the thought of his spirit is immersed in the ultimate Sensual.

[7] Again, in Moses:

"The sojourner who is in the midst of thee shall ascend high above thee more and more, but thou shalt descend downwards more and more. He shall lend to thee, but thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be the head, but thou shalt be the tail" (Deuteronomy 28:43, 44).

These words must be similarly understood. To be the head signifies to be spiritual and intelligent, and to be the tail signifies to be sensual and foolish; therefore it is also said, "he shall lend to thee, but thou shalt not lend to him," by which is signified, that he shall teach thee truths, but thou shalt not teach him.

[8] So in Isaiah:

"Say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted, for the two tails of smoking fire-brands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah" (7:4).

Rezin and Syria signify the Rational perverted, and the son of Remaliah the king of Israel, also called Ephraim, signifies the Intellectual perverted. It is the Intellectual in relation to the Word that is signified by the king of Israel and by Ephraim, while it is the Rational in relation to confirmatory knowledges (scientiae) that is signified by Rezin and Syria. For a man must have a Rational in order that he may understand the Word. When these two are perverted, they look only downwards to the earth, and outward to the world, as sensual men do who are in the falsities of evil; therefore they are called tails. A smoking fire-brand signifies the lust (concupiscentia) of falsity, and thence wrath against the truths and goods of the church.

[9] So again, in Moses:

"Jehovah said unto Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take the serpent by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand" (Exodus 4:4).

That here also by tail is meant the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 6951-6955). Since tails signify the ultimates of intelligence and wisdom, which are sensual scientifics, and since all the details of the sacrifices signified celestial and spiritual Divine things, therefore also it was commanded that they should remove the tail near the spine of the back, and also should sacrifice it with other parts there mentioned (Leviticus 3:9; 8:25; 9:19; Exodus 29:22). That the burnt-offerings and sacrifices signified celestial and spiritual Divine things, which are the internals of the church, and from which worship is performed, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519, 6905, 8936). Because tails signify sensual scientifics, which, when separated from interior things which are spiritual - that is, when they do not with the interiors, look inwards and upwards, but outwards and downwards - signify falsities confirmed by scientifics, therefore also in the following parts of the Apocalypse, where falsities from that source are treated of, it is said that the tails of the horses seen in the vision were like serpents, having heads with which they do hurt (9:19); and afterwards that the dragon drew with his tail the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them upon the earth (12:3, 4). These things may be seen explained below.

2830. 'And behold, a ram' means spiritual members of the human race. This is clear from the meaning of 'a ram', dealt with below. Within the Church it is well known that the burnt offerings and sacrifices in the representative Jewish and Israelite Church meant the Lord's Divine Human. But the burnt offerings and sacrifices of the lambs meant one thing, those of sheep and she-goats another, and those of kids, rams, and he-goats, of oxen, young bulls, and calves, and of turtle doves and young pigeons meant yet other things, as also did the minchahs and drink offerings. In general these things that were sacrificed meant the Divine celestial, Divine spiritual, and Divine natural things which are the Lord's; and from meaning these they meant celestial, spiritual, and natural things which exist from Him within His kingdom, and so within every individual who is the Lord's kingdom. This may be seen also from the Holy Supper which superseded burnt offerings and sacrifices. In it the bread and the wine mean the Lord's Divine Human - the Bread His Divine celestial, the Wine His Divine spiritual - and consequently mean His love towards the whole human race, and in turn the love of the whole human race for the Lord, 2343, 2359. From this it is evident that burnt offerings and sacrifices contained within them celestial worship springing from love to the Lord, and spiritual worship springing from charity towards the neighbour, and therefore from faith in the Lord, 922, 923, 1823, 2180. What the celestial is and what the spiritual is, that is, who constitute the celestial members and who the spiritual within the Lord's kingdom or Church, has been stated rather often, see 1155, 1577, 1824, 2048, 2088, 2184, 2227, 2669, 2708, 2715.

[2] That 'a ram' then means the Lord's Divine spiritual, and so that which is spiritual with man, or what amounts to the same, spiritual members of the human race, may become clear from the burnt offerings and sacrifices that were made from rams. For example, when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the function they performed, that is, when they were inaugurated, they were to offer one young bull for a sin offering, sprinkle its blood over the horns of the altar, and pour the remainder at the base of it. Also they were to slaughter one ram and to sprinkle its blood around the altar, and after that they were to burn the ram - the whole of it - as a burnt offering. And the blood of the second ram which had been slaughtered was to be sprinkled over the tip of Aaron's ear, and over his thumb and big toe, and after that they were to make a wave offering of it and burn it on top of the burnt offering, Exodus 29:1-35; Leviticus 8:1-end; 9:2 and following verses. Clearly all these observances were holy, but they were holy for the reason that they represented and meant holy things. Other than for this reason, none of these observances - slaughtering a young bull, sprinkling its blood over the horns of the altar and pouring the remainder at the base of it, slaying one ram and sprinkling its blood around the altar and after that burning it, and sprinkling the blood of the second ram over the tip of Aaron's ear and over his thumb and big toe and also making a wave offering of it and burning it on top of the burnt offering - would have possessed any holiness, nor thus any worship, unless they had represented holy things. But what each observance represented does not become clear to anyone except from the internal sense. That the young bull offered as a sin offering meant the Lord's Divine natural, and the ram His Divine spiritual, and at the same time spiritual members of the human race, may become clear from the meaning of a young bull and of a ram in the Word. Inaugurations into the priesthood were effected by means of spiritual things, for by means of spiritual things man is initiated into those which are celestial, or what amounts to the same, by means of the truths of faith he is initiated into good that stems from love. In a similar way when Aaron entered the Holy Place he was to offer a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, Leviticus 16:2-3.

[3] When a Nazirite was completing the period of his Naziriteship he was to offer one male lamb a year old without a blemish as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb a year old without a blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, Numbers 6:13-14, 16-17. The reason for these observances was that a Nazirite represented the celestial man, who is the likeness of the Lord, 51, 52, 1013. The celestial man is such that he is moved by celestial love, that is, by love to the Lord, and from this by celestial truth, 202, 337, 2069, 2715, 2718. This was why the Nazirite was required to sacrifice a male lamb and a ewe-lamb, meaning that which is celestial, and also to sacrifice a ram, meaning that which is spiritual. Young bulls, rams, and lambs were sacrificed at festivals. For example, on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs, together with their minchah, were to be offered as a burnt offering, Numbers 28:18-20. On the day of the firstfruits too, two-young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs, together with their minchah, were to be offered as a burnt offering, Numbers 28:26-28. At new moons two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs, together with their minchah, were to be offered as a burnt offering, Numbers 28:11-12; in the seventh month, on the first of the month, one young bull, one ram, seven lambs, together with their minchah; and on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs; and so on, see Numbers 29:1-2, 12-14, 17-18, 20-24, 26-36. Young bulls and rams meant spiritual things, while lambs meant celestial. For at festivals it was required that those taking part were to be sanctified and were brought into that condition by means of spiritual things.

[4] Since 'rams' meant the Divine spiritual of the Lord's Divine Human, and also spiritual things residing with man, it is therefore said in Ezekiel, where the New Temple and the New Jerusalem, that is, the Lord's spiritual kingdom, are referred to, that when they had finished cleansing the altar they were to offer a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering; and for seven days they were to provide daily a he-goat for a sin offering, and a young bull and a ram, Ezekiel 43:23-25. Also 'on that day' the prince on behalf of all the people was to provide a young bull for a sin offering, and on the seven days of the feast seven young bulls and seven rams, together with the minchah, as a burnt offering, Ezekiel 45:22-24; and on the sabbath day he was to provide six lambs and a ram, Ezekiel 46:4; 6.

[5] As regards the New Temple and the New Jerusalem, these in the universal sense mean the Lord's kingdom, see 402, 940, and in particular a new Church, 2117. There neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices are offered, as may be well known to all; and from this it is evident that burnt offerings and sacrifices mean the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith; for these things belong to the Lord's kingdom, and so are akin to the things meant here by young bulls, rams, and lambs. As regards the young bulls and rams, these mean spiritual things, as is clear from each detail in this part of Ezekiel in the internal sense - in general from the fact that specifically the New Temple and the New Jerusalem mean the Lord's spiritual kingdom, while Zion means the celestial kingdom.

[6] That 'a ram' means that which is spiritual, or what amounts to the same, those who are spiritual, is also evident in Daniel. Daniel saw a ram with two horns which was standing before the river; and then he saw a he-goat which struck the ram, broke its horns, and trampled on it, Daniel 8:3-4, and following verses. Here 'the ram' is used to mean nothing else than the spiritual Church, and 'the he-goat' to mean those who are governed by faith separated from charity, that is, by truth separated from good, and who step by step rise up against what is good, and finally against the Lord - as is also described. In Samuel,

Samuel said to Saul, Does Jehovah delight as greatly in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to hearken is better than sacrifice, and to obey than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22.

Here, since it is obedience - and so truth, which is spiritual - that is spoken of, and since what was said was addressed to the king - who also means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069 - the words used are not therefore 'better than the fat of oxen (or of lambs)' but 'better than the fat of rams'.

[7] In David,

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a foreign people, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominions. The sea looked and fled, and Jordan turned itself backwards. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like the young of the flock. What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn yourself backwards? O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like the young of the flock? At the presence of the Lord, you are in labour, O earth; at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, and the flint into a fountain of water. Psalms 114:1-end.

This refers in the internal sense to spiritual good following regeneration and describes the nature of that good. The celestial-spiritual nature of it is described as the mountains skipping like rams, and the celestial-natural as hills doing so like the young of the flock - 'mountains' meaning the celestial things of love, see 795, 1430. Anyone may see that these words, like all the rest of David's, contain matters that are holy, but within the internal sense, and that something spiritual is meant by the mountains skipping like rams, and the hills like the young of the flock, and by the earth going into labour at the presence of the Lord. Without the internal sense they would be expressions devoid of any real meaning.

[8] Much the same applies to the following in Moses,

He will cause him to ride over the heights of the land, and will cause him to eat the produce of the land, and will cause him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the flinty rock - butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed ¹ of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you will drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:13-15.

'Rams, the breed of Bashan' stands for celestial-spiritual things. As to what celestial-spiritual things are, see 1824. In David,

I will offer to You burnt offerings of things full of marrow, with the incense of rams; I will provide ox with he-goats. Psalms 66:15.

'Burnt offerings of things full of marrow' stands for the celestial things of love, 'incense of rams' for the spiritual things of faith.

[9] In Ezekiel,

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, these were the merchants of your hand in lambs, in rams and he-goats. Ezekiel 27:21.

This refers to Tyre, which means those with whom cognitions of good and truth exist, 1201. 'Arabia' stands for their wisdom, 'princes of Kedar' for their intelligence, 'lambs' for celestial things, 'rams' for spiritual things, 'he-goats' for natural things, which come in order one after another. In Isaiah,

The whole flock of Kedar will be gathered to You, the rams of Nebaioth will minister to You; they will come up with acceptance on My altar, and I will beautify My beautiful house. Isaiah 60:7.

This refers to the Lord's Divine Human. 'The flock of Kedar' stands for Divine celestial things, 'the rams of Nebaioth' for Divine spiritual things. From all these references it may now become clear that 'a ram' in the internal sense means the Lord's Divine spiritual; and from this it means that which is spiritual with man, or what amounts to the same, it means spiritual members of the human race.

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