9223. The firstfruits of thy grain, and the firstfruits of thy wine, thou shalt not delay. That this signifies that as all the goods and truths of faith are from the Lord, they are to be ascribed to Him and not to self, is evident from the signification of “the firstfruits,” as being those things which must be in the first place, thus those which are to be chief of all (of which below); from the signification of “grain,” as being the good of the truth of faith (see n. 5295, 5410, 5959); from the signification of “wine,” as being the truth of good, thus, the truth of the good of faith (n. 1798, 6377); and from the signification of “not delaying,” when said of the good and truth of faith, as being to ascribe from affection; for that which is not done tardily, but quickly, is done from the affection of love (n. 7695, 7866). That ascription to the Lord is meant, is because the firstfruits, as well as the firstborn, were given to Jehovah, and by Jehovah to Aaron and his seed; and by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6303, 6945, 6956, 8274, 8864). Wherefore, as “the first fruits of the grain and wine” denote the goods and truths of faith, it is meant that these are to be ascribed to the Lord, because they are from Him. (That everything of thought and of will with man flows in, and that all good and truth are from the Lord, see n. 2886-2888, 3142, 3147, 4151, 4249, 5119, 5147, 5150, 5259, 5482, 5649, 5779, 5854, 5893, 6027, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7270, 7343, 8321, 8685, 8701, 8717, 8728, 8823, 8863, 9110; and the same from experience, n. 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626.)

[2] The firstfruits which were to be offered to the Lord, were the firstfruits of the harvest and the firstfruits of the vintage, also the firstfruits of shearing, and likewise the firstfruits of fruit. The firstfruits of the harvest were ears of corn, parched and green, also the sheaf which was to be waved, and afterward the firstfruits from the threshing floor, which were cakes; but the firstfruits of the vintage were the firstfruits of wine, of must, and of oil; and besides these there were the firstfruits of the sheep-shearing and also the firstfruits of fruit, which were offered in a basket. Moreover, all the firstborn also were offered to the Lord, of which were redeemed the firstborn of men, and also the firstborn of those animals which were not offered in the sacrifices, as the firstborn of asses, of mules, of horses, and the like. The firstfruits and the firstborn were offered to Jehovah, and by Jehovah were given to Aaron and his seed, for the reason that Aaron and his sons, who administered the office of the high-priesthood, represented the Lord. By “the firstfruits of grain and wine” in this verse are meant all the firstfruits of the harvest and the vintage, just now spoken of; for the expressions used in the original tongue are “the fullness of the grain,” and “the tear of the wine;” “fullness” denoting a harvest ripe and gathered in, and “tears” denoting what is made to drop.

[3] What the firstfruits specifically represented (for all the statutes and rituals enjoined upon the sons of Israel by the Lord represented internal things of the church), can be seen from the several kinds of produce the firstfruits of which were given, when viewed in the internal sense. That “grain” denotes the good of faith, and “wine” the truth of faith, may be seen in the passages above cited. That the firstfruits were to be given to Jehovah, signified that it is the first of the church to ascribe all the goods and truths of faith to the Lord, and not to self. To ascribe to the Lord is to know, to acknowledge, and to believe that these things are from the Lord, and nothing of them from self; for as above shown, everything of faith is from the Lord. The “firstfruits” have this signification because they were offerings and gifts, which were thanksgivings for the produce of the earth, and an acknowledgment of blessings from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord; and consequently were an acknowledgment that all things are from Him; and in the internal sense, an acknowledgment of the goods and truths of faith, which are signified by “harvest,” by “grain,” “oil,” “must,” “wine,” “wool,” and “fruits,” of which the firstfruits were given. (Concerning these firstfruits, see Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 23:10-11, 20; Numbers 15:19-21; 18:12-13; Deuteronomy 18:4; 26:1-11.) The like is signified by the “firstfruits” in Ezekiel 20:40, and in Micah 7:1-2.

3305. And he called his name Jacob. That this signifies the doctrine of truth of the natural, is evident from the signification of “calling a name,” or of “calling by name,” as being quality (concerning which see just above, n. 3302). The quality that is represented by Jacob is the doctrine of truth of the natural, as may be seen from the representation of Esau, as being the good of life of the truth of the natural (n. 3300), and from many places in the Word, where he is named. There are two things which constitute the natural, as there are two that constitute the rational, nay, that constitute the whole man, one of which is of life, and the other of doctrine. That which is of life belongs to the will, while that which is of doctrine belongs to the understanding. The former is called good, and the latter truth. This good is that which is represented by Esau, and the truth by Jacob; or what is the same, the good of life of the truth of the natural is that which is represented by Esau, and the doctrine of truth of the natural is that which is represented by Jacob. Whether you say the good of life of the truth of the natural and the doctrine of truth of the natural, or those who are in these things, it is the same; for the good of life and the doctrine of truth cannot exist apart from their subject. If they have no subject they are a kind of abstract affair which nevertheless has regard to the man in whom this may be. Wherefore by “Jacob” are here signified those who are in the doctrine of truth of the natural.

[2] They who abide in the mere sense of the letter believe that by “Jacob” in the Word is meant all that people which was descended from Jacob, and for this reason they apply to that people all things that have been said historically and prophetically concerning Jacob. But the Word is Divine chiefly in this respect, that all things in it both in general and in particular do not regard one nation or one people, but the universal human race; namely, that which is, which has been, and which will be; and also that which is still more universal, namely, the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens; and in the supreme sense, the Lord Himself. It is for this reason that the Word is Divine. If it had regard merely to one nation, then it would be human, and there would be nothing more of the Divine in it than there was of the holy of worship with that nation; and everyone may know that there was none of this with the people called “Jacob;” from which it is evident that by “Jacob” in the Word is not meant Jacob, and also that by “Israel” is not meant Israel; for almost everywhere in the prophecies, when Jacob is named, Israel is named also, and no one can know what is specifically meant by the one, and what by the other, except from the sense which lies more deeply concealed and contains within it the arcana of heaven.

[3] That by “Jacob” therefore in the internal sense is signified the doctrine of truth of the natural; or what is the same, those who are in this doctrine, of whatever nation they may be; and that in the supreme sense the Lord is meant is evident from the following passages.

In Luke:

The angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).

That here by the “house of Jacob” is not meant the Jewish nation or people, can be seen by all, for the Lord’s kingdom was not over that people, but over all in the universe who have faith in Him, and who from faith are in charity. Hence it is evident that by “Jacob” as here named by the angel is not meant the people of Jacob; and consequently neither in other places, by the “seed of Jacob,” the “sons of Jacob,” the “land of Jacob,” the “inheritance of Jacob,” the “king of Jacob,” and the “God of Jacob,” which expressions so often occur in the Word of the Old Testament, are these intended.

[4] The case is the same in respect to “Israel” as in Matthew:

The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son (Matthew 2:13, 15);

and in the Prophet it is said:

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1).

That in this passage “Israel” is the Lord is very evident; and yet from the sense of the letter it cannot be known but that the “child Israel” means the earliest descendants of Jacob, who came into Egypt and were afterwards called out thence. It is the same in other passages where “Jacob” and “Israel” are named, although this does not appear from the sense of the letter, as in Isaiah:

Hear O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen; thus saith Jehovah who made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee; Fear not O Jacob my servant, and thou Jeshurun whom I have chosen; for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring; this one shall say, I am Jehovah’s; and this shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and that one shall write with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel (Isaiah 44:1-3, 5); where “Jacob” and “Israel” evidently denote the Lord; and the “seed,” and “offspring of Jacob,” those who are in faith in Him.

[5] In the prophecy concerning the sons of Israel in Moses:

Joseph shall sit in the strength of his bow, and the arms of his hands shall be made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24); where also the “Mighty One of Jacob” and the “stone of Israel” clearly denote the Lord.

In Isaiah:

My glory will I not give to another; attend unto Me, O Jacob, and Israel My called, I am He; I am the first, I also am the last (Isaiah 48:11-12);

here also “Jacob” and “Israel” signify the Lord.

In Ezekiel:

I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will add them upon him with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations, whither they be gone, and will gather them from every side, and bring them upon their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all, and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all. My servant David shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. And they shall dwell on the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, they and their sons, and their sons, forever; and David My servant shall be prince to them forever: I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the nations shall know that I Jehovah do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in the midst of them for evermore (Ezekiel 37:19, 21-22, 24-28);

here again it is clearly manifest that by “Joseph,” “Ephraim,” “Judah,” “Israel,” “Jacob,” and “David,” are not meant these persons, but in the supreme sense Divine spiritual things which are in the Lord, and which are the Lord’s in His kingdom and church. That David was not to be, as is said, their king and prince forever, everyone may know; but that by “David” is meant the Lord may be seen above (n. 1888). It may also be known that Israel will not be gathered together from wherever they have been dispersed, and will not be sanctified, and the sanctuary placed in the midst of them forever, as is said; but this is to be with those who in the representative sense are signified by “Israel;” and who, as is known, are all the faithful.

[6] In Micah:

Assembling I will assemble O Jacob, all of thee; gathering I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah (Micah 2:12); where the meaning is similar.

In Isaiah:

Jacob shall cause to take root those who come; Israel shall blossom and bud; and they shall fill the face of the world with produce (Isaiah 27:6); where also the meaning is similar. In the same:

Thus saith Jehovah who redeemed Abraham, to the house of Jacob; Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale; for when he seeth his children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. They also that err in spirit shall know intelligence (Isaiah 29:22-24).

In the same:

Thus saith Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who am called by thy name, the God of Israel, for Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel Mine elect. I have called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee when thou didst not know Me (Isaiah 45:1-4); where also the Lord is plainly treated of.

In Micah:

In the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established as the head of the mountains; and many nations shall go, and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the doctrine, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem (Micah 4:1-2

In David:

Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob; glorious things shall be preached in thee, O city of God (Psalms 87:2-3

In Jeremiah:

They shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. And thou, fear thou not, O Jacob My servant, saith Jehovah; neither be dismayed, O Israel; for lo I will save thee from afar (Jeremiah 30:9-10).

In Isaiah:

Listen O isles unto me; and hearken ye peoples from far; Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name; and He said unto me, Thou art My servant Israel, in whom I will be made glorious (Isaiah 49:1, 3).

Again:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (Isaiah 58:14).

Again:

I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains, that Mine elect may possess it, and My servants shall dwell there (Isaiah 65:9).

[7] In the supreme sense of all these passages by “Jacob” and “Israel” is meant the Lord; and in the representative sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and the church which is a church from the doctrine of truth and the life of good. By “Jacob” are meant those who are in the externals of this church; and by “Israel” those who are in its internals. From these and many other passages it is evident that by “Jacob” is nowhere meant Jacob, neither by “Israel,” Israel; and in the same way, by “Isaac” is not meant Isaac, nor by “Abraham,” Abraham, where they are named; as in Matthew:

Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 8:11).

In Luke:

Ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28).

and again:

Lazarus was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:20, 22).

For in heaven they know nothing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and when these words are read by man, the angels perceive nought but the Lord as to the Divine and the Divine Human; and by “reclining with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” they perceive nought but being with the Lord; and by being “in Abraham’s bosom,” nought but being in the Lord. But it was thus said because at that time man was so far removed from internal things that he did not know and was not willing to know otherwise than that all things in the Word are according to the letter; and when the Lord spoke with men according to the letter, it was that they might receive faith, and also that there might even then be an internal sense within, by which there could be the conjunction of man with Himself. This being the case, it may appear what is signified in the Word of the Old Testament by the “God of Jacob,” and by the “Holy One of Israel,” namely, the Lord Himself. (That the “God of Jacob” is the Lord, see 2 Samuel 23:1; Isaiah 2:3; 41:21; Micah 4:2; Psalms 20:1; 46:7 75:9; 76:6; 81:1, 4; 8 4:8; 94:7 114:7; 132:2; 146:5. That the “Holy One of Israel” is the Lord, see Isaiah 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7 29:19; 30:11-12, 15; 31:1; 3 7:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:14; Jeremiah 50:29; Ezekiel 39:7; Psalms 71:22; 78:41; 89:18)