10402. Tear off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters. That this signifies the drawing out from the sense of the letter of the Word of such things as favor external loves and the principles thence derived, is evident from the signification of “tearing off,” as being to draw out, here from the sense of the letter of the Word, because this is the subject treated of; from the signification of “the golden earrings that were in their ears,” as being representative tokens of obedience and of the noticing of the delights of external loves; for by the “ears” is signified obedience and noticing; by “gold,” the good of love, here the delight of external loves, wherefore golden earrings are representative tokens of these loves. (That by the “ears” is signified obedience and noticing, see n. 2542, 4652-4660, 8990, 9397, 10061; and that by “gold” is signified the good of love, n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881.) Therefore when it is predicated of external loves, which are the loves of self and of the world, by “gold” is signified the delight of these loves, thus evil (n. 8932); and that from this “earrings” are representative tokens of obedience and of noticing, see n. 4551. From the signification of “women,” as being the goods of the church (n. 3160, 4823, 6014, 7022, 8337), consequently in the opposite sense its evils (n. 409); from the signification of “sons,” as being truths, and in the opposite sense falsities (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 6583, 6584, 9807); and from the signification of “daughters,” as being the affections of truth and good, and therefore in the opposite sense the affections of falsity and evil (see n. 2362, 3963, 6729). From this it is evident that by, “tear off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your women, of your sons, and of your daughters,” is signified the drawing out from the literal sense of the Word of such things as are noticed to obey or favor the delights of external loves and the principles thence derived.

[2] That earrings are tokens of obedience and of noticing is evident in Hosea:

Strive with your mother, for she is not My wife, that she may put away her whoredoms from her faces, lest perchance I strip her naked, and make her as a wilderness, and have no pity on her sons. For she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my waters, my wool and my flax. For she had not known that I gave her the grain, and the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her the silver; and the gold they made into a baal. And I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree; and I will visit upon her the days of the baals to which she burned incense, and put on her earring and her adornment, and went after her lovers, and forgot Me (Hos. 2:1-13);

“to burn incense, and to put on an earring to the baals,” denotes to worship the baal gods and to obey them.

[3] The things that precede in this chapter have also been adduced to the end that it may thereby be known what is the nature of the external sense of the Word without the internal, and what it is together with the internal, thus in what manner those perceive the Word who are in externals without an internal, and in what manner those perceive it who are in externals from an internal. Those who are in externals separate from what is internal cannot apprehend these words otherwise than according to the letter, which is, that they should strive with the mother of the sons of Israel, that she was no longer loved by Jehovah as a wife, and that if she put not away her whoredoms from her she would be stripped naked and be made as a wilderness, and Jehovah would have no pity on her sons, because she said that she would go after her lovers who give her bread and water, wool and flax, and that she knew not that Jehovah gave her grain, wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, that they made gold into a baal; and that on this account her vine was laid waste and her fig-tree, and that it will be visited upon her because she burned incense to the baals, and put on her earring and adornment, and went after her lovers or adulterers, forgetting Jehovah.

[4] This is the sense of the letter, and so is the Word understood by those who are in externals without what is internal, for so it is understood by the Jews at this day, and also by some Christians. But that this is not the sense of the Word can be seen by all those who are in some enlightenment. When these persons, by the “mother” of whom all those things are said, do not understand a mother, but the church, such as it was with that nation, they then comprehend that something of the church is signified by all the particulars which are said of her (for these are such as follow in order from the first thing said, or from the first subject); as by “whoredoms,” by “lovers,” by “sons,” and by “bread,” “water,” “wool,” “flax,” “grain,” “new wine,” “oil,” “silver,” “gold,” and by “vine and fig-tree,” and likewise by “incense” and by “earring.”

[5] What each of these things signifies cannot be known from any other source than the internal sense, in which by “mother” and “wife” is signified the church; by “making her naked, and as a wilderness,” is signified to be without the goods of love and the truths of faith. The truths of faith and the goods of love, of which she shall be bereaved, are signified by “sons,” by “bread and water,” by “wool and flax,” by “grain,” “new wine,” “oil,” “silver,” “gold,” and finally by “vine and fig-tree.” The worship itself from obedience to falsities and evils, which succeed in the place of truths and goods, is signified by “burning incense and putting on her earring and adornment for the baals.” (That “mother” denotes the church, see n. 289, 2691, 2717, 4257, 5581; also a “wife,” n. 252, 253, 409, 749, 770, 7022; that “to be made naked” denotes to be deprived of the goods of love and the truths of faith, n. 9960; that a “wilderness” denotes a state devoid of the truth and good of the church, n. 2708, 3900, 4736, 7055; that “whoredoms” denote falsifications of truth, n. 2466, 2729, 4865, 8904, consequently “lovers” denote those who falsify; that “sons” denote truths and in the opposite sense falsities, n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 6583, 6584, 9807; that “bread and water” denote the good of love and the truth of faith, n. 9323; that “wool” denotes good in the external man, n. 9470; “flax” truth therein, n. 7601, 9959; “grain” the good from which is truth, n. 5295, 5410, 5959; “new wine” the truth thence derived, n. 3580; and “oil” celestial good, n. 9780, 10261; that “silver” denotes truth, and “gold” good in general, n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9881; that a “vine” denotes the internal spiritual church, n. 1069, 6376, 9277; and a “fig-tree” the external good of this church, n. 217, 4231, 5113; that “to burn incense” denotes worship, n. 10177, 10298; and that an “earring” is a representative token of obedience, n. 4551; consequently “to put it on” denotes to obey.)

[6] When these things are understood instead of the literal statements, or together with them, it is then apparent what is the nature of the Word when it is spiritually perceived, thus what its nature is in respect to its spirit. In this sense all who read the Word are kept by the Lord, but it is not received by any except those with whom the interiors have been opened; and as it is received in knowledges, therefore it is received according to their understanding, in the degree and in the manner that this can be enlightened by means of the knowledges they have. Besides this, they are affected in a general way with the holy influence that comes from the Word.

1551. In silver. That this signifies truths, is evident from the signification of “silver,” as being truth. The most ancient people compared the goods and truths in man to metals; the inmost or the celestial goods, which are of love to the Lord, to gold; the truths which are from these, to silver; but the lower or natural goods, to copper; and the lower truths, to iron; nor did they simply compare them, but they likewise called them so. Hence periods of time were also likened to the same metals, and were called the golden, the silver, the copper, and the iron ages; for the ages followed one another in this order. The golden age was the time of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial man; the silver age was the time of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual man; the copper age was the time of the succeeding church; and to this succeeded the iron age. Similar things are also signified by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, whose “head was of good gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron” (Daniel 2:32-33). That this was to be the series, or that the periods of the church succeeded one another in this order, is evident from the same Prophet, and in the same chapter.

[2] That in the internal sense of the Word, “silver,” wherever named, signifies truth, and in the opposite sense falsity, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thine officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness (Isaiah 60:17); where it is evident what each metal means. The Lord’s coming, and His celestial kingdom and church, are there treated of; “gold for brass,” is celestial good instead of natural good; “silver for iron,” is spiritual truth instead of natural truth; “brass for wood,” is natural good instead of corporeal good; “iron for stones,” is natural truth instead of sensuous truth. In the same:

Ho, everyone that thirsteth, go ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver; go ye, buy and eat (Isaiah 55:1);

“he that hath no silver,” is he who is in ignorance of truth, and yet in the good of charity, like many within the church, and the nations outside the church.

[3] In the same:

The isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:9).

Here a new church, or that of the Gentiles, is treated of specifically, and the Lord’s kingdom universally; “the ships from Tarshish” denote knowledges; “silver,” truths; and “gold,” goods; for these are the things which they shall “bring to the name of Jehovah.”

In Ezekiel:

Thou didst take the vessels of thine adorning of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of a male (Ezekiel 16:17).

Here “gold” denotes the knowledges of celestial things; “silver,” those of spiritual things. In the same:

Thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and thy raiment was fine linen and silk, and broidered work (Ezekiel 16:13).

This is said of Jerusalem, by which the Lord’s church is signified, and the adornment of which is thus described. Again:

Behold, thou art wise, there is no secret that they have hidden from thee; in thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures (Ezekiel 28:3-4

This is said of Tyre, and it is plain that here “gold” is the wealth of wisdom, and “silver” the wealth of intelligence.

[4] In Joel:

Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My goodly desirable things (Joel 3:5).

This is said concerning Tyre, Zidon, and Philistia; by which are signified knowledges, which are “the gold and the silver” that they have carried into their temples.

In Haggai:

The choice of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory; the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine; the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Haggai 2:7-9); where the Lord’s church is treated of, concerning which “gold” and “silver” are predicated.

In Malachi:

He shall sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and shall purify the sons of Leviticus (Malachi 3:3); where the Lord’s coming is treated of.

In David:

The discourses of Jehovah are pure discourses, silver smelted in a crucible of earth, smelted seven times (Psalms 12:6).

The “silver purified seven times,” denotes Divine truth. In respect to the command given to the sons of Israel, when they were to go out of Egypt:

Every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that is a guest in her house, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and shall spoil the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22; 11:2-3; 12:35-36);

everyone can see that the sons of Israel would by no means have been told thus to steal, and to spoil the Egyptians, unless some arcana were thus to be represented; but what the arcana are may be seen from the signification of “silver,” of “gold,” and of “garments,” and of “Egypt;” and it may also be seen that much the same was there represented as is here represented by Abram, who was rich in silver and gold from Egypt.

[5] As “silver” signifies truth, so in the opposite sense it signifies falsity; for they who are in falsity think that falsity is truth; as is also evident in the Prophets.

In Moses:

Thou shalt not covet the silver and the gold of the nations, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God; detesting thou shalt detest it (Deuteronomy 7:25-26);

“the gold of the nations” denotes evils, and their “silver” falsities. Again:

Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, and gods of gold shall ye not make unto you (Exodus 20:23);

by which in the internal sense nothing else is signified than falsities and cupidities; “gods of silver” are falsities; and “gods of gold” are cupidities.

In Isaiah:

In that day shall they cast away every man his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin (Isaiah 31:7);

“idols of silver and idols of gold,” denote similar things as before; “your own hands have made them,” means that they are from man’s Own.

In Jeremiah:

They are become brutish and foolish; a teaching of vanities is that stock; silver beaten out is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the founder; blue and crimson are their clothing, it is all the work of the wise (Jeremiah 10:8-9);

denoting the like things, as is very evident.