6297. 'And his seed will be the fullness of nations' means that truth - the truth of faith - will be predominant. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as faith and charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3187, 3310, 3373, 3671, in this case faith since it refers to Ephraim; and from the meaning of 'the fullness of nations' as an abundance, thus that it will be predominant. 'Fullness' in the Word means the entire whole or, where it does not mean the entire whole, an abundant part; and it is used with reference both to truth and to good. For 'a multitude' is used with reference to truth, but 'greatness' to good, thus 'fullness' with reference to both, as in Jeremiah,

Behold, waters rising out of the north which will become like a deluging stream, and they will deluge the land and its fullness, the city and those who dwell in it. Jeremiah 47:2.

'The land and its fullness' stands for the entire whole, both of truth and of good, constituting the Church. 'The city and those who dwell in it' is therefore added, for 'the city' means truths, and 'those who dwell in it' forms of good, 2268, 2451, 2712.

[2] In Ezekiel,

They will eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their waters with astonishment, so that her land may be devastated of its fullness. Ezekiel 12:19.

'Land' stands for the Church, and 'fullness' for the goodness and truth there. The fact that both are meant is evident from the words immediately before, which say that they will eat bread with anxiety and drink waters with astonishment. For 'bread' means the good of love, and 'waters' the truth of faith, which are referred to as 'the fullness' of the land.

[3] Similarly in Amos,

I hate the pride of Jacob and his palaces, therefore I will shut up the city and its fullness. Amos 6:8.

In David,

The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours. The world and the fullness of it You have founded. Psalms 89:11.

And elsewhere in the same author,

The earth is Jehovah's and the fullness of it, the world and those who dwell in it. He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalms 24:1-2.

Here also 'the fullness' stands for truth and goodness. 'The earth' stands for the Church in a specific sense, 'the world' for the Church in an overall sense. Jehovah's founding of the world upon the seas means basing it on things that contribute to knowledge, 28, and His establishing it upon the rivers means basing it on those that lead to intelligence, 3051. Is anyone unable to see that it is not Jehovah's founding of the world on the seas or His establishing of it upon the rivers that is meant? For the world is not founded or established on them, and therefore anyone who thinks the matter over can see that something other than 'the seas' or 'the rivers' is meant and that this something other is a spiritual or internal facet of the Word.

1610. That 'I will make your seed as the dust of the earth' means being multiplied beyond measure is clear without explanation. Here it is said that his seed would be made as 'the dust of the earth', in other parts of the Word as 'the dust of the sea', and in yet other parts as 'the stars of heaven'. Each of these phrases has its own particular meaning. 'Dust of the earth' has regard to those things that are celestial, for, as shown already, 'the earth' means the celestial aspect of love; 'dust of the sea' has regard to those things that are spiritual, for 'the sea', as has also been shown, means the spiritual aspect of love; while 'as the stars of heaven' means both but in a higher degree. And because these things cannot be numbered they therefore became common expressions to describe growth and multiplication beyond measure.

[2] The statement that his seed, that is, the faith that is the expression of love, or simply love, was to be multiplied beyond measure means in the highest sense the Lord, and in particular His Human Essence, for the Lord as regards the Human Essence is called 'the seed of the woman', dealt with in 256. When the Lord's Human Essence is meant, the infinite celestial and spiritual is understood by the words 'multiplied beyond measure'; but when faith that is the expression of charity, or simply charity, among the human race is meant by 'the seed', the multiplication without measure of that seed in everyone who leads a charitable life is understood. Such multiplication takes place in the next life with everyone who leads a charitable life. With him the multiplication of charity and of the faith deriving from it, together with their associated happiness, is so great that one can only describe it as being beyond measure and defying description. When the human race is meant by 'the seed', the multiplication of this in the Lord's kingdom is also beyond measure - not only from those who are inside the Church, and their children, but also from those who are outside the Church, and their children. Consequently the Lord's kingdom or heaven is boundless. That boundlessness will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of elsewhere.