721. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, signifies the hatred of those who are meant by "the dragon" against the church with those who will be in the doctrine, and thence in the light of love and charity from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of the "dragon," as being those who have a knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, and are not in a life according to it (See above, n. 714); and from the signification of "the woman," as being the church that is in the doctrine and thence in the life of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor (See above, n. 707). The hatred of those who are signified by "the dragon" against that church and its doctrine, is meant by "standing before the woman about to bring forth and wishing to devour the offspring." Also from the signification of "bringing forth," as being to bring forth such things as pertain to the church, which are doctrinals, here respecting love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, for "the son, a male" that the woman brought forth signifies the doctrine of that church. Such things are signified by "bringing forth," because generations, births, and nativities mean in the Word spiritual generations, births, and nativities, which are effected by truths and a life according to them.

[2] For this reason where spiritual generation, which is called regeneration, is treated of in the Word it is described by natural generation and birth. As in John:

Jesus said to Nicodemus, Except one be begotten anew he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said, How can a man be begotten when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be begotten? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be begotten of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is begotten of the spirit isspirit. (John 3:3-6).

As Nicodemus did not understand the spiritual sense of the Lord's words "that a man must be begotten anew," the Lord explained that "to be begotten" means "to be begotten of water and of the spirit," thus to be regenerated, that is, by means of truths from the Word and a life according to them, for "water" signifies truths, and "spirit" a life according to them. But elsewhere in the Word, where "to travail," "to bring forth," "to produce," and "to beget" are mentioned, there is no explanation, and yet spiritual travail, birth, nativity, and generation are meant, since the Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom is spiritual. "To bring forth" signifies to bring forth spiritually, because when a man is regenerating he is likewise as it were conceived, carried in the womb, born, and educated, as a man is conceived of his father, carried in the womb and born of his mother, and afterwards educated.

[3] To confirm that births and nativities signify in the Word spiritual births and nativities, some passages shall be cited from it. In Isaiah:

Be ashamed, O Zidon, the sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, neither brought forth, I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins; when the report comes from Egypt they shall be seized with pain as at the report respecting Tyre (Isaiah 23:4, 5).

"Zidon" and "Tyre" signify the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; that the church has not acquired through these anything of intelligence and wisdom, and has not done any uses, is signified by "not travailing," "not bringing forth," "not training up young men," "not bringing up virgins," "young men" meaning the truths of the church, and "virgins" its goods. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 275.)

[4] In the same:

Thy chastening is upon them, as a woman with child that draweth near to her delivery; she crieth out in her pangs; so have we done ¹ before Thee, O Jehovah; we have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought salvation to the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen; thy dead shall live (Isaiah 26:16-19).

This is said of the last times of the church, when falsities and evils so far increase that there can be no reformation and regeneration; this state is meant by "the chastening of Jehovah upon them;" that it will then be difficult to perceive and acquire any truth is signified by "as a woman with child that draweth near to her delivery; she crieth out in her pangs;" that in the place of truths they imbibe vanities in which there are no truths is signified by "we have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth wind," "wind" signifying such vanities; that from these no uses of life come is signified by "we have not wrought salvation" to Jehovah; ² that still, when the Lord shall come into the world they are to be taught and regenerated by truths from Him is signified by "thy dead shall live," and by the words that follow.

[5] In the same:

Sing aloud O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married one (Isaiah 54:1).

This treats of the Lord's coming and of the New Church to be established by Him with the Gentiles; these are signified by "the barren that did not bear," and by "the desolate" who shall have many sons; they are called "barren" because they did not know the Lord, and did not have the Word where truths are, and therefore could not be regenerated, "sons" meaning truths from the Lord through the Word. The church that has the Word, from which the Lord is known, is meant by "the married one" that has no sons; the joy of those who are of the New Church that before had no truths, is signified by "break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail," "to travail" meaning to bear in the womb.

[6] In the first book of Samuel:

They who have been driven away have been girded with strength; they that are sated, have hired themselves for bread, and they that are hungry have ceased, even until the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many sons languisheth (1 Samuel 2:4, 5).

This is the prophetic song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. "Those driven away that are to be girded with strength" mean the Gentiles with whom the church is to be, who are called "driven away" from a lack of the knowledges of truth, and who are therefore rejected by those of the church, at that time the Jewish church; "to be girded with strength" signifies that such have truth from good, and thence power; "they that are sated, who have hired themselves for bread;" and "they that are hungry who have ceased," mean those who were of the Jewish Church, who are said to be "sated" because they had truths in abundance, and "to be hired for bread" because they could only be led to learn truths and do them as hirelings; that they did not desire to know them is signified by "they that are hungry have ceased." The same church is also meant by "she that hath many sons languisheth." But the Gentiles that are to acknowledge the Lord and receive the Word, and thus suffer themselves to be regenerated into the church, are meant by "the barren that shall bear seven;" "seven" signifies all and many, and is predicated of the holy things of the church.

[7] In Jeremiah:

She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul; her sun shall go down while it is yet day (Jeremiah 15:9).

This signifies that a church that has all truths because it has the Word shall perish, even so that nothing of truth and good will remain; "to bear seven" signifies to be gifted with all truths from the Word; "to languish, and to have the sun go down," signifies to perish successively and at length wholly; "to breathe out the soul" signifies to perish in respect to all truths, and "the sun going down" signifies to perish in respect to all the goods of love; "while it is as yet day" signifies while the Word is still acknowledged.

[8] In Isaiah:

Before she travailed she brought forth; before her pangs came she was delivered of a male child. Who hath heard a thing like this? Who hath seen a thing like this? Hath the earth travailed in one day? Shall a nation be begotten at once? As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her sons. Shall I break and not bring forth, saith Jehovah, shall I that cause to bring forth restrain? Rejoice with Jerusalem, exult in her, all ye that love her, that ye may suck and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations (Isaiah 66:7-11).

This, too, treats of the Lord's coming and of the establishment of a church with the Gentiles. Their reformation and regeneration are described by "travailing," "bringing forth," "being delivered of a male child," and by "breaking the matrix" and "begetting;" for, as has been said above, a man who is begotten anew is likewise as it were conceived, carried in the womb, born, educated, and grows up, as from a father and mother.

"Zion" and "Jerusalem" mean the church and its doctrine; and "to suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations" signifies to be fully instructed in truths from good from the delight of love according to desire; the "one day" in which these things shall take place signifies the Lord's coming.

[9] In David:

From before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, from before the God of Israel ³ (Psalms 114:7).

"Thou art in travail, O earth," signifies the establishment of the church, or the reformation of those who will be of the church, "to travail" meaning to receive truths and be reformed, and "the earth" meaning the church. It is said "from before the Lord" and "from before the God of Jacob," because reformation in respect to good and truth is meant, for the Lord is called "Lord" from good, and "God" from truth.

[10] In Jeremiah:

Behold, I bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them together from the sides of the earth; among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth together, a great assembly shall they return hither (Jeremiah 31:8).

This, again, treats of the restoration of the church with the Gentiles by the Lord. The Gentiles who are in falsities and in the appearances of truth such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of its letter, are meant by "the land of the north" and by "the sides of the earth," the "north" signifying falsities, and "the sides of the earth" such ultimate truths; therefore it is also said, "among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she that is bringing forth," the "blind" meaning those who are not in truths, and the "lame" those who are not in goods, "the woman with child" those who receive truths, and "she who is bringing forth" those who do them. That from such the church will be established is signified by "Behold, I bring them, I will gather them together and a great assembly shall they return hither."

[11] In Isaiah:

Look unto the rock out of which ye were hewn, and to the digging out of the pit out of which ye were digged; look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called him alone, and I will bless him and will multiply him; for Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah (Isaiah 51:1-3).

This, too, is said of the Lord, and of the New Church from Him. The Lord in relation to Divine truth and in relation to the doctrine of truth is meant by "the rock out of which they were hewn and the pit out of which they were digged" (See above, n. 411). But the Lord in relation to the Divine, from which is reformation, is meant by "Abraham" to whom they shall look, and by "Sarah" that bare them; for by "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," in the Word, those persons are not meant, but the Lord in relation to the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1893, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 4615, 6098, 6095, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847); but the heavenly marriage which is that of Divine good and Divine truth, from which is all reformation and thus the church, is signified by "Abraham" and by "Sarah that bare them." Because the Lord is meant by "Abraham" it is said, "I called him alone, and I will bless him and will multiply him," and afterwards that "Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places," "Zion" meaning the New Church, "waste places" truths destroyed, and "to comfort" to restore the church. That those who will be of that church will acknowledge the Lord, and will receive love to Him and thence wisdom, is signified by "her wilderness shall be made like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah," "Eden" signifying love to the Lord, and "the garden of Jehovah" wisdom therefrom.

[12] In Micah:

O height of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall come and shall return the kingdom, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why dost thou shout in shouting? Is there no king in thee; hath thy counselor perished, that pangs take hold of thee as a woman in travail? Be in travail and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, for now thou shalt go out from the city and shalt dwell in the field (Micah 4:8-10).

This treats of the spiritual captivity in which the faithful are when they remain in a church in which there is no more truth and good; their lamentation that they are in that church is signified by "why dost thou shout in shouting?" Also by "that pangs take hold of thee as a woman in travail;" when yet they have truths of doctrine and also the understanding of them, which is signified by "Is there no king in thee; hath thy counselor perished?" "king" signifying the truth of doctrine from the Word, and "counselor" the understanding of it. That with those who are in the good of charity and thence in the truths of doctrine there will be a church is signified by "the daughter of Zion to whom the kingdom shall come," and by "the daughter of Jerusalem," "kingdom" also signifying the church. The establishment of the church and reformation of those who are of the church is meant by "be in travail, bring forth, O daughter of Zion;" "for now thou shalt go out from the city and shalt dwell in the field" signifies that they will withdraw from a doctrine in which there is no longer any truth or good, and will abide where these abound; "city" meaning the doctrine from which they will withdraw; "field" meaning where truths and goods abound, and "to go out" meaning to withdraw, namely, from that doctrine, and to be thus delivered from spiritual captivity.

[13] In David:

Jehovah raiseth the crushed out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, to place him with princes, with the princes of His people; He maketh the barren to dwell in a house, to be a glad mother of sons (Psalms 113:7-9).

That those who are in falsities from ignorance, and thus are not in goods, are to be instructed by the Lord in truths, is signified by "Jehovah raiseth the crushed out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill," "the crushed" and "the needy" meaning those who are in falsities from ignorance, and thus not in goods. The primary truths of the church in which they must be instructed are signified by "the princes, the princes of the people," with whom they are to be placed. That those who did not before have life from the marriage of truth and good will have it is signified by "making the barren to dwell in a house, to be a glad mother of sons;" "to dwell" signifying to live; "the house of the barren" signifying where there is no marriage of truth and good, and "a glad mother of sons" the church where there are nascent truths from good.

[14] In Hosea:

As to Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception (Hosea 9:11).

That this signifies that all understanding of truth from ultimates to firsts will perish, may be seen above n. 710, where it is explained. In Luke:

Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days; for there shall be great anguish and anger upon this people (Luke 21:23).

And in the same:

Behold the days shall come in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren and the bellies that have not borne, and the breasts that have not given suck (Luke 23:29; also in Matthew 24:19; Mark 13:17).

That this is said of those who live at the end of the church, when there are no genuine truths to be received that are not falsified, may be seen above n. 710.

[15] In Jeremiah:

The partridge gathereth but bringeth not forth; he that maketh riches but not with judgment, in the midst of his days he forsaketh them, and in his latter end he shall become foolish (Jeremiah 17:11).

A "partridge" means such as learn many things from the Word and from the doctrines of the church, but not for the sake of the uses of life, "to bring forth" means to perform uses, that is, to live and thus to be reformed; the "riches" that he maketh not with judgment signify spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good; to acquire these not for the sake of uses of life is "to make riches not with judgment;" that such knowledges as are not made to be of the life perish is signified by "in the midst of his days he shall forsake them;" that finally they will have no knowledges of truth that are not falsified is signified by "in his latter end he shall become foolish."

[16] Since a "mother" signifies the church, and "sons and daughters" its truths and goods, and in the ancient churches, and afterwards in the Jewish church, all things were representative and thence significative, it was a reproach and disgrace for women to be barren, therefore:

Rachel was angry with Jacob that she bare no children, and when she brought forth Joseph she said, God hath gathered up my reproach (Genesis 30:1, 23).

For the same reason, when Elizabeth had conceived she said:

Thus hath the Lord done unto me, in the days wherein He looked upon me to take away my reproach among men (Luke 1:24, 25).

Thus it is evident that "to travail," "to bring forth," and "to beget," signify the procreation of such things as pertain to the church.

[17] In Isaiah:

Woe to him that saith unto the father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, With what travailest thou? (Isaiah 45:10)

This is said of man's reformation, that it is from the Lord and not from man. In the same:

King Hezekiah said, when he heard the words of Rabshakeh, This day is a day of distress, and of reproving, and of reproach, and the sons are come to the mouth of the matrix and there is not strength to bring forth (Isaiah 37:3).

That truths from the Word will be heard and known, and yet reformation will not be effected by them, is signified by "the sons are come to the matrix and there is not strength to bring forth," "to bring forth" signifying to make truths fruitful by doing them, from which comes reformation. That this was a grief of heart and mind, and a reproach to the church, is signified by "a day of distress, of reproving and of reproach."

[18] In Ezekiel:

I will pour out my wrath upon Sin, the strength of Egypt, and will cut off the multitude of No; I will set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall travail, and there shall not be ⁴ for the breaking through (Ezekiel 30:15, 16).

"Egypt," "Sin," and "No," signify the knowledges and fallacies of the natural man, which hinder the reformation of man by means of truths from the Word; that truths will be known and yet will not be received in the life, and thus there can be no reformation, is signified by "Sin in travailing shall travail, but there shall not be for the breaking through," that is, of the matrix. Since "to travail" signifies to receive the truths of the Word by hearing or reading, and "to bring forth" signifies to make them fruitful and bring them forth in act, which is to live according to them, and thus be reformed, so when these things are done with distress and difficulty because of the falsities and evils that rule in the church, and that hinder and which pervert its truths and goods, then it is said that "they are seized with pangs as of a woman in travail;" and as this takes place at the end of the church, therefore it is said in the Word of those who live at that time, as in this chapter of Revelation:

That a woman being with child, cried out, travailing, and pained to be delivered (verse 2); which signifies that spiritual truths and goods, which are from the Word, can be received only with the greatest difficulty and with distress, because of the opposing evils and falsities that then exist in the church and occupy the minds of those who are devoted to religion.

[19] This is signified by "the pangs as of a woman in travail" in Jeremiah:

I have heard a voice as of one sick, as of one in travail with her first born, the voice of the daughter of Zion; she sigheth, she spreadeth forth her hands. Woe to me now, for my soul is made desolate by the slayers (Jeremiah 4:31).

"The daughter of Zion" means the church that is in the truths of doctrine from the good of love; this is said "to sigh and to spread forth the hands, because her soul is made desolate by the slayers," "slayers" meaning those who destroy man's spiritual life by falsities and evils; and because on this account spiritual truths and goods can be received only with distress and difficulty, there is said to be lamentation "as of one sick and in travail with her firstborn," "firstborn" signifying the first thing of the church, from which the rest flow as from their beginning.

[20] In the same:

We have heard the fame of a people coming from the land of the north, our hands are slackened, distress has taken hold of us, pangs as of one in travail; go not forth into the field, and go not in the way, for there is the sword of the adversary, terror on every side (Jeremiah 6:24, 25).

"A people coming from the land of the north" means those who are in the falsities of evil, and in an abstract sense the falsities of evil that are in the church at that time vastated. That truths will then be received in faith and in love with the greatest difficulty, because of the opposing falsities of evil, and that there will be in consequence torment and pain of mind and heart, is signified by "the hands are slackened, distress has taken hold of them, and pangs as of one in travail;" that at such a time the things of the church and of its doctrine will not be considered, in taking thought for oneself, is signified by "Go not forth into the field, go not in the way," "field" meaning the church, and "way" doctrine; and this for the reason that falsity from hell rushes in, by which truth is falsified and extinguished, which is signified by "the sword of the adversary, terror on every side," "sword" meaning falsity destroying truth, "adversary" hell, and "terror" spiritual death.

[21] From this it is evident what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

Then let him that is on the house not come down to take anything out of the house, and let him that is in the field not return back. Woe to them that bear in the womb and to them that give suck in those days. Then shall be great affliction, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now (Matthew 24:17-19, 21).

This, too, is said of the state of the church near its end, when falsities of evil and evils of falsity have rule, and the truths of the Word are not received except when falsified and adulterated; this is meant by "Woe to them that bear in the womb and to them that give suck in those days," and also by "great affliction." (But this with the rest of that chapter may be seen explained consecutively in Arcana Coelestia.)

[22] In Jeremiah:

Ask and see whether a male doth bring forth. Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? For that day is great, so that none is like it (Jeremiah 30:6, 7).

This also is said of the last state of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place; "the great day" is the Lord's coming and judgment by Him at that time; "ask and see whether a male doth bring forth" signifies whether the truth of the Word without the good of life can bring forth anything of the church, since everything of the church is brought forth by the marriage of good and truth, "the male" signifying the truth of the church, and "the wife" the good of the church; "wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail?" signifies why is it thought that truth without good will bring forth such things as belong to the church? "Loins" signify marriage, in the spiritual sense the marriage of truth and good, but "the loins of a man as of a woman in travail" signify, as if there could be a marriage of truth alone without good; "all faces are turned into paleness" signifies that there is nothing of good because there is nothing of love and charity; the "face" means the affections that are of the love of good, therefore "paleness" signifies those affections extinguished.

[23] In Isaiah:

My loins are filled with great pain, pains seize upon me as the pains of a woman in travail (Isaiah 21:3).

This, too, is said of the last state of the church, when its truths and goods can be received only with the most painful effort, because of the evils and falsities that then oppose; "the loins that are said to be filled with pain," signify the marriage of good and truth from which is heaven and the church, and these are said to be "filled with pain" when truth cannot be conjoined with good; therefore this is the signification of "the pains as of a woman in travail," that seize.

[24] "Pain as of a woman in travail" is also said of those who are unable anymore to receive truths because of the falsities conjoined with evils of life, and yet they wish to receive them when destruction threatens, especially in the spiritual world, when the Last Judgment is at hand, but with a fruitless endeavor and effort; this is signified by "the pains of a woman in travail" in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Howl ye, for the day of Jehovah is nigh. Therefore all hands are slackened, and every heart of man doth melt, and they are dismayed; throes and pangs seize upon them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth, a man is amazed at his companion, their faces are faces of flames (Isaiah 13:6-8).

"The day of Jehovah" that is near signifies the Last Judgment which the Lord accomplished when He was in the world; their terror at that time on account of threatening destruction is signified by "all hands are slackened, and every heart of man doth melt, and they are about to perish;" ⁵ that their ability to receive the truths and goods of heaven and the church is then in vain because of the falsities of evil in which they have been and then are in, is signified by "throes and pangs seize upon them, they are in travail like a woman bringing forth;" that they are in the evils of hatred and anger is signified by "their faces are faces of flames."

[25] In Jeremiah:

She that dwelleth in Lebanon, having her nest in the cedars, what grace wilt thou find when pangs come upon thee, pain as of a woman in travail? I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy soul (Jeremiah 22:23, 25).

This treats of those that have the Word, and thus truths and the understanding of them, who are said "to dwell in Lebanon and to have a nest in the cedars;" their destruction at the Last Judgment, and their effort then to receive truths, but in vain, because of the opposing falsities of evil, is signified by "what grace wilt thou find when pangs come upon thee, pain as of a woman in travail;" that they will then be carried away by the falsities of evil from hell is signified by "I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy soul."

[26] In the same:

Damascus is become feeble, she hath turned herself to flee, and horror hath taken hold of her, distress and pangs have seized her as of a woman in travail (Jeremiah 49:24).

The king of Babylon heard the fame of the people coming from the north; thence his hands are relaxed, distress hath taken hold of him, pain as of a woman in travail (Jeremiah 50:43).

In Moses:

The peoples heard, the pain of a travailing woman hath seized upon the inhabitants of Philistia (Exodus 15:14).

"The pains of a woman in travail" have a similar signification as in the passages above. In Hosea:

The pangs of a woman in travail shall come upon Ephraim, he is a son not wise, for he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons (Hosea 13:13).

This may be seen explained above n. 710. In Moses:

Jehovah God said to the woman, In multiplying I will multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain shalt thou bring forth sons; and thy obedience shall be to thy man, and he shall rule over thee (Genesis 3:16).

This does not mean that women are to bring forth sons in pain, but "the woman" means the church that from celestial has become natural; "eating of the tree of knowledge" signifies this. That the man of the church cannot easily be regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them, and that he must endure temptations that truths may be implanted and conjoined to good, is signified by "pain and conception shall be multiplied," and by "she shall bring forth sons in pain," "conception" signifying the reception of truth that is from good, and "to bring forth sons" signifying to bring forth truths from the marriage of truth and good. Because the natural man is full of lusts from the love of self and of the world, and these can be removed only by means of truths, therefore it is said "thy obedience shall be to thy man, and he shall rule over thee," "man" signifying here as elsewhere in the Word the truth of the church. That man is reformed and regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them has been shown above. From this it can now be seen that conceptions, births, nativities, and generations signify in the Word spiritual conceptions, births, nativities, and generations.

Poznámky pod čarou:

710. Verse 2. And being with child, signifies nascent doctrine from the good of celestial love. This is evident from the signification of "being with child" [or having in the womb] as being, in reference to the church, which the woman signifies, the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of celestial love. For the "womb" signifies inmost conjugial love, and thence celestial love in the whole complex; and the embryo in the womb signifies the truth of doctrine from the good of celestial love, for it has a similar signification as "the son a male" which the woman brought forth, described in the fifth verse, which signifies the doctrine of truth from the good of love, but with the difference that the embryo, being yet in the womb, partakes more from the good of innocence than after it is born, therefore the embryo and the son a male both signify the doctrine of truth, the latter doctrine itself, but the former nascent doctrine. From this it is clear that "being with child" signifies the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of celestial love.

[2] The "womb" signifies the inmost good of love, because all the members devoted to generation, both with males and with females, signify conjugial love, and "the womb" its inmost, because there the fetus is conceived and grows, until it is born; moreover, it is the inmost of the genital organs, and from it is also derived the maternal love that is called "storge." Because the man who is regenerating is also conceived, and as it were carried in the womb and born, and because regeneration is effected by truths from the good of love, so "to bear in the womb" signifies in the spiritual sense the doctrine of truth from the good of love. There is also a correspondence of the womb with the inmost good of love, since the whole heaven corresponds to all things with man (of which correspondence see in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-102); and thus also the members devoted to generation; these correspond there to celestial love. There is also an influx of that love out of heaven with mothers during the time of gestation, and into the embryos; and from it springs the love of the babe with mothers, and innocence with babes. This shows why the "womb" signifies the inmost good of love, and "to bear in the womb" signifies the nascent doctrine of truth from the good of love.

[3] That this is the signification of the "womb," and of "bearing in the womb," can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:

Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel carried from the womb, borne from the matrix; even unto old age I am the same, and even to hoariness I will carry; I have made, I will carry, and I will bear and will deliver (Isaiah 46:3, 4).

This is said of the reformation of the church, and of the regeneration of the men of the church by the Lord. The church is signified by "the house of Jacob" and "the house of Israel," the external church by "the house of Jacob," and the internal by "the house of Israel." "Those carried from the womb" signify those who are being regenerated by the Lord, and "those borne from the matrix" signify those who are regenerated. Because the man who is being regenerated is first conceived by the Lord, and next is born, and lastly is educated and perfected, and because regeneration is in this respect like the natural generation of man, so "to be carried from the womb" signifies the state of the man who is to be regenerated from conception to birth; the birth itself and afterwards education and perfection, is signified by "to be borne from the matrix; even unto old age I am the same, and even to hoariness I will carry;" "I have made, I will carry, and I will bear and will deliver," have like significations; the former meaning regeneration by the goods of love and charity, and the latter regeneration by the truths from those goods; "to deliver" means to take away and remove evils and falsities that are from hell.

[4] In Hosea:

Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception; yea, if they have brought up their sons, yet I will make them bereaved of man. Give to them, O Jehovah, a miscarrying matrix and dry breasts. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall yield no fruit, even when they have borne I will kill the desires of their belly (Hosea 9:11, 12, 14, 16).

"Ephraim" means the church in respect to the understanding of truth and good; that there will be no longer any understanding of Divine truth in the church is signified by "Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away," "glory" signifying Divine truth, and "to fly away" signifying to be scattered; the expression "to fly away" is used because it is said of a bird, and a bird is mentioned because it signifies things belonging to the understanding and to thought therefrom; "from the birth and from the belly and from conception" signifies the dispersion of all truth from things last to things first, "birth" signifying things last, because it signifies what has been born; "from the belly and from conception" signifies what is before birth, thus all things from things last to things first, for when last things perish things prior also successively fall away; "if they have brought up their sons, yet I will make them bereaved of man," signifies that although they have acquired for themselves truths, yet they will be without intelligence, "sons" signifying the truths of the church, and "man" intelligence, therefore "to make them bereaved of man" signifies that still they have no intelligence.

[5] "Give them, O Jehovah, a miscarrying matrix and dry breasts," signifies that they have no longer truths from any good, but falsities from evil; "a miscarrying matrix" signifying falsities from evil in the place of truth from good, "dry breasts" have a like meaning, but "matrix" signifies truths from the good of love, and "breasts" truths from the good of charity, here falsities from evil contrary to those truths; "Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up," signifies there is no longer any understanding of truth even from things first, Ephraim here as above meaning the understanding of the truth of the church, and "root" its first; "they shall yield no fruit" signifies no good, for where there are no truths there is no good; "even when they have borne, I will kill the desires of their belly," signifies that although they have acquired for themselves truths, they will nevertheless perish, "desires of the belly" signifying truths acquired; it is said the "belly" instead of the womb, because the belly seems to swell in childbearing, and yet the term "belly" is used where truths are treated of, and "womb" where good is treated of.

[6] In David:

For thou art He that took me out of the womb, giving me trust from my mother's breasts; I was cast upon Thee; Thou art my God from my mother's belly (Psalms 22:9, 10).

This, too, describes the regeneration of the spiritual man by such things as belong to natural generation from the mother; therefore "Thou art He that took me out of the womb" signifies that one is regenerated by the Lord and made a man of the church; "Thou dost give me trust from my mother's breasts" signifies that one is afterwards led and spiritually educated, "the mother's breasts" signifying spiritual nourishment in such things as belong to the church, "mother" meaning the church; "I was cast upon thee from the womb" signifies that the Lord has done all things from the good of love, and "Thou art my God from my mother's belly" signifies that He has done all things by means of truths, for, as has been said above, where the good of love is treated of the term "womb" is used, and where truths from that good are treated of the term "belly" is used; therefore it is said, "Thou art my God," for where the good of love is treated of the Lord is called "Jehovah," and where truths are treated of He is called "God."

[7] In the Gospels:

Woe to them that bear in the womb, and to them that give suck in those days (Matthew 24:19; Mark 13:17; Luke 21:23).

These chapters treat of the consummation of the age, which means the end of the church when there is the Last Judgment; therefore "those that bear in the womb" and "those that give suck in those days," over whom there is lamentation, mean those who then receive the goods of love and the truths of such good; "those that bear in the womb" mean those who receive the good of love, and "those that give suck" mean those who receive the truths of that good, for the "milk" which is given signifies truth from the good of love. It is said, "Woe to them," because those who receive goods and truths are unable to keep them, for in such a state hell prevails and snatches away the goods and truths, and thence comes profanation. Hell then prevails because at the end of the church the falsities of evil rule, and take away the truths of good; for man is held in the midst between heaven and hell, and before the Last Judgment that which arises out of hell prevails over that which comes down out of heaven. (See respecting this in the work on Heaven and Hell 538, 540, 541, 546, 589-596; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 73, 74.)

[8] In Luke:

Behold, the days shall come in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren and the bellies that have not borne, and the breasts that have not given suck (Luke 23:29).

This has a like signification, for it is said of the last time of the church; and "the barren," and "the bellies that have not borne," signify those who have not received genuine truths, that is, truths from the good of love, and "the breasts that have not given suck" signify those who have not received genuine truths from the good of charity. For all truths are from good; and goods are of two kinds, celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor; "breasts" have a similar signification as "milk," namely, truth from good.

[9] In the same:

A woman lifting up her voice out of the throng said of Jesus, Blessed is the belly that bare Thee, and the breasts that Thou hath sucked; but Jesus said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it (Luke 11:27, 28).

Because "to bear in the belly" and "to give suck with the breasts" signify the regeneration of man, as has been said above, the Lord answered, "Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it," which describes the regeneration that is effected by truths from the Word and a life according to them; "to hear the Word of God" signifies to learn truths from the Word, and "to keep it" signifies to live according to those truths.

[10] In John:

Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit (John 3:4-6).

Nicodemus evidently understood natural generation instead of the spiritual generation, of which the Lord spoke, therefore the Lord teaches him concerning regeneration, which is effected by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them, and this is signified by "being born of water and of the spirit," for "water" means in the spiritual sense the truth from the Word, and "the life is spirit" ¹ according to it. That man is born natural and becomes spiritual by a life according to truths from the Word, is signified by "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit;" that the natural man cannot be saved unless he becomes spiritual is meant by "except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens."

[11] Because it is the Lord alone who reforms and regenerates man, He is called in the Word "the Former from the womb," as in Isaiah:

Jehovah, thy Maker and thy Former from the womb, helpeth thee (Isaiah 44:2, 24).

In the same:

Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name. Thus said Jehovah, my Former from the womb, to be His servant, to bring back Jacob to Him, and that Israel be gathered to Him (Isaiah 49:1, 5).

In many passages in the Word the Lord is called "Creator," "Maker," and "Former from the womb," and also "Redeemer;" for the reason that He creates man anew, reforms, regenerates, and has redeemed him. It may be believed that the Lord is so called because He created man and forms him in the womb, but yet it is the spiritual creation and formation that is here meant; for the Word is both natural and spiritual; it is natural for men, who are natural, and spiritual for angels, who are spiritual, as can also be seen from this, that what is here said is said of Israel, and in the highest sense of the Lord. "Israel" means the church, thus every man of the church; and because the Lord knows what the nature of every man is in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith it is said, "Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name;" ² "to call and to know the name" of anyone signifies to know of what nature he is; "from the womb" means to know this in respect to the good of love; and "from the bowels of my mother" in respect to the truths from that good; "Jacob" who shall be brought again to Him, and "Israel" who shall be gathered to Him, signify the church, "Jacob" the external church, and "Israel" the internal church; the internal church is in the spiritual man, the external in the natural.

[12] In Jeremiah:

Before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee, and before thou camest forth from the womb I sanctified thee; I will give thee as a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).

This is said of the prophet Jeremiah, but yet "prophet" means in the spiritual sense one who teaches truth, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of truth; therefore "to form in the womb," and "to know before he came forth from the womb," signify a foreseeing that one can be in truths from good by regeneration, thus that one can receive and teach the Word. "To sanctify" and "to give as a prophet to the nations" have the same meaning; "nations" are those who are in good, and who from good receive truths.

[13] In David:

Upon Thee have I been laid from the womb. Thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels (Psalms 71:6).

This has a like meaning. In the same:

Lo, sons are the heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the belly is his reward (Psalms 127:3).

Here, as elsewhere in the Word, "sons" mean those who are in truths from good, and "fruit of the belly" means those who are in good by truths, who have heaven, which is a "heritage" and also a "reward."

[14] In Isaiah:

Can a woman forget her infant, that she may not have compassion on the son of her belly? Yea, though these may forget, yet will not I forget thee (Isaiah 49:15).

This is said because in the spiritual sense regeneration is meant, and this is why there is a comparison made with a woman and her love for her infant; the like is true of one who is regenerated by the Lord.

[15] In David:

Jehovah hath sworn truth unto David, Of the fruit of thy belly will I set upon thy throne (Psalms 132:11).

By "David," here as elsewhere, the Lord in relation to the spiritual kingdom, which is his royalty, is meant, therefore "to set of the fruit of his belly upon his throne" means one who is being regenerated by the Lord; such a man is called "the fruit of his belly" because he is in truths and in a life according to them; the "throne" which he shall have means heaven. This is what is signified by these words in the spiritual sense, but in the highest sense the Lord and His glorification are meant.

[16] In the same:

Thou dost possess my reins, Thou hast covered me in my mother's belly (Psalms 139:13).

"To possess the reins" signifies to purify truths from falsities (See above, n. 167); and "to cover in the mother's belly" signifies to defend from the falsities of evil which are from hell, and this from the beginning of regeneration and afterwards continually.

[17] In the same:

The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray from the belly, speaking falsehood (Psalms 58:3).

This does not mean that the wicked are estranged from the womb, and go astray from the belly, that is, from birth; for no one is estranged from God and goes astray from birth; but "to be estranged from the womb" signifies to turn away from good to evil from the first day when one could be reformed, and "to go astray from the belly" signifies to turn away in like manner from truths to falsities; and "to speak falsehood" signifies to believe falsities. Such are said to turn away from the first day when they could be reformed, because the Lord strives to reform all, whoever they may be, beginning from childhood and continuing through adolescence to youth, but those who do not suffer themselves to be reformed are said to turn away at once.

[18] In Hosea:

The iniquity of Ephraim is tied together, his sin is hidden away, the throes of a woman in travail shall come upon him; he is a son not wise, for he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons (Hosea 13:12, 13).

"Ephraim" signifies the understanding of truth, here the understanding perverted, which is the understanding of falsity instead of truth; its falsity is signified by "iniquity," and the evil of falsity by "his sin;" therefore he is called "a son not wise;" his not accepting reformation is signified by "the throes of a woman in travail shall come upon him," and by "he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons," this signifying that he does not remain in a state of reformation.

[19] In Isaiah:

I knew that in dealing treacherously thou wouldst deal treacherously, and the name of a transgressor was given thee from the womb (Isaiah 48:8).

This is said of "the house of Jacob," which means the perverted church; "to deal treacherously" signifies to act contrary to revealed truths; and "to have the name of a transgressor given from the womb" signifies a turning away from truths from the first time when one might be reformed; "to be called by name" signifies of what quality one is in respect to truths.

[20] In Hosea:

Jacob supplanted his brother in the womb, and in his vigor he struggled powerfully with God (Hosea 12:3).

What this signifies in the internal sense no one can know unless it is known that Jacob and his posterity even from their fathers down were merely natural, and therefore were opposed to the good of heaven and the church; for whoever is natural and not at the same time spiritual is opposed to that good, since that good is acquired solely through the conjunction of truth and good, first in the spiritual man and afterwards in the natural; but "Esau" signifies natural good in the spiritual. Now because Jacob and his posterity were such, and because they rejected every such good, and this from the very first time, it is said of Jacob that "he supplanted his brother in the womb." Moreover, the combat of Jacob with the angel, which is described in Genesis 32:24-31, depicts the tenacity with which they insisted upon possessing the land of Canaan, which means that a church should be instituted with them; this tenacity is depicted by that combat, and also by what is said in the next verse, in Hosea:

And he struggled vigorously with the angel, he wept and entreated him (Hosea 12:4).

But that they would nevertheless be destitute of any good of celestial and spiritual love is meant by:

The angel touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, and the hollow of his thigh was put out of joint in wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32:24, 31).

For the thigh signifies the conjunction of good and truth, and "its being put out of joint" signifies that with Jacob and his posterity there was no conjunction of truth with good; this is meant by "Jacob struggled vigorously with God." (But on this see Arcana Coelestia 4281, where it is explained. That the Israelitish and Jewish nation was not chosen, but was accepted to represent a church, because of the tenacity with which their fathers and Moses persisted, see n. 4290, 4293, 7051, 7439, 10430, 10535, 10632)

[21] In Moses:

The sons strove with each other in the belly of Rebecca; and Jehovah said, Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall prevail over the other people, and the greater shall serve the less. And the days for bringing forth were fulfilled, and behold twins were in her womb; and the first came forth red all over like a hairy garment, and they called his name Esau. And afterwards his brother came forth, and his hand had seized Esau's heel, and he called his name Jacob (Genesis 25:20-26).

These historical statements involve what has just been said about Jacob and his posterity, namely, that they were merely natural, and thus were in no natural good from spiritual, which is signified by "Esau." That Jacob's posterity was without that good is signified by Jacob's seizing Esau's heel when he came forth out of his mother's womb, the "heel" signifying the lowest natural. (But this, too, is explained in Arcana Coelestia.)

[22] In the same:

From the God of thy father and He shall help thee, and with Shaddai and He shall bless thee, with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the abyss lying beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb (Genesis 49:25).

This is the blessing of Joseph by his father Israel, which is explained in the Arcana Coelestia 6428-6434), where it is shown that "the blessings of the breasts" signify the affections of good and truth, and "the blessings of the womb" the conjunction of good and truth, thus regeneration.

[23] In the same:

That Jehovah may love thee and bless thee and multiply thee, that He may bless the fruit of thy belly and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy new wine, thine oil, the young of thy kine and the rams of thy flock (Deuteronomy 7:13).

And elsewhere:

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy belly and the fruit of thy land, the young of thy kine and of the herd of thy flock (Deuteronomy 28:4)

This was said to the sons of Jacob, who understood it only in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, because they were merely natural, and not in the least spiritual; but these "blessings" signify spiritual blessings, which are of heaven, and thence of eternal life, "the fruit of the belly" signifying the good of love and the truth of that good; "the fruit of the land" everything of the church; "the corn and new wine" all good and truth in the natural man; "the young of kine and of the herd of the flock" the affections of good and truth exterior and interior. In general all this signifies the fructification and multiplication of truth and good.

[24] In Isaiah:

Behold, I stir up against them the Mede, who will not esteem silver, and in gold they will not delight; whose bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the belly; their eye shall not spare the sons (Isaiah 13:17, 18).

The "Mede" means those who make no account of the truth and good of the church, and who destroy the things of the understanding and love that are therefrom; the "silver" that they will not esteem, and the "gold" they will not delight in signify the truth and good of heaven and of the church, "silver" the truth and "gold" the good of these; "their bows will dash in pieces the young men, and they will have no compassion on the fruit of the belly," signifies that the falsities of doctrine will destroy all the understanding of truth and all the good of love; "the bow" meaning the falsity of doctrine, "the young men" the understanding of truth, and "the fruit of the belly" the good of love; "their eye shall not spare the sons" signifies that their perverted understanding and insanity will lay waste every truth of the church, "sons" meaning truths, and the "eye" the perverted understanding, which is insanity. It is to be known that the "Mede," does not mean the Mede, but such persons and things in the church as devastate it.

[25] In Matthew:

The Pharisees said, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Jesus, answering, said, Have ye not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall become one flesh? Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath joined together let not man put asunder. Moses for the hardness of your heart suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away committeth adultery. The disciples said, If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to contract matrimony. But Jesus said, All do not receive this word, but they to whom it is given; for there are eunuchs who were so born from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God. He that is able to receive let him receive (Matthew 19:3-12).

That this contains interior arcana can be seen from the Lord's saying that "all do not receive these words, but they to whom it is given." The interior arcanum contained in these words spoken by the Lord is but little apprehended by men, but it is apprehended by all angels in heaven, because they perceive these words of the Lord spiritually, and the arcana contained in them are spiritual. These arcana are, that there are marriages in the heavens even as on earth, but in the heavens the marriages are of like with like; for man is born to act from the understanding, but woman from affection, and the understanding with men is the understanding of truth and good, and the affection with women is the affection of truth and good; and as all understanding derives its life from affection, therefore the two there are joined together, as the affection which belongs to the will is joined with the correspondent thought which belongs to the understanding. For the understanding is different with everyone, as the truths that constitute the understanding are different. In general there are celestial truths, spiritual truths, moral truths, civil truths, and even natural truths; and of every kind of truth there are species and varieties innumerable; and since in consequence of this the understanding of one is never like the understanding of another, nor the affection of one like that of another, yet, in order that the understanding and affection may act as one, they are so joined together in heaven that the correspondent affection, which belongs to the woman, is conjoined with the correspondent understanding which belongs to the man; and as a result, both by correspondence have a life that is full of love. Now because two different affections cannot correspond to one understanding, therefore in heaven one man never has and never can have several wives.

[26] From this it can be seen and concluded what these words of the Lord also mean spiritually, as what is meant by "a man shall leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh," namely, that man must leave that evil and falsity that he has from his religion, and that defiles his understanding, that is, that he has from father and mother, and his understanding separated from such evil and falsity must be conjoined with the correspondent affection which belongs to the wife, thus the two become one affection of truth and good; this is meant by "one flesh" which the two must become, "flesh" signifying in the spiritual sense good which is of love or affection. "Therefore they are no more twain but one flesh" signifies that thus the understanding of good and truth and the affection of good and truth are not two but one, in like manner as while will and understanding are two they are nevertheless one; and the like is true of truth and good and of faith and charity, which indeed are two but yet one, that is, when truth is of good and good is of truth, so also when faith is of charity and charity is of faith; and this also is the source of conjugial love.

[27] "Moses for the hardness of their heart suffered them to put away a wife for every cause," because the Israelites and Jews were natural and not spiritual, and those who are purely natural are also hard in heart, since they are not in any conjugial love but in lascivious love, such as is the love of adultery. It is said that "whosoever shall put away a wife except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery," because fornication signifies falsity, and with a woman the affection of evil and falsity, thus an affection that does not at all agree with the understanding of truth and good; and since by such discordance conjugial love, which is of truth and good, and thence is heaven and the church with man, is entirely destroyed, for when the interior conjunction which is of the minds and dispositions is no more, marriage is dissolved. "Whosoever marrieth her that is put away committeth adultery," because one put away on account of fornication means the affection of evil and falsity, as above, and this must not be joined with any understanding of truth and good, for thereby the understanding is perverted, and becomes an understanding of falsity and evil, and the conjunction of falsity and evil is spiritual adultery, as the conjunction of truth and good is spiritual marriage.

[28] The Lord afterwards spoke of eunuchs because the disciples said, "If the case of the man is so with the wife, it is not expedient to contract matrimony;" also because with the Jewish nation, which was a nation hard in heart because they were in falsities from evil, marriages were not marriages, but understood in the spiritual sense were adulteries, and therefore that nation was called by the Lord "an adulterous generation." This was why the Lord spoke of eunuchs, "eunuchs" meaning those who have no desire to enter into marriage, that is, to be conjoined with the affection of evil, because the understanding of truth and good would thus be perverted and dissipated; thus "eunuchs" mean both the married and the unmarried in whom the understanding of truth and good is conjoined with the affection of truth and good. Such are called "eunuchs" because they have no lasciviousness, such as those have who, from the hardness of heart in which the Jews were, take several wives, and divorce them for every cause.

[29] It is to be known, in the first place, that the marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good has in general a threefold origin, and thus is in a threefold degree. In the highest degree is the marriage of those who are called celestial, in a lower degree the marriage between those who are spiritual, and in the lowest degree between those who are natural; for there are three degrees of man's interiors, and thence there are three heavens; those in the highest heaven are called celestial, those in the lower, spiritual, and those in the lowest natural. The marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good with the celestial is meant by "the eunuchs who are born eunuchs from the mother's womb," because these when they are becoming regenerate, receive truths immediately in the life through love of truths, consequently they know truths from truths themselves; the regeneration of these by the Lord through love to Him is signified by "being made eunuchs in the womb," thus without the lasciviousness of adultery.

[30] The marriage of the understanding of truth and good with the affection of truth and good of those who are spiritual is meant by "the eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men," for such do not become regenerate in the womb, that is, through love, but through truths first received in the memory, and afterwards intellectually in the thought, and so finally in the life through a certain spiritual affection; these are said "to be made eunuchs by men" because they are reformed through the understanding from the memory, and "man" signifies that understanding, as also above, where "man and wife" are mentioned. But the marriage of truth and good with the affection of truth and good with those who are natural is meant by "eunuchs who make themselves eunuchs," for those who are natural acquire for themselves by means of cognitions and knowledges a natural lumen, and through the good of life according to these knowledges they acquire affection and thence conscience; and as these know no otherwise than that they themselves do this, for the natural man does not enjoy the intelligence of the spiritual man, nor does he enjoy the perception of the celestial man, so these are meant by those who "make themselves eunuchs;" but this is said from the appearance, and from the obscure faith with them. This, therefore, is the meaning of "becoming eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God." And as there are but few who apprehend these things the Lord says, "He that is able to receive let him receive." (But in illustration of this subject see what is said in the work on Heaven and Hell, under the heads, The Two Kingdoms into Which the Heavens are Divided, and The Three Heavens According to the Three Degrees of Man's Interiors, n 20-40, and Marriages in Heaven, n 366-386)

[31] It is said of John the Baptist:

That he was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb; and that the babe leaped in the womb at the salutation of Mary (Luke 1:15, 41, 44).

This signified that he was to represent the Lord in relation to the Word, as Elijah did; for in the Word, which is Divine truth, there is everywhere the marriage of Divine good and Divine truth, and Divine good united with Divine truth is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Holy Spirit. The leaping in the womb at the salutation of Mary represented the joy arising from the love of the conjunction of good and truth, thus the joy of celestial conjugial love, which is in every particular of the Word. (That John the Baptist, like Elijah, represented the Lord in relation to the Word, see in Arcana Coelestia 7643, 9372.)

[32] What is signified by "the male that first opened the womb" shall also be told. Of this it is said in Moses:

When Jehovah shall have brought thee into the land of Canaan, thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah everyone that shall open the womb, and every firstling that cometh of beast, as many males as thou hast shall be Jehovah's. But every firstborn among thy sons thou shalt redeem. And it shall be that if thy son shall ask thee on the morrow, saying, What is this? thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of servants, when he slew all the firstborn in the land, from the firstborn of men even to the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah everyone that openeth the womb, the males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem (Exodus 13:11-15; 34:19, 20).

That the Levites were accepted in place of these, see in the same:

Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, that the Levites may be Mine, for every firstborn is Mine, in the day when I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, from man even to beast they shall be Mine (Numbers 3:12, 13; 8:16, 17).

The spiritual meaning that lies concealed in this statute does not appear until it is known that natural generations and nativities signify spiritual generations and nativities; also that all the organs of generation correspond to celestial love and its products, which are uses, and are called the truths of that love. Because this is so, and because marriage signifies in the spiritual sense the marriage of truth and good, as has been said above, it can be seen thence what is signified in the same sense by "the one that openeth the womb, or the firstborn male." "The one that openeth the womb or the firstborn male" signifies that which is firstborn from celestial love and from the perception of good and truth; and this evidently is truth from good, which serves as a beginning to what follows; in its essence this is spiritual good, since that good in its form is truth from good, or, what is the same, truth from good in its essence is spiritual good. This is signified by "the one that openeth the womb, the firstborn male," because "the womb" corresponds to inmost conjugial love, which in its essence is celestial love, and from that love spiritual good comes forth, which in its form is truth from good, and in particular, that truth from good which is in place of a beginning to what follows; that which is in the place of a beginning is everything as regards their essential in the things that succeed, because that is what rules in them. As this is what is signified by "the one that openeth the womb (or the firstborn male)" therefore this was made holy to Jehovah, and by it also all the subsequent offspring were sanctified.

[33] It is to be known that the goods of heaven and the church are of three degrees; the good of the inmost degree, thus also of the inmost heaven, is called the good of celestial love; the good of the lower degree, which is also the good of the middle heaven, is called the good of spiritual love; and the good of the lowest degree, which is the good of the lowest heaven, is called natural good. These goods, as they follow in order, are also born in order. The good of natural love is born from the good of spiritual love, and the good of spiritual love is born from the good of celestial love; and for this reason "the one that openeth the womb, the firstborn male," signifies the good of spiritual love born from the good of celestial love.

[34] Because "beasts" signify affections, "beasts of the herd" exterior affections, and "beasts of the flock" interior affections, so the firstborn of these were made holy. That this is so is also evident from this, that the Levites were taken in place of all the firstborn; for "Levi" (and thence the Levite) signifies spiritual good from celestial good; consequently the priesthood, which signifies celestial good, was given to Aaron and his sons, and the ministry of that good which signifies truth from good, was given to the Levites. (That this was the signification of the tribe of Levi see above, n. 444.) The statute respecting the firstborn was given to the sons of Israel because all the firstborn in Egypt were slain, for the reason that "the firstborn in Egypt" signify the falsities from evil contrary or opposite to truths from good, thus infernal evil contrary or opposite to spiritual good; and for the reason that when those falsities from evil in man are slain, that is, removed, truths from good, that is, spiritual good, then first flow in from the Lord and is received by man. From this it is evident what was represented and in the spiritual sense signified by that statute. What was signified by:

God's closing up every womb of the house of Abimelech on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife, and after Abraham prayed for them God's healing Abimelech, his wife, and their maidservants, that they might bring forth (Genesis 20:17, 18),

may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where it is explained.

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