5323. And they cried before him, Abrech. That this signifies acknowledgment through faith, and adoration, is evident from the signification of “crying,” as being acknowledgment through faith (of which hereafter); and from the signification of “abrech,” as being adoration; for in the original language “abrech” means “bend the knees,” and the bending of the knees is adoration. For all inward endeavors that are of the will, thus of the love or affection, consequently of the life, have outward acts or gestures corresponding to them; which acts or gestures flow from the very correspondence of outward things with inward ones. Holy fear with its consequent humiliation (and therefore adoration), has acts or gestures corresponding to itself, namely, bending the knees, falling down upon the knees, and also prostrating the body down to the earth. In this state, if the adoration is from genuine humiliation, or if the humiliation is from genuine holy fear, there is a failing of the spirits, and hence a giving way of the joints in the border or intermediate region where the spiritual is conjoined with the natural, thus where the knees are; for the parts below have correspondence with natural things, and those above with spiritual things. Hence it is that the bending of the knees is a sign representative of adoration. With celestial men this act is spontaneous; but with spiritual men it is a result of will.

[2] When the kings of old rode in a chariot, knees were bent because kings represented the Lord as to Divine truth, and a “chariot” signified the Word. The rite of this adoration began when it was known what it represented; and at that time the kings did not ascribe the adoration to themselves, but to the royalty apart from themselves, although adjoined to them. With them the royalty was the law, which, being from Divine truth, was to be adored in the king insofar as he was the custodian of it. Thus the king ascribed none of the royalty to himself beyond the custody of the law; and insofar as he receded from this, so far he receded from the royalty, knowing that adoration on any other ground than the law, that is, any other adoration than of the law in itself, would be idolatry. That the royalty is Divine truth may be seen above (n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068); consequently the royalty is the law, which in itself is the truth of a kingdom according to which its inhabitants are to live. From what has been said it is now evident that “abrech,” or “bend the knees,” signifies adoration.

[3] As a “cry” also is an act that corresponds to a living confession or acknowledgment from faith, the rite of crying out was observed among the ancients when this confession was to be signified; and for this reason “crying” or “shouting” is frequently mentioned in the Word in connection with confession and acknowledgment from faith, as where it is said of John the Baptist:

John bare witness of Jesus and cried, saying, This was He of whom I said, He that cometh after me was before me; for He was prior to me. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord (John 1:15, 23).

In the same:

They took branches of the palm trees, and went to meet Jesus, and cried, Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel (John 12:13).

And in Luke:

Jesus said to the Pharisees, If these should be silent, the stones would cry out (Luke 19:40).

As “crying” signified acknowledgment from faith, and hence reception from this acknowledgment, we therefore sometimes read of the Lord that He “cried out,” as in John 7:28, 37; 12:44; and also in Isaiah:

Jehovah shall go forth as a hero, He shall stir up zeal like a man of wars, He shall shout, yea, He shall cry out (Isaiah 42:13).

That in the opposite sense by “crying” is meant nonacknowledgment, thus aversion, may be seen above (n. 5016, 5018, 5027); and that it is predicated of falsity (n. 2240).