9163. 'And it dies or is broken' means loss or harm. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as being wiped out and lost; and from the meaning of 'being broken' as suffering harm. In the Word 'a break' and 'being broken' mean being dispersed or else suffering harm. This has its origin in the spiritual world, where all things without exception are joined together, all according to the way in which God's truth coming from the Lord is received by them, and so according to the way in which the order imposed on every single thing by God's truth emanating from the Lord is received by them, 8700, 8988. Therefore also the truths residing with a person are connected to one another according to the way in which they are received within good; and the truths interconnected in this way make a single whole. Consequently when these as a whole are broken, the truths together with the good are dispersed; but when they are partially broken, the truths that are there are dispersed. For when they exist in connection with one another, they depend on one another for their existence, but when they are broken they pull away from one another. So it is that in the Word 'being broken' means being dispersed, as is also meant by 'being divided', 9093, or else it means suffering harm.

[2] That is to say, being dispersed is meant when the whole is broken, but suffering harm when part is broken, as is evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken. Isaiah 8:15; 28:13.

'Tripping' stands for stumbling and as a consequence sliding from truths into falsities; 'falling and being broken' stands for being dispersed, dispersed as a whole in this instance. In Ezekiel,

Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, I will break [both] his arms, the strong one and the broken one. Ezekiel 30:22.

'Pharaoh king of Egypt' stands for known facts which pervert and destroy the truths and forms of the good of faith, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. 'Breaking the arms' stands for dispersing the powerfulness of those facts and so dispersing the facts themselves, 4932. 'The strong one and the broken one' stands for those which have not suffered harm and offer resistance, and those which have suffered harm and offer no resistance.

[3] In Luke,

It is written, The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Whoever falls onto that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind [him] to powder. Luke 20:17-18.

'The stone' stands for the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, 6426. Since 'being broken' refers to truths that come from Him, it stands for being dispersed and so destroyed. This happens to the things that compose spiritual life, as well as to the truths, and occurs among people who deny the Lord and refuse to accept truths that come from Him, these people being the ones who reject the stone. In Jeremiah,

Bring on them the day of evil, break [them] with doubled breaking. Jeremiah 17:18.

'Breaking with doubled breaking' stands for destroying completely.

[4] In Isaiah,

I have settled myself down until the morning. Like a lion, so He breaks all my bones. From day until night You will make an end of me. Isaiah 38:13.

In Jeremiah,

He has aged my flesh and my skin, and broken my bones. Lamentations 3:4.

In Moses,

You shall not take out of the house any of the flesh of the Passover lamb, nor break a bone of it. Exodus 12:46.

'Breaking the bones' means destroying the truths from God that exist on the last and lowest level of order, truths on which more internal truths and forms of good rest and by means of which these are supported. If the truths on the lowest level are destroyed, the ones built on top of them also fall to the ground. Truths on the lowest level are truths belonging to the literal sense of the Word, which hold within themselves truths belonging to the internal sense and which those in the internal sense rest on like pillars on their plinths. For the meaning of 'bones' as truths, see 3812, 6592, 8005. All this shows what was represented and meant by the following things said about the Lord in John,

They came to Jesus. When they saw that He was dead they did not break His legs. This was done in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, You shall not break a bone of His. John 19:33, 36.

The reason for this was that He was Divine Truth itself both on the first and on the last levels of order.

[5] In Isaiah,

Jehovah will bind up the break of His people, ¹ and will heal the wound of their stroke. Isaiah 30:26.

In Jeremiah,

From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely; ² and they heal what is broken in My people with something that is no good. ³ Jeremiah 6:13-14.

In the same prophet,

Because the daughter of My people is broken ⁴ I am broken, I am dressed in black. Jeremiah 8:21.

In David,

You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it to pieces; heal its breaks. Psalms 60:2.

In Zechariah,

I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he will not heal one that is broken, he will not support one that is standing. Zechariah 11:16.

In Nahum,

There is no scar for your break; ⁵ your stroke is severe. ⁶ Nahum 3:19.

In these places 'break' means harm done to the truths and forms of the good of faith, thus harm done to the Church, while 'healing' means making amends and undertaking restoration. Something similar was meant by the regulation which prevented a man with a broken foot or a broken hand from approaching and offering the bread of God, Leviticus 21:17, 19, and by that which prevented what was broken from being offered to Jehovah on the altar, Leviticus 22:22, for 'what was broken' meant that which had been destroyed. That which has suffered harm is also meant by 'a breach', as in Isaiah,

You saw that the breaches of the city ⁷ of David were very many. Isaiah 22:9.

And in Amos,

On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up its breaches; I will restore its destroyed places, and I will build them as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.

'The city ⁷ of David' and 'the tent of David' stand for the Lord's Church, for 'David' in the prophetical part of the Word is the Lord, 1888.

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3812. 'Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh' means joined together as regards truths and as regards goods. This is clear from the meaning of 'you are my bone and my flesh' as a being joined together. The ancients were accustomed to speak of people who belonged to the same house, or to the same family, or who were related in some other way, as 'my bone and my flesh', see 157. This is why those words mean a being joined together. The reason it is as regards truths and as regards goods is that all spiritual joining together is effected by them, and all natural joining together has reference to them. Furthermore by 'bone and flesh' is meant a person's proprium - 'bone' the understanding side of the proprium, 'flesh' the will side of it. 'Bone' accordingly means the proprium as regards truth since truth belongs to the understanding, while 'flesh' means the proprium as regards good since good belongs to the will, see 148, 149.

[2] As regards the proprium in general there are two kinds, the first being the hellish proprium, the second the heavenly. The hellish proprium is acquired by a person from hell, the heavenly from heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven. For all evil and all falsity from evil enter in from hell, and all good and all truth from good do so from the Lord. People know this from the doctrine of faith, but scarcely one in a million believes it. Consequently a person appropriates - that is, makes his own - evil entering in from hell; but good entering in from the Lord does not move him and cannot therefore be said to have a place in him. The reason why a person does not believe that evil enters in from hell and good from the Lord is that he is governed by self-love, a love which carries such unbelief with it and which goes so far as to be highly indignant when that person is told that everything comes into him from somewhere else. This then is why a person's entire proprium is nothing but evil, see 210, 215, 694, 731, 874-876, 987, 1023, 1044, 1047. But the belief that evil is from hell and good from the Lord exists with him when he is not governed by self-love but by love towards the neighbour and love to the Lord; for this love carries such belief with it. So it is that a person receives from the Lord the heavenly proprium referred to in 155, 164, 731, 1023, 1044, 1937, 1947, 2882, 2883, 2891.

[3] In both senses this proprium is meant by 'bone and flesh'. Consequently 'bones' in the Word means truth and in the contrary sense falsity, and 'flesh' good and in the contrary sense evil. As regards truth being meant by 'bones', this may be seen from the following places: In Isaiah,

Jehovah will guide you all the time, and will satisfy your soul in arid places, and will render your bones free, so that you are like a watered garden. Isaiah 58:11.

'Rendering bones free' stands for bringing life to the understanding side of the proprium, that is, enlightening it with intelligence. Hence the statement 'so that you are like a watered garden' - 'a garden' meaning intelligence, see 100, 108, 1588. In the same prophet,

Then you will see, and your heart will be joyful, and your bones will flourish like the grass. Isaiah 66:14.

'Bones flourishing like the grass' has a similar meaning.

[4] In Jeremiah,

[Her] Nazirites were brighter than snow, they were whiter than milk. Their bodies ¹ were ruddier than gem stones, polished like sapphire. ² Their form is darker than black; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has stuck to their bone; it has dried up; it has become like wood. Lamentations 4:7-8.

'Nazirite' stands for a celestial man, 3301. 'Brighter than snow and whiter than milk' stands for his possession of celestial truth. And because this truth derives from the love of good, it is said that 'their bodies were ruddier than gem stones'. 'Brightness' and 'whiteness' have reference to truth, 3301, 'ruddiness' to good, 3300, 'gem stones' to truths stemming from good, 114. 'Their skin stuck to their bone' describes a changed state as regards the celestial things of love, which is to say, that there was no flesh on the bones, that is, there was no longer any good, for in that case all truth comes to be like skin which sticks to the bone, dries up, and becomes like wood.

[5] In Ezekiel,

Tell a parable against the house of rebellion, and say to them, Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Put on the pot, put it on, and also pour water into it; gather the pieces of it into it - every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice of the bones by taking the choice of the flock, and let there be a hearth of bones under it. Let the bones also be cooked in the midst of it. Ezekiel 24:3-5, 10.

'The pot' stands for violence offered to good and truth, which is why it is called 'the city of bloodshed' in verse 6. 'The pieces', 'the good piece, the thigh and the shoulder' gathered into it are pieces of flesh, which are items of good. 'The choice of the bones' with which the pot was filled stands for truths, 'the hearth of bones' for the affection for truth. 'Let the bones be cooked in the midst of it' stands for violence offered to them. Anyone may see that this parable conceals arcana that are Divine, and also that these can in no way be known unless one knows what is meant in the internal sense by 'a pot', by 'pieces, the thigh and the shoulder', by 'the choice of the bones', by 'a hearth of bones', and by 'cooking'. In Micah,

Is it not for you to know judgement - you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear their skin from upon them and their flesh from upon their bones; who have eaten the flesh of My people and flayed their skin from upon them and broken their bones in pieces, and divided them as into a pot and like flesh into the middle of the cauldron? Micah 3:1-3.

Here the meaning is similar.

[6] In Ezekiel,

He brought me out in the Spirit of Jehovah and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones. He said to me, Will these bones live? He said to me, Prophesy over these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah: Thus said the Lord Jehovih to these bones, Behold, I am bringing spirit into you that you may live. I will lay sinews upon you and cause flesh to come over you and cover you with skin, and I will put spirit within you so that you may live. I prophesied, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and behold, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above, but there was no spirit in them. And spirit entered into them, and they were alive again and stood upon their feet. Ezekiel 37:1 and following verses.

This refers in general to the re-establishment of the Church among gentiles, and in particular to the regeneration of the individual. 'Dry bones' stands for the understanding side of the proprium, which is lifeless until it receives the life of good from the Lord. The latter life is what quickens it or brings life to it. The flesh which the Lord causes to come up over the bones is the will side of the proprium, which is called the heavenly proprium, and so means good. 'Spirit' means the Lord's life, and when this flows into a person's good which he seems to himself to will and perform from his proprium, the good is in that case made alive, and from that good the truth also; and out of the dry bones a human being is made.

[7] In David,

All my bones have been disconnected; my heart has become like wax. I can count all my bones. They have divided my garments among them, and for my clothing have cast lots. Psalms 22:14, 17-18.

This refers to the Lord's temptations as regards Divine Truths, which, being the Lord's own, are consequently called 'my bones', and as regards Divine Good, which, being the Lord's own, is consequently called 'my heart'. For 'heart' means good, see 3313, 3635. And because 'bones' means those truths, 'counting' them is wishing to get rid of them by means of reasonings and falsities. This is also the reason for the statement immediately following about their dividing garments and casting lots for clothing, for 'garments' also means truths, though a more external variety, 297, 1073, 2576. 'Dividing garments and casting lots for clothing' has the same meaning as it does also in Matthew 27:35. In the same author,

Let my soul exult in Jehovah, let it be glad in His salvation. Let all my bones say, Who is like You? Psalms 35:9-10.

'Bones' in the spiritual sense clearly means the understanding side of the proprium. In the same author,

You shall cause me to hear joy and gladness; the bones You have broken will be exultant. Psalms 51:8.

'The bones which You have broken will be exultant' stands for a re-creation by means of truths following temptations.

[8] Because 'bone' meant the understanding side of the proprium, or the proprium as regards truth, and in the highest sense meant Divine Truth, which was the Lord's Proprium, it was therefore required at the Passover not to break any bone of the paschal lamb. This is referred to in Moses as follows,

It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not bring any of the flesh outside the house; and you shall not break a bone in it. Exodus 12:46.

And elsewhere in Moses,

They shall not leave any of it until morning, and they shall not break a bone of it. Numbers 9:12.

'Not breaking a bone' stands in the highest sense for not offering violence to Divine truth, and in the representative sense for not offering violence to the truth connected with any good at all, for the nature of good and the form it takes depend on truths, and truth is the mainstay of good, as the bones are of the flesh.

[9] The fact that the Word, which is Divine truth itself, gives life to the dead was represented by the revival and the standing on his feet of the man who, having been cast into the grave of Elisha, touched his bones, 2 Kings 13:21. Elisha represented the Lord as regards Divine truth or the Word, see 2762.

'Bones' in the contrary sense means falsity which springs from the proprium, as is evident from the following places: In Jeremiah,

At that time they will bring the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of their tombs, and they will spread them before the sun and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served. Jeremiah 8:1-2.

In Ezekiel,

I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. Ezekiel 6:5.

In Moses,

God who brought him out of Egypt has as it were the strength of a unicorn. He will eat up the nations, his enemies, and will break their bones, and smash their weapons. Numbers 24:8.

In the second Book of Kings,

King Josiah broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of people. He took the bones out of the graves and burned them on the altar to render it unclean. He sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned the bones of people on them. 2 Kings 23:14, 16, 20.

In Moses,

The soul which has touched on the surface of the field anyone slain with the sword, or one dead, or a human bone, or a sepulchre, will be unclean for seven days. Numbers 19:16, 18.

[10] Since 'bones' means falsities, and 'sepulchres' evils containing them, and since hypocrisy is evil which on the outside looks like good but is inwardly rotten from things that are false and unholy, the Lord therefore says the following in Matthew,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make yourselves like white-washed sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and of all uncleanness. So too do you outwardly appear just to men (homo) but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew 23:27-28.

From all these quotations it is now evident that 'bones' means the understanding side of the proprium either as regards truth or else as regards falsity.

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