THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 30

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)

1. WOE to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not from Me; who make a molten image, but not by My spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

VERSES 1-3. "Woe to the rebellious sons" signifies lamentation concerning the damnation of those who avert themselves from the Lord; '"taking counsel, but not from Me", signifies thoughts and conclusions concerning the things of heaven from self, and not from the Lord; and "making a molten image, but not by My spirit", signifies worship from the infernal false, and not from Divine Truth. "Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth", signifies from the proprium of the natural man, and not from the Word; and to "trust in the shadow of Egypt", signifies to have faith and confidence in such things as are suggested by the natural man, who is in no light of heaven. "Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace", signifies that there will be no faculty of resisting evils from self-derived intelligence, nor from science in the natural man; "shame" and "disgrace" signifying the state of such, when, on account of evils, they are esteemed as evil. Apocalypse Explained 654.

2. Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth; to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3. Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame: and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace.

Verse 2. To "go down." or to descend [into Egypt] involves the going down into evil, for to "go up", or to ascend, involves elevation to good. The reason of this is, because the "land of Canaan" represented the Lord's kingdom, in which land Jerusalem and Zion were the inmost, The things which were beyond the boundaries of that land, represented those things which are out of the Lord's kingdom, which are what is false and evil; wherefore to go from Zion and Jerusalem towards the boundaries, was said to descend or to "go down"; but to go from the boundaries up to Jerusalem and to Zion, was said to ascend or "go up." Hence it is that to ascend involves elevation to what is True and Good; and to descend the going down to what is false and evil. Arcana Coelestia 4815.

4. For his princes wore at Zoan; and his ambassadors arrived at Hanes:

5. They were all ashamed of a people that profited them not; who were of no help, and of no profit; but a shame, yea, a reproach [unto them].

Verse 4. "Princes in Zoan" here stand for falsified Truths, thus for falsities. See above; Chapter 19:11, 12, 13, the Exposition.

6. The burden of the beasts of the south: In a land of straitness and anguish, whence come forth the young lion and the old lion; the viper and the fiery flying serpent: they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures, to a people that will not profit them,

7. For Egypt is vain and empty; [in vain] shall they help: wherefore have I called this [land], Rahab the inactive.

Verses 6, 7. By "the beasts of the south" are signified the cupidities, which are from the natural man, extinguishing the light which the man of the church ought to possess from the Word. By "the land of straitness and anguish" is signified the church where there will be no good of charity nor truth of faith; by "the young lion and the old lion, which were before them", is signified the power of the false destroying the Truth and Good of the church; by "the viper and the fiery flying serpent" is meant the crafty and subtle reasoning of the sensual principle. By "they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures", are signified the scientifics of the sensual and natural man, from which they draw all their conclusions; "wealth" and "treasures" denote the knowledges of Truth and Good from the Word, but, in this case, false scientifics, because from self-derived intelligence; "asses" denoting such things as appertain to the sensual man, and " camels ' such as appertain to the natural. By "Egypt, which is vanity and emptiness", is signified both, as well the sensual as the natural principle, which, viewed in themselves, are void of either 'Good or Truth. Apocalypse Explained 654.

"The beasts of the south" denote those who are in the light of knowledges, or in knowledges, but in a life of evil. To "carry their wealth on the shoulder of young asses", denotes the knowledges appertaining to their rational principle. [But by an evil life, or by cupidities, reduced to a sensual state, as in the previous extract.] A "young ass", as distinguished from an ass, signifies rational Truth. (See Arcana Coelestia 2781)

By "the Egyptian helping in vain, and to no purpose", is signified that science [or the knowledge of what is Good and True] is of no use to them. That "Egypt" is science, may be seen, Chapter 19, the Exposition. That "camels" here are not camels is evident, for it is said that "the young lion and the old lion carry their treasures on the back or bunches of camels", by which expression everyone nay see that some arcanum of the church is signified. (Arcana Coelestia 3048)

See also Arcana Coelestia 10227, where it is said that "the beasts of the south" are those who are within the church thus in the light of Truth from the Word, but who only read the Word for the sake of knowledge, and not for the sake of the uses of life; for the south is where the light of Truth is, thus where the Word is. See Arcana Coelestia 3195, 3708.

8. Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and engrave it in a book; that it maybe for after time for ever and ever:

9. That this is a rebellious people, lying sons; sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah:

Verse 8. To "'write on a tablet, or in a book", signifies perpetual remembrance; and because remembrance is signified by "writing in a book", hence the faithful are said to be "written in the Book of Life." For by the "Divine remembrance" is signified salvation; and by "non-remembrance", or oblivion, is signified damnation. Arcana Coelestia 8620.

10. Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;

Verses 10, 11, 12, 14. That they have altogether deprived themselves of truths, and immersed themselves in falsities, is described by their "saying to them that see, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits; turn aside from the way." That they had thus immersed themselves in falsities, so that nothing of Truth remained, is described by "the breaking of a potter's vessel, so that there should not be found a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit", whereby is signified that there did not remain with them so much of Truth, as to enable them to perceive any Good and Truth from the Word; for "fire" signifies Good, and "water" Truth: the "hearth", the Word as to Good; a "pit" and "fountain", the Word as to Truth, Apocalypse Explained 177.

11. Turn aside from the way; decline from the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces.

12. Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have rejected this word, and have trusted in oppression and perversion, and have leaned upon it:

13. Therefore shall this iniquity be unto you like a breach [in a wall] about to fall, a swelling out in a high wall, whose destruction cometh suddenly in an instant.

14. And He shall break it as the breaking of a potter's vessel: He dasheth it to pieces, and spareth it not; so that there shall it not be found, a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit.

Verse 11. To "cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces", signifies to remove the Lord from the thought and affection, and thereby everything of the church; the "Holy One of Israel" denoting the Lord. To recede from the Truth and Good of the church, which is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, is signified by "turn aside from the way; decline from the path"; the "way" and "path" denoting the Truth and Good of the church. Apocalypse Explained 412.

15. Verily, thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel: By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength: but you would not.

16. And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee; therefore shall you flee: and upon the swift will we ride; therefore shall they be swift that pursue you.

Verses 15, 16. The subject here treated of is concerning confidence in the Lord, and concerning confidence in self. Concerning confidence in the Lord by these words - "Thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength"; and concerning confidence in self by these words "And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee, and upon the swift will we ride."

By "fleeing upon the horse, and riding upon the swift", is signified to covet and to love those things: which are of their own understanding, and of the thought and ratiocination thence derived. That falsities will then break in and take possession of them, is signified by "Therefore shall you flee, and they shall be swift that pursue you"; "swiftness" and "haste" signifying what is done from lust or from love. Apocalypse Explained 356.

Verses 16, 17. Here and elsewhere are described, in the Word, those who are in the false and in evil. It is said that "they flee", and that "they are afraid lest they be killed." They are afraid of everything, because no one protects them. Everyone who is in the evil and the false hates the neighbour; hence everyone of them desires to kill another. Arcana Coelestia 390 .

What is signified by the "horse", in a bad sense, see Chapter 31:1, the Exposition.

17. One thousand before the rebuke of one; before the rebuke of five shall you flee: till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain, and as a standard on a hill.

18. And therefore shall Jehovah wait to show favour unto you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him!

19. For you, O [My] people, who dwellest in Zion and Jerusalem, shalt weep no more:

He shall surely show you favour at the voice of your cry; when He shall hear it, He shall answer you.

Verse 17. That "five" signify some or somewhat, may appear from the passages in the Word where hat number occurs; for the numbers "ten", "one hundred", "one thousand", signify much and all, hence "five" signify some and somewhat; for those numbers which signify much arise from the number "five", which signifies some; and the numbers which are compounded and derived, draw their signification from the simple numbers, from which, by multiplication, they are compounded and derived, as may be seen above, n. 429, 430. For as much as this number signifies somewhat and the all of one part, hence it also signifies little and few, when a great quantity, which is also marked by numbers, follows or precedes; for in this case the all of one part is respectively few, as in the above passage. Apocalypse Explained 548.

Till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain; and as a standard on a hill. - As to the meaning of a "standard", see above, Chapter 13:2, the Exposition.

Verse 18. "Mercy" and "favour" or "grace" are distinguished in the Word, and the distinction is according to the difference of the recipient subjects. Mercy is applied to those who are celestial, but grace to those who are spiritual; for the celestial acknowledge nothing else but "mercy", , the spiritual scarcely anything but "grace." The celestial know not what grace is; the spiritual scarcely know what mercy is, which they make to be one and, the same thing with grace; and this is in consequence of the difference there is between the humiliation of each. Such as are in humiliation of heart implore the mercy of the Lord; but such as are in humiliation of thought petition for grace, and if they implore mercy, it is only in a state of temptation, or they do it with the lips alone, and not with the heart. That a distinction is made in the Word between "mercy" and "grace", is evident from several passages where Jehovah is called "a merciful and gracious", as in Psalm 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; Joel 2:13. Arcana Coelestia 598.

20. Though the Lord has given you the bread of straitness: and the waters of oppression, yet your teachers shall not flee away any more, and thine eyes shall look to your teachers:

21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is. the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left.

Verses 20, 21. The subject here treated of is concerning those who are in temptations, and who by means thereof, and after them, admit and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine. The temptations themselves are signified by "the bread of straitness and the waters of oppression"; by the "bread of straitness" are signified temptations as to the Good of love, and by" waters of oppression" temptations as to the Truths of faith; for temptations are of two kinds, that is, as to Good which is of love, and as to Truth which is of faith. "Bread" signifies the Good of love, and " waters" the Truths of faith; and "straitness" and "oppression" signify states of temptations. Instruction in the Truths of doctrine is signified by "Thine eyes shall look to your teachers"; "eyes" denoting understanding and faith, and "teachers" doctrine. The Good of life according to Truths of doctrine, is signified by "Thine ears shall hear the Word"; "ears" denoting obedience; and whereas obedience is of the life, therefore by "'hearing the Word" is signified a life according to Truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by saying, "This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left"; by "way" is signified Truth leading. Truth leading to the south in heaven is understood by "going to the right", and Truth leading to the north there is signified by "going to the left." Apocalypse Explained 600.

22. And you shall treat as defiled the covering of the graven images of your silver, and the clothing of the molten images of your gold: you shalt cast them away like a menstruous cloth; you shalt call it dung.

Verse 22. "The covering of the graven images of your silver" is the appearance of falsities, as though they were truths. "'The clothing of the molten images of your gold" is the appearance of evils, as though they were goods. For a "covering" and "clothing" are external appearances which are induced, or by which they are clothed. Arcana Coelestia 10405.

As to the meaning of "idols of silver and of gold", see Chapter 2:20, the Exposition.

You shalt cast them. away like a menstruous cloth. - A "menstruous cloth" signifies things unclean; (Arcana Coelestia 4161), specifically the impure things arising from the love of self and of the world which still adhere to the affections of Truth both in the male and female, signified by "virgins" and "women." It is well known that at the beginning of regeneration, and during its entire process whilst we remain in this life, there is much of selfish and of worldly loves, and of earthly considerations, adhering to our affections of Truth from the Word. These affections have to be constantly purified, and their uncleanness removed, otherwise we can make no progress in the regenerate or spiritual life. This process, amongst the means of purification, is represented by "menstruation", and is described, in Leviticus 15:19-31, by mere correspondences between the purifications of the bodily life and those of the spiritual life. These purifications are effected by the conjunction or marriage of Truth with Good in the internal, and thence in the external man. Hence it is that menstruation is the purification of the blood which circulates in the sexual organs of women, in which, by correspondence, regeneration or the marriage union of Goodness with Truth from the Lord is effected and established; and as all the work of purification is the Lord's, (John 13:8).

He is, in this respect, among other reasons, said to "form from the womb." (Isaiah 44:2, 24).

23. And He shall give rain for your seed, with which you shalt sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the earth: and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall your cattle feed in a broad pasture;

24. And the oxen, and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat salted provender, winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Verse 23. Speaking of the advent of the Lord. The influx of Divine Truth proceeding from Him, is signified by "the rain which the Lord shall then give to the seed"; the "rain" is the divine influx, the "seed" is the Truth of the Word; to "sow the ground", signifies to plant and form the church. By "the bread of the produce, which Jehovah will give", is signified the Good of love and charity, which is produced by the Truths of the Word, vivified by divine influx. By "fat and plenteous" is signified full of the Good of love, and of Truths thence derived; for "fat" is predicated of Good, and "plenteous" of Truth. By "the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad pasture", is signified the extension and multiplication thereof from the divine influx, and spiritual nourishment thence derived; "cattle" denoting the goods and truths with man, "that day" the advent of the Lord, and the "broad pasture" the Word, by which is the divine influx and spiritual nourishment; "breadth", is predicated of the extension and multiplication of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 644.

25. And on every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

Verse 25. The Last Judgment, which is here treated of, is understood by "the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall." The "great slaughter" denotes the destruction of the evil; the "towers which shall fall", are the falsities of doctrine originating in the love of self and of the world. The ground of this signification of "towers" is from appearances in the spiritual world: for they who seek to rule by such things as appertain to the church, there build themselves towers in high places. Concerning which see what is shown in the work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58. That they who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards their neighbour, are then elevated into heaven and endued with intelligence and wisdom, is understood by its being said "On every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water"; the "lofty mountain" signifying where they are who are in love to the Lord, and the "high hill" where they are who are in the love of the neighbour, or in charity; "rivers" signify wisdom, and "streams of water" intelligence, for "waters" are truths, from which intelligence and wisdom are derived. Apocalypse Explained 405.

Verses 25, 26. These things are said concerning the Last Judgment; which is understood by "the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall." By "the towers which shall fall", are meant those who are in evils, and thence in false's, specifically those who are in the love of ruling by the holy things of the church, as may be seen in the work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58. That it shall then be given to those who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards their neighbour, to understand Truths, is signified by "On every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water." They who are upon the lofty mountains are those who are principled in the Good of love to the Lord, "lofty mountains" signifying that good; and they who are upon high hills are those who are principled in the Good of charity towards their neighbour, "hills" denoting that good; "rivers" and "streams of water" signify intelligence from Truths. That then there shall be Truth in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, as was the Truth before in the celestial kingdom, and that then Truth in the celestial kingdom shall be the Good of love, is understood by "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days"; for by "light" is understood the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; by the "light of the moon", the Divine Truth in the spiritual kingdom; and by the "light of the sun", the Divine Truth in the celestial kingdom; by "seven-fold" is signified full and perfect, and Truth is then full and perfect when it becomes Good, or is Good in form. It may be evident to every one that the "sun" and the "moon" in the heavens are here understood, and not the sun and moon of the world. It is also to be observed that when the Last Judgment is performed or executed, the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendour than at other times, and this by reason that the angels there are then to be more powerfully defended, for things inferior, with which the exteriors of the angels have commuuication, are then in a state of perturbation; and hence also it is that, the Last Judgment being treated of in this place, it is said, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; and hence also it is said that on every lofty mountain and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water", by which is signified abundant intelligence with those who are upon the superior mountalns and hills, forasmuch as it is the inferior mountains and hills upon which judgment is executed. That the Lord appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a Sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a Moon, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 116-127; and that the light from them is the Divine Truth, Heaven and Hell 127-140. Apocalypse Explained 401.

26. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke.

Verse 26. The "light of the sun" signifies the Divine Truth frorn the Divine Good; that "that light shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, signifies that the Divine Truth in heaven shall be without any false principle, thus altogether and fully pure. Apocalypse Explained 257.

The light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, etc. In the spiritual world there is a Sun, and in the midst of it the Lord. From that Sun the Lord, by the medium of hght and heat, enters by influx into the whole spiritual world, and all that dwell there; and from this source are all the light and heat in that world. The Lord, from the same Sun enters also by influx with the same light and heat into the souls and minds of men. That heat in its essence is His Divine Love and that light in its essence is His Divine Wisdom, which light and heat the Lord adalpts to the ability and quality of every recipient angel and man; and this is effected by means of spiritual airs or atmospheres, which convey and transfer such light and heat. The Divine Itself immediately encompassing the Lord is what constitutes that Sun. This Sun is distant from the angels, as the sun of the natural world is from men, in order to prevent its touching them with its naked and consequently immediate rays; for in such a case they would be consumed like a stake cast into the body of the sun. Hence it may appear that the Lord's merit and righteousness, being purely Divine, cannot possibly by imputation be applied to any angel or man; indeed, if even a single spark of it were to touch them without being tempered, according to what was said above, they would instantly be tortured like persons in the agonies of death; their limbs would be convulsed, their eyes wander, and thus they would expire. This truth was made known to the Israelitish church by the declaration "No one can see God and live." The Sun of the spiritual world, such as it is since Jehovah God assumed the Humanity, and added to it redemption and new righteousness, is described in these words in Isaiah :

"The light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people"; (Isaiah 30:26) in the whole of which chapter is described the coming of the Lord. True Christian Religion 641.

Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke. - By "the breach of His people" is signified the false of doctrine, and by "the wound of their stroke" is denoted evil of life. The reformation of doctrine by Truths, is signified by "Jehovah binding up the breach of His people"; and the reformation of life by Truths [Goods?], is denoted by "hearing the wound of their stroke." Apocalypse Explained 962.

27. Lo! the name of Jehovah cometh from afar; His wrath burns, and the burden is heavy: His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue is as a devouring fire.

28. His breath is like an overflowing torrent; it shall reach to the middle of the neck: to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle, leading astray, in the jaws of the peoples.

Verses 27, 28. By the "lips", the "tongue"; and the "spirit" of Jehovah, is signified Divine Truth, which is the Word, from its ultimate to its inmost principle. This is "That is said to be "full of indignation, a devouring fire, and as an overflowing torrent", when it is adulterated and falsified, by reason that the adulteration and falsification thereof shut heaven to man and devastates him, From the appearance that heaven does this, or what is the same, the Divine Truth from which heaven is derived, it is said that it has "indignation", that "it is a devouring fire", and that "it is like an overflowing torrent." "It shall reach to the middle of the neck", signifies the devastation thereof by falsities, even till it is not understood: for by the "neck" is signified conjunction, which perishes when that which is beneath is taken away. "To sift the nations with the sieve of vanity", signifies the adulteration of the Word, by means of fictions, by those who are in evils; and "a seducing bridle in the jaws of the people", signifies the falsification of Truth in the Word, by those who are in falsities; "a seducing bridle which leads astray" properly denotes the abstraction or withdrawing from the understanding of Truth; the "jaws denote thoughts from the corporeal sensual [principle], thus from fallacies; "people" are predicated of those who are in falsities, and "nations" of those who are in evils. They who are not acquainted with correspondences, may suppose that it is from comparison that a "horse's bridle" signifies government over the understanding, but it is from correspondence, which may manifestly appear from this consideration, that in the spiritual world there appear horses variously harnessed and caparisoned, and the horses themselves, with everything upon them, are correspondences. Apocalypse Explained 923.

As to "anger" and "indignation", when ascribed to Jehovah, see Chapter 9:12, 17, 21, the Exposition.

Verse 28. Like an overflowing torrent, it shall reach to the middle of the neck. - See Chap, Isaiah 8:6, 7, 8, the Exposition.

29. You shall have a song, as in the night when a festival is proclaimed; and joy of heart, as of one going with the pipe; to go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

Verse 29. the "mountain of Jehovah" is the Lord in respect to the Goods of love; and the "Rock of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Goods of charity. Arcana Coelestia 795.

30. And Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and the descent of His arm to be seen; with indignation of anger, and with a flame of devouring fire; with scattering, and inundation, and hail-stones.

Verse 30. "Hail" and "fire" are grounded in appearances in the spiritual world; for when the Divine Truth flows down out of heaven into the sphere where they are who are in falsities from evil and who desire to destroy the goods and truths of the church, then there appears to those who stand afar off, as a raining down of hail and fire; as a raining down of "hail", in consequence of the falsities with them, and as of "fire", in consequence of their evils. The reason of this appearance is, because the Divine Truth, when it flows in into the sphere where evils and falsities are, is changed so as to become like what is in that sphere; for all influx is changed in the recipient subject according to the quality thereof, as is the case with the light of the sun when it flows into dark subjects, and with the heat of the sun when it flows into putrid subjects; so it is with respect to the Divine Truth, which is the light of heaven, and the Divine Good, which is the heat of 'heaven, when they flow in into evil subjects, which are the spirits who are in falsities from evil; hence is that appearance. From this circumstance it is that "hail" and "fire" have such a signification, when they are mentioned in the Word; the literal sense being for the most part derived from appearances in the spiritual world. That "hail" signifies the infernal false destroying the Truth of the church, may appear elsewhere from the Word, where the destruction of Truth is described by "hail", as in Egypt, when Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel go. Apocalypse Explained 503.

31. By the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down; He shall smite [him] with a rod.

32. And it shall be, that every passage of the staff of foundation, upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest, shall be with tabrets and harps; and with battles of shaking shall He fight against him.

Verses 31, 32. Treating concerning the Last Judgment, when a New Church shall take place. By "Ashur [or the Assyrian] who shall be beaten down by the voice of Jehovah, and shall be smitten with a rod", is signified ratiocination from falsities, which shall be dissipated by Divine Truth. That then the truths of the literal sense of the Word shall be understood and received with joy, is signified by "the passage of the staff of foundation being then with tabrets and harps"; "passage" signifying opening and free reception, and "tabrets" and "harps" the delights of the affection of Truth. The reason why the truths of the literal sense of the Word are signified by the "staff of foundation", is, because that sense is a foundation to the truths of the spiritual sense; and whereas the latter rests upon the former, it is said, "upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest." Apocalypse Explained 727.

As to the meaning of "Ashur" or Assyria, see Chapter 8:7, 8; 10:5, 7, 8, 24, 26, the Exposition.

33. For Tophet was long since ready; yea, for the king was it prepared: he shall descend into the deep, and wide [pit]; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; and the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it.

Verse 33. By "Tophet" is signified the hell where reigns the direful and cruel love of destroying all the truths and goods of the church, especially where reigns the cruel lust of destroying the goods of innocence. That that direful hell is from the falsities of evil, is signified by "He shall descend into the deep and wide [pit]"; "the king, for whom it was prepared", signifies the infernal false itself; "the pile thereof is fire and much wood", denotes evils of eyery kind originating in that love; and because that hell burns from the concupiscence of destroying, it is said that "the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it"; for there, as soon as they hear from anyone the truths of the church and perceive the goods thereof, they are enkindled with a rage of destroying and extinguishing them. Apocalypse Explained 578.

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Isaiah Chapter 30

1. WOE to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not from Me; who make a molten image, but not by My spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

2. Who depart to go down into Egypt, but have not inquired at My mouth; to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3. Wherefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame: and your trust in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace.

4. For his princes wore at Zoan; and his ambassadors arrived at Hanes:

5. They were all ashamed of a people that profited them not; who were of no help, and of no profit; but a shame, yea, a reproach [unto them].

6. The burden of the beasts of the south: In a land of straitness and anguish, whence come forth the young lion and the old lion; the viper and the fiery flying serpent: they carry on the shoulder of the young asses their wealth, and on the bunches of camels their treasures, to a people that will not profit them,

7. For Egypt is vain and empty; [in vain] shall they help: wherefore have I called this [land], Rahab the inactive.

8. Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and engrave it in a book; that it maybe for after time for ever and ever:

9. That this is a rebellious people, lying sons; sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah:

10. Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;

11. Turn aside from the way; decline from the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces.

12. Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have rejected this word, and have trusted in oppression and perversion, and have leaned upon it:

13. Therefore shall this iniquity be unto you like a breach [in a wall] about to fall, a swelling out in a high wall, whose destruction cometh suddenly in an instant.

14. And He shall break it as the breaking of a potter's vessel: He dasheth it to pieces, and spareth it not; so that there shall it not be found, a sherd among its fragments to take up fire from the hearth, or to draw up water from the pit.

15. Verily, thus says the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel: By returning [to Me] and by quietness you shall be saved; in tranquillity and in confidence shall be your strength: but you would not.

16. And you said, Nay; but upon the horse will we flee; therefore shall you flee: and upon the swift will we ride; therefore shall they be swift that pursue you.

17. One thousand before the rebuke of one; before the rebuke of five shall you flee: till you be left as a beacon on the head of a mountain, and as a standard on a hill.

18. And therefore shall Jehovah wait to show favour unto you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him!

19. For you, O [My] people, who dwellest in Zion and Jerusalem, shalt weep no more:

He shall surely show you favour at the voice of your cry; when He shall hear it, He shall answer you.

20. Though the Lord has given you the bread of straitness: and the waters of oppression, yet your teachers shall not flee away any more, and thine eyes shall look to your teachers:

21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is. the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left.

22. And you shall treat as defiled the covering of the graven images of your silver, and the clothing of the molten images of your gold: you shalt cast them away like a menstruous cloth; you shalt call it dung.

23. And He shall give rain for your seed, with which you shalt sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the earth: and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall your cattle feed in a broad pasture;

24. And the oxen, and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat salted provender, winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

25. And on every lofty mountain, and on every high hill, shall be rivers and streams of water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days; in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their stroke.

27. Lo! the name of Jehovah cometh from afar; His wrath burns, and the burden is heavy: His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue is as a devouring fire.

28. His breath is like an overflowing torrent; it shall reach to the middle of the neck: to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle, leading astray, in the jaws of the peoples.

29. You shall have a song, as in the night when a festival is proclaimed; and joy of heart, as of one going with the pipe; to go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

30. And Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and the descent of His arm to be seen; with indignation of anger, and with a flame of devouring fire; with scattering, and inundation, and hail-stones.

31. By the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down; He shall smite [him] with a rod.

32. And it shall be, that every passage of the staff of foundation, upon which Jehovah shall cause it to rest, shall be with tabrets and harps; and with battles of shaking shall He fight against him.

33. For Tophet was long since ready; yea, for the king was it prepared: he shall descend into the deep, and wide [pit]; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; and the blast of Jehovah, like a stream of sulphur, shall kindle it.

644. Verse 6. These have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain in the days of their prophecy, signifies that those who reject the goods and truths of heaven and the church that proceed from the Lord, receive no influx out of heaven. This is evident from the signification of "shutting heaven," as being lest any influx out of heaven be received (of which presently); also from the signification of "rain," as being truth fertilizing, which is truth from which there is good that flows down out of heaven (of which also presently); also from the signification of "their prophecy," as being prediction respecting the Lord and His coming, and respecting the good of love to Him and the truths of faith in Him. This revelation and the proclamation of this revelation at the end of the church is what is chiefly meant by "the days of the prophecy of the two witnesses." It is the Lord that is chiefly proclaimed at the end of the church by "the two witnesses," because "the two witnesses," which are the good of love to the Lord and the truth of faith in Him, are what chiefly bear witness of Him, therefore it is afterwards said that:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

[2] "To shut heaven" means to prevent the reception of any influx out of heaven, because it is added, "that it rain no rain," which signifies influx of Divine truth out of heaven. For it is well known that every good of love and every truth of faith flows in out of heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven, with man, and that it flows in continually; from which it follows that neither the good of love nor the truth of faith is in anywise man's, but is the Lord's with him. These both flow in so far as evil and falsity do not obstruct; it is these that shut heaven so that there is no influx; for evil and good, and falsity and truth, are opposites, consequently where the one is the other cannot be; for evil with man prevents the entrance of good, and falsity the entrance of truth; while good causes evil to be removed, and truth falsity; for these are opposites, as heaven and hell are opposites; therefore the one acts against the other with an unceasing endeavor to destroy, and the one that prevails destroys the other.

[3] Moreover, there are in every man two minds, an interior which is called the spiritual mind, and another, the exterior which is called the natural mind. The spiritual mind is created for the reception of light from heaven, but the natural mind for the reception of light from the world. The spiritual mind, therefore, which is man's interior mind, is heaven with him, and the natural mind, which is man's exterior mind, is the world with him. The interior mind, which is heaven with man, is opened so far as man acknowledges the Divine of the Lord, and man so far acknowledges this as he is in the good of love and charity and in the truths of doctrine and faith. But this interior mind, which is heaven with man, is unopened so far as man does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and does not live the life of love and faith; and that mind is shut so far as man is in evils and in falsities therefrom; and when it is shut then the natural mind with man becomes a hell; for in the natural mind are evil and its falsity, consequently when the spiritual mind which is heaven with man is shut, the natural mind which is hell rules. From this it can be seen what is meant by "heaven is shut that it rain no rain. "

[4] It is said that the two witnesses have power "to shut heaven," but still these do not shut it, but the evil and falsity shut it that rule with the men of the church at its end. This is said of "the two witnesses," as was said above that "fire shall go forth out of their mouth and shall devour their enemies," and yet no fire goes forth from them and devours (as has been said in the two articles above). "That it rain no rain" signifies no influx of Divine truth out of heaven, because "water," which makes rain, signifies the truth of the Word, and the truth of doctrine and faith therefrom (See above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); and as rain water descends out of the clouds in heaven, so "to rain rain" signifies the influx of Divine truth from the Lord in heaven, and as rain fertilizes the earth, so "rain" signifies Divine truth fertilizing and making fruitful the church, for which reason "rain" signifies also spiritual blessing.

[5] That "rain" in the Word does not mean rain, but the inflowing Divine, which causes intelligence and wisdom, and also the good of love and the truth of faith in man, to grow and become fruitful, and that "to rain" signifies influx can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:

My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall distill as the dew, as the drops on the grass, and as the showers on the herb (Deuteronomy 32:2).

Doctrine is here compared to rain, because "rain" signifies the Divine truth proceeding, from which is everything of doctrine; for all comparisons in the Word are also from correspondences. Because "rain" signifies the Divine truth flowing down it is said, "My doctrine shall flow down as the rain." "Dew" signifies good, and since "word" has the same signification, therefore it is said, "My word shall distill as the dew." So intelligence and wisdom therefrom are signified by "the drops on the grass," and by "the showers on the herbs," for as the grass and herb of the field grow from the waters of the rain and dew, so do intelligence and wisdom by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord. This is first said by Moses, because in this chapter he is speaking of the twelve tribes of Israel, which signify in the spiritual sense all truths and goods of the church, and thus doctrine in the whole complex.

[6] In the same:

The land which ye shall pass over to possess it is a land of mountains and valleys, of the rain of heaven it drinketh waters. And I will give the rain of your land in its time, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy new wine, and thine oil. But if ye shall serve other gods, and shall not walk in my statutes, the anger of Jehovah shall glow against you; He will shut heaven that there be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce (Deuteronomy 11:11, 14, 16, 17).

This describes the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness; but as that land means in the spiritual sense the church, it follows that all things of this description signify such things as belong to the church, as "mountains," "valleys," "corn," "new wine," "oil," "produce," and "rain." "A land of mountains and valleys" signifies the higher and lower, or internal and external things of the church; the internal things of the church are with the internal man, which is also called the spiritual man, and the external things of the church are with the external man, which is called the natural man; that both these are such as to receive the influx of Divine truth is signified by "of the rain of heaven it drinketh waters." That Divine truth inflows in both states, that is, when the man of the church is in his spiritual state and when he is in his natural state, is signified by "the rain given in its time, the former rain and the latter rain;" for the man of the church is by turns in a spiritual state and in a natural state, and the influx and reception of Divine truth in a spiritual state is meant by "the former or morning rain," and in a natural state by "the latter or evening rain;" spiritual and celestial good and truth which the man of the church has therefrom is meant by the "corn," "new wine," and "oil," which they shall gather in; that the falsities of doctrine and of worship will prevent the influx and reception of Divine truth, and in consequence, the increase of spiritual life, is signified by "if ye shall serve other gods there shall be no rain, and the land will not yield her produce," "other gods" signifying the falsities of doctrine and of worship.

[7] In the same:

If ye walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, the land shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit (Leviticus 26:3, 4).

Here "the rain that shall be given in its time, and the produce of the land," have a similar signification as above; and as the church was at that time an external church, representative of interior spiritual things, so when they walked in the statutes, and kept the commandments and did them, it came about that they had rain in its time, and the earth yielded its produce, and the tree of the field its fruit; and yet the rain and the produce thence were representative and significative, "rain" represented the Divine flowing in, "the produce," the truth of doctrine and the understanding of truth, and "the fruit of the tree," the good of love and the will of good.

[8] This can be seen from its being said:

That the rain was withheld, and consequently there was a famine in the land of Israel for three years and a half, under Ahab, because they served other gods and killed the prophets (1 Kings 17:1; (1_Kings 1 Kings 18:1);Luke 4:25).

This was a representative, and thus a significative, that no Divine truth flowing in out of heaven could be received because of the falsities of evil, which were signified by "other gods" and by "Baal," whom they worshiped. "Killing the prophets" signified also the destruction of the Divine, for a "prophet" signifies in the Word the doctrine of truth from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

I will lay waste My vineyard; it shall not be pruned nor hoed, that the briar and the bramble may come up; and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isaiah 5:6).

Here, too, it is said of Jehovah that He layeth waste His vineyard, "and commandeth the clouds that they rain no rain upon it;" and yet this is not done by Jehovah, that is, the Lord, for He always flows in both with the evil and with the good, which is meant by His "sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust" (Matthew 5:45); but the cause is with the man of the church, that he does not receive any influx of Divine truth, for the man who does not receive closes up with himself the interiors of his mind, which receive; and when these are shut the inflowing Divine is rejected. The "vineyard" which is laid waste signifies the church; "it is not pruned nor hoed" signifies no ability to be cultivated and so prepared to receive; "the briar and bramble" which shall come up signify the falsities of evil; "to command the clouds that they rain no rain" signifies that no influx of Divine truth from heaven is received.

[10] In Jeremiah:

The showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and still the forehead of a harlot woman remained to thee, thou didst refuse to be ashamed (Jeremiah 3:3).

They said not in their heart, Come, let us fear Jehovah our God; that giveth the rain, and the former and the latter rain in its time. He keepeth unto us the weeks, the stated times of harvest; your iniquities make these things to turn away (Jeremiah 5:24, 25).

In Amos:

I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, so that I might cause it to rain upon one city, and not cause it to rain upon another city; one field received the rain, but the field upon which it did not rain dried up; therefore two, three cities wandered unto one city to drink waters, yet they were not satisfied; nevertheless ye have not returned unto Me (Amos 4:7, 8).

In Ezekiel:

Son of man, say, thou art a land that is not cleansed, that hath no rain in the day of anger; there is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her (Ezekiel 22:24, 25).

In Zechariah:

Whosoever of the families of the land shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah of Hosts, upon them there shall be no rain (Zechariah 14:17).

In these passages also "rain" signifies the reception of the influx of Divine truth, which is the source of spiritual intelligence; and that there is "no rain" signifies that no such intelligence is given by any influx because of the evils and falsities that refuse to receive and that reject it.

[11] In Jeremiah:

The nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits and found no waters, because the land was broken, for there had been no rain upon the earth; the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered up the head (Jeremiah 14:3, 4).

"Nobles" mean those who teach and lead, and "little ones" those who are taught and led; "waters" signify the truths of doctrine; "pits in which there are no waters" signify doctrinals in which there are no truths; "there had been no rain upon the earth" signifies that no influx of Divine truth is received by reason of the falsities in the church; "the husbandmen were ashamed and covered up the head" signifies those who teach, and their grief.

[12] In Isaiah:

Then Jehovah shall give rain to thy seed with which thou sowest the land; and the bread of the increase of the land, and it shall be fat and rich; thy cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow (Isaiah 30:23).

This would be when the Lord should come. The influx of Divine truth proceeding from Him is signified by "the rain" which the Lord will then give to the seed, "rain" meaning Divine influx, and "seed" the truth of the Word; "to sow the land" signifies to plant and form the church in oneself; "the bread of the increase which Jehovah will give" signifies the good of love and charity, which is produced by the truths of the Word vivified by Divine influx; "fat and rich" signifies full of the good of love and truths therefrom, for "fat" is predicated of good, and "rich" of truths; "the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow" signifies the extension and multiplication of good and truth by Divine influx, and consequent spiritual nourishment, "cattle" meaning the goods and truths in man, "that day" the Lord's coming, and "a broad meadow" the Word, through which is Divine influx and spiritual nourishment; "breadth" is predicated of the extension and multiplication of truth.

[13] In the same:

As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither but irrigateth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and to bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me empty, but it shall do what I will, and it shall prosper in that to which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

Here "the Word" which goeth forth out of the mouth of God is compared to the rain and snow from heaven, because "the Word" means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, which with us flows in through the Word; "rain and snow coming down out of heaven" have a similar meaning, "rain" signifying spiritual truth, which has been appropriated to man, and "snow" natural truth, which is like snow when it is in the memory only; but it is made spiritual by love, as snow is made rain water by heat. "To irrigate the earth and to make it to bring forth and to bud" signifies to vivify the church that it may bring forth the truth of doctrine and of faith, and the good of love and of charity; the truth of doctrine and of faith is signified by "the seed that it gives to the sower," and the good of love and of charity by "the bread that it gives to the eater;" "it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall do what I will," signifies that it shall be received, and that by it man shall be led to look to the Lord.

[14] In Ezekiel:

I will give them and the circuits of My hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its time, they shall be rains of blessing; then the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce (Ezekiel 34:26, 27).

"The circuits of the hill of Jehovah" mean all who are in the truths of doctrine and thence in the good of charity; "to send down the rain in its time" signifies the influx of Divine truth adapted to the affection and will of the one receiving; and as the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are therefrom, they are called "the rains of blessing," and it is said that "the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce;" "the tree of the field" and "the land" signifying the church and the man of the church, and "the fruit of the tree of the field" the fructification of good, and "the produce of the earth" the multiplication of its truth.

[15] In Joel:

Rejoice, ye sons of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah your God, for He shall give you the former rain in righteousness, yea, He shall cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first, that the floors may be full of pure grain, and the vats overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:23, 24).

"The sons of Zion" signify those who are in genuine truths through which they have the good of love, for "Zion" signifies the celestial church which is in the good of love to the Lord through genuine truths. That the Lord with such flows in with the good of love, and from that good into truths, is signified by "He shall give them the former rain in righteousness;" "righteousness" is predicated in the Word of the good of love, and "the righteous" mean those who are in that good (See above, n. 204). That the Lord continually flows into truths with the good of love is signified by "He shall cause to come down the former rain and the latter rain, in the first;" that from this they have the good of love towards a brother and companion is signified by "their floors are full of pure grain;" and that from this they have the truth and the good of love to the Lord is signified by "the vats overflow with new wine and oil." Those who are of the Lord's celestial church have the good of love towards a brother and companion; and this love, with those who are of the Lord's spiritual church, is called charity towards the neighbor.

[16] In Zechariah:

Ask of Jehovah the rain in its time; ¹ Jehovah will make mists and will give to them the shower of rain, to a man the herb in the field (Zechariah 10:1).

Here, too, "rain" signifies the influx of Divine truth from the Lord, from which man has spiritual intelligence; "the shower of rain" signifies Divine truth flowing in abundantly, and "to give the herb in the field" signifies the knowledge of truth and good from the Word and intelligence therefrom.

[17] In David:

Thou dost visit the earth and gladden it, thou greatly enrichest it; the stream of God is full of waters, thou preparest their grain, and so thou dost establish it. Water its furrows; settle its ridges; dissolve it with showers; bless its budding (Psalms 65:9, 10).

The "earth" signifies here the church; "the stream full of waters" signifies the doctrine full of truths; "to water its furrows, to settle its ridges, and to dissolve it with showers" signifies to fill with the knowledges of good and truth; "to prepare grain" signifies everything that nourishes the soul; therefore it is added, "so thou dost establish the earth," that is, the church; "to bless the budding" signifies to produce continually anew and to cause truths to spring forth.

[18] In the same:

O God, thou makest the rain of good will to drop down (Psalms 68:9).

In the same:

He shall come down like rain upon the herb of the meadow, like drops in the fissure of the earth; in his days shall the righteous flourish (Psalms 72:6, 7).

In these passages "rain" does not mean rain, but the influx of Divine truth with man, from which he has spiritual life. In Job:

My word they will not repeat, and my speech will drop upon them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the latter rain (Job 29:22, 23).

Evidently "rain" here means truth spoken by anyone, and flowing into another, for "word," "speech," and "opening the mouth" signify truth going forth from anyone by speech; this is why it is called "rain," and "latter rain," and is said "to drop," which here means to speak.

[19] In Jeremiah:

The Maker of the earth by His power prepareth the world, by His wisdom and by His understanding He stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the showers, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries (Jeremiah 10:12, 13; 51:16; Psalms 135:7).

"The world which the Maker of the earth prepares by His power" signifies the church in the whole globe, "power" signifying the potency of Divine truth; "the heavens which He stretcheth out by wisdom and understanding" signify the church in the heavens corresponding to the church on earth, "wisdom and understanding" signifying the Divine proceeding, from which angels and men have the wisdom of good and the understanding of truth, and "to stretch out" signifying the formation and extension of the heavens in general, and the extension of understanding and wisdom with everyone who receives; "at the voice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens" signifies that from the Divine proceeding there are spiritual truths in immeasurable abundance, "voice" signifying the Divine proceeding, "waters" truths, and "multitude" abundance; "He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth" signifies truths in ultimates, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of the letter, in which are spiritual truths, "the end of the earth" signifying the ultimates of the church, "vapors" truths for those who are in ultimates, and "to make them to go up" meaning to give spiritual truths from ultimates because they are in ultimates, for spiritual truths are what especially make the church fruitful; "He maketh lightning for the showers" signifies enlightenment from influx of Divine truth with them; "and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries" signifies spiritual things in the Word from heaven.

[20] In Luke:

When ye see a cloud rising in the west straightway it is said, There cometh a shower, and so it cometh to pass; and when ye see the south wind blowing it is said, There will be a scorching heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the earth and of heaven, how is it that ye do not discern this time? (Luke 12:54-56)

By this comparison the Lord teaches that they see earthly things but not heavenly things; and the comparison itself, like all other comparisons in the Word, is derived from correspondences; for "a cloud rising in the west" signifies the Lord's coming at the end of the church predicted in the Word, "cloud" signifying the Word in the letter, "rising" the Lord's coming, and the "west" the end of the church; "straightway it is said, There cometh a shower" signifies that then there will be an influx of Divine truth; "and when ye see the south wind blowing" signifies the proclamation of His coming; "it is said, There will be a scorching heat" signifies that then there will be an influx of Divine good. The same words signify also contentions and combats of truth from good with falsities from evil, "shower and scorching heat" signifying also such contentions and combats; for this comparison follows the words of the Lord:

That He came not to give peace on the earth, but division, and that the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke 12:51-53);

and these words signify such contention and combat; that "shower" also has this signification may be seen below. Because this comparison, regarded in its spiritual sense, implies the coming of the Lord, and because from blindness induced by falsities they did not acknowledge Him, although they might have known Him from the Word, it therefore follows:

Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the earth and of heaven, but ye do not discern this time (verse 56);

that is, the time of His coming, and the conflict of the falsity of evil with the truth of good that then took place.

[21] In Hosea:

Let us know, and let us follow on to know Jehovah; His going forth is prepared as the clouds; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that irrigateth the earth (Hosea 6:3).

This is said of the Lord and His coming; and as all Divine truth proceeds from Him, from which angels and men have life and salvation, it is said "He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that irrigateth the earth," "to irrigate the earth" signifying to render fertile the church, which is said to be rendered fertile when truths are multiplied and thence intelligence increases, and when goods are made fruitful, and thence celestial love increases.

[22] In the second book of Samuel:

The rock of Israel spake to me; as the light of morning the sun riseth, of a morning without clouds; from the brightness after rain there is grass out of the earth (2 Samuel 23:3, 4).

This is said of the Lord, who from the Divine truth that proceeds from Him is called "the Rock of Israel." That Divine truth proceeds from His Divine good is meant by "as the light of the morning the sun riseth." There is a comparison with light because "light" signifies the Divine truth proceeding, and with the morning because "morning" signifies the Divine good, and with the rising sun because "rising" and the "sun" signify the Divine love; that these are without obscurity is signified by "the light of a morning without clouds;" the enlightenment of the man of the church by the reception and after the reception of Divine truth from the Lord's Divine good is signified by "from the brightness after rain," "brightness" signifying enlightenment, and "rain" influx and consequent reception. That those who are of the church have therefrom knowledge [scientia], intelligence, and wisdom, is signified by "the grass out of the earth," "grass," like "pasture," signifying spiritual nourishment, and thence knowledge [scientia], intelligence, and wisdom, which are spiritual food, and the "earth" signifying the church and the man of the church.

[23] In Matthew:

Love your enemies, bless ² them that curse you, bless them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens; who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44, 45).

Here first charity towards the neighbor, which is to wish good and do good even to enemies, is described by "loving them, blessing them, and praying for them," for genuine charity regards only the good of another. Here "to love" signifies charity, "to bless" instruction, and "to pray" intercession, and for the reason that inwardly in charity there is the end to do good. That this is the Divine itself with man, such as it is with regenerate men, is signified by "that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens," "Father in the heavens" means the Divine proceeding, for all who receive this are called "sons of the Father," that is, of the Lord; "the sun that He maketh to rise on the evil and on the good" signifies the Divine good flowing in; and "the rain that He sendeth on the just and on the unjust" signifies the Divine truth flowing in; for the Divine proceeding which is "the Father in the heavens," flows in with the evil equally as with the good, but the reception of it must be on man's part, yet not on man's part as from man, but as if from man, for the ability to receive is given to man continually, and it also flows in to the extent that man removes the evils that oppose, and does this also from the ability that is continually given, the ability itself appearing to be man's, although it is of the Lord.

[24] From this it can now be seen that "rain" signifies in the Word the influx of the Divine truth from the Lord, from which man has spiritual life, and this because "waters," of which rain consists, signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith. But as "waters," in the contrary sense, signify the falsities of doctrine and of faith, so "showers of rain" or "a shower," as well as "inundations of waters" and a "flood," signify not only falsities destroying truths, but also temptations in which man either yields or conquers. This is the signification of shower [imber] in Matthew:

Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them I will liken to a prudent man who built his house upon a rock; and the shower descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not. But everyone that heareth My words and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the shower descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it (Matthew 7:24-27).

Here "shower" and "rivers" mean temptations, in which man conquers or in which he yields; "waters" mean the falsities that usually inflow in temptations; and "rivers," which here are inundations of water from a shower, signify temptations; "the winds that blow and beat" signify the thoughts that arise therefrom, for temptations arise through the breaking in of falsities injected by evil spirits into the thoughts. The "house" they beat upon signifies man, strictly his mind, which consists of understanding or thought and of will or affection; he that receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in one part of the mind only, which is that of the thought or understanding, and not at the same time in the other part, which is that of the affection or will, yields in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil; therefore it is said, "great was the fall of it;" but he who receives Divine truths in both parts, that is, both in the understanding and in the will, conquers in temptations. The "rock" upon which that house is founded signifies the Lord as to Divine truth, or Divine truth received by the soul and heart, that is, by faith and love, in other words, by the understanding and will; while the "sand" signifies Divine truth received only in the memory, and somewhat therefrom in the thought, and thus in a scattered and disconnected way, because intermixed with falsities, and falsified by notions. This makes clear what is meant by "hearing the words and not doing them." That this is the sense of these words can be seen more clearly from what precedes them.

[25] An "overflowing rain" or "shower" signifies an inundation of falsities also in Ezekiel:

Say unto them that daub on what is unfit that it shall fall, because an overflowing rain, because ³ ye, O hailstones, shall fall, and a wind of tempests shall break through. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, I will make a wind of tempest to break through in My wrath, and an overflowing rain in Mine anger, and hailstones in wrath for a consummation, and I will throw down the wall that ye have daubed with what is unfit (Ezekiel 13:11, 13, 14).

"Daubing with what is unfit" signifies the confirmation of falsity by fallacies, whereby falsity appears as truth; "hailstones" signify truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, which are all inwardly falsities, for ideas that are dead cause them to be merely shells, and like pictures in which there is nothing living; such truths merely known belong to the natural man, into which nothing from the spiritual flows. "The overflowing rain and the wind of tempests" signify falsities rushing in copiously, and things imaginary, and disputes about truths, which make it impossible for anything of truth to be seen, and which thus destroy man.

[26] In the same:

I will plead with Gog with pestilence and with blood, and I will rain an overflowing rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone, upon him and upon his troops, and upon the many people who are with him (Ezekiel 38:22).

"Gog" means such as are in external worship without any internal worship; and as such worship consists of what are like shells, the kernels of which are either rotten or have been eaten out by worms, these things are called "overflowing rain and hailstones," which signify falsities rushing in copiously and things imaginary which destroy man. The evils of falsity and the falsities of evil are signified by "fire and brimstone."

[27] The "flood of waters," of which it is said:

That it overflowed the whole earth and destroyed all except Noah and his sons (Genesis 7, Genesis 8),

also signifies the flood of falsities by which the Most Ancient Church was finally destroyed; "Noah and his sons" signify a new church, which is to be called the Ancient Church, and the establishment of that church after the Most Ancient Church had been devastated. (But the particulars of the description in these chapters of the flood and of the salvation of the family of Noah, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia. That "waters" signify truths, and in the contrary sense, falsities, may be seen above, n.71, 483, 518, 537, 538; and that "the overflowings of waters" signify the overflowings of falsities and temptations, see also above, n. 518 .)

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